//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Hotter Than Hell // by totallynotabrony //------------------------------// No plan ever survives contact with a human high school.  Sunset Shimmer realized that, now. Sure, she was nothing if not adaptable.  Even far from home, some things were universal, and she was smart enough to make up the difference.  But that didn’t mean she wasn’t annoyed. Sunset knew herself well enough to know that she became vindictive to blow off stress.  Today was one of those days. “Glue,” Sunset said, holding out her hand, not looking.  A plastic bottle was placed in her palm. Sunset had already picked open the tumblers on the locker in front of her, the one with an extravagant sign that carried the name Rarity.  She squeezed half the bottle of glue into a plastic sandwich bag, the kind with just a folded-over flap to close, and carefully taped it up into the locker, such that opening the door would upend it. She shut the door carefully, and then carelessly tossed the bottle across the hallway, where it landed on the floor right below a locker with nearly as extravagant a sign that read Pinkie Pie. That done, she turned to walk away.  “What’s next?” “You…” pages rustled behind her “...had an appointment with Applejack behind the gym.” Sunset headed that way, pushing open the outside door into the winter air, putting her hands in her pockets, and keeping to the path that had been shoveled clear of snow.  She was cutting class, but all the teachers trusted her with a hall pass.  They probably trusted Applejack, too, but of the two of them, Applejack looked much more uncomfortable exploiting it when Sunset saw her. Applejack leaned against the wall of the building, apparently not feeling the cold in her usual hick farmer clothes, but straightened up when Sunset appeared.  There were cowboy bootprints in the snow around her; she’d been pacing.  “You said you had something to tell me about my brother?  Why ain’t he been around?” “I’m so sorry,” Sunset began, feigning doe eyes.  “I don’t know what’s going on, but I saw him with someone.  Maybe that’s why he’s been gone.” She showed Applejack a picture on her phone.  Sunset had lifted a few pictures from last year’s school yearbook and photoshopped them to appear that Applejack’s brother was kissing a girl named Fluttershy.  Sunset didn’t know or care what had actually happened to him, but that just meant he wasn’t around to refute the fake picture. At any rate, Applejack’s breath hitched.  “That little…” “And hey, can you keep it a secret that I told you?” said Sunset.  “I wouldn’t want anyone to know that I took this picture.  I’ll delete it.”  She did so, in front of Applejack.  At least this copy. Sunset wasn’t interested in finding out what had happened to Applejack’s brother; she was just fanning the girl’s frustration and Fluttershy just so happened to be a convenient target. “Don’t worry,” Applejack replied, though her tone conflicted her words and suggested that she was actually the one worried.  “Ah...guess Ah owe you a secret, too.”   She definitely did.  Sunset subtly reminded her, in the guise of concern: “Speaking of, are you and Rainbow doing good?  I mean, I wouldn’t want to pry.  I’m totally an ally, if you’re dating a girl.” Applejack flushed bright red and pulled her hat low over her face.  “Ah don’t want to talk about it.”  She started to turn away, but paused, turning back.  “Wait, what’s with that freshman?  Silver Spoon, right?  Can you trust her?” “Uh-!”  The girl following Sunset gulped at being suddenly recognized. “Don’t worry about her,” Sunset said. Applejack looked dubious, but was distracted with larger worries, and left. “What’s next?” Sunset said after she was gone. “Um…”  Silver Spoon flipped a few pages in the schedule. Sunset turned to look at her, impatient.  Silver gulped and adjusted her glasses, which had fogged from her hot breath in the chill air.  “Nothing!  That’s all for today.” “Get me a muffin for breakfast,” Sunset said.  “Hmm...a blueberry one.  Where’s my backpack?” Silver was wearing it, and hastily slipped it off.  It fell out of her hands, though, and she darted to the ground to scoop up a notebook that had fallen out. Sunset shoved her over into the snow before Silver could touch it.  She picked up the notebook herself, threw a look at the cowering Silver, and then turned away, putting the notebook back in the backpack.  “You know not to touch my things.” Silver mumbled a feeble reply, but Sunset was already walking away. The freshman was not especially useful, Sunset just liked having an assistant.  At any rate, she kept Silver fed with just enough praise to think she was doing a good job, and took advantage of an extra pair of hands when she needed them.  It helped that Silver Spoon’s family was loaded. Sunset walked away from the school grounds, though the day wasn’t quite over.  She didn’t tell Silver where she was going this time.  Though she was confident Silver would covet her no matter what, there were some things that her assistant did not need to know. There were things that Sunset would never admit, not to anyone. She stopped by her apartment to change into something more casual and nondescript.  Putting up the hood of her sweatshirt and keeping her head down, she headed for the city park.  Sunset wasn’t sure why she was drawn to the grass and greenery, even if they were covered in snow.  She told herself it was to get away from human stupidity for a while, but it did remind her of Equestria.  Trees were trees everywhere. She walked aimlessly, caught up in her own thoughts, until evening was beginning to fall.  Spotting a bench, she made for it on impulse, falling heavily upon it.  It was cold, but mostly snow-free. There was a picnic firepit nearby.  Sunset stared at it for a few moments, and then reached into her backpack, pulling out the notebook.  Rummaging deeper, she pulled out a disposable lighter she’d used to trip a fire alarm the previous week and flicked it, setting the notebook on fire. Sunset stared at the flames as they began to consume the paper, but didn’t really see, too preoccupied.  She tossed the notebook in the firepit, and watched it burn. Taking a breath, she sat back and glanced at her phone.  It was a bad habit, a human habit.  Sunset put it away again.  Well, it was her phone now.  She’d taken it from that one girl, Fluttershy, who she knew wouldn’t tell anyone.  Such a pushover, so easy to manipulate. Not that anyone at the Canterlot High School was difficult to corral.  They were just humans.  Coming to this planet had been just what Sunset needed.  Schoolwork was no challenge.  They didn’t even study magic here.   Sunset watched the paper burning.  It was just another notebook that might as well have been blank, for all the good it did her.  Another notebook full of worthless scribbles starting to curl to ash as it burned.  She was someone who had been born with an unlimited trajectory, and she knew it.  She was willing to make sacrifices.  She’d abandoned her home and come to the human world for a fresh start. Coming to this planet had given Sunset plenty of time to plot her revenge back home.  Plenty of time wasted.  Months had passed, and Sunset had nothing.  A notebook full of plans that wouldn’t work.   The princess that had driven Sunset away couldn’t be swayed with just a clever plan.  There were multiple magnitudes of raw power between them, a gulf Sunset had tried to breach - and been rebuffed.   So she’d come to Earth, looking for a new path.  But now, it was herself that stood in the way of her going back.  As hard as she had tried, she just couldn’t figure out a plan that she thought would work.  Princess Celestia was just too powerful.  Sunset had been her best student in decades, yet Celestia had the nerve to pity Sunset’s aspirations. She kept telling herself that she was a superior being among lower creatures now, who had come from a world of magic, but it was getting difficult to keep believing it when her domain was just one of the public schools in just one of the cities out of all the countries on Earth. This was why she had come here to the park alone.  She could only put on a mask to conceal all these thoughts for so long.  Because worse than being powerless was letting others think that she was. Sunset sniffed.  It was the cold air getting to her, she told herself. She heard a step, and turned her head to see a man just a few feet away.  It was the first person she had seen since sitting down on the bench.  And, much to her quiet consternation, he sat down beside her. His half-grey hair was brushed back carelessly.  He wore slacks and a jacket, and also an ascot.  Sunset instantly didn’t trust people who hid their neck, like Celestia and her stupid jewelry. The man looked tired, despite his clothes being neat as a pin, or maybe it was just the shadows of his face under the streetlights.  Sunset pointedly looked away, still fuming about being interrupted. “Are you lost?” he asked. Scarcely believing he would speak to her, Sunset spared him a single glance, and curtly replied, “No.” She gathered her backpack, making ready to leave.  Before she could move, he asked, “Then why did you come here?” Something about his tone set Sunset on edge.  She couldn’t help but look at him again.  He stared back, face still tired, but not showing much else.  “Are you looking for something?” After a moment, she cautiously asked, “What do you mean?” He yawned, though graciously covered his mouth.  “I don’t think either of us want to beat around the bush on a night like tonight.  Neither of us are human, anyway.” Sunset stared.  Neither of us? “I want to offer you a deal,” he said.  “You look like someone who could use one.” “I’m not taking anything from anyone,” Sunset said.  She made ready to leave again, to maintain some control and end the conversation on her terms, despite an intense swirl of sudden curiosity, cautiousness, and honestly a little worry.  Who was he? “Rest assured, you’d earn it.”  He turned to face her fully now, and with both of his eyes focused on her now something about him struck Sunset hard enough that she nearly recoiled.  Her first thought was a comparison to Princess Celestia, but no, he was different, even if the mere gaze of his eyes carried a weight.  It took her a belated moment to realize that he was holding a thin scroll out to her. Hesitantly, she took it, and unrolled the paper.  To her biggest surprise of the night, it was written in Ponish. I, Sunset Shimmer, enter into this contract for the purpose of gain, and loss. I accept the Spirit of Vengeance, with the understanding that it is a force beyond my own. I acknowledge that this power will be used as stipulated. I agree that my soul is the price of exchange. Received this day, by Lucifer. Sunset wasn’t sure how literal she should take this.  How many people knew how to speak Ponish?  Was the translation off? Lucifer was his name?  Didn’t he have a title?  Did he just expect her to know who he was? “The Spirit of Vengeance?” she said. “That’s what it’s called.” “And it’s a ‘force beyond my own?’  What makes you think you know who I am?”  Sunset tried for skeptical, to hide her lingering surprise that he just happened to be carrying a scroll with her name on it. “I’ve never been wrong before,” he said.  The man, Lucifer, continued to lounge on the bench, apparently disinterested.   “And what’s this about soul?” At this, Lucifer looked up.  “It’s the most important thing you have.  I want you to understand that.” Sunset snorted.  “You say you know me.  Don’t think I’m naive because I haven’t been here very long.  I know about jazz.  In fact, where I come from, song and dance is a way of life to those imbeciles.  It’s not like I care about that.” Lucifer opened his mouth, but paused.  Sunset was pleased to see she’d finally flummoxed him.  He shook his head, resetting.  “Are you going to make a deal or not?” “What are you getting out of it?” “I need help taking care of some unsavory work.  Can you do that?” Sunset’s lip curled, but a sneer, not distaste.  Did he know what she had done, the taboos she had broken to get here?  She crossed her arms, slightly amazed with herself that she was still listening to him.  “And what am I getting out of it?” “Power.” Her attitude evaporated, even if she managed to keep it off her face.  Did he know…? “I get it,” he said.  “Not everyone is a paragon, but imperfect is good enough.  Especially for this.  I don’t care if you’re a criminal or a coward or a narcissist, or anything else.  I just need you to take out your frustrations, and I’ll give you the tools you need.” Sunset glanced down at the contract again, thoughts turning to what she could do with borrowed power.  She didn’t think humans had magic, but...well, this was clearly no ordinary man.  And maybe Princess Celestia’s former oh-so-precious star pupil could figure out a way to make the power her own. “So you just need me to sign this?” “In blood, if you please.” Sunset looked at him sharply.  He looked back, apparently serious.  Well fine, if he wanted to see how serious she was.   Sunset took a folding knife out of the same pocket of her backpack from where she had gotten the lighter.  Both had come from a contraband box in the high school office, one that nobody knew she had the key.  She’d stolen that, too. Flicking the knife open, she looked back at Lucifer, held his eyes, and sliced her left palm.  Blood splattered on the paper. Lucifer deftly snatched the contract back, though apparently annoyed rather than eager.  “Just a drop would have done.”  He looked at the mess with distaste, but rolled the paper and tucked it back inside his jacket. Sunset surreptitiously clutched her injury, regretting her zeal but unwilling to admit it.  Lucifer had stood from the bench and began to turn away.  “I’ll be in touch.” “What about this power?” He paused, spared her a glance, and said, “You’ll know it when you feel it.” Sunset’s wound prickled and she glanced at it.  Lucifer was gone by the time she looked up again. She grit her teeth, regret coming back.  What had she gotten out of this?  Did he take her for a fool? Sunset had stolen some sort of fancy silk scarf out of Rarity’s locker and pulled it out of her backpack, wrapping her hand.  At least the pain wasn’t as bad as she expected, but maybe that was because she was distracted. She really was distracted.  The strange encounter had completely made her forget her original purpose in coming to the park.  However, it had delayed her, and now the sun was down and a few specks of snow had started to fall.  At least it didn’t seem as cold as before, though she didn’t dwell on it, only picking up her backpack and turning back for her apartment. She’d gone quite deep into the park, and before she got to the exit, she heard voices, music, and engines.  Rounding a curve in the tree-lined path, Sunset came upon a circle with a fountain in the center.  Half a dozen people were lounging around, some of them with motorcycles. There was a very clear no motor vehicles sign at the park entrance.  Not that Sunset herself cared about laws, but the crowd instantly annoyed her with their noise.  She kept her hood up and ignored them. Until a hand came down on her shoulder.  “Hey.” Sunset had built her entire life, her entire persona, around cunning.  It was good to be the strongest, but better to be the smartest.  As much as it hurt that she couldn’t overpower Celestia, nor figure out a way to outmaneuver her, Sunset had her principles.  But on a night like tonight, her first reflex was to simplemindedly slap away the offending hand on her shoulder. There were a few hoots of amusement from the other bikers.  Sunset threw a glare at the man who had grabbed her, which only seemed to encourage him.  He stepped forward, the various studs and metal decorating his leather jacket jingling.  He grinned.  “Don’t be like that.  Do you want to hang out with us?” In her peripheral vision, the rest of the bikers began to close in around her.  Sunset hadn’t been on Earth that long, but even she could tell she’d fallen into another situation where raw power wasn’t on her side, and cursed herself and her own failure once again. Her mind was working, trying to figure a way out of this.  Should she run?  As much personal shame as she would feel, it might be the only option.  The man reached out again, and Sunset instinctively raised her hand to block.  He instead grabbed her wrist, fingers inadvertently pressing into her cut hand.  The spark of pain jolted Sunset into sudden, unconscious action.  Her other hand balled into a fist and she swung at his face. To her surprise, it worked.  In fact, the punch knocked him clear off his feet.  The action stunned Sunset nearly as much as everyone else.  It wasn’t as if she was above violence, it was just usually not her go-to action.  She was also certain that her spindly human arms weren’t this strong. Surprised as she was, Sunset still got her bearings faster than anyone else standing around her, and pivoted in place, raising her hands.  A woman, perhaps somehow related to the man she’d just flattened, stood within reach and Sunset punched her, too.  The other five bikers had only just begun to blink when she stepped forward and hit the next one, hands moving faster than they could react. She hit the fourth just as the fifth and sixth had started to move.  Sunset sidestepped the oncoming fifth as he swung at her, threw a knee into his gut, and twisted into elbowing the nose of the sixth.  The seventh man hesitated, and then lowered his head and charged. Sunset felt that she had plenty of time to drop her stance and cock back a fist.  She hammered the man in the solar plexus as he reached her, driving the wind out of him with a groan and stopping his momentum on the spot, despite him probably outweighing her by double.  He collapsed where he stood. She straightened up and turned slowly in place, inspecting her work.  She looked at her hands.  Hmm. Well, this wasn’t the power she had expected or wanted, but… She shook her head.  It still wasn’t good enough.  She couldn’t punch Princess Celestia. Sunset sighed, suddenly annoyed again.  Fortunately, she had convenient targets for her frustration.  Not that she was going to literally kick them while they were down, but they had earned some form of retribution. Spirit of Vengeance?  Well, Sunset probably would have done this anyway.  She hopped astride one of the idling motorcycles.  It had a sidecar, so it was stable on three wheels.  She didn’t know a thing about bikes, so picked the one she wouldn’t crash while jauntily riding away. Throwing a smirk at the pile of bikers who had only just now started to pick themselves up, she revved the engine and rode away.  Fortunately, the throttle was under her right hand.  Though, she realized her cut left hand had stopped hurting. Exiting the park, bumping over the sidewalk onto the street, the wind blew Sunset’s hood back, and despite the chill, she didn’t feel it at all.  After the night she had gone through, finally getting the better of someone with raw power had practically made her giddy like a filly.  While she was far too composed to shout for joy or anything like that, she couldn’t help a smile.  No, this was not the power she had wanted, but it was a start. Who was this idiot Lucifer that had just given her this power?