Canterlot Academy: Equus Equum Edit

by Lab Matt

5. Love Makes The World Go Around

Sunset Shimmer was woken up that cold Saturday morning by the sound of frantic knocking on her dorm room. She looked in the direction of Fluttershy’s bed, who appeared to have been woken up by the same sound. Rubbing her eyes and wrapping her blanket around her body, she got up and answered the door, almost taking its place as the one getting knocked on when the person didn’t stop moving her knuckles for a solid second.

“Hey, Moondancer.” Sunset greeted, stretching her arms. “Did you fall off the bed this morning?”

“Twilight is in trouble!” Moondancer, clearly on the verge of a panic attack, said.

“Say what?”

Moondancer pushed Sunset Shimmer aside, invited herself in and started pacing around the room, her arms swinging wildly as she spoke.

“I was in the library reviewing my English homework when those thugs in leather jackets walked in. I thought it was strange, I spend a lot of time there and had never seen any of them walk in by themselves, let alone in a big group like that. They were looking around, like they were searching for somebody, so I just hid behind my book in case they were after some poor soul to bully.

“But it was a poor decision because by the time I realized I was being surrounded there was nowhere left to run. They asked me where Twilight was but I don’t know where she is and that’s what I told them, so one of them grabbed me by the collar and threatened to beat me up if I didn’t spill the beans.”

“Why are they after Twilight?”

“Do I look like I know? I was surrounded by angry-looking thugs, one of them with her hands dangerously close to my throat, so excuse me if I was afraid of saying something that would earn me a trip to the infirmary!”

“Ok, so you don’t know where Twilight is and they were going to pummel you if you didn’t tell them, but you’re standing here in my room with a distinct lack of a black eye; what did you tell them?”

“I told them I was planning on meeting her by the movie theater.”

“So you just flipped on your friend?”

“Of course not! I told them I was planning on meeting her there.” Moondancer blushed, looking at the floor while twiddling her thumbs. “I just haven’t asked her out yet...”

“And what do you expect me to do?”

“Is ‘beating up all the vagrants until they leave us alone’ a viable option?”

“Alone? Hell no! I was lucky enough to not get a concussion after last time I did that, I can still remember how that ended.”

“Ugh, who is in charge of cleaning this place? Oscar the Grouch?” Came a familiar voice from the corridor. Sunset Shimmer peered outside, seeing Rarity walking carefully and trying not to step on the stains on the floor.

“Rarity? What are you doing here?” She called.

“Oh, Sunset, darling!” Rarity tiptoed towards her bedroom and sat on the bed, making sure her shoes weren’t touching the dirty floor. “I’m glad you’re awake!”

“I had my reasons.” Sunset gave Moondancer a side-glance.

“In this time of need, I couldn’t think of anybody else to turn to for help.”

“Well, get in line, I got here first!” Moondancer complained.

“Excuse me, darling, but this is a life-or-death situation – whatever trivial assistance you and your gauche associates need can undoubtedly wait.”

“Trivial assist-- Gauc-- How dare you, you spoiled little--”

“I fear for the safety of a friend’s sister.” Rarity continued, proceeding to ignore Moondancer’s protests. “Those ruffians clad in leather are asking around for her, and they appear to have malicious intents.”

“You too?” Sunset asked. “Wait, is Twilight your friend’s sister?”

“What? Of course not darling, she’s-- Wait!” She shifted her gaze to Moondancer. “Oh, don’t tell me the vagrants are after poor Twilight as well.”

“So an entire group is after two different girls from completely different social circles.” The pony in the room said, rubbing her chin. “Did any of them happen to mention why?”

“I’m afraid not, darling. All I know is that they’re cornering people and asking questions.”

“So you’re both entirely sure you don’t know where they went?”

Both Rarity and Moondancer shook their heads.

“Although...” Moondancer spoke up. “Now that I think about it, Twilight did mention planning on meeting up with someone in town. I’m 72% sure it was today!”

“Ok, that’s a start. Where?”

“I don’t know, maybe one of our usual hangouts?”

Sunset Shimmer facepalmed. “Do you have any idea how big Canterlot Town is? You may as well tell me she’s still somewhere in the country.”

“I’m trying, ok?! Do you think I want something bad to happen to the woman I love?!” Moondancer immediately covered her mouth with both hands when she remembered that they weren’t alone in the room.

“First things first, I need to change.” Sunset Shimmer said as she tossed the blanket back in bed, then proceeding to remove her PJs, with Fluttershy following suit; in a matter of minutes she was wearing her casual getup, but with a few additions to combat the cold of the winter that had just begun – namely a pair of black leggings and black gloves, as well as an orange scarf to cover her neck. “Now, for lack of a better plan, we stick together and look around town.”

“Shouldn’t we split up?” Fluttershy suggested. “You know, to cover more ground?”

“I see what you mean, but it’s best to play it safe.” She explained. “From what I gathered, the vagrants are looking for a fight – stick together, there’s safety in numbers.”

Together the four girls crossed the front gate of Canterlot Academy and headed toward the snow-covered town, which wasn’t as lively as usual due to most people staying inside to avoid the winter cold; they looked around in public places, stores, fast food joints and other miscellaneous places for about two hours, to no avail. Sunset Shimmer was ready to throw in the towel – a hunger-induced defeat, given that they skipped breakfast – when she spotted a small group of girls in black Canterlot Academy uniform and leather jackets running by. She motioned for her accomplices to follow them, and so they did.

The three vagrant girls unknowingly led them to the park, or more specifically to the gazebo located in the middle of the park. A large group of girls in leather jackets surrounded the spot, where three girls stood; the first was Twilight Sparkle herself, who looked terrified. The second girl, who seemed completely apathetic to the situation she found herself in, was someone Sunset Shimmer had never met: she had shoulder length straight grayish violet hair, blue eyes, grey skin and wearing the same blue Canterlot Academy uniform worn by Sunset herself and Fluttershy.

The third girl was one of the vagrant girls, wearing the same black uniform with a leather jacket over it; she had purple hair with green highlights styled in waist-length twintails, light purple skin and dark purple eyes.

“The boss is not happy with the two of you.” They heard the twintailed girl say. “You’re bothering her best buddy, and that’s bothering the boss.”

“I-I’m sorry, but I don’t know what--”

Moondancer gasped when the apparent leader of the posse planted her knee in Twilight’s stomach, who keeled over, clutching the zone of impact.

“Don’t interrupt me when I’m talking to you. Understand?” Twilight’s answer was a weak whimper. “As I was saying, when the boss is feeling bothered, we take care of it for her. So you better remember that next time you feel like messing with one of us!”

The other girl, still looking unfazed, helped Twilight up, then looked around as the group surrounding the gazebo started closing in on them.

“Alright, that’s enough!” Sunset Shimmer shouted as she grabbed two of the vagrant girls by the shoulder and pushed them to the side, opening room for her to walk up to the gazebo. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but this stops now.”

“Scram, new girl, this doesn’t concern you.” The girl with twintails said.

“Oh, but it does. You see, you just assaulted one of my associates and this other girl is important to someone I’m working with. I think you’re the one who should scram, or things are going to get ugly.”

“Oh ho ho!” The purple girl grinned. “And here I thought today was going to be a total bore. I love it when they fight back, it’s so fun to watch.” She took a few steps back, snapped her fingers and pointed at the quartet. “Girls, go get them!”

The girls in leather jacket rushed the gazebo. Sunset looked at her three companions standing a few feet away from the scene: Rarity grabbed one of the tree branches lying around to use as a makeshift sword and Moondancer reached into her pocket and pulled a slingshot and a small bag out of her backpack; she tossed the bag to Fluttershy, who pulled marbles out of it and handed them to Moondancer one by one so she could use them as ammo for her slingshot.

Moondancer and Fluttershy attacked the group from a distance and Rarity struck any of the leather jacket girls who strayed from the group and tried to attack the sniper and her supplier.

Sunset Shimmer was doing her best to hold her ground; the vagrant girls weren’t skilled fighters individually, but there were just too many of them.

“Helping the person who came here to help you is a good idea!” She said while looking at the grey one.

Two of them managed to grab her arms and a third prepared to strike, but a swift blow to the face coming from the unemotional girl put her out of commission. After that she hit one of the girls immobilizing Sunset in the face using her elbow; with one of her arms free, Sunset Shimmer punched the girl holding her other arm. The two girls stood back-to-back, and with the help of Moondancer’s superb aim they eventually managed to fight off the group, who ran away carrying a couple of unconscious girls. One of them wasn’t quick enough to flee and the girl grabbed her by the collar.

“I want to ask you some questions.” She told the struggling girl, her voice just as monotone as her expression would suggest. “This situation you find yourself in leaves room for two options: you can stop struggling, you tell me what I want to know and I let you go, or you can keep on struggling and we can have this same conversation in about an hour after you wake up from being knocked out.” She stopped struggling immediately.

“And don’t you hurry back!” Sunset, who was covered in bruises, warned the fleeing girls before falling to her knees, panting.

“You didn’t have to do that.” The purple-haired girl said, pushing her hostage to the snowy ground and planting her foot on her back to preventing her from escaping. “But we can’t undo things that have already been done, so I suppose I should thank you.” She offered her hand to help Sunset up. “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me.” She replied, accepting the girl’s help. “Like, seriously. I’m getting paid for that; avoiding it wasn’t an option.”

“TWILIGHT!” Moondancer rushed to the gazebo to inspect her injured friend. “Are you ok?! Can you breathe?! Do you want me to carry you to the hospital?!”

“I… I’ll live, Moondancer, don’t worry about me.” Twilight said as the redhead wrapped her arm around her own shoulders for support.

“Oh, Maud!” Rarity called, approaching the two brawlers. “I’m so glad to find you in one piece. I was so preoccupied, when I heard those ruffians asking around about you I feared they were planning on doing unspeakable horrors to you.”

“A few bruises and lacerations aren’t unspeakable horrors, just minor injuries that will heal over time.” She replied in her default deadpan tone while eyeing a particularly large bruise on her forearm. The girl named Maud then crouched in front of the vagrant on the ground. “As I was saying, I have some questions.” The girl nodded, ready to flip on her friends.

“Huh, guess all that bravado isn’t worth shit when there’s no one left to back you up.” Sunset taunted, crouching in front of the vagrant as well. “Let’s start with the obvious: why?”

“Someone’s been harassing the boss’s best buddy.” The hostage girl explained. “We figured it was either of them, if not both, so we wanted to teach them a lesson.”

“Why us, specifically?” Maud asked.

“She’s been hanging out with you a lot lately, we just connected the dots.”

“That’s just ridiculous!” Twilight interjected. “The teacher picked her as my partner for the history class project, of course we’ve been interacting more than usual lately.”

“I’m tutoring her in geography.” Maud explained.

“Oh…” The girl muttered. “I guess Aria’s intel wasn’t as airtight as she thought…”

“Is she this ‘boss’ we’ve been hearing about?” Sunset Shimmer questioned.

“No, Aria is the one who kneed the nerd in the stomach. She’s our… Well, I suppose ‘enforcer’ is the closest equivalent.”

“Well, where can we find your boss then? I want to have a word with her.”

“Do you want detailed directions or--”

“Hurry up, we don’t have time for stupid questions!”

“Turn left after the tunnel under the train tracks near the commercial district, past the barber shop there’s an old abandoned pool house. That’s where we usually hang out after school, you’ll definitely find her there!”

Sunset Shimmer nodded and got up. The girl looked at Maud, whose empty but intense and unblinking stare was making her incredibly uncomfortable.

“Can I go now?” Maud closed her eyes and got up as well; believing that was the closest to a confirmation she was gonna get, the girl bolted.

“So now we have a lead. Who’s coming with me?” She looked around at her companion.

“I don’t think it’s a wise idea for a big group to march into enemy territory without a battle plan.” Twilight Sparkle interjected. “If we stand out too much, we may find ourselves in the middle of another fight before we even get to their base; a small group, on the other hand, can blend in well with the crowd and get to the pool house without major complications. Two or three of us should be enough.”

“B-But what if it’s a trap?” Fluttershy asked. “Th-Then a fight would break out either way but we would also be outnumbered on top of that.”

“A fair point…” Twilight muttered while adjusting her glasses with her middle finger, deep in thought.

“We don’t have all day!” Sunset Shimmer interrupted. “Look, let’s keep in simple: we’re going in there to talk, so we’ll try to avoid fighting. If things get out of hand, we bounce. Good enough?”

“Mayb--”

“Great! So, anyone with me or do I have to do this alone?”

“I’ll come along.” Maud offered. “Rarity’s swordsmanship isn’t suited for taking on multiple opponents and Moondancer’s long range attacks aren’t very effective in closed spaces; if we have to fight our way in our out, hand-to-hand combat is the only viable option.”

“Her plan is… A sound one, actually.” Twilight said. “You two are our safest bet.”

Maud turned around, walking towards the exit of the park with Sunset Shimmer in tow.

“So, uh…” Twilight started, addressing Rarity. “I know your inner circle and mine don’t exactly have the best of relationships, but… Do you think we can, well, tolerate each other? At least until business with the vagrants is resolved?”

“Oh, darling!” Rarity shook her head. “Don’t get me wrong, the vagrants are an undeniable menace, but you’re missing the bigger picture; the real threat is hidden behind the curtains, pulling all the right strings at the right time to throw us against each other – and I’m willing to bet that she is the one responsible for what happened here today. I agree a truce is necessary, but it needs to last longer than just enough to take down those delinquents.”

Twilight adjusted her glasses again. “What are your demands?”

“Nothing too big, I was just thinking maybe your motley crew could be generous enough to do our homework for free for the rest of the quarter. What do you say?”

“I say that this complicates things, because my demands were for your people to stop pressuring us into doing your homework.”

“I know this goes against everything you trust fund babies believe in,” Moondancer chimed in. “but money isn’t the solution to all of your problems. Sometimes you have to get your hands dirty like the rest of us!”

“Oh, darling, trust me, I did my fair share of getting my hands dirty. The point is, my associates and I already have a lot in our plates, so forgive me for trying to cut corners when it comes to something as inconsequential as high school.”

“How about we meet you halfway?” Twilight suggested. “Instead of just outright making us do your work for you, you can hire us as tutors! You get your homework done and learn a few things in the process, and we can help you at our own pace without being afraid of our parents losing their jobs; it’s a win-win situation!”

“Wait, losing jobs? Who said that?”

“Oh, don’t play dumb with us, that’s what all your goons say.” Moondancer said before adopting a highly exaggerated, mocking posh accent. “Your dad works for my dad, if you don’t finish that essay by the end of the week make sure to tell him to start filling out job applications!”

“I assure you, I was not aware of that.” Rarity said. “I’m going to have a talk with the girls about the truce terms and the unemployment threats but, for now, I think your demands are agreeable.” Rarity extended her hand. “Truce?”

Twilight shook her hand. “Truce.”

---

Just as Twilight said, it was easy for Sunset and Maud to blend in with the crowd, even with Maud still wearing her Canterlot Academy uniform, so they managed to reach the abandoned pool house without getting into trouble with the roaming girls in leather jackets.

The place itself was easy to identify due to the massive 8-Ball above the entrance; the windows had yellow tape covering them – a person passing by wouldn’t bother reading them and just assume they were the usual “Caution”, “Danger Area” or “Police Line – Do Not Cross” tapes, but that’s not what was written on them:

“Great and Powerful.” Sunset Shimmer read out loud. “Every single one of them.”

“Oh. Her.” Maud stated; her wording implied surprise or annoyance, but Sunset couldn’t tell which one given that the girl had yet to express a single emotion since they met.

“You know who we’re dealing with?”

Maud simply nodded. The amber girl waited for a response that never came.

“So, you’re gonna tell me or…?”

“You didn’t ask.”

“I thought it was implied!” Sunset facepalmed and took a deep breath. “Who--”

“Trixie Lulamoon: wannabe magician and aspiring pop star.” Maud stated matter-of-factly. “Her tricks need practice, but she’s decent with a guitar.”

“Any useful information on how to deal with her?”

“Hit her before she hits you.”

“That applies to anybody.”

“But it’s useful.”

She facepalmed. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Sunset Shimmer opened the door and her nostrils were assaulted by a smell that immediately sent her into a coughing fit.

“Oh, not used to cigarette smoke, are we?” A third voice coming from inside the building taunted.

Sunset covered her mouth and nose with her hand and looked around for the source of the voice; she saw a girl lying down on a pool table with her legs crossed and arms behind her head, staring at the ceiling with a lit cigarette dangling from her lips. She sat up, picked the cigarette and put it out on the cloth of the table, which already had several burn marks from previous cigarettes. She then blew out a cloud of smoke towards her visitors; Sunset Shimmer waved her free hand in front of her face to dissipate it.

Once the air in the building became somewhat breathable, Sunset Shimmer managed to take a better look at the girl: she had light blue skin, purple eyes and her long hair was a mix of white and pale blue streaks and a star-shaped purple and golden hair clip could be seen on her left temple. She wore the black variation of the Canterlot Academy uniform, as well as a worn leather jacket with faded spots and stitches.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie has heard about you, but you and Trixie were never formally introduced.” She said. “Shoichet Shimmer, was it?”

“Sunset Shimmer.” She corrected.

“Right. And The Great and Powerful Trixie has been told some really concerning regarding you and someone Trixie cares about.”

“Sweet moon in the sky, that third person crap is gonna give me a headache…” She muttered under her breath before sighing. “Ok, what lies have you been fed about me? It happens very often, I’m unfortunately getting used to it.”

Trixie pulled out a new cigarette from the pack in her left pocket and lit it with a lighter she pulled from her right pocket. She blew another cloud of smoke before jumping from the table to the floor. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is going to make you regret messing with her.”

“Great, so I was blamed for your problems. That’s original.”

Trixie blew out another cloud of smoke, but it was much bigger and much thicker than usual; it covered the entire area in a matter of seconds, blocking Sunset Shimmer’s and Maud’s sight.

“How are you doing this?”

“Magic!” Trixie’s voice came from behind her, followed by an impact on the back of her head. Sunset tried to swing at her, but her fist only connected with the wall; she groaned in pain before being pushed into Maud. The two collided and fell to the ground. Before she could get up, Trixie planted her foot on her stomach. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is the most talented magician in the world; you should just give up, apologize and promise to never bother her again, and The Great and Powerful Trixie promises to break only one of your knees so that you can hop out of here for Trixie’s amusement.”

“I don’t even know who you’re talking about.”

“Playing dumb, huh? The Great and Powerful Trixie tried to be merciful, but it appears you truly are the brute that only understands displays of strength that people say you are. Suit yourself!”

As the smoke dissipated, Trixie raised her foot before bringing it back down with the intention of stomping on her, but Maud managed to push her of the way. Sunset helped her up but, before they could strike back, Trixie blew forth another cloud of smoke and once again disappeared in it. That’s how the fight went on: Trixie would create a smokescreen, attack either Sunset or Maud, and once the cloud dissipated she would create another one, thus repeating the process.

“Okay, how do you break the nose of someone you can’t see?” The pony girl asked before letting out another cough. “Or smell, for that matter.” She looked at Maud, who was motionless and had her eyes closed. “Hey, are you listening to me?”

“Yes.” Maud stated. “Be quiet.”

“Hey, we’re--” Before she could finish that sentence, Maud covered the girl’s mouth with her hand. Sunset Shimmer’s eyes widened in understanding, so she closed them as well. With both girls focusing on their hearing instead of their sight, they managed to hear the sound of footsteps coming from behind them – it was faint, suggesting that Trixie was in fact tiptoeing towards them instead of teleporting like she wanted them to believe. The two of them quickly turned around and delivered a double punch to the girl’s face, sending her flying and causing her to collide against the pool table in the middle of the room.

When the smoke settled down they saw the leader of the vagrants slumped against the side of table, a little disoriented and whit a gas mask strapped to her face, which Sunset immediately took off. Aware of her surroundings again, Trixie reached into her pocket and pulled out a small sphere, but Maud quickly grabbed her wrist and confiscated the item.

“Smoke bomb.” Maud said after inspecting the item.

“Magic, huh?” Sunset threw the gas mask over her shoulder. “I’ve done better tricks in kindergarten.” Magic kindergarten, but Trixie didn’t need to know that.

Trixie didn’t say anything, she simply glared at the duo from her seat on the floor.

“Trixie isn’t known for being quiet, you should use that opportunity to clear things up before she starts talking again.” Maud suggested.

“Yes, you’re right. Look, Trixie, I don’t know who told you I’m behind whatever is happening to your friend, but it’s bullshit. I never met you before today, I don’t even know who your friend is, and even if I did I have nothing to gain from bothering her or whatever. The person you’re trusting to find out the truth is at worst a liar and at best really incompetent.”

“Aria is neither of those things.” Trixie spoke up. “She never let me down before, her info is always on point and she always had my back when I needed her. What makes you think I should trust your word over hers?”

“Oh, she dropped the third person, thank the stars.” Sunset mumbled before clearing her throat. “Look, if there’s one rumor about me that I can guarantee is the absolute truth is that people pay me and I help them deal with their problems. No one paid me to bother you or one of your people.”

“I see where you’re getting at; you expect me to hire you, is that it? Pay you to make my problems disappear?”

“Even better! I think we can make a mutually beneficial agreement; I help you figure out what’s going on with this friend of yours free of charge, and in return you and your goons will not bother her” she pointed at Maud “or Twilight Sparkle again, and I get paid for a job well done. What do you say?”

“I’m still not convinced you aren’t the one bothering her.” Trixie started. “But I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.”

With a smile, Sunset Shimmer helped the girl in leather up. “Ok, but first things first, I’ll need details about what’s going on between you and this friend of yours.”

Trixie and Sunset sat on the pool table while Maud stood by the front door. The magician then began explaining:

“Her name is Starlight Glimmer. We met under… peculiar circumstances and been best friends ever since. We were inseparable, or so I thought; for the last few weeks she’s been very distant, barely talks to me, and when I try to spend time with her she comes up with an excuse and ditches me. At first I thought she was mad at me, but I noticed that she is really jumpy all the time, avoiding crowded areas, wearing sunglasses and hats even when it’s not sunny outside, looking over her shoulder… Someone is doing something to her, but I can’t figure out who it is or what they’re doing.”

“Have you tried following her?”

“I sent some of my girls to tail her, but she caught them and scolded me for not respecting her privacy.”

“Hard not to notice a group of girls wearing black following you around.” Sunset jumped down from the table. “Alright, sounds like you need someone on the case that won’t be recognized by her right away. I can handle that!”

Trixie reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. “Here, I saw her throw this away.”

The Equestrian looked at the paper, which contained a very simple message: “This Sunday afternoon, don’t be late.”

---

The next day, Sunset Shimmer camped near the front gate in the good company of Fluttershy and a pile of unread books, but they weren’t the primary reason she was in that spot; she was actually waiting for Trixie’s friend to come out of Canterlot Academy so she could follow her and figure out where she was going, who she was going to meet and why.

Said girl came out not too long past noon – she had pale purple skin, blue eyes and purple hair with teal highlights. She wore the black variant of the Canterlot Academy uniform, although the trademarked leather jacket worn by the vagrants was missing; all she had to combat the winter cold was the long sleeve white uniform shirt underneath her sweater vest – she was a perfect match of the description Trixie gave of her best friend, Starlight Glimmer. With her hands in the pockets of her skirt, Starlight looked around before walking towards town.

Sunset Shimmer stuffed the book she was reading in her backpack then elbowed Fluttershy, who looked up from the book she was reading, nodded and picked up all the books on the bench they were sitting on before carrying them back inside. After making sure there was a safe distance between her and the girl she was following, Sunset Shimmer adjusted her scarf to cover the lower part of her face, put on an orange beanie to cover her hair, stuffed her hands in her jacket pockets and inconspicuously followed her.

Starlight Glimmer would look back frequently, but she never bothered to check the other side of the street, where Sunset Shimmer was. She followed the girl to a big house in the richest neighborhood of Canterlot Town where the families of the preppies resided; she expected Starlight to knock, but instead she pulled a key from her pocket, unlocked the door and walked in.

Sunset raised an eyebrow; either the residents trusted her with a copy of the front door key or she lived there herself. Both scenarios seemed unlikely; a member of the Canterlot Town elite would never allow a “commoner” into their house, much less give them free access to it, and an heir of a wealthy family wouldn’t be caught dead associating with people like the vagrants.

“Have fun on your date, pumpky-wumpkin!” An adult male’s voice snapped Sunset Shimmer out of her thoughts. She looked at the house again and saw a man standing on the front porch, waving at Starlight Glimmer.

“No cutesy nicknames outside the house, dad, you promised!” Starlight Glimmer complained.

She went inside the house for a wardrobe change, given her new attire: she now wore a black hoodie, a green t-shirt, grey ripped jeans, black boots with bright pink shoelaces and a pink beanie with white stars.

“Whatever you say, chipmunk-cheeks.” The man with purple skin and side-combed aquamarine hair said before going back inside and closing the door – this was definitely Starlight’s house.

She groaned before looking down at the watch on her left wrist; she gasped and picked up the pace, forcing Sunset Shimmer to speed up as well. Thankfully Starlight stopped checking her surroundings, focusing on getting to her destination on time; she slowed down after a brief jog down the street, coming to a halt in front of the gates of a literal mansion.

She rang the doorbell and not long after that the gates opened, letting out a young man wearing a light grey suit and royal blue bowtie. He had pristine white skin, light blue eyes, long golden hair and a wide smile that made Sunset Shimmer want to punch him, even though she had never met him before and had no idea who he was.

The wealthy young man offered her his arm, and she begrudgingly grabbed it; it was clear that she wasn’t happy with her current situation, but for some reason couldn’t turn him down. Sunset followed them from a safe distance, far enough so she could keep an eye on them without being spotted, but too far to overhear the conversation, so when he started talking while motioning to her body, she could only assume that he was talking about her attire – most likely complaining about it.

She followed them to a fancy restaurant located at the heart of the neighborhood, a place Sunset Shimmer was nowhere close to welcome given her own attire and lack of wealthy company, so she decided to observe from the outside. They were taken to a table far from the window, so it was hard to see everything that was going on, but all the signs pointed to this being a date. Not a romantic date, given Starlight Glimmer’s reluctance, but a date nonetheless. Sunset sat on a bench and reached into her backpack.

---

Starlight Glimmer returned home a couple of hours later, feeling tired and irritated. As soon as she opened the front door, her father was already there to greet her.

“Welcome home, sugarplum! How was your date?”

“Fine, dad. Just fine!” She said as she took off her beanie and walked upstairs. “I’ll just go change back into my uniform and go back to the dormitory.”

“Oh, one more thing, puddin’. One of your friends from school came by, left an envelope for you. I slid it under your door.”

“Thanks, dad.” Starlight Glimmer walked into her bedroom and picked up the white envelope on the floor. She turned it around, but there was no name or any form of identification. She opened the envelope, its contents being a piece of paper and a Polaroid picture. She looked at the picture first, and her eyes went wide; it was a photo of the restaurant she just left with a red circle drawn on one of the windows, and she could clearly see herself inside said circle, as well as the person she was just with. She then read the paper:

“I have some questions. CA front gate, 5:30”

Starlight Glimmer didn’t even bother putting on her uniform like she said she would, she just stuffed it in a backpack and ran out of the house.

---

Sunset Shimmer was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed when the girl she asked to meet her arrived; she looked angry.

“Hey there, I--” She started speaking, but was interrupted by a punch in the face.

“I will not let a piece of shit like you blackmail me!” Starlight yelled.

“Okay, first: that’s not how you greet someone, unless you already have history together.” Sunset said while rubbing her punched cheek. “And second, I gave you that picture, how can I blackmail you with something you have?”

“You must have copies!”

“It’s a Polaroid.”

“You could have taken more!”

“Look, this isn’t about blackmail, I just wanted to get your attention in a way you couldn’t ignore.”

“Well, congratulations, you have my attention.” She crossed her arms. “Now what do you plan on doing with it?”

“I want you to follow me.”

“Where to?”

“I don’t want to deal with potential eavesdroppers, we’re going somewhere quiet.”

“And why should I? Give me a reason.”

“You don’t look too happy with that spoiled snob . Maybe I can help you with that.”

“What makes you think I need help?”

“Well, don’t you?”

After a few seconds of quiet staring, Starlight Glimmer sighed and looked away with her arms crossed.

“Lead the way.”

Starlight Glimmer followed Sunset Shimmer into town; it was a quiet walk, none of the girls felt like chatting. The sun had already begun to set when Sunset got out of the main road and followed a dirt path.

“Why are we going there?” Starlight asked, crossing her arms for warmth due to the chill she felt once she realized where she was being taken.

“Like I said, somewhere quiet.” Was Sunset’s only reply as they came to a halt in front of the gates of the town graveyard. She pushed the gates open and motioned for her companion to go in.

“After you!” Sunset shrugged and walked in; convinced that this wasn’t an elaborate plan to trap her inside the graveyard, Starlight followed her inside.

Aside from a girl standing in front of a pair of tombstones, the place was empty. In the middle of the graveyard was an old church that looked like it had seen better days, a church Sunset was currently walking towards.

Before they could reach their destination, the girl near the tombstones walked up to them, blocking their path. Sunset Shimmer took a good look at her: her skin was bright orange, she had freckles on her cheeks, her long golden hair was tied up in a ponytail that fell over her shoulder and her emerald green eyes were staring daggers at the duo. She had a brown Stetson hat on her head and wore jeans, brown boots and, despite the cold, a white tank top that fully exposed her well-developed muscles. She crossed her arms and began to talk:

“Y’all from Canterlot Academy?” She asked in a distinct southern accent Sunset hadn’t heard anywhere else in town.

“Why do you care?” Sunset asked back, also crossing her arms.

“Because CA is home to the worst troublemakers in town. Most of the vandalism y’see ‘round these parts, from vulgar taggin’ to property damage, is the handiwork of those snakes. So I’ll ask again: y’all from Canterlot Academy? ‘Cause this here graveyard is the last place in this town left untouched, and I plan on keepin’ it that way, even if it means getting’ my hands dirty, y’hear me?”

“Look, I am many things, but I am not a monster. Wrecking a cemetery is just low. There, are you happy now? Will you let us pass or do I have to make you?”

The girl stared at Sunset for a few more seconds before sidestepping.

“Long as you people are allowed to roam free in my town, I ain’t ever gonna be happy.” She said before leaving the same way they came in.

“Who the heck was that?” Starlight Glimmer asked.

“I was about to ask you the same.”

“I’ve never seen her in school before, so she’s not one of us.”

“Yeah, the whole ‘CA students suck’ vibe gave that away. Probably a dropout.”

Sunset Shimmer went around the church, Starlight Glimmer two steps behind her. They came to a halt behind the building, where a third girl was waiting for them.

“T-Trixie!” Starlight nearly shouted.

“Took you long enough.” Trixie said as she got up, patting her skirt to get rid of the snow clinging to it. “Hey, Star! How have you been? We haven’t talked in a while, huh? Almost like you’ve been avoiding me.”

“Oh wow, look at the time! It was nice catching up, Trix, but I have to--” Starlight started walking away, but Sunset Shimmer grabbed her by the hood, preventing her from leaving.

“You tell her or I do. What’s it gonna be?” Sunset Shimmer asked.

“Well… I… Uh…”

“Time’s up! Trixie, she’s going out with some rich dickhead.”

“WHAT?!” Trixie’s yell echoed throughout the graveyard. “Starlight, tell me that’s a lie!”

“I-I-I…” Starlight tried to speak, suddenly forgetting how words work.

“I’m not finished!” Sunset interrupted. “She’s going out with some rich dickhead, but something smells fishy about this whole ordeal. That’s why I wanted to arrange this meeting in a secluded location. Okay, Starlight, it’s just the three of us here, so spill it!”

“Wh-What makes you say that?” Starlight did her best to avoid eye contact. “The-There’s nothing fishy about--”

“Starlight, please.” Trixie spoke softly, completely dropping her braggart persona. “I know something is up, but I can’t help you unless you talk to me.”

“I… Um… It’s…” Starlight Glimmer took a deep breath. “I’m being blackmailed.”

Trixie’s pleading eyes quickly turned into an expression filled with hatred. “Who is it? Tell me and I’ll break all the bones in their body right now!”

“Trixie, don’t! Confronting him about it will only make things worse.”

“Who is he? What is he even blackmailing you with? And what for?”

Starlight side-glanced at Sunset. “Are you sure--”

“Tell me!”

She sighed. “He has a picture of us… Of us making out!”

Trixie froze. Sunset Shimmer raised an eyebrow. “So what?”

“So what?” Trixie turned to look at her. “SO WHAT? You don’t know my parents! You don’t know what they are like! Their opinion of homosexuality is--” She paused for a few seconds, staring deep into Sunset’s eyes. “…is low. The point is, if my parents find out about us, it’s over. They will pull me out of Canterlot Academy, kick me out of the house, disown me, and that’s just the beginning!”

“It can’t be that bad.”

Trixie grabbed her shoulders and shook her. “Sunset Shimmer, listen to me! That’s exactly what they said they would do when I was twelve and told them I wanted to marry my best friend from middle school until I was pressured into telling them it was a joke. And I was never allowed to go to her house or bring her home again, ‘just in case’. If that’s how far they were willing to go when I was twelve, imagine now!”

“Blueblood says he will make sure everyone in town sees it if I don’t play nice.” Starlight explained. “I had no choice.”

“Wait, Blueblood?” Sunset asked, remembering what Rarity told her. “The Trueblood boy? Doesn’t he have a fiancée?”

“He is not really interested in her because she has, and I quote ‘no pedigree’.” Starlight continued. “So he is trying to turn me into the perfect bride to take her place.”

“Why you, specifically?”

“My family is… Prosperous!”

“That’s her way of saying her parents are fucking loaded.” Trixie added. “They don’t exactly flaunt it, but Starlight’s family’s net worth is nearly double the Truebloods’.”

Sunset whistled. “For real? Yeah, I can see why he’d want to nab you.”

“And that’s the gist of the thing: he wants to empty my parents’ bank account so he can live a like a king without ever having to lift a finger for the rest of his life.”

“What’s with the dates, though?”

“He wants to make small public appearances so it will look like a… natural progression. Like we just fell for each other over time. A bunch of bull!”

“And what’s your plan for getting out of this situation?” Trixie asked.

“I… I don’t have one. Frankly, all I can do is hope for a miracle.”

The three of them stood there in silence for a moment, when Sunset Shimmer finally spoke up:

“Ok, I think I have something!”

“What is it, what is it?” Trixie asked.

“I can’t promise anything yet, I’ll need to work out the kinks first.”

Trixie rolled her eyes and groaned. “Then how is that any better than the nice pile of nothing we currently?”

“Just leave that to me, I’ll contact you once I have the full thing planned out. For now, let’s just go back to the dorm. Separately!”

Sunset and Starlight started walking towards the front entrance. Trixie looked around to make sure there was no one else in the graveyard, and so she grabbed Starlight Glimmer by the shoulders, turned her around, pulled her close and gave her a deep, passionate kiss.

“Oh wow…” Starlight said while blushing and smiling, catching the breath she suddenly lost.

“We’re gonna take down that douchebag, I promise!” Trixie said. She then patted Sunset on the back and pulled a smoke bomb out of her pocket; she threw it on the floor and disappeared in the smoke.

---

Blueblood followed the directions in the letter he received, the contents of which were Rarity’s depictions of all the highly unladylike things she wanted to do to him out of the public eye and inside four walls – he wasn’t interested in marrying her, but he could never deny that she was one of the prettiest women he had ever laid eyes on, so if he was inviting her to get down and dirty, he could never turn her down. During the interviews his parents conducted he overheard her saying she had never been with a man before, so the thought of tasting an unspoiled fruit made him giddy.

The letter led him to a love hotel in a less busy part of town, where there was no risk of him being caught walking into such an undignified place. The front desk attendant, instructed by the person who invited him there, pointed him to the room he was looking for.

Blueblood walked into the room and, even though he was an insufferable snob who couldn’t stand anything lower than the best, admitted that the room was mildly adequate. He could hear the shower running, so he closed the door and sat on the bed.

“Blueblood, darling, is that you?” Rarity’s voice came from inside the bathroom.

“The one and only.” He replied.

“Oh, good! I’ll be out in a minute, so why don’t you… Get comfortable?”

Blueblood could practically feel the lust in that last sentence, so he was fully undressed in a matter of seconds. After looking in a nearby mirror to make sure he was looking as hot as he believed himself to be, he stood in the middle of the room, wearing nothing but a smile. The sound of water coming from the shower stopped.

“Now, I want you to look away from the door, and only turn around when I tell you to. Can you do that?” Rarity’s voice was much closer, suggesting that she was just behind the closed door.

“I’m ready!” Blueblood said with his back turned. His smile grew wider when he heard the click of the bathroom door being unlocked.

“You can turn around now, darling.”

His look of joy turned into one of terror when he turned around to look at his prize, only to see Rarity wearing a bathrobe and two more girls, all three of them holding cameras.

“Surprise!” Trixie said as she, Rarity and Starlight started taking pictures of his naked body.

Blueblood shrieked and grabbed the clothes he left on the bedside table to try and cover himself, but it was already too late as the trio laughed at his expense.

“And that is why you don’t mess with the people close to The Great and Powerful Trixie.”

“Who-- What-- We-- I’m-- Rarity, how could you?!” Blueblood shouted. “Y-You’re my fiancée, why are you doing this to me?”

“Oh you poor, poor dear. I thought you weren’t interested in someone with ‘no pedigree’, isn’t that right, Ms. Glimmer?” Rarity turned to look at Starlight, who simply nodded.

“I-I-I can give you anything you want. Anything! Just name your price, your list, whatever it is you want, I’ll do it. Just please, don’t make those pictures go public!”

“Well, then I suppose we could make a trade.” Starlight said. “I’ll give you the film with the picture of your little ding-dong exposed, and in exchange you give me the film with the picture you took of Trixie and I, and as a bonus I will not tell the world you are a creepy little stalker!”

“D-Done! Consider it done! We can go to my mansion and end this right now.”

“Then put on some clothes, we’ll be waiting outside.” Rarity commanded as she took off the bathrobe, revealing that she was fully dressed underneath it.

---

In any other occasion, the idea of escorting three extremely hot young women back home would be Blueblood’s idea of paradise, but right now this was the only way he could prevent his life from being turned into a literal hell. On their way there, he noticed a group of girls in leather jackets running in the opposite direction they were going, giggling amongst themselves. When they finally reached his home, he realized what that was all about: every window of the Trueblood mansion had been used for target practice, with eggs being used as ammo.

“What is the meaning of this?!” He yelled.

“That’s part two of the agreement!” Sunset Shimmer, who was standing right next to the unlocked gate, explained. “You are going to clean every window with your own two hands. Once they are all spotless…”

“…then these will go straight to the trash!” Rarity finished that sentence, shaking the camera she took pictures of him naked with. “A little manual labor never killed anybody, darling.”

“I thought we agreed to get rid of them once I gave you--”

“We, as in you and me, agreed to that.” Starlight interrupted. “You give me the pictures you took, I give you the pictures I took. Neither Trixie nor Rarity agreed to that. What happens to their pictures are not up to me.”

“You scheming little--”

“You should think carefully about what you’re about to say, ‘darling’, because this little show of hypocrisy might escalate into indecent exposure.” Trixie said while pointing her camera at him. “The Great and Powerful Trixie was thinking, maybe print a lot of posters and spread them around town; one by the town hall, another one in the market, that boutique Rarity says you love to visit…” She turned to look at the gate of the Trueblood mansion. “But the first one would definitely go right here. What do you think, Blue?”

Blueblood sighed in defeat. “My parents are coming back from their business trip tomorrow morning, if they see the mansion like that, they will lose their minds!”

“Then you better hop to it.” Sunset Shimmer urged him.

“After you bring me the film, of course.” Starlight Glimmer added.

After retrieving the photographic film and making the exchange, Blueblood spent the next half hour trying to figure out where in the giant building the housemaid kept the cleaning products. Meanwhile Rarity laid down a picnic blanket on the front yard, where the four girls sat to drink tea brewed with supplies found in the kitchen of the Truebloods.

After a few hours of chatting, laughing at shouting words of encouragement to Blueblood, he finally approached them, completely exhausted and covered in soap.

“There!” He managed to say between gasps for air. “All clean. Now give me the film and get out of my property.”

They all took a brief walk around the mansion, inspecting the windows that were surprisingly clean.

“Not bad for your first time, darling.” Rarity praised as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the film that she then tossed at his feet.

“What about you?” He asked Trixie. “What do you want in exchange for your pictures?”

“Oh, nothing, really!” Trixie smiled as she patted her pocket. “The Great and Powerful Trixie will keep this within arm’s reach to make sure you’re going to leave Trixie’s friends alone and not try anything cute again.”

The four girls then left the Trueblood mansion, leaving behind a furious but scared Blueblood Trueblood.

“I didn’t wash the cups we drank tea from.” Rarity added as the four girls giggled. “He’ll have to take care of that as well.”

Starlight Glimmer took a deep breath and sighed in relief. “Liberation feels so good.”

“Don’t forget revenge.” Trixie added. “It’s a rush!”

“Are you gonna be ok, Rarity?” Sunset Shimmer asked. “I mean, you just screwed over your own fiancé, I don’t think your relationship will be all sunshine and rainbows after that.”

“Oh, darling, please!” Rarity smiled at her. “I knew he was a bad egg the moment I met him in person.”

“Then I guess all those eggs we threw at his house should have made him feel right at home, huh?” Starlight and Trixie laughed.

“What I mean is, since we had that talk in the ferris wheel I thought long and hard about my situation, so I’ve been working on a little project behind his back. This marriage is something my parents wanted for financial stability, so I thought: if a constant income of cash is what they want, then why not take care of that myself? I had the Trueblood seal of approval, so I decided to use it for my advantage; I started chatting with the right people, getting the best contacts in places of interest…

“Long story short is, sewing has been a passion of mine since childhood, and now that I had the opportunity to show the people in the business what I am capable of, I managed to land a decent sponsorship, and I want you to be the first to know that by the end of the semester I will open my very own boutique, with my own original designs for sale!”

“Impressive! Congrats, Rarity.”

“Thank you, darling! I hope you come and visit the place when I open it, I promise you a discount.” She spoke that last sentence with a sing-song voice and a wink.

With the vagrants in tow, the preppies tamed, the nerds on her side and the outcasts on good terms with her, Sunset Shimmer now only had one more group to conquer before she could unite the entire school under one flag against their common enemy and take down Adagio Dazzle for good.

“And after everything is over…” Sunset Shimmer thought. “…I can get back to working on my original plan.”

Comments

[Verderame]

Been waiting for Trixie's appearance forever and wasn't disappointed. I'm really looking forward to the next chapters and in the meanwhile I might as well replay Bully too.