//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Inked // by Dr Sharaz Jek //------------------------------// Sunset Shimmer's cellphone continued to buzz. She ignored it. Eventually a voicemail was left. Growling at her phone, she snapped it up, still sitting naked on her bed. “Sunset,” came the breathy voice of Inky Rose. “Forgive me, I-” She erased the message and blocked her number. Fresh tears squeezed out of her tear ducts. Her buttcheeks shifted on the porcelain. She nearly hurled her phone at the nearest walls, barely able to restrain herself while she shook all over. Marching from her bathroom, she plucked a carving knife from the kitchen, wandered to the portrait in her bedroom, and screamed when she sunk the blade into the canvas. She scarred it with ragged cuts and slashes, howled as she ripped it to tatters, which fluttered in the air. What she once loved was now but another painful reminder of what she'd lost. She huffed, her hair a wild mess. “I hope whoever uses the saying 'It's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all' has their heart broken repeatedly!” She stomped and tossed the blade aside with a clatter. Collapsing onto a bed, she punched a pillow. Was she being childish, throwing a tantrum? Maybe. But everyone needed to vent sometimes. After she cried herself into exhaustion, shaking and choking back sobs, before she finally picked herself up and exhaled sharply. Memories played over-and-over in her head. Braiding Inky's hair. Doing her makeup. Even cleaning her underwear. She returned to the restroom, threw cold water on her reddened eyes and face, pulled the snags from her hair with a comb. Then she wandered to her closest and looked between her outfits, including that blue number and the gothic dress she'd specifically for Inky, and finally decided on her old garments, the same ones she'd worn in her bully days, and also when she'd met the new love of her life. Speaking of which, it was time she reclaimed her life. But in order to do so she needed closure. ***** Traveling around the town, picking up rumors and clues wherever she could, mostly by listening in and sneaking into Inky's old haunts, she eventually tracked her down, at the very same place she'd first encountered her at. Sunset kept to the shadows, well away from where she might be spotted, usually choosing high elevation whenever she could. Sweat, perfume, and cologne suffused the air. Her insides churned, her fists balled up as she snarled. Not only was the traitor with someone else already, but with Flash Sentry of all people! Both her exes, stabbing her in the back! No, she reminded herself with a shake of her head, the gloom of the club occasionally broken by flashes of neon while she peered over a rail. He probably wasn't even aware they'd ever even dated. Maybe Inky wasn't aware he was her ex, either? It barely seemed to matter. She was gyrating all over him in her slinky and sheer little number, working themselves up into a sweaty frenzy while they laughed and danced like they were crazed. Her pretty much transparent attire slid over her skin which glowed under the flashing lights, her supple figure bouncing and swaying loosely while they laughed. He pulled her by the waist to his strong chest. It pained her to see Inky so happy now, to be reminded she couldn't fulfill her needs, no matter how hard she'd tried. Had she been too needy? Desperate? She was her first love, after all. Rattles sounded from the metal before her when she stormed out onto the rooftop. Barely anyone was up top, and she stood at the edge, overlooking the city. Stars twinkled in the darkness and frame a pale moon. Staring into it, her shadow twisting into a demonic figure behind her, a sudden bout of inspiration struck her. Almost like she'd called on an inner daemon for an epiphany. A cold, cruel smile crossed her lips. She would have her revenge yet! ***** After a late night trip to an occult shop, Sunset purchased a number of items, which she unloaded from her shopping bag onto her living room floor. It was more her ex's scene, tarot cards, incense, and the like, but perhaps it wasn't all superstition? After all, magic was real in Equestria, and had crossed over to this world. Perhaps as a side-effect some of these trinkets might have become active too? And if so, no doubt they'd prove potent, even potentially lethal in the right (or wrong) hands. She lifted her prize; a specially crafted voodoo doll which resembled Inky Rose down to its elegant gothic lolita styled clothes. It had cost her a small fortune. She hugged it to her bosom and softly wept. Could she really do it? Sliding down the doll's top, a heart was drawn upon her breast, serving as a target for the pins. She picked up a fistful. Each one was said to cause excruciating agony, amplified with each subsequent stab. Gritting her teeth with a hiss, she jabbed the first one into the puppet's hand. Then the other one so they matched. “I hate you,” she cried with blurry eyes. The next two she buried in Inky's knees. Whatever pain her ex was feeling, it was nothing compared to hers! Another one impaled her midsection. It was kind of fun, rather cathartic. Two more pinned her shoulder blades, then her wrists, before she finally went for the throat. Three more needles, but where to stick the penultimate ones before the finale? Deftly she skewered both breasts with one, and the other between both buttocks, those once most erotic of areas now surrendered to Flash no doubt. By now her hand was shaking, the last point hovering over the heart. This was meant to be the completion of the ritual. The finishing touch which would supposedly end the victim's life in a tortuous, writhing fit. She shuddered. Fresh tears rolled out. What was she doing? Suddenly it didn't seem like a game anymore, not mere superstition, but a bout of cruelty more akin to how ugly she used to be. Bittersweet memories of her time with Inky flashed through her head, her heart heavy with ambivalence. “This isn't me,” she whispered almost inaudibly. “I'm not a monster.” Gently she removed the pins and set the doll aside. Her hands caressed it lovingly. “What came over me?” She turned to her mirror and swore she could see a flash of the she-demon she'd been for a moment, but that was simply a trick of the mind, wasn't it? She wondered if the object really was cursed, and had tried to take hold of her mind. No, she needed to rethink her life. She tucked away the puppet and sucked in a deep breath to calm her. Was their a chance of salvaging what they had? Quite unlikely. Inky had made it clear she couldn't settle down with another woman. She was right. Had their romance continued, neither of them would've been happy. But she wished to see her face-to-face one last time.