"So... how did things go in Canterlot?"
"Well... everything was fine until the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well showed up."
"... Mare-Do-Well, eh? I take it that's why you came back alone?"
"She subdued the others. Only I managed to escape."
"Did you at least let her know who she's dealing with?"
"Yes, and I'm sure she's told the Royal Sisters as well."
"... Good."
"So what do you want us to do with that masked mare?"
Underneath her hood, a smirk formed on Night Shade's face. "... Just keep her busy while we continue our search."
Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer, my faithful students...
Despite the our best efforts, we were unable to acquire more information about Night Shade or her plans. Even my sister was unable to get them to talk, despite using her Royal Canterlot Voice. We will continue interrogating them, and we will contact you if we find anything out. We will not let any harm come to the ponies in Equestria.
Yours truly,
Princess Celestia
"Well, that stinks," Sunset muttered as her Mare-Do-Well costume vanished, having just returned from a patrol in Fillydelphia.
Twilight nodded in agreement. "Hopefully they manage to get something out of them."
"Got any idea who Night Shade might be, Twilight?" Sunset asked.
Twilight shook her head. "No. From what you've told me, she might have some grudge with the Royal Sisters. But Princess Celestia didn't recognize her name. So I'm not really sure."
"Hmm..." Sunset stretched for a moment before turning to the staircase. "Well, I'll be heading off to bed now. G'night, Twilight."
"Night, Sunset," Twilight replied as her student made her way up the stairs.
The following week was pretty normal for Sunset. Well, as normal as it you could get if you were a superhero. Besides assisting Twilight with her experiments, volunteering to help out at Sweet Apple Acres, and just hanging with her friends, she was also cleaning up the streets as the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well. In addition to petty crimes like robberies and muggings, she also had a few run-ins with Night Shade's henchponies. They were bent on causing as much chaos and destruction as they could, only to suffer a massive beatdown at the hooves of Mare-Do-Well.
The ones that she didn't knock into unconsciousness, she interrogated. Like before, they refused to talk, and often tried to escape. Thankfully, Mare-Do-Well was prepared. Sunset had Rarity enhance the mask with an air filter enchantment, and the eye lenses were also enchanted to allow her to see clearly through smoke. The panicked look on the ponies' faces when she caught them brought a smirk to her face. Still, this wasn't enough to get them to talk. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna tried her best, but their interrogations of the ponies Sunset captured in Canterlot proved fruitless.
However, Sunset got lucky one late afternoon.
"I ain't talkin', ya weirdo!" a pegasus shouted as Mare-Do-Well magically lifted him into the air by his cloak.
"I think it's in your best interest that you do," Mare-Do-Well answered in a cold voice. "Otherwise, you might end up looking like your little friends here." She gestured around her, where five cloaked ponies were scattered around, out cold. Two lay on the ground while a third was hanging from a street lamp. The fourth was knocked into a pile of garbage, and the fifth had his head stuffed into a mailbox.
"Ha!" the pegasus just laughed. "Go ahead, do your worst! It won't stop Night Shade!"
"Oh really? Why is that?"
"You think you or Celestia are gonna stand a chance against her once she gets her hooves on the Celestial Amulet?"
"Celestial Amulet...?" Mare-Do-Well muttered, a smile forming underneath her mask.
The pegasus covered his mouth, his eyes widening as he realized what he just said. "Oh crap-!"
Mare-Do-Well responded by slamming the pegasus against the wall and leaning into his face. "Mind telling me what this Celestial Amulet is?"
"Look, I don't know much!" the pegasus stammered. "Just some all-powerful trinket that's assembled from three relics! We're still looking for them!"
Mare-Do-Well smirked. "Thanks for telling me," she replied. As the pegasus's eyes widened, the masked mare delivered a solid punch to his face before dropping him to the ground. Her ears perked up as she heard somepony muttering behind her. Turning around, she saw Derpy Hooves, carrying a sack full of mail and staring at the cloaked pony sticking out of the mailbox. As the masked mare approached, Derpy turned her head towards her.
"Jeez, that looks painful," she muttered, gesturing to the mailbox.
Without saying a word, Mare-Do-Well lit up her horn, her magic enveloping the cloaked pony's body as she began to pull. With some effort, she managed to free the still-unconscious pony from the mailbox. Mare-Do-Well laid him next to the mailbox before turning to Derpy. "There you go."
"Thanks," Derpy replied as she began gathering the mail inside. Behind her, Mare-Do-Well vanished onto the rooftops.
"Here it is: the Celestial Amulet." Twilight flipped through the large tome on her desk, until she came to the correct page.
"So what's it say?" Sunset asked, still wearing her costume save for the mask.
"Let's see... an enchanted amulet that bestows incredible power to the wearer, transforming them into an alicorn and giving them the abilities of all three pony races."
"Sounds bad," Sunset replied with a worried look on her face.
"It does, Sunset." Twilight continued reading. "Five hundred years ago, somepony attempted to overthrow Princess Celestia using its power. After a great battle, the Sun Princess emerged victorious. She had the Amulet split into three relics and scattered them all across Equestria to prevent anypony else from acquiring its power. Night Shade must be searching for the relics so she can assemble the Amulet and overthrow Celestia."
"Does it say where the relics are now?" Sunset asked.
Twilight shook her head. "No, here's all it's got on the relics: there's one for each pony race. An Earth Relic, a Relic of Magic, and a Relic of Flight. By itself, a relic will grant the wearer the power of the pony race it represents. When brought together, they will become the Celestial Amulet." Twilight looked at Sunset. "If this is what Night Shade is after... we need to let the Princess know about this now." Levitating a scroll and quill, the princess began scribbling down a letter. "She might be able to tell us something that can help."
"Okay, I'll head upstairs to my room to get some rest," Sunset answered as she turned to leave. "See you in the morning, Twilight."
"You too, Sunset," Twilight replied as she finished the letter and sealed it. "Spike! I need you to send this to the Princess, ASAP!"
The next day, Sunset Shimmer was taking a stroll around the busy streets of Ponyville. Stands were set up, the ponies running them shouting out the products they were selling. Young fillies were running around playing.
"Make some room!" a voice shouted from behind Sunset. She turned around and jumped back, accidentally dropping her saddlebags. Her eyes followed Scootaloo as she sped by on her scooter, pulling Applebloom and Sweetie Belle's wagon behind her.
"Hi, Sunset!" Sweetie Belle shouted as she waved.
Smiling, Sunset waved back before gathering her bags. She checked to make sure they were secure before taking a step forward, only to bump into somepony in front of her.
"Oof!" the other pony grunted, shaking her head. Sunset glanced at her, and her eyes lit up.
"Stray Wind!"
The pink unicorn looked up, and smiled upon seeing Sunset's face. "Hey, Sunset! How are things going?"
"Oh, just taking a walk, trying to relax for a bit," Sunset replied as the two unicorns began walking down the street.
"Need a break from being a hero, huh?"
Sunset looked up at Stray Wind. "I'd like one, but Night Shade and her goons have other ideas. I've got an idea of what she's planning, though."
"Really?" Stray Wind replied. "Whatever it is, I'm sure that you'll kick her to the curb."
Sunset smiled. "Thanks, Stray Wind."
The two turned a corner onto the main road, where the town was at its busiest. It was packed with ponies selling products and carrying wagons filled with goods.
"So, what have you been up to?" Sunset asked Stray Wind.
"There's an upcoming con at Manehattan this weekend," the pink unicorn replied. "Been occupied with getting my costume ready. I'm going as Daring Do this year." She levitated a pith hat from her saddlebag and placed it on her head. "Just got this in the mail earlier."
"Decided to take a break from Sailor Scouts, huh?" Sunset teased.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh nothing, it's just that you've dressed up as pretty much all of them. Not just that, but multiple versions of all of them."
Stray Wind nudged Sunset's shoulder. "Hey, there's a bunch I haven't cosplayed yet! Like Jupiter and Mars!"
Sunset rolled her eyes and smiled. "Sure, whatever."
Suddenly, a bulb went off in Stray Wind's head. "Hey Sunset, I got an idea. Want to come with me to the con this weekend?"
Sunset Shimmer stopped, taken aback. "What?"
"You heard me," Stray Wind responded. "I think you deserve a break after wiping the floor with countless thugs."
"But... I don't have a costume or money to go," Sunset told her. "Even if I did have the money, I'm not planning on going as Mare-Do-Well, since I'm actually her."
"I'll pay for it, my treat. And I'll also lend you one of my costumes."
Sunset pondered for a minute. "You sure about this?"
Stray Wind nodded. "Absolutely."
Well, I could use a break after the last week. Besides, it could be fun. Where's the harm in going? Sunset looked at Stray Wind and smiled. "Sure. I'll go."
Stray Wind clapped her hooves together. "Awesome! You can come by my place later, and we can try to get you something to wear."
"Sounds great," Sunset replied before hoof-bumping Stray Wind. "See you, then."
"Later, Sunset!" Stray Wind called out as the two unicorns went their separate ways.
"This one?"
"Nah."
"Uh... how about this one?"
"Um... not really."
"Okay... hmm... ooh, this one?"
"I already told you, I'm not dressing up as Sailor Moon."
"Actually Sunset, this is Shinku from Rozen Maiden."
"... Who?"
"Never mind."
Stray Wind put the costume back on the rack. She was donning a pith hat and an olive colored vest, and her mane and tail were styled to match Daring Do's. Now she was struggling to find a costume that Sunset wanted. Even though Stray Wind had a ton of handmade costumes under her belt, Sunset couldn't find one that she felt comfortable with.
"Hey, here's my Snow White costume," Stray Wind piped up, levitating it from her closet. "I think you'll look great in this!"
Sunset shrugged. "Sure, I'll give it a shot."
A few minutes later, it went back in the closet. Even with Stray Wind's help, Sunset had an extremely difficult time squeezing into the costume, and it was really uncomfortable: the corset was a tight fit to the point where she had trouble breathing. "How the heck do you manage to wear that thing without passing out?!" Sunset gasped once Stray Wind got the costume off.
"I don't blame you," Stray Wind reassured her. "That corset makes it pretty difficult to wear. I really need to fix that sometime soon."
"No kidding," Sunset replied as the pink unicorn rummaged through her closet again.
"Let's see here... nah... nope... another Sailor costume... that one's falling apart... need to fix the dress on that one... hey, this might work!"
Sunset looked up as Stray Wind pulled out another costume. Her eyes lit up as she recognized the dark blue cape and cowl, yellow boots, and black bodysuit. "Hey, isn't that the Batmare costume you wore on Nightmare Night?"
"Yeah," Stray Wind replied. "If you're still itching to dress up as a superhero, this'll do the trick."
Sunset nodded. "Sure, I'll try it out."
Within a few minutes, a suited-up Sunset was looking herself over in the mirror, moving around to get a feel for the costume. "Yeah, this'll work," she told Stray Wind.
"Great!" Stray Wind said in delight. "You look really awesome in that costume, Sunset."
Sunset chuckled. "It's kinda funny when you think about it. I'm an actual superhero dressing up as one from a comic book." Giggling, she grabbed the cape with her hoof and held it up to her face, covering her muzzle. "I'm Batmare..." she said in a low, raspy voice.
Stray Wind's smile faded as an unamused expression took its place. "Don't do that. That's already been beaten to death countless times."
Sunset dropped the cape and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry..."
"Got everything ready, Sunset?" Twilight asked Sunset. The princess and her friends were at the train station to see off Sunset and Stray Wind.
"Sure, it's all right here," Sunset replied, patting her saddlebags. In one bag, she had a couple scrolls, quills, and an ink bottle, along with a couple books to read on the train. Her other bag contained Stray Wind's Batmare costume, neatly folded inside. "I've also got my pendant if anything happens there, though I'm really hoping it doesn't come down to that."
"I hope so, too." Twilight walked up and hugged Sunset, who returned the embrace. "I'll contact you if we find out anything about the Amulet. Have a safe and enjoyable trip, you guys."
"Hey, I heard that Daring Do's gonna be there!" Rainbow Dash called out. "Be sure to get me her autograph, okay?"
"And make sure to get some photos as well," Rarity added. "I'd love to see you two looking fabulous at the convention!"
As Applejack and Fluttershy nodded in agreement, Pinkie Pie jumped up from behind the group, pulling Sunset and Stray Wind into a tight hug. "I'm really, really, really, REALLY gonna miss you guys!"
"Don't worry, Pinkie," Stray Wind grunted as she tried to free herself. "It's only for the weekend."
"We'll bring you something from the con," Sunset added. The train's whistle blew, signaling to everyone that it was about to disembark. "Um... Pinkie, the train's about to leave..."
Pinkie's eyes widened as she gasped. "Oh no!" She let go of the two unicorns in a flash. "We don't want you missing that now, do we?" She grabbed the two unicorns and dragged them onto the train. She hopped back onto the platform just as the doors closed.
Smoke billowed from the engine as the train started to move. As it pulled out of the station towards Manehattan, Sunset Shimmer and Stray Wind leaned out the window of their cabin and waved. Princess Twilight and her friends waved back, Pinkie Pie bouncing in place and shouting at the top of her lungs.
"HAVE A FUN TRIP, YOU TWO!!!"