In Sheep's Clothing
For Sunset Shimmer, exam week was no straight, neatly-paved road. Despite what she’d told Rarity on Monday, the midterms still managed to throw more than a few curveballs at her, reaching back to lessons which had surely been behind the recent surge in coffee sales down at the local cafe. Former unicorn or not, Sunset had no intention of relying on prior knowledge of this world to get by. After Monday’s exams, she and the rest of the Rainbooms had rallied to Rarity’s house and organized a last-minute study session. Surprisingly, Fluttershy of all people had taken charge, delegating subjects and practice questions late into the night with a ferocity that they had, up until now, assumed was reserved for misbehaving animals. Even Rainbow Dash cancelled that week’s sports events to follow the plan.
With the schedule even dictating their sleeping and waking times, Sunset had little time in between to do anything but study and eat, much less ponder the not-so-subtle change in behaviour from Mr. Wolfgang. The inspector now seemed to show up with alarming frequency, being present in nearly every single one of her exams and camping at the rear of the room, often with a slice of chocolate cake which he would devour noisily and messily. Sunset would feel his eyes boring into the back of her head, but refused to let her nerves get the better of her. In this uphill battle, every single stroke of her pen counted against the multi-headed beast of midterms, and it was with no small satisfaction that on Friday afternoon that Sunset finally capped her pen and walked out into the frigid air.
She chuckled as Pinkie Pie leapt up into the air with a big whoop, throwing all her books above her head and watching them land on the ground a second before their owner did.
“Exams are OVER!” Pinkie announced to the world.
"Hold yer horses, Pinkie," Applejack grabbed the back of the hyperactive girl's sweater before she could go anywhere.
Sunset walked out behind them, glad that the exams were indeed over. It had been a somewhat tough week, but they'd all made it through. Even her rainbow haired friend had given up on complaining after the third day.
"Nightmare slain!" Rainbow cheered as she walked triumphantly outside, arms outstretched and a cocky grin etched on her face. "Holidays, here we come! We gotta celebrate!" The rest of the band laughed; while calling midterms a nightmare was a bit of an exaggeration, the suggestion to celebrate was a sentiment everyone shared.
"Hot chocolate, guys?" Pinkie shook excitedly. "To Sugarcube Corner, hoooooooooooo!" And she charged off, leaving the other five girls in the dust.
The distance to the small cafe wasn't far, and the girls soon found themselves seated at one of the tables, their drinks already ordered and steaming.
“So what are you all doing over the holidays?” Sunset asked the others in between sips of her cinnamon flavored drink. "I think we should plan to do at least one thing together."
"Well, Ah'll definitely be here workin' out the farm," Applejack put an arm on the table. “Spiced apple cider’s one of our best sellin’ winter goods, an’ Ah figure with this sorta weather, it’ll sell even better this year,” she finished with a contented nod.
“And I’ll have some clothes to make,” Rarity put a hand under her chin and smiled. “I’ll be sure to have some fashionable winter get-ups all ready for the holidays! I’ll have so much more free time to create!”
"Another thing..." Sunset looked around the cafe before leaning in closer to her friends. It seemed a little unfair to bring this up now, but she would rather get it all over with so she could enjoy the break in peace. "Have you noticed Mr. Wolfgang during the exams? I think he was following me."
"As if anyone could miss the sound of that man scoffing cake in the middle of an exam," Rarity said, eyes narrowed. “It was most distracting.”
“Yeah!” Pinkie agreed, nodding so hard her face became a pink blur. “If I’d known Wolfey was such a noisy-pants, I wouldn’t have sold him the cake at all!”
“I dunno…” Sunset shrugged. “I just have this… really bad feeling.”
“Well, let’s not ruin the start of our holidays with all this talk!” Rainbow slammed a palm on the table, startling her soft-pink haired friend. “Let’s talk about celebration! Where should we go? AJ’s place? I vote yes!”
“Thanks for invitin’ yourself, Rainbow…” Applejack joked. “But yeah. We can use my place. It’s the biggest after all.”
“Woohoo! Slumber party at Applejack’s place!” Pinkie grinned and slurped up the rest of her hot chocolate in a single gulp. “Shall I run home and grab my balloons? Ooh, ooh! Maud got me this amazing new boardgame last week! Great idea, girls! I’ll see you in a biiiiiiit!” Pinkie had run off before finishing her last word. Sunset listened to it trail off as the party planner disappeared out the front door and past their window at speeds that would have made a professional sprinter’s jaw drop.
“I guess boardgames are going to be a thing tonight.” Rainbow put her hands behind her head and leaned back in the cushioned seat, smiling like a cat. “Anyone feel like taking me on?”
“Ah’m always up for a challenge,” Applejack smiled confidently. “‘Specially one where everyone’s around to see me win.”
“You’re on, AJ!” Both girls grappled each other’s hands with a loud smack. Suddenly, it turned into an arm wrestling match as each one tried to push the other’s arm down.
“Honestly…” Rarity sighed exasperatedly and drew back as she watched their two friends’ contest.
The other Rainbooms had a good time cheering both of them on, making all sorts of sounds whenever one of them was pushed lower. Eventually it ended in a draw, both vowing to pick it up again later on.
"Good try, Applejack," Rainbow said and pretended to dust off her sleeves. "But next time, I'll make sure to end it quick."
"Keep tellin' yourself that, Rainbow."
After finishing their drinks, the Rainbooms headed out of Sugarcube Corner, making their way to Sweet Apple Acres for their post-exam party. The cold air stung refreshingly at their exposed skin as the five bandmates chatted excitedly about their plans for the rest of the day, subjects ranging from slumber party ideas to speculations about what their teachers and classmates would get up to over the break. Sunset thought briefly back to Velvet Breeze before dismissing the idea. Now that the holidays had started, the odds of running into that girl and her quite honestly creepy behaviour were one in a million.
"Applejack, you've got that new Neighstation Six right?" Rainbow asked eagerly, walking astride the farm girl. "Instead of arm wrestling, let's have a showdown on Field Fighter! That'll prove who's the most awesome!"
“You’re sure ya wanna take me on?” Applejack chortled good-naturedly. She brushed a small pile of snow off the front of her hat and caught a flake on the end of her tongue. “Ya do realize Ah got home field advantage, right?”
“Wouldn’t be a fair fight if you didn’t have it. You’re looking at the three-time winner of the annual Cloudsdale Field Fighter Tourney here!”
Applejack and Rainbow Dash lead the group forward, talking all about how each of them was going to destroy the other with a set of combos that Sunset had no knowledge about. The former unicorn just stuck to the back, helping Fluttershy and Rarity compile a list of all the homework they’d been assigned over break. In the past, she would do a bit here and there whenever she felt like it, but in the wake of their midterm revision scheme, Rarity had insisted on asking for Fluttershy’s input on the best possible method of getting it done.
“I try to finish all of it as quickly as possible…” Fluttershy told them. “That way, I have more time to do the things I want to do.”
"Gee, Flutters," Sunset was genuinely impressed; first the study plan and now this. It would seem that even now, there was more to these girls than met the eye. “I didn’t know you were such a diligent person.”
Fluttershy’s face went five shades of red and ducked her chin into her scarf. “Uh… umm… thanks. I just like to have more time to help out at the animal shelter that it just sort of happened.” Nevertheless, Sunset noted that the timid girl seemed to stand just a little straighter.
"Perhaps we should get a start on it today," Rarity suggested as they crossed a traffic light. "That way we'll get it done in no time, and be able to spend the rest of the holidays as we like!"
"Uhhh... I don't think it's possible to finish all of it in one day. Even with Fluttershy's help. Trust me, I’ve seen the book we have to read."
"That's a shame..." Rarity looked rather disappointed. "We shall at least try to, right?"
Sunset put a hand onto her friend’s faux-fur trimmed shoulder and smiled. "Sure we will."
Rarity said something in response, but Sunset didn’t hear it. A sudden chill had overtaken her body, a chill that had nothing to do with the sub-zero weather. Sunset’s hands pulled her jacket tighter, uneasily thinking back to their study session in the library on Monday. She slowed down, taking deeper breaths at the same time.
“Umm, Sunset?” Fluttershy asked, noticing her friend’s distress. “Are you alright? You’re so pale.”
“It’s nothing,” Sunset put up what she hoped was a reassuring smile, but the effect was somewhat spoiled by the sight of a familiar and ugly wool sweater on the street ahead. Its wearer was making his way through the other pedestrians toward them, hands in pockets and a serious expression on his face.
“Ms. Shimmer," he grinned after stopping inches away from Sunset and her friends. "I need to have a quick word with you. Will you follow me, please?"
It sounded more like an order than a question, but Sunset didn't budge one step. “Anything you want to tell me, you can say right here.” She regarded the inspector warily. His crystalline cross badge was reflecting the afternoon sun, making it hard to look at him.
"Are you sure, Ms. Shimmer?" Mr. Wolfgang pulled his hands out of his pockets and rubbed them together. "Because what I want to say regards... Equestria." This last word hung around the girl’s face in a cloud of tobacco scented fog.
“E-Equestria?” Sunset was stunned. How did the inspector know about her world? Did Principal Celestia finally cave in? Or was he something else entirely, like a messenger from back home? Perhaps that had been why he’d come to CHS in the first place and she’d completely misjudged him.
"Yes. Equestria. Now unless you want people on the streets listening in on this conversation, perhaps you would like to follow me."
The group made a move to go with Mr. Wolfgang, but he held up his hand. “Just Sunset for now."
"What? But she's our friend," Rarity narrowed her eyes at the bespectacled inspector.
“I’ve been given strict instructions,” Mr. Wolfgang insisted. “Princess Twilight’s orders.”
“Psst.” Rainbow Dash leaned in close behind Sunset’s ear. “Didn’t Twilight say she didn’t know who this guy was?”
“Of course she would say that,” Mr. Wolfgang said, demonstrating an exceptional sense of hearing. “I’m a secret agent. I was hoping to give you this message at school, but since I’m out of time, I’ll have to give it to you now. So, if you’d kindly follow me…”
"Sunset, I don't know..." Fluttershy shook behind Sunset.
"It's fine, guys." Sunset took a step away from the group. "If it’s that important for Princess Twilight to send a secret messenger, of course I’ll go."
"Smart choice, Ms. Shimmer." Wolfgang pretended to bow and motioned with a hand. "Right this way, please."
“You girls go on ahead,” Sunset waved to her bandmates. “I’ll catch up with you at Sweet Apple Acres.” Her friends didn’t look too happy with the arrangement, but started off again anyway.
Mr. Wolfgang led her down a side road, one which wasn’t one of Sunset’s usual routes to school. Every now and then he would glance over his shoulder at her, as if to check she was still following along. They walked together for a good five minutes before Mr. Wolfgang finally motioned for her to stop. Sunset brushed a bit of snow off her shoulders and looked around; they were in front of an incomplete building, one which she remember being mentioned in the papers as an over budget condominium that the city council had stopped funding. Clearly it was already being torn down; only a few floors of the structure were left, ugly grey walls and exposed steel beams jutting out like weeds.
“So, uh, what’s the message?” Sunset’s eyes darted about uneasily; aside from a stray cat, it was just her and the inspector. All of a sudden this didn’t seem like such a good idea.
This hunch was further cemented by Mr. Wolfgang smiling and walking in a half circle around her, coincidentally blocking the passage that they had only just come through. In the pallid light that filtered through the clouds, the man’s expression seemed almost hungry.
“Ah, the message. Well, I’m afraid I haven’t quite been truthful with you, Miss Shimmer.” Sunset’s blood turned to ice and she took a step back as Mr. Wolfgang reached into his sweater and drew out a compact black pistol, pointing it directly at her chest. “The message isn’t from Princess Twilight or whatever code name you’re using, but I still do have a message for you.” His finger tightened on the trigger. “You’re coming with me. Whether you’re conscious or not when we get in the car is up to you.”
Sunset balled her fists. How could she have been so stupid? One mention of Twilight’s name and she’d lowered all her defenses, letting this creep get the upper hand. Backing away, she looked about for a means of escape, but Mr. Wolfgang had chosen his ambush site well; every other way out of this lot was blocked off by heavy-duty construction materials, and she doubted she would get any further than a few steps before this man’s bullet caught up with her. Again the lack of magic in this world was thrust upon her; if this had been back in Equestria she would have fried him with a spell, or more simply, just teleported away.
With no other options, Sunset Shimmer did the only thing she could. She raised her hands and took another step back. Her foot bumped into the first step of the unfinished building.
“You have five seconds to decide,” Mr. Wolfgang called, his hand unwavering and firm on his weapon. “Five, four, three, two, one!”
Sunset threw herself flat as Wolfgang’s first shot whistled over her back, slamming into the exposed concrete above. Looking up, the girl saw the inspector cursing and pulling back the slide on his gun, readying it for another shot.
Her heart racing at a hundred miles an hour, Sunset pushed herself up and sprinted into the shadowy depths of the incomplete apartment.
This is insane.
The thought raced through Sunset’s head even as she scrambled through the remains of the lobby. A school inspector, gunning for her in the middle of Canterlot? She vaulted over a portable cement mixer and winced as her knee scraped across the craggy floor. The concrete had ripped through her leggings and Sunset could feel the spot begin to sting.
She also heard the furious growl of Mr. Wolfgang as he entered after her. “You can’t run from me!”
“The hell I can’t,” Sunset panted. She grabbed a pillar and used it to turn the corner just as a second shot drilled through the spot her back had been occupying milliseconds earlier.
Even though she knew she would be wasting precious seconds, she slowed herself down to glance back. The shot had left a wet stain on the wall, and the remains of some kind of feathered dart lay splintered on the ground. It would appear that Wolfgang needed her alive. That suited Sunset just fine; small comfort that it was, at least the maniac wasn’t trying to kill her.
“Come back here, damn you!”
The inspector’s cries hot on her heels, Sunset Shimmer found the stairs to the second floor and took them two at a time. A third dart streaked past her leg; Wolfgang was already at the foot of the stairs and reloading for a fourth. Sunset willed herself to go faster.
There was a plastic container of ball bearings at the second storey landing and she kicked them down the stairs, rewarded moments later by the sound of her pursuer slipping and falling back down. Sunset allowed herself a half smile before dashing into the depths of the second floor, hoping there was another way down from here.
A stitch was growing in Sunset’s side by the time she barrelled the third doorway, only to find that it opened onto a windowless room like the previous two.
“Come on, come on!” Sunset’s breathing was hoarse in her ears and her entire leg had tiny rivulets of blood running down it. With a jab of terror, she saw Wolfgang’s hand grasp the doorless frame and she took off running again. She was painfully aware of how loud her footfalls were now.
The fourth doorway opened onto the elevator shaft. To Sunset’s dismay, the hole continued down below ground level, making it an impossible jump. Without a second thought she hurled herself at the plastic orange maintenance ladder that hung down from the next floor. For one heart-stopping moment it looked like she would fall short. Then her fingers wrapped around the lowest rung and Sunset found herself dangling over the yawning pit, heart hammering.
The sound of Wolfgang’s footfalls getting louder added strength to Sunset’s arms and she forced herself to pull her body up. Grabbing the next rung, the terrified girl repeated the process, not daring to look down for fear of seeing Wolfgang aiming his gun at her.
By the time Sunset’s upper half emerged on the third floor, her shirt and jacket were streaked with various oils and dust and her hair was in the kind of disarray that would have given Rarity an aneurysm. Sunset didn’t care. She hauled herself up the final few rungs and lay there wheezing, sweat now running down her face in thin streams.
As soon as she could breathe properly again, Sunset stood up shakily and looked around. What she saw was not comforting at all. She was standing on an almost featureless flat platform with only a scant few walls and pillars to decorate it. A jackhammer and various toolboxes lay about, abandoned for the day by the builders. A heavy tarp was stretched overhead, preventing the snow from getting in.
“Crap,” Sunset muttered. She had been hoping that there would be another way down from up here; as useful as the ladder had been, it was a one way trip- there was no way she could make the jump from the ladder back to the second floor, even if Wolfgang wasn’t following her up the shaft right now.
Thinking about the madman made her glance back to the elevator shaft. She hadn’t been lying there for that long, but surely a grown man like him could climb up much faster than she could?
Sunset steeled herself and edged back toward the hole. Peeking over the rim, she was surprised to find the ladder completely untouched. A further inspection revealed that not only was the ladder an emergency tool, it was also retracted up. Sunset easily located the catch and watched the ladder slide all the way down the first floor elevator opening.
Then she heard a metallic click from behind her and instinctively rolled to the left at the same time that something tugged at her scarf. She cried out and tugged at the length of fabric, her hands brushing the feathery end of the dart which had become tangled up so close to her neck. Sunset threw the scarf to the floor and stood up just in time to see Wolfgang’s pistol leveled at her heart.
“Nowhere left to run, it seems,” Wolfgang’s face was a mask of pure, evil amusement. He aimed the gun higher and huffed, “You’ve really become quite an inconvenience for me, Ms. Shimmer. Now hold still. I promise this won’t hurt. Hehe, much.”
Sunset’s mind was blank with fear. This couldn’t be real. There was no way it could be. Even now she clung to the vain hope that she would wake up in bed, just like all the nightmares before it. But then she saw Wolfgang’s finger tightening on the trigger and knew that it was all over.
A blur of silver.
Wolfgang’s face twisting into angered shock. A thin line of red opening up on his neck.
The gun, aiming no longer at Sunset but at a dark figure leaping from the adjacent rooftop at them both.
The figure and Wolfgang tussling on the concrete, the gun spinning out of the inspector’s hand and off into oblivion.
Finally Wolfgang kicked his attacker off, but she recovered magnificently, cartwheeling and snatching up the knife that had very nearly buried itself into the man’s neck. Wiping it on her white hoodie, Sunset’s saviour planted herself firmly between her and Wolfgang, glaring daggers into the now snarling inspector.
Sunset couldn’t believe her eyes. If the previous events were too unreal to be true, then this just took it to the limit. All this time, and she had never even guessed…
“Velvet…?” Sunset whispered, eyes and mouth agape.
“No time to chat,” Velvet Breeze said in a short, businesslike voice that Sunset hadn’t heard her use before. “Get out of here. I’ll handle this.”
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Finally the moment we've been waiting for! Kick his ass, Velvet!
i have to say, i love these fast updates. And this was epic! Velvet reveals herself! Welp, as the saying goes, the cat's out of the bag.
Shit is going down.
ooh Velvet finally revealed herself!! next chapter's gonna rock!!!
This is a good chapter.
I'm not sure if I want Velvet to kill Wolfgang or just severely injure him. Still this is going to be insane for me and confusing as hell for Sunset.
YES YES YES YES YES YES YES
VELVET TO THE RESCUE
I'm curious of this. Is this a spin off of the Assassin's Creed series?
6464896 It's the Assassin's Creed concept in the Equestria Girls universe. You won't find any of the Assassin's Creed characters here, but other than that it's still that Templar vs Assassin conflict that all the games focus on.
Not gonna lie: Mr. Wolfgang's plan here was incredibly stupid for someone in his line of profession, and I don't know if that's a result of him being incompetent or plot convenience.
It would have been much simpler and easier idea to wait for Sunset at her home (and if he doesn't know where she lives at this point, he doesn't deserve his fucking job) and then ambush and kidnap her, perhaps with chloroform or any other number of methods. Would have been much quieter, avoided raising too much suspicion, and likely would have saved him from being stabbed. I mean, I know the Templars are an unrealistically powerful organization in this world that are behind practically every world government and can cover practically anything up, but I would still think general operating procedure dictates the need to avoid numerous witnesses. What was his plan here on that front? "Oh, well I just ominously asked to see Sunset alone in front of all her friends in a public place, then kidnap her immediately afterward, but I'm sure none of her friends are going to raise the most remote fuss about that. At a bare bloody minimum, this is going to cost the Templars at least some time and resources to quiet down the fact that a very popular and well known girl just went missing, and this might just make it so a few of their locations can't afford the latest bloody coffee machine."
I mean, seriously, in terms of kidnapping plans, I've seen cartoon villains come up with subtler and better thought out plans.
Still, while that is immersion breaking and really distracting in this chapter, the rest is relatively well written.
Is that a Bloodborne? Imma say it's a Bloodborne.
You had one job. One fudging job...but nooooo. Everyone likes to take their sweet time. Anyway's I wonder what happens next. Obviously this guy's gonna die
Hmmm, good strategy. Also, it's one l, not two.
MMMMmmm. I hope so. I am jealous of these fictional characters.......
E'er the fashionista, I see.
Hahahahaha! Pinkie! Well done.
Playstation. Street Fighter.
Same
Shit's bout to go down!
HOLy SHIT!
Quick thinking
Come with me if you want to live