//------------------------------// // The Harpies // Story: The Devil Inside // by Chelis //------------------------------// It started a few weeks before that night, and it happened every night. The sweet voices calling out her name. Before, they felt miles away, or from a distant mountaintop. Every night since her first time hearing it, it became louder and louder. One night, she heard the song. From a distance a few weeks ago it sounded heavenly. Now whatever was causing the noise was off key and sounded like cats fucking while scratching a chalkboard. It kept her awake, but it seemed that only she was hearing it, or else her father would hunt whoever was making the noise with his old assault rifle he had in his military days that he kept behind his night table. Then, it started calling out her name. That definitely woke her up, and she knew that it was for her. She sighed and got up in her dark room, naked. She scrambled for a quick pair of clothes, just jeans, a bra, and a hoodie and went to the bathroom and put on the HUD contact carefully. Her putting it on activated GLADIS, who turned on faster than usual, knowing it was going to be in some action. Morning, Sunset. GLADIS chirped "It’s still night time," Sunset replied as she strapped the machete sheath across her chest. It’s midnight. GLADIS corrected her. "Fine, whatever. I have bigger shit to worry about. You hear that?" She asked. Hear what? Have you finally gone off the deep end? GLADIS analyzed. "Shut up. I hear something calling out my name. I'm finding out who or what it is." Sunset proclaimed. "Turn off the security system." GLADIS did as Sunset commanded, and the home alarm system shut down. That gave Sunset the opportunity to open the window and hop down to the wet grass. It would be easier if you teleported, GLADIS observed. "Yeah, but where is the fun or challenge in that? Alright, you can turn it back on now," Sunset commanded. *** The noise had her going from her house to the school. When she saw the school in sight, her heart sank. Oh, I hope it's not related to the portal. It would be bad for Equestria if Celestia has to deal with that waking her up. Sunset walked around the school and to the soccer field, where the music stopped. The lights of the stadium turned on, and revealed her friends huddled together in fear. "Girls! What happened!" Sunset hollered as she pulled out her machete. "Don't come close! It’s a trap!" Rarity cried out. "What?" Sunset asked. "She said it was a trap." An odd, feminine, voice came from the top of the school, and Sunset had to do a double-take. There were three of them. They had the faces of young women, probably Sunset’s age, but their bodies were covered in feathers, their arms were replaced with wings and their feet razor sharp talons. "And she is right. You walked right into it," The winged creature proclaimed. Good Job, Sunset. GLADIS congratulated. "Alright, what's the big idea?!" Sunset demanded as she pointed her machete at them. "We are the Harpies. I, Apello, and my sisters Ocypete and Celano are the Agents of Punishment. We heard you did something really bad!" Apello commented. "Really bad," Celano chimed in. "In fact, your outbursts of magic a while back attracted the cryptids, the creatures that normally hide in the shadows. They are on their way to converge on this 'school' to find their way into a new world world of magic!" Ocypete added. Celestia dammit. "I guess I will have to do my best to keep you creepy bastards from wreaking havoc on both my homes!" Sunset proclaimed. With that, the harpies lept off the building and flew above Sunset, circling overhead. Sunset looked to her friends, all six of them, and gave them a smile and a thumbs up. The harpies saw that as their opportunity and divebombed down towards Sunset. Like a hawk attacking their prey, they swooped down on her, their talons aimed directly at the girl. When they were close enough, she disappeared in a ball of opal, and reappeared directly above them. The harpies looked up to see a rain of energy beams coming down from a falling Sunset Shimmer. Each harpy was hit, and each wailed from each shot, their feathers falling onto the soccer field like a ticker tape parade. The harpies flew upward to the falling Sunset. She was unable to move in air, so all she could do was fire away. When a harpy was close enough to swipe at Sunset with her claw, Sunset would slice it with her machete and teleport somewhere else. Over the course of a few minutes, Sunset had the upper hand in an air battle where she had no way to move, leaving cuts all over the harpies’ legs. The harpies became tired, and flew back to the roof of the school. Sunset teleported back to the ground and collapsed on her side, heavily breathing and emitting a smug grin. "How was that, bitches!?" Sunset bellowed. The three harpies looked to Sunset’s friends, then to each other. "It seems you were not the only one who has wronged." Oh fuck, Twilight! Sunset disappeared and reappeared on her feet by the girls. She raised her hand and it lit up. It took it a few seconds, but Twilight's magic capture device came from the direction of her house. You realize you left the alarm on, right? GLADIS observed. "I got it to go through the chimney, they didn't set a alarm system there. Twilight, get their magic and use it if they get you, I'll hold them off!" Sunset commanded as she charged at the low-flying harpies. She ran into their attack and used her beams and machete to fight them off, tiring the harpies. Unfortunately, Apello had a good opportunity, and smacked Sunset out of the way. She got up and teleported back in front of the girls. "Looks like I got no choice on this one!" Sunset announced. "Wait Sunset! What about what the She-Demon said?!" Rarity asked. "Too late!" Sunset replied. Sunset disappeared in a ball of fire and reappeared as the She-Demon. The harpies stopped their charge, and flapped in mid-air, the grass above them waving with their breeze. "Well, well." Celano observed. "Well! Have at me!" Sunset commanded. Celano charged at Sunset, and kept her busy. The other two went after Twilight. "Twilight, run! Get as far from our friends as you can!" Sunset command as she traded claw swipes with the one harpy. Twilight ran as soon as she saw the other two harpies give chase, the two laughing as they closed in on Twilight. As for Celano, her fate was sealed when she chose to take on Sunset herself. The She-Demon caught her talon as she tried for an attack, and with one heave the She-Demon slammed her into the hard, short grass. Feathers flew in every direction as Celano laid dazed on the ground. Sunset placed her hand on the chest of the unconscious creature, and fired a beam. It pierced the skin and made the creature slowly dissolve into thin air with a sizzling sound. Sunset took flight after the other two sisters. Twilight tripped and fell near the goal post, and scrambled against it. A quick pat on her chest revealed she left the magic capture device back with her friends, and with the harpies on the attack, it looked like she was a goner. Until a flash of opal appeared between them. The harpies stopped, and their anger rose. The She-Demon, holding up the slowly-dissolving head of their sister. "You little bitch!" They both hollered as the charged the She-Demon. A three-harpy battle was tough, but a two-harpy battle was manageable. Both sides charged, with Sunset flying right into a wall of talons. They missed, and Sunset ended up on the chest of Apello. The harpy's chest was blown away, making a clear hole in the center of her body. The harpy fell, which left sunset alone with Ocypete. Ocypete screeched as she gave one last charge at Sunset while she stood, her hand sticking out with two fingers--the two fingers representing both her sisters that she killed. When the harpy raised her talons up for the attack, Sunset launched one last beam, which also hit the harpy dead center. The lifeless body of the harpie tumbled on the ground, and began disintegrating on the spot. When she returned to normal, Sunset was grappled to the ground by Twilight. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She cried in fear and joy. "It's no problem, I'm glad you're okay!" Sunset replied. They held each other's hands as they got up, only to be surrounded by their friends. "Ya sure ya not worried about the demon tryna getcha again?" Applejack asked. "I am, but I could not live with myself if anything happened to you gals," Sunset replied. They heard a growl, and all the other girls looked around. Fluttershy hid behind Rainbow Dash. Rainbow had her fists up, ready to start swinging. all but one girl was on edge. It was Sunset Shimmer, and it was because the growls were coming from her. "i guess there's no harm in a late-night run to the diner," Rarity joked as she pulled out her phone to call a taxi. The rest of the girls were in agreement, but Sunset realized she had left her money in her backpack. "That's okay, I have you covered... as a thank you," Twilight said with a hug. As the group made their way from the soccer field to the waiting taxi out in front of the school, Sunset’s heart skipped when she saw Twilight, walking and resting under her heart. She knew it was love. When she saw her other friends, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash, she felt the same skip in her heartbeat. She loved all of them. Seven girls, treating each other like family. It was then that Sunset knew that no matter the challenges, she would always have at least two families to help her in her times of need.