A car going far past the speed limit screeched to a halt into the parking lot behind Canterlot High School. Within it sat a lime-skinned man and a light magenta woman. The woman let out a groan as she pushed the car door open and stretched her legs and arms out of the vehicle. The man shakily got out of the car with wobbly legs as he tried to get more than three steps away from the car without falling over like a pile of sticks.
"Why am I always chosen for the crap jobs?" Silverstream grumbled as she got out before kicking the car door closed behind her.
"Gilda is my friend," Thorax mumbled as he put his hands on his knees, catching his breath as he did so. "She wouldn't have called unless it was urgent. Apparently, they found someone related to ChangeData."
"Everyone works for ChangeData these days." Silverstream groaned. "If we got our panties in a twist for anyone who seemed to breathe like a changeling, we'd lose all our hair by the time we turned twenty."
"She wouldn't waste our time unless she was certain." Thorax turned towards Silverstream. "If this person is a ChangeData secret operative ...."
"Then they won't talk." Silverstream groaned. "They never talk! They're part of the hivemind. At that point, we are better off just killing them." The girl continued to whinge.
"I worked with ChangeData once. They are not without their flaws." Thorax turned towards Silverstream. "I know how to reason with them, and if we're lucky, they are like me."
"Yeah ...you never told us how you broke out." Silverstream raised an eyebrow. "How do I know that you're not still connected to Chrysalis?"
"Even she isn't as flawless as she makes herself to be. She makes mistakes, many of them. She's just good at hiding them." Thorax turned away and looked up at the ChangeData tower division in Canterlot City. "I just took the opportunity."
When he turned towards Silverstream, he saw that she wasn't convinced. He let out a heavy sigh, at this point, used to the suspicion. He looked away, focused back on the school, and pointed at the back entrance. "Okay, come on. We don't want to keep them waiting." Thorax snapped as he began walking towards the school.
"Please." Silverstream scoffed as she took out a cigarette, which she flicked into her mouth. In a split second, she lit the end of the cigarette and let out a puff while following behind Thorax. "What could possibly happen in the next ten seconds?"
As if to answer her question, a loud eruption erupted out, echoing through the air. Thorax saw the school shake before a figure flew up into the air out away from the school, with a second person in their arms. Though he couldn't see their features, he recognized the metallic armor and the firey wings of the figure. It could be none other than the Witchblade. The witchblade's wings were then ripped off by the person they were carrying, causing the two of them to plummet down toward the ground. There was a loud crash that erupted out, followed by a couple of distant car alarms.
"Think she's dead?" Silverstream muttered.
"Gilda." Thorax whispered before he began to run towards the school.
"Let me give you a boost!" Silverstream offered right before Thorax felt himself lifted up from the ground. He felt the air fly past him as Silverstream sped across the parking lot and through the school doors. The classrooms passed by like a blur before the girl stopped in her tracks, causing Thorax to lurch forward. The man tumbled onto the ground before letting out a groan. He could never get used to Silverstream's super speed, and it always made him sick.
As he got up off the ground, he was certainly greeted by a sight. There was Gilda, holding off three other girls. One had a broken cello in her hands, one had her arms wrapped around Gilda's neck, and the other was pinned under her knee.
"Man, now I wish I went to High school." Silverstream snorted.
"Gilda! What is going on?!" Thorax sighed as he rubbed his eyes.
Gilda finally managed to throw the girl who was gripping her neck off her and to the side. The girl under her knee managed to slip away and roll to the side.
"Who are you people?!" One of the girls shrieked.
"Usually, people say hello as a greeting," Silverstream grumbled. "Now, what happened? It looks like a tornado occurred in there." She pointed at the classroom, which had desks thrown everywhere and a broken window.
"Sunset is fighting off Bon Bon!" Gilda said urgently as she held the part of her head that had wood splinters in it, which was also bleeding quite a bit of blood.
"Who is Bon Bon?" Thorax asked. "I never heard of such an operative working for ChangeData."
"Her real name is Sweetie Drops!" Gilda shouted.
That caused Thorax to freeze, as an ice-cold feeling crept up his spine. Silverstream was rendered speechless for the first time since the two met, and she just stared at Gilda. The other three girls had their hands up, but each one had a look of confusion on their face.
"What are you talking about? Her name is Bon Bon!" The aquamarine girl snapped.
"Sweetie Drops is her real name!" Gilda explained frantically. "She is Anon-A-Miss!"
"Liar! You can't cover for your friend!" The aquamarine girl shouted back.
"Impossible." Thorax shook his head. "Sweetie Drops died when Chrysalis attacked S.M.I.L.E's home base."
"I heard about it as well. She was good, but Chrysalis tricked them all." Silverstream nodded.
"It's her! I know it!"
"Where did you get this information?"
"The Diamond Dogs. I don't know how they know, but they've always provided decent information." Gilda explained. "Thorax, look at the classroom. No normal girl can do this!" Gilda pointed at the classroom.
Thorax looked into the classroom and accessed the wreckage. He opened the door, walked in, and saw what she was talking about. There were desks thrown everywhere, and it looked as if a fight had happened there. He looked down and saw a pink girl lying unconscious amongst the rubble, in between five broken desks she looked to have been thrown into. She was bleeding and bruised all over her body.
"Who are you people?" One of the girls behind him asked. He looked over his shoulder to see the aquamarine girl staring at him while her arms were still raised up towards Gilda.
"I'm friends with Gilda." He answered simply. "If this Bon Bon is truly Sweetie Drops ...."
"We need to go before Sweetie Drops transforms the Witchblade into a corpse." Silverstream snapped.
"She may be good, but even she can't compete with an artifact, especially one part of the trinity." Thorax reasoned. "We need to find them now before they do something they regret!"
"What do we do with these three?" Gilda asked as she gestured towards the three other students in front of her.
Before Thorax could answer, he heard a shrill voice call out from the other end of the hallway. He saw a dark blue-skinned woman running over towards them with firey eyes. "What on earth is going on here!" She shrieked.
"That's our cue!" Silverstream snapped. Before Thorax could see anything or protest, he felt the girl lift him up before speeding away. The environment blurred past before he found himself back in the parking lot. Silverstream let go of him, causing him to stumble forward, but this time, along with Gilda.
"Next time, give me a warning dweeb!" Gilda snapped.
"I'm about speed, not comfort." Silverstream shot back as she quickly got into the driver's seat. "Now get in; we need to go before the cops come."
Gilda let out a grumble but slid into the backseat. Thorax followed suit and closed the door before leaning into the driver's seat. "I saw her crash near the warehouse district."
"She was off by a couple of miles. She looked to have crashed nearby." Silverstream said as she put on her seatbelt. "Ready yourselves because today, traffic safety becomes a suggestion."
"It's always a suggestion to you-" Was all Thorax managed to get out before Silverstream lifted up the brakes and backed up out of the parking lot. She then quickly turned the car around in the middle of the street, getting many angry shouts from other drivers before speeding down the road.
Thorax felt himself lurch back as the car sped down the road. As he looked out of the car window, he could hear sirens in the distance, and he could only hope that wherever the Witchblade and Sweetie Drops were, that they were both safe.
Witchblade
Sweetie Drops let out a groan as she slowly blinked. Her head was swirling, and she couldn't make out where she was or what the time was at the moment. As her vision began to clear, she saw a figure sitting in front of her, which was a woman clad in metallic armor, her firey pupils standing out from the black sclera around it. As Sweetie Drops tried to move her arms and legs, she found them strapped down on the limbs of a chair. This caused her to snap awake as she began to thrash around in a desperate attempt to free herself.
"Don't try it." The woman in front of her said. "Aria made sure to keep you secured there as tightly as possible."
Sweetie Drop's memory began to come back to her as she remembered the fight against Sunset. She remembered being confused at how Sunset had transformed and what magic the girl had. All she remembered was that Sunset Shimmer was a threat that needed to be eliminated as soon as humanly possible.
"Sunset. You finally here to finish me off?" Drops snarled.
"No. Just wanted to ask some questions." Sunset explained as she sat up from her seat. "Wanted to know what connections you have to Chrysalis."
"I'm not telling you anything." Drops snapped back.
"I told you she would speak." Another voice called out. Sweetie Drops looked around the room she was trapped in. It was dark, but from her enhanced eyesight, she was able to make out different objects. It looked to be a small hideout, with rigged computers along with makeshift furniture that looked to be crumbling apart. "Want me to roughen her up?"
Sweetie Drops felt her chair shake as two hands slammed down on the headrest right next to her shoulder. "I can break her fingers." The voice offered from behind her.
"Aria, we aren't torturing her. From what I know, she isn't working for Chrysalis, or she isn't anymore." Sunset explained.
"She could be working for the Storm King then." Aria snapped back. "That's also a bad thing. Storm King is nearly as bad as her. The only difference is that Chrysalis creates forbidden artifacts, and that man steals them from her."
"Then we'll deal with her if that's true." Sunset leaned forward, staring Sweetie Drops down. "Right now, though, we want to take down Anon-A-Miss and Sweetie Drops, here is our ticket to do that."
"Fine." Aria rolled her eyes as she walked around Sweetie Drops. "You're lucky Sunset is too soft for her own good kid."
"You're lucky my implants were deactivated." Sweetie Drops countered.
"I'm so scared." Aria rolled her eyes. "I outlive you by a good four hundred years, you're basically a baby to me."
"Listen, Sweetie Drops, we aren't working for Chrysalis, or are Anon-A-Miss. We are looking for the girl who is Anon-A-Miss, and right now, you're our ticket to finding out who she is." Sunset sighed as she knelt down in front of Sweetie Drops. "Do you want Lyra to suffer?"
"You leave Lyra out of this!" Sweetie Drops roared, trying to jump forward, only held down by her restraints.
"I don't want Lyra or Octavia to suffer, and neither does Gilda." Sunset nodded. "But I am going to need some information if I am going to help them."
"And why do you think I will trust you?" Sweetie Drops sneered.
"Because you will put your grudge away." Aria snapped, getting Sunset's and Drops attention. The woman walked up to the two of them and stared down Sweetie Drops. "Because you will clear your mind and do what needs to be done to achieve your goal. In our line of work, emotion is a hindrance and hurts more than it saves."
"How would you know?" Drops sneered.
"Before I was an assassin, I was a knight and soldier. I fought in wars, girl, and saw my fair share of deaths." Aria nodded. "There are times when you must put old grudges away and fight because you care about those behind you, not because you hate those in front of you."
"You don't know anything about me." Drops scoffed.
"Maybe not. But I know about death and violence." Aria narrowed her eyes and glared at Drops. "And I have a feeling you are not a stranger to those concepts as well."
Sweetie Drops became silent and looked away from them. Sunset let out a sigh and turned towards Aria, who had her hands on her hips.
"We aren't getting anywhere with this." Sunset huffed. "We need a new angle."
"What we need is to encourage her a bit more."
"No torture." Sunset snapped. "Hold on, let me call Gilda."
"What is she going to do? Grump Sweetie Drops to death?"
"No, and I also want to check if Thorax ever appeared," Sunset explained before she walked off. She headed out the door and into the derelict hall, out of earshot. She didn't want Sweetie Drops overhearing her conversation, in case she did still work for Chrysalis or the Storm King.
'Ok witchblade. Need phone now'
}}}It is in the pocket on your hip.{{{
Sunset reached around her hip and found her way into a small pocket she didn't know existed. It was small enough that it was nearly unrecognizable, and only parted ways when her hands went near it. She reached in and procured out her phone and wallet, which she also thought she had lost in the warehouse fire.
"Here goes hoping that Gilda found Thorax." Sunset muttered as she dialed Gilda's phone number.
It rang a couple of times before the other end finally picked up. Sunset was greeted by frantic shrieking that resembled a harpy trying out theatre before she finally managed out some coherent words from Gilda. "Where are you?! What happened?!"
" A friend and I convinced Sweetie Drops to calm down." Sunset answered. "Forcibly against her will. She's ....not an immediate threat to anyone in her immediate vicinity at the moment. So we have that going for me."
There was a loud sigh from Gilda's end. "Oh, thank heavens. Listen, Thorax and Silverstream are with me right now. Where is your location?"
"An abandoned building a couple of buildings down the block from the storage facility we crashed into. It's in...."
"It's in the abandoned manufacturing plants right across the warehouses, right?"
"Wh ...yeah. It is." Sunset raised an eyebrow. "How do you know?"
"Because Thorax is telling us that you guys are in there and is currently in an argument with Silverstream about his tracking abilities." Gilda sighed through the phone. Her voice became a distant shout from her end of the phone. "Hey, you two! This is the right building, so shut up!"
"Fantastic." Sunset groaned.
"Okay, they're quiet now." Gilda returned back to the phone. "By the way, how did you find your phone?"
"Turns out the Witchblade had it."
"Really? For a second there, I thought that it was your ghost that was calling me." Gilda snorted.
"Hardy har. Get up here." Sunset rolled her eyes. "Oh, by the way, I have a friend here."
"Huh? Who is it?"
"Just ...don't freak out when you arrive. Please?" Sunset sighed.
"Depends ....who is it?" Gilda asked again.
Sunset groaned. "It's Aria ...Nottingham. The masked woman that kidnapped you in the warehouse."
"What the FU-" Was all Gilda managed to get out before Sunset hung up before shoving her phone back into Withblade's magical pocket. Sunset walked back through the door to witness the sight of Aria with a battery at her feet and two wires in her hands, which were dangerously close to Sweetie Drops.
"Aria, what the hell?" Sunset snapped.
"What? Just about to convince her to be more cooperative." Aria snorted.
"I just said no torture!"
"It's not torture."
"Then what is that?!" Sunset pointed accusatorily at the battery in front of Aria's feet.
"A little shock never hurt anyone."
"Yes, it does! Now put it away!" Sunset snapped.
"You're making this unnecessarily difficult." Aria rolled her eyes as she kicked the battery to the side. "Candy hair here doesn't want to speak, even though we have mutual enemies!"
"Why do you hate Chrysalis?" Sunset raised an eyebrow.
Aria shrugged. "She's a prick. She's also a friend of my sister, so I hate her by default."
"That's a lame reason."
"I'll think of a better one later."
"Whatever." Sunset sighed. "Gilda and Thorax are coming over. Hopefully, they can knock some sense into Sweetie Drops."
"Thorax! I knew that you were working for Chrysalis!" Sweetie Drops snapped.
"Fantastic, now she's all riled up again," Sunset grumbled.
"You invited that wimp here?" Aria snapped. "What is he going to do? Whinge Drops to death?"
"What are you going to do? Torture her to death?!" Sunset finally snapped.
Aria pursed her lips and bobbed her head. "That was the plan."
"This was an awful idea." Sunset sighed.
"What was?"
"Working with you!" Sunset finally snapped. "Can you think of anything that doesn't involve pain or torture for five seconds?!"
"You are too naive still!" Aria snapped. "Do you still believe everything can be resolved without bloodshed or death? Sometimes, you need to do what is necessary!"
"I am willing to do what is necessary!" Sunset exclaimed. "But there are lines we do not cross, lines we never cross!"
"And what is that? I saw you fighting against those changelings on that night in front of Pinkie's home!" Aria snapped. "You held back against my changeling soldiers, giving them some broken bones and third-degree burns, but still alive!"
"I don't kill if I don't have to!"
"Then what happens when you do!?" Aria finally roared.
Sunset pursed her lips and became silent as Aria's words weighed on her. She averted her eyes and simply muttered, "I will do what I have to."
"I hope you do." Aria snapped. "When it comes down to it, I hope you have the guts to do what is necessary."
Sunset nodded and turned back towards Sweetie Drops. "I hope that one day, both of us can look back at this and have a good laugh about it over a beer." She sighed.
"I doubt it." Sweetie Drops sneered.
"I am not your enemy." Sunset closed her eyes. "I made mistakes, I will admit that. My hatred for my former mentor and my hunger to be someone better than her overtook any rational thinking I had, and I took it out on you and your friends."
Sweetie Drops simply sneered and turned away, replying to Sunset with only silence. "I know this never really helps, but for what it's worth. I'm sorry." Sunset finally sighed.
"Apologies don't do anything." Sweetie Drops scowled.
Sunset knew she couldn't do anything at that point and was glad when the door to the room was finally kicked open. Gilda, Thorax, and Silverstream all walked in. The air became tense as Thorax met eye contact with Sweetie Drops and Gilda locked on Aria Nottingham. Silverstream stood at the entrance with her arms crossed, with a disinterested look while observing the hostilities as if it was a television show.
"What is she doing here?" Gilda scowled.
"I'm surprised you even recognize me despite me wearing my mask."
"I would recognize you anywhere, now why are you here?"
"If I remember correctly, I helped you beat up Adiago." Aria snorted. "Or is your memory that short?"
"All I remember is you trying to kill me over some stupid gauntlet."
"Well, that same gauntlet saved your life, ask Sunset here." Aria pointed over at Sunset, who could only sigh.
"Wait, that gauntlet was the Witchblade?" Gilda pointed over at Sunset's wrist. "Why is it so small then?"
"The gauntlet is one of its forms." Sunset shrugged. "That's all I know. It can transform into a bracelet for convenience."
}}}Correct. My true form would turn you into dust.{{{
'What does your true form even look like?'
}}}It is incomprehensible to the mortal mind.{{{
'I am imagining a woman with metal skin and very little clothing.'
}}}May I suggest you obtain a more vibrant imagination?{{{
"Gilda. I understand that you have strong feelings against Aria here ..."
"Strong feelings?! That woman tried to kill me and worked with the fucking demons!" Gilda shrieked.
"Correction, my sister worked with the demons. I was just her messenger." Aria corrected.
"That's not much better." Gilda snarled.
"Well, we have no choice!" Sunset snapped. "We are up against Celestia knows how many demons, all of them with very nasty-sounding names. I'm not sure about you, but I think we need all the help we can get."
Gilda scowled but finally relented. "Fine. But if Aria starts pulling some underhanded moves, I'm ripping off her head."
"If we are done fighting, can we turn our attention to Sweetie Drops over here?" Silverstream finally jumped in. The girl gestured over towards the entrapped girl who was observing the arguing with amusement. "Can't believe it's actually her. Don't know how she is here since I saw the smoldering, dead body."
"And who are you?" Sweetie Drops snapped.
"Silverstream. The extremely pretty speedster of Cyberforce." Silverstream smirked.
"Those washouts?"
That comment caused Silverstream's expression to immediately darken. "This washout can take out multiple squadrons of changelings." She sneered.
"Silverstream enough." Thorax raised his hand up before kneeling in front of Sweetie Drops. "I can't believe it. You're alive."
"I can't believe Chrysalis would send you of all people here." Sweetie Drops snapped.
"I no longer work for Chrysalis." Thorax explained. "Many things have changed since then."
"Why do you think I will believe you?" Sweetie Drops asked.
Thorax let out a small sigh as he grabbed a stool and sat down in front of the girl. "Remember when you needed help to catch the rampaging bugbear in South America?" The man asked.
Sweetie Drops scowled. "Don't change the subject."
"I'm not." Thorax shrugged. "We worked together. We both had each other's back."
Sweetie Drops looked away to the side, away from Thorax. She pursed her lips and stayed silent, allowing Thorax to continue on.
"When you were looking away, a changeling snuck up behind you, ready to strike. Remember that?" Thorax asked.
"I do." Sweetie Drops mumbled.
"I helped save you from that." Thorax nodded. "Killed my own brethren to save your life. You did the same to save mine in the Amazon Forest. Do you remember that as well?"
"I do." Sweetie Drops sighed.
"That and many others. At some point, I would have even called ourselves friends."
"Then why did you betray us?" Drops scowled.
"I didn't. Chrysalis did. She gave the order. I wasn't even there." Thorax explained.
"You still worked for them."
"Not anymore. Not after I saw what Chrysalis was willing to do to secure her goal." Thorax sighed. "I was blinded by loyalty, not realizing the true intentions of my mother. When I realized ....you don't understand how much I regretted not being there for you."
"What changed your mind?" Drops mumbled.
"She has teamed up with the Wendigos. One of the most deadly demons of hell. No sane person would ever team up with a duke of the seven levels." Thorax let out a small sigh. "You can hate me. I won't blame you. I won't ask for forgiveness. But don't let the world burn because of your grudges."
Sweetie Drops finally looked up at Thorax, who had a grim expression on his face. She then turned to Sunset and Gilda, who both had their focus on her. The girl's expression began to soften, but her lips and face were still stern and stiff.
Aria let out a loud, impatient groan, before shoving Sunset and Gilda to the side. She pushed Thorax off the stool and took his place in front of Sweetie Drops. Sunset threw her arms up at Aria's sudden actions while the girl scooted up right in front of Drop's face.
"You want to hold a grudge, fine? But let me tell you, girl. There are currently seven nasty demons roaming around Canterlot, and we would like to stop them." Aria Nottingham scowled. "I know you hate Thorax, hell you probably hate me as well, but even you can't avoid the truth forever."
"And what truth is that Nottingham?" Drops scoffed.
"That the longer you hold out the information on us, the higher chance your loved ones will get hurt." Aria scoffed. "Now, I don't know where the wendigos are, but I know their nature. They haven't been eating as much, and that spells bad news for everyone in this entire bloody city."
Aria stood up from the bench and opened up her arms before looking over both her shoulders at Sunset and Thorax. "Now you can sit here sulking while the Wendigos turn the entire city into an all-you-can-eat buffet, or you can get over yourself and help us." Aria bent over and glared at Sweetie Drops. "What will it be, girl?"
Sweetie Drop's gaze darkened before she finally let out a heavy sigh. "I don't have much of a choice, do I?" She finally relented.
"You always have a choice." Aria scoffed. "However, it depends on how much you care about your friend's life."
Sweetie Drops scowled, but Sunset could see that the girl's expression was finally softening. Sunset walked up to the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Please Bon Bon. Please help. Take a chance, and help us save others." She begged.
"Fine." Sweetie Drops closed her eyes. "I will help you."
Aria clapped her hands and turned towards Sunset and Gilda. "That's how you do it. You gotta show force lass." Aria smirked as she gave Sunset a friendly punch in the shoulder.
"Get your hands off her." Gilda scowled as she grabbed Aria's arm.
"Possessive, aren't we?"
"I don't trust you." Gilda snapped. "How do we know you won't turn on us at the last second?"
Aria tore her arm out of Gilda's grip. "If you have an issue with me, take it up with Sunset. I've done my job. I'm going to get a drink now." Aria scowled before flipping Gilda off. The girl walked out of the room, leaving them with Sweetie Drops, who was still tied to the chair.
"If you try anything, I won't hesitate to kill all of you." Sweetie Drops scowled as Sunset walked around her to cut the girl's binds.
"I don't doubt it." Sunset smirked as she let Sweetie Drops free. The girl rubbed her wrists before standing up from her chair.
"Can you all answer me one question, though?" Sweetie Drops asked as she stood up.
"What is it?" Thorax asked.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why did you fight so hard for your cause, despite knowing it hurt other people?" Sweetie Drops glared at Thorax before turning her ire towards Sunset. "Why? Do you know how much damage you all caused?"
"I did it because I believed in Chrysalis vision." Thorax sighed. "The same way you believed in the vision of SMILE."
"I was doing it because of a grudge." Sunset answered. "I wanted to prove something."
Sweetie Drops turned towards Gilda. "And you?"
Gilda scowled. "You wouldn't understand." The girl grumbled before turning away.
Sweetie Drops turned towards Thorax and Silverstream. "Can you give me a minute with Sunset and Gilda here?" She asked the two.
"As much as you need agent Drops." Thorax nodded as he began to leave the room.
"It's just Drops now." Sweetie Drops mumbled as Thorax and Silverstream left the room, leaving Sunset and Gilda alone with her. After the other two left, the girl turned her attention to Sunset and asked one simple question. "Now tell me the truth. Why are you doing this? Why are you involved in this entire mess?"
"I wanted to save people." Sunset answered.
"Bullshit. Tell me the truth. Thorax, I understand, and I can see that he is telling the truth. But why are you actually working to stop the Wendigos?" Sweetie Drops asked. "He is a man trying to run from guilt, but you? I can tell there is something else eating at you."
"And how would you know?" Gilda scoffed.
"I was trained to read people." Sweetie Drops mumbled. "Not perfectly, but good enough,"
"It's none of your business." Gilda snapped before turning towards Sunset. "Sunset. Are you sure we can't find any other leads? I would rather not work with the woman who tried to kill me and a girl who is paranoid to high heaven."
"I am sure." Sunset nodded. "We need Bon Bon and whatever she knows."
Sunset let out a small sigh and looked down at the gems on her right hand. She lifted it up in front of Sweetie Drops and pointed at it. "Do you know what this is?"
"The Witchblade, yeah, I heard." Sweetie Drops nodded. "I thought that it was just a myth."
"Well, it's not." Sunset said. "In my time of need, it saved my life, and ever since, I have been wielding it to save and help others."
Sunset rubbed her wrist before continuing her story. "I was pursuing a lead to find who Anon-A-Miss was when I got over my head and ...." Sunset pursed her lips and glared at Aria, who walked back into the room with a bottle in her hand. "I got myself into a bit of trouble."
Sunset turned towards Sweetie Drops. "I know you hate me. You have every right to. But if it means saving others, I am willing to trade my life in exchange. That is my true motive, you can believe it or not, doesn't change it being true."
Sweetie Drops closed her eyes and let out a small scoff. "Yeah." She muttered before turning towards the door and walking away.
"Where are you going?" Gilda asked.
"To get a drink!" Sweetie Drops snapped. "I need to think. Think some things over." She muttered before walking out of the dusty old room and out into the hallway. Gilda began to follow her, but Sunset grabbed the girl by the arm and simply shook her head. Gilda stomped her foot but stood by and watched as Sweetie Drops disappeared into the darkness.
"What the hell? Why did we just let her go?" Gilda snapped.
"To let her think." Sunset sighed. "If we are going to get her cooperation, we need her willing to do so. Let her mull over her issues over, and then we can get back to her."
"Well, let's hope she gets over her issues soon." Aria snorted as she took a swig from her bottle. "However, some people can't get over grudges. So we'll need a plan B."
"What would that be?" Gilda scoffed. "Kill everyone in the city and hope one of them is a Wendigo?"
"Hardy har. That is a valid strategy though." Aria snorted. "But I am actually talking about how we have a former ChangeData drone. I'm sure he would have some information."
"You would be correct, unfortunately, I know very little." Thorax suddenly spoke up as he and Silverstream reentered the room. "I saw Sweetie Drops leaving. I assume you got through to her?"
Sunset let out a small scoff. "I wish. However, she is thinking things through and didn't attack us immediately. So that's a start."
"Well, let's hope it's something." Silverstream nodded. "I need to report all of this back to my boss. Gotta go update him that a SMILE agent is still alive."
"You do that. Also, reassure him that everything is under control." Thorax nodded.
"That's for him to decide." Silverstream turned towards Sunset, and tipped her head before dashing away, causing wind to pick up from where she was a split second before.
"What a colorful girl." Thorax snorted before turning back towards Sunset. "I will tell you what I know, but you may not like it."
"Information is power. We need it if we are going to stop Anon-A-Miss."
"And the Wendigos." Aria reminded.
"Why them of all demons?" Sunset asked. "The Wendigos that I know of feed on fear, but I haven't really felt the presence of such magic."
"These Wendigos are different than the ones you are familiar with then," Thorax muttered. "They are a group of murderers, monsters, and the most powerful dukes of hell, and are the right hands of each prince."
"Based on the seven deadly sins. Sunset and Gilda here are very well acquainted with Gluttony." Aria scoffed as she pointed towards the two. "Since the dawn of man, they have existed and will continue to exist long after they are gone. I've fought them before, and trust me....they don't fight fair."
"Gluttony? You mean Ninkasi?" Sunset asked.
"They were the ones in the warehouse that night. Gilda had a better view of them, but all you need to know is that they are bad news."
Gilda let out a small scoff but gave a reluctant nod. "Yeah. I had a much closer look that I would have preferred." She grumbled.
"Ninkasi didn't seem that tough." Sunset scoffed.
"That's because you caught her off guard. If she was in her true form, you would be dust right now." Aria muttered. "Next time you meet her, she will be ready."
"So will I." Sunset remarked.
"I hope so, because last time I checked, they had planned to make a move soon." Thorax cleared his throat. "Over the next few weeks, your life will constantly be at risk, and so will your friends."
"It's nothing we can't handle." Gilda scoffed as she walked beside Sunset. "We can handle them."
"I appreciate the confidence." Thorax nodded. He turned toward Aria and nodded at her before turning back to them. "I need to go check on my brother. If you need me, you know where to find me." Thorax said before walking away, leaving Gilda, Sunset, and Aria alone.
"What do we do now?" Gilda asked.
"I say we follow Sweetie Drops. Make sure she doesn't bail on us." Aria scowled.
"You can do that. But right now, I need to go get a pair of fresh clothes and check on Pinkie Pie. She got knocked out during my fight with Bon Bon." Sunset muttered.
"Ah, I kinda forgot about that." Gilda snorted. "I just hope that Bon Bon will come to her senses soon."
Sunset couldn't help but agree as she looked down at the Witchblade. She wasn't sure what was going to come in the next few weeks, but she was sure that they were going to need all the help they could get. She only hoped that her past sins wouldn't come back to haunt her, not yet, at least.
Witchblade
Octavia, Vinyl, and Lyra all sat in the office of Principal Celestia as they listened to the woman argue with her sister. The two had been going at it for a while, especially thanks to the fact that Pinkie was found unconscious in a pile of broken desks that she was slammed into. The fact that Vice-Principal Luna kept on mentioning the super speedster that took Gilda and ran off with another mysterious man wasn't helping either.
"We can't get the cops involved!" Luna shrieked. "Especially with the anti-bullying fundraiser that's going to happen tonight in the gym!"
"We were just attacked! To hell with the fundraiser! Our students are in danger!" Celestia snapped back.
"It wasn't an attack! Just students fighting!"
"Pinkie was slammed through a desk, and there was a broken window where someone was supposedly thrown through!" Celestia shrieked. "Not to mention, Sunset and Gilda are missing! Again, and this time with someone else!"
"They're probably just being delinquents!"
"You said Gilda was taken by a speedster!"
"Well, maybe she knew someone." Luna scoffed.
"I don't know what you saw, but all I know is that Gilda was taken and that Sunset along with Bon Bon, went missing. Of course, I have every right to be alarmed!"
Octavia hung her head low before turning towards Vinyl, who had a stunned expression on her face. The entire day had been strange with an increasingly escalating situation. First, Pinkie Pie had intruded into their practice session for tonight's performance at the gym, and then Sunset suddenly appeared after Pinkie Pie had phoned in a friend. Bon Bon pushed them out of the door in response, which caused them to get tackled by Gilda, who was waiting by the door. As they wrestled with Gilda, a loud crash echoed throughout the building before strangers appeared before them. What happened next was a blur for her since she began to check out after Gilda left with the strangers in a blur.
"Listen. The cops will be here any minute. I need to go check on Pinkie and inform her parents of the situation." Celestia sighed. "Her parents are bringing in the confectioneries for the fundraiser tonight, and the CEO of ChangeData just told me that she was coming this morning."
"What, why?!"
"Because she wants to speak out about Anon-A-Miss and the consequences of cyberbullying since her company makes electronics and software that social media applications use." Celestia explained. "At least that's what she told me. I think it's just a public relations stunt."
"Than we definitely can't get the cops involved! Do you want to make a bad impression on the CEO of one of the biggest corporations in the country?!"
"To hell with Chrysalis, I care about my students Luna. Now, watch over these three. I need to make another call and check up on Pinkie at the same time!" Celestia said before hurrying out of her office and into the hallway.
Luna let out a sigh before turning towards the three students who were currently in front of her. She gestured towards the doorway and gave all three of them a death stare that caused chills to crawl up their spine. "You want to run by me what happened again?"
Octavia gulped and nodded sheepishly. "Y-yes. I was practicing with the encouragement of Bon Bon and Lyra ..."
"More like we were telling you to eat." Lyra groaned. "I don't care what your mother told you, you need to eat!"
"She said it was for my own ...."
"To hell with what she said! You're starving, you're basically a skeleton!" The girl exclaimed. "She's abusing you, can't you see?!"
"Wait, hold on. What is this about Octavia's mother?" Luna asked.
"She's making her hold off on eating for the stupid fundraiser we are having tonight." Lyra scowled. "It's not good for her. But her mother insists on her keeping her form."
"She must have a reason." Octavia muttered.
"Octavia, I don't care what reason your mother may have. There is no excuse for starving your own child." Luna sighed. "I suggest you take your friend's advice."
"I told you." Vinyl finally spoke out, surprising Luna. "What your mother is doing to you isn't right. You need to stand up for yourself."
"She must have a reason." Octavia muttered under her breath.
"I'll talk with your mother when we meet during the fundraiser." Luna sighed. "You said that you were one of the performers?"
Octavia nodded in confirmation, her eyes still glued to the floor. She desperately tried to keep her mind off her empty stomach, which protested every second, begging for food to enter it. She tried to focus her mind on her musical performance that night instead, which helped a small bit, but her stomach was louder than her mind.
"Back to the topic. What happened? Where are Sunset and BonBon? The two are currently missing, and I would like to not have to explain to the board how we lost two, no, three students to magical speedsters." Luna snapped.
"We told you what happened. Two strangers arrived and ..."
"And took Gilda." Luna sighed. "Ok, can you at least tell me what these two strangers looked like?"
Lyra began to describe the man and woman who appeared before them in a blur. She described their strange apparel along with their skin color, face, and mannerisms. The man seemed to know who Gilda and Bon Bon was. Looking back, the man also had called Bon Bon a different name that Lyra wasn't familiar with.
"He called Bon Bon ....Sweetie Drops." Lyra explained.
"Sweetie Drops." Luna muttered. "I'll have to look into this later."
"Excuse me, but if it's no issue, can we go?" Octavia muttered. "I have a performance tonight, and I need to get ready for it." The girl requested.
"You can go when the cops get here." Luna grumbled, "Unfortunately, with the recent mystery murders, the entire city has been on high alert." The vice-principal explained. "When the cops arrive and assess the situation, they'll let you know if you can go."
Octavia nodded and let out a small whimper as she looked out the door. She tapped her foot agitately as she looked down at the clock. She only hoped the day would pass quicker. She just wanted to get the performance over with and leave before pretending all the events were a bad memory.
Witchblade
Pinkie Pie let out a groan as she sat up in a bed that she definitely knew wasn't hers. As she took a quick glance around, she recognized that she was currently in the infirmary. Nurse Redheart was sitting next to her bed with a laptop, typing out what looked to be a report. Principal Celestia was standing at the end of her bed and was on the phone, and looked to be in a heated debate with the other end.
"She is fine Mrs. Cake. No need to worry about her, we have it all under control." Celestia nodded. "Yes. Yes, the event is still happening." Celestia then shook her head. "No ...well, we aren't sure if it was an attack or just regular school violence."
Pinkie then saw Celestia let out an exaggerated sigh. "Yes, I am well aware they are both bad." Celestia then rolled her eyes. "I understand, Mrs. Cake. I will take proper precautions. Pinkie won't get hurt ....more." Celestia then nodded her head. "Yes, you can tell her friends that she's okay. Thank you. Bye." Celestia finally hung up the phone and let out a frustrated groan as she put it away.
"Where is Sunset?" Pinkie asked, getting Celestia's attention.
"Sunset is currently missing." Celestia sighed. "I am working on locating her right now."
"I need to go find her now!" Pinkie sat up and flinched as she felt a sharp pain in her back. Nurse Redheart held her down, preventing the girl from jumping out and about.
"Calm down. I'll release you after you answer some questions for me." Redheart spoke softly. The pale white woman patted down her white nurse's outfit and adjusted her light pink hair. She looked down at Pinkie before slowly applying pressure onto the girl's arm and back. "Do you feel any pain?"
"Nope." Pinkie answered cheerfully.
Redheart then reached around Pinkie and applied some pressure on Pinkie's shoulder and back. Pinkie felt a sharp sting as the woman pressed against those areas. "Any pain here?"
"Whoops. Just a little." Pinkie smiled. "Nothing too biggie, though."
"Hmmm, describe the pain." Redheart requested.
"Just a little sting." Pinkie insisted. "It's nothing too bad. Promise."
Redheart let out a sigh before turning to Celestia. "She seems fine enough to me. We can't keep her in here forever since this is still a high school."
Celestia nodded somberly as Pinkie slowly got out of the infirmary bed and shakily got up on her feet. "See. All better." Pinkie beamed as she finally managed to balance herself out.
"You're doing pretty well for someone who was thrown through a desk." Redheart observed.
"What can I say? I am extremely durable." Pinkie smiled.
"I do still suggest you check into a hospital as soon as possible." Redheart sighed. "Just to get a quick check-up. Make sure you didn't break anything important."
"Also, I do suggest you stop by the SugarCube cafe. Mrs. Cake is worried about you, along with your friends."
Pinkie let out a gasp. "The fundraiser today! I nearly forgot!" She began to make a mad dash towards the door but quickly turned back towards Celestia.
"I'll get checked up as soon as I can." Pinkie beamed. "But right now, I need to go help organize the event." She quickly ran over to the door. "I'll see you tonight, Principal!"
Pinkie swung the infirmary door open, only to be greeted by a tall police officer. His bronze skin and light blue hair stood out from his gold-lined blue uniform. The man loomed over the girl before looking up at Celestia, who approached him with caution.
"Captain Spearhead. Didn't know you'd be here." Celestia remarked.
"Shining Armor cares deeply about this town. When he heard of another attack, he made sure to send someone he could trust." Spearhead nodded as he pushed by Pinkie Pie. "I wish we could have met over a more cheerful situation, but I am afraid the situation has become more grim."
"What are you talking about?" Celestia asked.
"I need to talk with you privately," Spearhead answered. He towered over Pinkie Pie, forcing him to look down at her due to their height difference. "Go. The adults need to speak."
Pinkie Pie nodded nervously before running down the hallway, away from the nurse's office. Spearhead nodded glumly as he closed the door behind him and the other officers. He turned towards Nurse Redheart and Celestia before letting out a sigh.
"We're taking over the operations regarding the fundraiser tonight." Spearhead said. "You are to hand over any plans, operations, and the guest list to us."
"What? Why?" Celestia asked.
"That's classified and none of your concern."
"This is still my school."
"It is a public school and part of government property. Besides, when there is good evidence something that threatens the safety of the city is in a present area, we can enact emergency measures."
"This seems excessive." Redheart remarked. "All of this for a single scuffle between students?"
"There are details that you are not aware of." Spearhead explained. "Information that has all of us under alert." Spearhead explained.
"This can't be legal!" Celestia snapped. "You can't just come in here and just take over everything."
"Mayor Mare has signed off on it." Spearhead shrugged. "The attack that just occurred simply pushed our timetable up." The man explained. "Unfortunately, it is what must be done."
"Maria?" Celestia muttered,
"Yes. So, if you have a problem, you take it up with her." Spearhead nodded. "Now, will you be cooperative, or will I have to restrain you?" The man threatened.
Celestia clenched her teeth but nodded reluctantly. "I'll give you what you need, officer." She scowled.
"Good." Spearhead nodded before turning towards the other two officers behind him. "Come on, let's move! We don't have much time left." The man snapped, causing the other two officers to rush out of the room.
"Redheart?" Celestia muttered.
"Yes?"
"Can you inform Luna of the new changes?"
"Of course, but why can't you do it?"
"I need to make a quick phone call." Celestia stormed out of the infirmary and out into the hallway. She took out her phone call and dialed a familiar number in her contacts as she stormed back to her office.
The call was quickly answered by a familiar voice on the other end. "Celly. What a surprise. How can I help you today?"
"We need to talk." Celestia snapped.
"I'm all ears." Maria Mare snickered from the other side as Celestia stormed down the hall.
Witchblade
Sunset sat in her apartment and stared at her evidence board. She placed Bon Bon's photo amongst the people possibly involved in the whole Anon-A-Miss mess. She analyzed the board and thought to herself about who Anon-A-Miss could possibly be. The information regarding the Wendigos occupied her mind, however, and she was unable to focus away from them. For the longest time, she assumed them to just be minor demons, not the very lords of hell themselves.
'What do you make of all of this?' Sunset asked the Witchblade silently.
}}}Very rarely do the lords of hell themselves make their presence all in one area. They are as unpredictable as they are dangerous.{{{
'Why didn't you tell me sooner?'
}}}I didn't see it as a priority at the time. Adagio Irons was a bigger threat. There is still the matter of Chrysalis as well. I would consider them the bigger threat.{{{
'Chrysalis seemed fine at the party, and she didn't rush to help Adagio.'
}}}Unsurprising. They always had a rivalry with each other. There is nothing more Chrysalis wants more than to bend the entire world to her vision of a Utopia. Adagio never had such lofty ambitions and was content with what she had.{{{
'I'm guessing other Witchblade users had encountered them before.'
}}}Correct. This is why I advise caution. My previous wielders are all gone, while Chrysalis and Adagio Irons are still here.{{{
'Lovely. Adagio Irons is in prison, though. She shouldn't be a threat.'
}}}She can escape anytime she wants. Why she isn't is beyond me. Besides, we still have to deal with her sisters.{{{
'Aria is on our side.'
}}}For now. Also, we don't know the location of her second sister, Sonata. {{{
'Damn. She nearly matches her mirror counterpart.' Sunset clenched her fist in frustration as she continued to analyze the board. 'Do you know what happened to her?'
}}}She also tried to wield me per Adagio's orders. It didn't end well, and a piece of me ended up breaking off and merged into her body. Before I went into hibernation, the last time I saw her, she was on a rampage.{{{
Sunset let out an exasperated sigh before she finally turned away from her evidence board and sat down in front of her laptop. As she did, Gilda walked out of the bathroom while wiping her hands on her pants. "So, what did you find out?" Gilda asked.
"Nothing much. I won't know anything until I talk with Bon Bon and Aria tomorrow." Sunset sighed. "Aria promised that she'd be there when I needed her, but honestly, that doesn't inspire much confidence."
"Sunset." Gilda sighed as she walked over and leaned against Sunset's desk. "Are you sure we can trust Aria? The woman almost killed us both."
Sunset let out a small sigh. "If Aria was a threat, the Witchblade would have put me in guard mode."
}}}Aria Nottingham is still a threat. However, she is also an invaluable ally. If she dares to raise her hand against us, I will not hesitate to protect you. {{{
"Well, it seems that the Witchblade agrees with you." Sunset snorted as she lifted her bracelet up in front of her. "But we are short of allies, and we can use all the help we can get."
Gilda grumbled but nodded begrudgingly. "Never thought I would be taking the opinion from a piece of jewelry." She mumbled.
Sunset's cell phone began to ring, so she picked it up off the desk and saw that it was Pinkie Pie. "Damn. Pinkie Pie. I forgot to call her." Sunset muttered before answering the call.
"Sunset! Sunset are you alright?!" Pinkie voice exclaimed from the other end. Sunset held the phone away from her to avoid the girl's high-pitched voice from breaking her eardrums.
"Yes, yes I'm okay. Gilda and I had a conversation with Bon Bon, and we came to an agreement." Sunset explained. "She won't fight us."
"Will she help us find Anon-A-Miss then?" Pinkie asked.
Sunset pursed her lips and let out a small hiss. "She didn't say no."
"Darn. By the way, why did you guys barge into the room when I was still arguing with her?" Pinkie suddenly asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I was calling you guys to let you guys know to hold back from coming into the room."
Sunset let out a small groan. "No Pinkie, the phone ringing was the call sign to get into the room." Sunset sighed. "Were you paying attention."
"Of course she wasn't" Gilda snorted. "All that sugar went to her head and not her stomach."
"I may have, maybe, missed it?" Pinkie said hesitantly.
"It's not matter. We got Bon Bon relatively on board. Are you okay?" Sunset asked the girl.
"Yep. I am all better." Pinkie answered, which allowed Sunset to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Where are you right now?"
"I'm heading to SugarCube Corner. I need to help the cakes set up the dessert for the anti-bullying fundraiser."
"Oh, yeah that. I had nearly forgotten." Sunset groaned while glaring at Gilda, who was trying her best to restrain a laugh. "Fantastic."
"Celestia set it up to help the school, she wasn't targeting you." Pinkie tried to reassure her.
"It doesn't change the fact that all the fundraiser will do is paint a larger target on my back." Sunset sighed. "Also, I am pretty sure that it was mostly Luna's idea."
"We'll find Anon-A-Miss and bring her to justice. I promise."
"Thank you, Pinkie." Sunset nodded. "See you tomorrow."
"See ya!" Pinkie cheerfully chirped before Sunset hung up the phone.
Sunset put the phone back on the desk and bent over her computer. "Lovely."
"What did you expect? Even though Celestia may like you, her sister certainly doesn't."
"I am well aware of that Gilda." Sunset sighed. "I had just hoped that maybe I'd be able to forget that I am hated by everyone in the school for at least one hour."
"Not being hated? For people like us? We can't afford such luxuries." Gilda snorted.
"I know. I know." Sunset nodded regretfully.
Gilda looked over at Sunset and saw that the girl was still sulking. She rolled her eyes and gave Sunset a small smack on the top of her head, causing Sunset to recoil and look up at her in response.
"Get over yourself. So what if the entire school hates you? Who cares what they think?"
"Gilda, I don't want to be ..."
"And why are you bothered by it. You were hated for most of your time here and it never bothered you." Gilda interrupted. She grabbed Sunset by the shoulder and turned her so that they were looking at each other face to face. "The Sunset I know was never bothered by it, so why are you now?"
"I am trying to be better." Sunset muttered as she tried to pull herself out of Gilda's grasp, but found that the white haired girl's grip was much stronger than she had anticipated.
"Be better yeah, but never let them change who you are." Gilda put a finger on Sunset's chest. "The old Sunset is in there. The one who never took bullshit from anyone else, is hard headed, and self reliant." Gilda grabbed pulled Sunset a bit closer which caused a small blush to appear on her face. "Come on girl. Get a hold of yourself."
Sunset looked away as Gilda let her go. "I ....I don't want to revert back to my old self."
"Even if it means Anon-A-Miss gets away with all her shit?" Gilda snapped.
Sunset closed her eyes and rubbed her head. "I just need to think." She sighed.
The moment she uttered those words, the phone began to ring again, causing her to let out a frustrated sigh. She answered the phone and lifted it up to her ear. "What?" She hissed coldly.
"Meet me at SugarCube Corner. Don't keep me waiting." Bon Bon's voice said from the other side.
"Bon Bon? How did you get my number?" Sunset snapped as she held the phone in front of her, shocked.
"I have my ways. Come now." Bon Bon voice ordered before the call ended.
Sunset slowly lowered her phone and turned towards Gilda whose eyes were narrowed in suspiscon. "Sounds serious." Gilda muttered.
}}}I sensed no hostility from the girl when she left. However things could have changed. I suggest caution.{{{
"The Witchblade says we should be cautious." Sunset informed Gilda.
"I agree." Gilda nodded. "I hope this girl still doesn't think you are still Anon-A-Miss. Otherwise, we are going to have a proglem."
"Do you think I should go in my armor?" Sunset asked. "I don't want to transform and rip up my clothes. I already tore up one today, I don't want to go through another."
"You think she might attack us?" Gilda raised an eyebrow.
Sunset pursed her lips as she tapped her foot on the floor. "She gave me a run for my money. Also, it's good to stay prepared." Sunset looked down at her bracelet where the Witchblade resided in. "Can I wear clothes over my armor?"
}}}I don't suggest it. Any clothes over your transformation will be torn by the many metal protrusions coming out from your body.{{{
"That's a no." Sunset sighed. She got up from her desk and walked over towards her drawer. "I'll just grab a pair of extra clothes just in case."
"I can help you carry it." Gilda offered.
"Thanks Gilda." Sunset muttered. "But hopefully, it doesn't come to any that."
"Just remember to not let her shake you down. Remind her who Sunset Shimmer is."
Sunset also hoped it wouldn't come to that as well. She wished to put her past behind her, to move on. But it seemed no matter what she did, it always came back to haunt her. Her only hope was that when all of this was over, she could return back to her friendship with the rainbooms. However, the lingering doubt in her mind stayed firm, the doubt that her friendship would never return back to normal, and that she never really changed after the day Twilight Sparkle arrived.
Witchblade
Pinkie kicked open the door and put her arms out into the air. "Hey guys! Sorry for making you wait!" She said as she skipped over to her friend's table. All of the Rainbooms were there and looked to have been in a very intense discussion about a topic that Pinkie couldn't overhear. As she sat down next to Fluttershy, she noticed that the air looked to be a bit intense.
"What's up, guys? What's wrong?" Pinkie asked as she turned towards her friends. They all looked to have grim expressions on their faces.
"Pinkie, we need to talk." Applejack muttered. "Sunset is obviously manipulating you."
"What?! This conversation again?" Pinkie exclaimed. "I told you, I choose who I sit with!"
"She obviously got you hurt darling." Rarity sighed. "We simply wish the best for you. I spoke with Lyra on the phone, and she said that you got hurt because of her."
"Lyra doesn't know anything!" Pinkie snapped.
"Pinkie, don't be stubborn." Applejack sighed.
"I can't believe we're having this conversation again." Pinkie scoffed. "Can't I choose who I hang out with? Sunset looked sad, and I wanted to make her happy again."
"Well, maybe she doesn't deserve happiness!" Rainbow finally exclaimed. "Did you forget what she did before Twilight got here?!"
"I didn't! I just let it go!" Pinkie finally snapped, standing up at the table. "I forgave her! Why can't you guys just do the same?!" Pinkie finally snapped.
"Because she's hurting us." Rarity begged. "And she's hurting you. Darling, we just want to help you."
"Well, you're not." Pinkie pouted.
"Pinkie, don't be stubborn." Applejack sighed.
"Who is being stubborn here?!"
"Pinkie, please." Applejack begged before Pinkie stormed off. She watched as the girl walked up to Mrs. Cake. Applejack let out a sigh and turned back to the rest of her friends.
"That went well." Rainbow sighed.
"I still think we should consider talking with Sunset." Fluttershy said meekly.
"Hell no. Why would we do that?" Rainbow scowled as she took a sip from the cherry soda float in front of her.
"Because I'm tired of treating her as an outcast as well," Fluttershy mumbled. "I just think if we just talked with her, we can ..."
"There just isn't changing some people like her Fluttershy." Applejack scoffed. "Some people are just evil by their nature."
"The question is what do with Pinkie." Rarity interjected, switching the topic. Rainbow noticed Pinkie follow Mrs. Cake into the backroom of the cafe but shrugged it off since the cyberbullying awareness fundraiser was tonight. Pinkie was probably going to deliver the goods to the fundraiser after all.
"Do what with Pinkie Pie?" A familiar voice called out. Rainbow looked over her shoulder to see a familiar girl approaching the table. She was wearing her usual attire, which consisted of a leather jacket with a green lighting bolt in the middle of it. For some reason, she still had her backpack on despite it being after school, but it looked to be a different than the one she used at school.
"Lighting Dust! Why are you here?" Rainbow scoffed.
"Paying respect to my captain, of course." Dust smirked. There was something tucked under her arm which she took out before planting it on the table. The girl pushed it over towards Rainbow Dash with a smirk. Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow with some suspicion as she eyed the long box. "Ah, don't be such a worry tart captain. Open it up."
Rainbow shrugged and opened up the box, revealing a pair of new soccer shoes in them. It wasn't just soccer shoes, though; it was one of the brand names. It was called the Magnus cleats and cost up to 1000 dollars per pair. Everyone's eyes bulged out as they stared at the new pair that was sitting right before them.
"Holy shit." Rainbow whispered as she took out the new pair of shoes. "You didn't have to."
"But I chose to." Dust scoffed. "Got payday early. Decided to spoil my captain a little bit." Lightning Dust pulled Rainbow over towards her and gave the girl a long kiss on the cheek.
"Enough Dust." Rainbow scoffed as she pushed the girl off her. "What's the occasion?"
"Got a big payday." Dust smirked. "Might be getting more in the future. I've been in a cheerful mood."
"Wish we could feel the same." Rarity sighed.
"Ay, come on. What's the big deal?" Dust asked as she sat down next to Rainbow at the table. "Why the sour mood?"
"It's Sunset." Rainbowdash scowled. "She's still spreading rumors."
"Ah, yes. Anon-A-Miss. May she burn in hell." Dust rolled her eyes. "Please. As if she is some big shot."
"She manipulated Pinkie to be her friend again." Rarity mumbled. "And we can't get through to her."
Rainbow noticed Dust's demeanor change and shift. It seemed to shift to worry and concern, but it was the hint of frustration and anger under it that caught her attention. Dust didn't seem to be bothered by much, but when it did, she had a hard time hiding it. However, Rainbow wasn't sure why Pinkie rejoining Sunset would bother the girl so much.
"Ah, that is a problem." Dust nodded. "How about this? As a celebration of my sudden bonus, I go talk with her."
"You'll do that for us?" Rarity beamed.
"I am a generous girl." Dust smirked.
"Please, Dust. You don't have to do this." Rainbow sighed.
"Please, captain. I insist." Dust insisted. Rainbow began to protest but saw that Dust had that steely gaze. The one that said that she wasn't going to budge on the issue.
"Fine. Just be gentle." Rainbow rolled her eyes.
"I am always gentle, captain." Dust smirked before getting up from the table.
Lightning Dust left the table and saw Pinkie helping Mrs. Cake take some confectionaries out from the back. Dust narrowed her eyes and waited until Pinkie had put all the boxes onto a service cart. The moment Pinkie's hand was empty, Dust rapidly approached the girl, slammed her hand against the metal handle of the cart, and then glared at her.
"I need to speak to you about a certain Sunset Shimmer. Would you indulge me for a second?" Dust asked.
Pinkie hesitated and looked over at Mrs. Cake. The woman simply shrugged before stating, "Go talk with your friend. You've been going through a lot lately anyways." The woman said before taking the cart and wheeling it away.
"So. I have heard that you have been feeling bad for Sunset." Dust explained as she walked up to a table in the cafe in front of Pinkie. She and Pinkie sat down in front of each other, the latter averting her eyes nervously over toward the table where her other friends sat. However, the other rainbooms quickly turned away the moment Pinkie turned her attention toward them.
"Now. How about we have a drink and a small chat?" Dust smirked as she took out a small bottle from her backpack along with two tiny shot cups.
"I don't drink." Pinkie declined.
"Oh, come on." Dust smirked. "What's wrong with indulging yourself a little?" The girl chuckled. "Sometimes, you just need to treat yourself, eh?"
Pinkie started to decline again but felt the other girl's gaze focused on her. As she looked up at Lightning Dust's eyes, there was something unnatural about it. It gave a menacing hue and seemed to bare down right at her. She began to sweat a little as Dust leaned forward a bit. The girl poured the two shots and pushed one over toward her. The drink smelled of berries. There was something tantalizing about it as she felt a strange force pushing her to drink. It beckoned her to give up her inhibitions and simply drink.
Pinkie took in a deep breath and forced herself to push the drink away. "I don't drink sorry." She smiled while her blood began to chill, causing her to shiver a bit.
"Well, more for me." Dust shrugged as she took the two shots and downed them both in rapid succession. "So tell me, why do you feel bad for the girl who started Anon-A-Miss hmm?"
"She isn't Anon-A-Miss!" Pinkie snapped. "Why do people keep saying it's her while it's obviously not."
"Because she blackmailed people into doing favors for her, don't you remember?" Dust explained. "How could it not be her?"
Pinkie hesitated as she watched Lightning Dust pour another shot. The girl pushed it in the middle of the table, just far enough so that it was out of reach, but close enough that Pinkie could smell the aroma wafting towards her.
"I thought about it as well, but many of those favors seemed to be mostly done to ruin her reputation, and not help her in any way. Like, what benefit does Sunset have from blackmailing a random student to draw graffiti all over the desks of students?"
"Maybe she hates the school, I don't know. Besides, didn't she have enemies from the classroom? Maybe she wanted to send a message?" Dust shrugged.
"Sunset doesn't hate Derpy." Pinkie snapped.
"Didn't she bully that poor innocent girl before Twilight arrived?" Dust said softly, her face scrunching up in a mockingly sad visage.
"I don't know why she did it, but she explicitly said that it wasn't personal. Whoever is trying to frame her must be a dummy and super bad at their job."
"Maybe she was lying?" Dust snapped, slamming her hand on the table, causing Pinkie to flinch. "Ever thought of that tidbit? Huh?"
Pinkie looked up and saw that Lightning Dust features had now turned cold and stern. Behind the girl's eyes was nothing but ice as she glared at Pinkie. The girl's mouth was a sneer, and it was obvious to Pinkie that her patience was running low.
"W-well ...I know Sunset, and I know she wouldn't lie about that."
"Yeah, because she totally didn't lie to you before, did she?" Dust sneered.
"W-why are you so invested in this anyways?" Pinkie tried to remain calm as she tried to avert her eyes from Dust's icy glare. "You involved in Anon-A-Miss in any way?"
"You are treading on fragile ground GIRL." Dust scowled.
"Y-yeah. I-in what way?" Pinkie stammered. "I didn't say that you were Anon-A-Miss did I?" She muttered.
Pinkie could hear Dust growling now, and when she slowly looked over at Dust without turning her head, she saw the girl's expression now resembled an angry tiger. Dust got up from her seat and stepped forward as if to approach Pinkie, which caused the girl's blood to turn cold. Even though they were in a public place, somehow, she sensed that wouldn't stop whatever Dust was going to do.
Before Lightning Dust could get any closer, a hand grabbed the girl by the shoulder and stopped her in her tracks. "You causing trouble?" A familiar voice sneered,
Pinkie looked over and saw none other than Bon Bon, gripping Lightning Dust's shoulder with a stern expression. Lightning Dust let out a snort and brushed Bon Bon's hand aside before raising her hand up.
"Was just leaving." Dust snapped before storming off past the Rainbooms, who watched in confusion before the girl walked out of the cafe.
"Thanks." Pinkie muttered as Bon Bon sat where Lightning Dust was.
"Had a conversation with Sunset." Bon Bon said.
"S-sorry about the whole thing at the school."
"Bah, I have had worse meetings." Bon Bon snorted. "Anyways, me and Sunset had a friendly discussion as calm and reasonable people and have come to an agreement."
"O-oh. That's good." Pinkie beamed.
"Yes. I don't want to keep you here, Mrs. Cake seems to need your help." Bon Bon remarked as she pointed at the woman who was moving a cart full of pastries towards the truck.
"O-oh. Right!" Pinkie jumped up.
Before the girl could run off, Bon Bon noticed the shot glass sitting in the middle of the table. She snatched it and sniffed it before grabbing Pinkie's arm. "Hey, where did this come from?" The girl asked Pinkie.
Pinkie opened her mouth in surprise and turned towards the entrance where Lightning Dust had walked out of. "Oh, it came from Dust. I don't know where she got it, though. Why?"
Bon Bon gave Pinkie a small smile. "Was just curious. I recognized the brand. I guess we both drink the same type."
"Oh. I didn't know you drank."
"I am a woman of many secrets." Bon Bon smiled. "Welp, you have a fundraiser to go to, don't you?"
Pinkie gave the girl a smile before running off to help Mrs. Cake with her pastries. Bon Bon narrowed her eyes as she stared at the shot cup, which had a bunch of berries wafting out from it. She stuck a finger into it and tasted a drop of the beverage. From what she gathered, it had supernatural qualities to it, one which made people drop their inhibitions and restraint. However, it was a special brand mostly done to rile people up.
"Ninkasi." Bon Bon hissed.
Witchblade
Berry Punch stood in front of the school, staring out into the sky while mixing a vial of her special brand of whisky. She let out a small whistle as she saw the different attendees walk up the steps towards the double doors in front of them.
{Are you nervous?}
"A little." Berry Punch nodded. "Let me fix that."
Berry popped open her vial and gulped down the entire bottle before letting out a satisfied sigh. She wiped her mouth using her sleeve as she leaned back against the railing of the school soccer field. "All fixed." She smirked.
{Hm. You seem to be in a jolly mood.}
"Well, today you are going to become the prince, aren't you? That means more drinks for all of us."
{You know that's not how it works. Tell me, I never understood why you let yourself be possessed.}
Berry Punch smirked and let out a small sigh. "When Sunset Shimmer was still the queen of this school, I was her supply of illegal alcohol due to my dashing looks and capability to create alcohol out of thin air." The girl muttered.
{The same Sunset Shimmer that Anon-A-Miss is targeting?}
"The one and only." Berry slurred. "After she got dethroned, though, life got hellish. Got worse when she spilled on all her associates." Berry let out a small sigh. "My parents weren't happy, and neither was the principal."
Berry turned towards the school with a scowl. "This school forgot who was the hand that fed it. They didn't complain when I provided my own special brand of alcohol, but when it was convenient, they threw me under the bus." Berry squeezed her bottle, causing it to shatter in her grasp.
"I won't miss this school when it goes up in flames." Berry smirked. "They'll learn. They'll learn soon enough that you don't bite the hand that feeds you. The hand that kept them so fat and happy."
{Huh. You remind me of myself.}
"Do I?"
{After mortals slowly stopped believing in me, me and my pantheon had to flee. Like other pantheons, we were absorbed into others. Mortals forgot who their brewer was and continued to drink while they cast me aside.}
"Hm." Berry Punch closed her eyes and let out a small sigh. "That seems to be a recurring theme recently."
{Quite, and I was lucky to be turned into a Wendigo instead of the other many nasty creatures I could have been transformed into. But after this, I should have enough power to break free from my chains and reclaim some power once again.}
"What do you have planned after all of this is over?"
{I'm thinking of taking up craft brewing.}
"Hardy har." Berry Punch snorted as she turned back towards the school. "It's showtime. Let's hope that Lightning Dust lives up to her family name."
{Whether or not she does, all that matters is the ritual going through.}
"Don't worry. I remember." Berry Punch muttered. She looked up and saw that some of the attendees of the fundraiser were looking at her strangely. She let out a sigh realizing that she must be looking crazy for speaking to herself. 'You ready?'
{As ready as we'll ever be.}
'Showtime then.' Berry Punch stretched her arms and turned towards the school. 'Good riddance, you hunk of concrete.' The girl then turned and walked off.
Berry made her way into the parking lot behind the school and leaned against the brick wall. She took in a deep breath before reaching into Ninkasi's power. She felt the Wendigo's power flow into her, stretching and twisting her body until she was transformed into a large orange-skinned woman. She took in a deep breath and gave a toothy grin as she felt the demon's consciousness merge with hers. Her time was now, and she was ready.