Sigil of Souls, Stream of Memories

by Piccolo Sky

Daybreak: Coming Ashore

Needless to say, the next two days that passed on the boat were even more tense than the time spent on the slaver’s ship. Sunset never seemed to sleep and constantly kept her eyes not only on the crew but Twilight. It wasn’t until she had restated all the terms of their deal multiple times, including her agreement to share what she had learned from Celestia’s private collection only on the condition of securing her a pardon, that she began to ease up. That wasn’t until they were nearly at the shore, however.

The crew never stopped giving them the same cold regard, but they did share their food with them and left them to their own devices. In truth, they ate better over the next two days than they had in quite a while. The two of them ended up sleeping on deck under the stars both nights, having had their fill of being shut up indoors. While Twilight was interested in hearing more from Zecora, she had little more to say to either of them. She spent all her time with whatever was in her cauldron, and many of those times she forbade anyone from coming in on her.

After two days had passed, on the morning of the third the coastline of Greater Everfree came into view. By around noon, they were clearly and steadily approaching a port that Twilight recognized as Baltimare—one of the largest in Fillydelphia. However, they just managed to enter the waters of port city itself when the boat came to a halt.

When that happened, both Sunset and Twilight looked up and saw the men on board move to their tender boat. They soon began the process of lowering it into the ocean. Shortly thereafter, the curtain pulled aside to the topside cabin and, for the first time since they had come on board, Zecora emerged.

“My shipmates will let you off here in the bay. I regret that from here you must go your own way.”

Twilight let out a small whimper. “We’re still a good three miles from shore…”

“If we get off this ship faster, then I’m all for it,” Sunset retorted, already making her way to the boat.

In spite of the situation and how tense the past two days had been, Twilight at least said thanks before departing. Sunset, however, said nothing, and neither did they receive any more replies from Zecora or anyone else. As soon as the two had rowed their way from the boat a short distance, the vessel unfurled its sails and continued on away from the port.

“I figured they would have wanted to dock too…” Twilight remarked as they went. “Then again, Greater Everfree isn’t exactly that welcoming of Zebrabwians. Think they were afraid to take us to shore?”

“I’m just glad they’re gone,” Sunset flatly answered. “Focus on rowing. We’re still far from shore and we’ll be worn out long before we get there.”

Twilight grimaced. “Don’t remind me…” she muttered as she kept rowing.

Needless to say, after a full hour they were still a good distance from shore, although their own boat began to intermingle with other arriving ships. Most of them, in particular the ocean liners and yachts owned by the more upper-class members of society, regarded them either curiously or humorously considering how far out they were. The multitude of people at the busy shoreline, either working, loading, unloading, docking, or getting on board ships, began to become distinct as they settled on a pier and began to move inward.

“Been a while since I’ve been in Baltimare…” Twilight huffed between rows. “I’m pretty sure they charge a toll to dock… And even if they don’t, I’m kind of wondering how we’re going to get back to Manehattan from here without money or papers. One thing at a time, though, right? Heh…heh…”

As she trailed off with her nervous laugh, she paused. She realized suddenly that their boat had slowed quite a bit and now seemed to be spinning in the direction she was rowing. Immediately she stopped and looked over at Sunset. The woman had already ceased, and was staring at the shoreline and the multitude of people there. The look of anxiety was back on her face.

“What’s the matter?”

“So many people…” she nearly muttered. “They could be anyone… Thieves…traffickers…thugs…agents for the government…”

Twilight glanced at the shore, then back at her. “Well, I guess…but most of them are just civilians like us.”

“It doesn’t matter if most of them are. All it takes is one.”

“I suppose…but the odds of running into that one are pretty small.”

Sunset sighed. She shook her head and looked back at her oar.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“No, it looked like you were going to say something for a moment.”

“It’s nothing,” she answered, dipping her oar back into the water. “Nothing I don’t already know the answer to, anyway.”

“I…don’t follow.”

Sunset began to row. “I was wondering how you could look at all of those people over there and not be nervous. Then I forgot…you still have your power. If anyone looks at you the wrong way you’ll just burn them.”

Twilight grimaced as she started to row with her. “You know, lots of people get along just fine with big crowds like that who don’t have any power at all. It’s really not as bad as you think.”

She snorted. “Really now.”

“You’re going to have to learn to trust more people than just me some time if you want to have a life.”

“First of all, whoever said I trusted you? Second, I’ve never run into a single person in my life who didn’t eventually stab me in the back once they found out about my power and that they could step on my face if they wanted. I guess you could say that leads me to have certain ‘trust issues’.”

Twilight kept rowing, but she began to look a bit confused. “But…you lost your power, didn’t you? So they can’t find out about it anymore, can they?”

For the second time, Sunset slowed in her rowing. Her eyes opened a little wider. She seemed to realize what Twilight had pointed out for the first time. It made her pause for several seconds. She said nothing in response, but when she began to row again she no longer had the same expression on her face. For the next fifteen minutes, her look was far more pensive and thoughtful as she only absent-mindedly paddled.

---

Docking ended up being an interesting problem in and of itself. They rowed their boat to the first low-set dock they could find with an opening on it, but they had no way of tying the boat and no one waiting for them. With no other options available, they simply aimed straight for the dock as if they planned to run it aground. On arrival, they simply stood up, balanced themselves as best as they could, and then jumped out and onto the dock before letting the tender boat adrift.

They caught the attention of a port authority by the time they were walking down the pier toward the nearest street. “Hey!” she called after them. “You can’t park that boat here without a permit and a toll!”

“Uh…” Twilight hesitated. “Um…keep it!”

The port authority looked at them both in puzzlement, but they, in turn, picked up the pace and quickly seized the opportunity to slip into the nearest crowd and make their way to the street from there. Fortunately, that wasn’t difficult with the amount of activity going on in the port at midday. Even once they reached the road and began to walk down it they had to constantly shift one way and another to avoid traffic coming out of the warehouses and ship yards to either side of them, along with the occasional steam carriage or loader chugging up or down the street. Nevertheless, they were soon leaving that pier behind, and only when three more piers were behind them did they slow down enough to breathe a bit easier.

“Well, we made it.”

Sunset continued to look around uneasily at every passerby, especially the ones who looked back with an unfriendly stare. She took in a stiff breath and struggled to keep walking. “Terrific. Now what?”

“I was thinking about that on the boat. We need to get to the Manehattan embassy. There’s always one in the big port cities. Once we’re inside, they’ll take care of getting us back to Manehattan.”

“Even though I’m with you?”

“I’m sure it will be fine. Just, uh…say you’re in my custody.”

Sunset grimaced. “That’s comforting…”

Her grimace got a bit wider two seconds later as a steam wagon chugged by fast enough to whip up a loose newspaper and send it flying right into her face. Letting out a mutter, she reached up and tore it off to get a full view of the headline. She paused for a moment to reread it, then rolled her eyes. “Looks like it’s going to be a bit harder than you think.”

“Huh?”

Sunset handed the paper to her. She reached out and took it, reading over the headline.

Manehattan-Fillydelphia Tensions at All Time High, New Chancellor Threatens to Close Embassy

Twilight’s jaw dropped while Sunset rolled her eyes. “Terrific. Now we have a time limit on reaching the embassy…”

“But…but how? Why?” she exclaimed as she began to speed read the article. “Trottingham and Fillydelphia have been allies for years!”

Sunset crossed her arms. “If I had to bet, that’s the reason they’re getting hostile. When they had a common enemy that was one thing, but Trottingham has been giving Fillydelphia the raw deal for years. They let them do all the fighting for pitiful reductions in tariffs and a few measly waived tolls. They’re always last to send support and when they do it’s always less than what they promised.”

Twilight looked up at Sunset curiously.

“I didn’t get that position in Trottingham without learning a lot about my enemies and how to use them,” she explained. “That’s probably why the Storm King is making the move on Appleloosa. Neither will be able to send support. In a week’s time he can split the biggest alliance against him into three pieces.”

Twilight blinked in astonishment then looked back to the paper. Sure enough, just below the main headline was another one talking about how the Appleloosan border had already been breached by Trottingham, and that a new war, while just declared, was quickly escalating. “I don’t believe this! After everything we did to put a stop to the Light Eaters and Nightmare Moon, everyone is just jumping into a new war?”

“Still think I should trust people so easily?” Sunset asked, a hint of smugness in her voice.

Twilight simply frowned and began to fold up the paper. She looked to the sky, took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and then kept walking down the street. “Alright…no worries. There were still Manehattan ships in the bay, which means they can’t have closed the embassy yet. All we have to do is get there before it closes, and make sure that we stay calm, stay inconspicuous, and avoid getting ourselves into anything that might draw any attent-”

Twilight aborted her talk into a wild cry as she recoiled, for at that very moment the door of the old pier warehouse they were passing by was obliterated by the body of a burly, unsavory-looking thug being hurled through it. Not only Twilight and Sunset, but half the street froze where they were and turned to the sudden spectacle in alarm as he collided with the pavement. He let out a mixture of an angry and dazzled grunt and started to lean up.

He didn’t get very far as a rainbow-colored streak shot out, and moments later a woman with a fierce look, tanned knuckles, tight muscles, and loose attire landed right on his chest so hard he let out an “oof”, before he found his collar seized and his head yanked up. Soon he was looking eye-to-eye with a grinning woman.

“Oh no you don’t!” she shouted. “You think after giving me the runaround for two days I’m just going to let you get up and run away? Take a nap!”

With that, her fist shot out and sent out an echo so loud it boomed up and down the street. The thug let out an exhale of defeat as he collapsed.

She immediately grinned wider and sprung off of him. “Aw yeah! Record time! Money in the bank!”

Twilight and Sunset were stunned for several more seconds, before the former of the two gained enough of her wits for her recognition to click. “Rainbow Dash…?”

In an instant, she snapped over to her and brandished her fist. “Who’s asking?!”

Twilight recoiled in fright, but only moments after laying eyes on her Dash quickly lowered her fist and blinked in surprise.

“Twilight? Is that you?”

Still a bit alarmed, she took a moment to compose herself before hesitantly smiling. “Um…yes?”

Dash paused for a second longer before she grinned all over again. “Well what do you know? I don’t believe it! What are you doing all the way over here in Fillydelphia?” She snickered right after saying that, still oblivious to the crowd of onlookers they now had. “Ok, dumb question. I mean, I got blown all the way here. I should’ve figured the rest of you had too. But awesome! Great to see you! Where are the others?”

She immediately looked to the one at her side, laying eyes on Sunset Shimmer soon after. Sunset instantly grimaced and began to tremble again. As for Dash, she stared a moment before her face twisted.

“You aren’t one of the girls…but I’ve definitely seen you before. Where did-”

She cut herself off as her eyes widened in realization.

Twilight swallowed. “Um, perhaps I-”

Before Twilight could say another syllable, Dash lunged forward and punched Sunset dead in the face.

The woman slammed down into the street soon after, causing a chorus of gasps from the surrounding onlookers. Twilight blanched and glanced at them once, before she quickly stepped in between the two women. A good thing too, because Dash’s look had gone from confused to enraged in a very short time period. Her knuckles were cracking as she stood ready to tear the woman on the street apart.

As for Sunset, she writhed in pain for a moment before wiping at her mouth, taking some blood away with it. “I think you almost split my jaw…”

“Then I guess I got more tired beating up those goons than I thought, because I meant to smash your nose so hard I’d send the bone into your brain, you bitch!” Dash sneered. “Get up! I’m going to knock your teeth in!”

“I think I’ll stay down here, then…”

“Wait!” Twilight quickly interjected. “Rainbow Dash, it’s not what it looks like! She’s…” She paused on saying that, grimacing a bit at the admission. “She’s, well…she’s, um…she’s with…I mean…she’s kind of with me…”

Sunset groaned. “You say that so convincingly…”

Dash, meanwhile, had wheeled to Twilight in shock. “What?! What do you mean she’s ‘with you’? Don’t you remember what she did back in that castle?! Speaking of that…” She spun back to Sunset. “How come you aren’t a ten-foot tall raging fire demon anyway?”

Now the crowd was beginning to look confused and mutter. Twilight started to wince at the scene that was being made. “Could we…um…perhaps discuss this in somewhere more private? …Please?”

Dash, still oblivious to the situation, looked back at Sunset and gave her another stink eye. Sunset herself began to push herself off the ground, wiping at her mouth, which nearly made Dash spring on her again. However, she somehow restrained it and turned around.

“…Fine. But we’re not going far!”

---

Dash hadn’t been kidding about that.

Rather than find a nice secluded building several blocks away, Dash simply led them back in through the broken doorway into the very chamber she had just smashed her way out of. The interior wasn’t much better. Three thugs just as big and as mean-looking as the one they had seen were strewn about the area moaning and groaning but otherwise not moving, and the entire room itself was busted and broken up from her knocking her opponents around. With the gaping hole in the entrance, it was pretty clear that it wouldn’t be hard for anyone passing by to overhear them. However, realizing they wouldn’t get much better, Twilight rolled with it.

At this point, Sunset was back up but standing a distance from Dash and looking at her tensely, expecting another hit at any moment, but at least able to maintain some modicum of normal behavior and appearance. Dash, on the other hand, was staring at Twilight open-mouthed.

“Let me get this straight… You’re actually helping this bacon-headed, heartless, dirty, slimy piece of crap just so she can tell you what she read in some books? Sheesh, Twilight…just how much of an egghead are you?”

Twilight frowned. “Things aren’t over yet.”

“Yet? What ‘yet’? Come on, Twilight. Nightmare Moon’s history and so’s the night over Everfree. They don’t need us to mop up the rest of the Nighttouched.”

“That’s not all,” she insisted. “You remember what I told you about on the train, didn’t I? I still need to get back to Canterlot castle and see for myself if it’s really over. Even if I didn’t, we still have problems. More people are arising with Promethian Sigils every day. Stopping Nightmare Moon didn’t stop that. I have to understand more about what’s going on, and right now Sunset is the only one around who knows more.”

Dash frowned and cast her a scowl. It made Sunset twist uncomfortably, but she did no more. “I still say we should pound her into a puddle and then leave her in a gutter.”

“She’s harmless now. She doesn’t have any magical abilities anymore.”

Sunset winced even more uncomfortably at the reminder. However, this seemed to pacify Dash for the moment. She crossed her arms and looked back at Twilight.

“So you don’t know where the others are?”

She shook her head with a frown of her own. “No… If I ended up in Trottingham and you ended up in Fillydelphia, they could be anywhere in Greater Everfree. But we both ended up alright, so I’m sure they’re safe too. They’re probably waiting for us back in Manehattan. At least I hope…”

Suddenly, her look became puzzled.

“Speaking of which, what are you doing here in Fillydelphia? I thought you would have headed back too.”

Now Dash’s own look grew a bit uneasy. She began to rub the back of her head and look to one side. “Yeah…well, um…I would have headed back to Manehattan by now, but I got a bit…sidetracked.”

“Sidetracked?”

She sighed. “Look, before I ran into Rarity and got started on this whole crazy quest with you guys, the bottom line is I tended to drink a lot of cider…and I ran up a lot of tabs while I was at it. Being a Huntsman means you know a lot of people from all over. That also means they keep track of you pretty good. I made some promises and I had to take a few jobs in order to raise the money. It’s been kind of rough getting them all.”

Twilight looked around the room. A bit of broken glass picked that moment to fall out of its frame, decorating the already rubble-strewn floor and the three thugs that had been knocked out. She seemed even more confused. “Those four shouldn’t have been much of a problem for a Disciple. Not after everything I’ve seen you do.”

“Yeah, well maybe I didn’t want to do it as a Disciple.”

Both Twilight and Sunset looked to Dash in puzzlement when she said that, especially the way she almost indignantly stated it. She kept her arms crossed and her head to the ground. She frowned a moment before sighing.

“Look, I just don’t…don’t like using that Anima Viri unless I really have to, ok? Anyway, the bottom line is this was it.” She stuck out her thumb and gestured to the door. “These four creeps were my latest job. Once I bring them in, I get the last bit of cash, so good timing. Let’s just drop them off at the Huntsman’s Guild, get my fee, and then we can head out.”

This only left Twilight and Sunset looking perplexed again. They looked around at the floor and at the fallen men, each one of which was easily bigger than either of them, and turned back to her. “Um, we’d love to help, Rainbow…but how exactly do we get them there?”

---

“Oh, we’re definitely not drawing attention to ourselves now…” Sunset muttered.

“Ah, can it,” Dash retorted as she kept pushing a wheelbarrow loaded with two thugs unceremoniously dumped on each other. Twilight and Sunset, on their part, had either arm of a second wheelbarrow and were pushing the other two in it. Twilight was wincing in embarrassment as both of them tried in vain to keep their heads low. It was no use. The sight of three ladies pushing four men down the road like that was getting stares from everyone on both sides of the street.

Unfortunately, they had been attracting looks for some time. About ten blocks worth, to be exact. They had left the shipyards behind but moving into the main urban areas of Baltimare only exposed them to more pedestrians, travelers, and workers who had little else to do but stare at them as they went one way or another. It didn’t help things that they were still in a rather dirty and unsavory part of town, although that was mostly Fillydelphia in a nutshell. It didn’t trouble itself with looking as presentable as Manehattan, especially in the middle of a work day. Hence, they had their fair share of smoke and soot to choke on as they walked along.

After coughing at one point to clear her throat, Twilight looked up. “How much farther?”

“Not far,” Dash called back to them. “We should be getting close to the turnoff.” She let out a sigh. “You always know it by the bell.”

“What bell?”

She scarcely finished saying that when a loud dong, obviously from a bell tower, peeled out over the streets. It proceeded to do so three more times, fully sounding out the hour.

“That bell.”

Walking a bit further, the industrial “fog” cleared enough to make out the outline of a tall steeple that was the source of the bell tower. Sure enough, a clock was mounted on it, and following it down one could make out the angled roof of a type of church. The three continued to walk along, Dash looking a little more irritable with every step, until all three could make out the symbols for a church of Harmonium. This one wasn’t shut down. A few more steps and Twilight could make out where boards that had previously been used to shut it up had been pried loose, and the building was in full operation again.

As they drew near, Dash let out a long sigh. “We turn here,” she half-muttered, before pitching the wheelbarrow around and walking on down the street. The church itself was on the corner, so there was no way other than walking down the middle of the road to avoid it.

As Twilight and Sunset followed suit, they both noticed that there were a pair of individuals who seemed to be affiliated with the church with arms full of pamphlets. They were greeting people with smiles as they passed by, before handing them out to them and waving them on. Some took them, some politely declined, and some ignored them, but Dash seemed to clench her jaw just at seeing them handing them out. She kept her head forward with a look that made it clear she wasn’t interested as she pushed her wheelbarrow along; hoping, it seemed, that the sight of two unconscious bodies would be enough to dissuade them from approaching.

Apparently it wasn’t. One of them began to walk up to her. “Huntsman? Thanks for helping keep our streets safe!” he cheered as he neared her with a pamphlet outstretched. “Would you like to come to our chicken dinner? We’re holding it in two nights to celebrate our grand reopening! Only 3 bits for-”

Dash suddenly wheeled on the man, snatched the pamphlet out of his hand, promptly ripped it in half, and threw it on the ground before brandishing her fist. “Beat it before I beat you!”

Shocked and scared, the young man rapidly shrank back in alarm; too stunned to even form a response. Dash, on her part, muttered something before turning and pushing her wheelbarrow on. Both pamphlet handlers stared uncertainly at Twilight and Sunset as they walked by; the former only able to offer a sheepish smile of apology as she went.

As soon as they were clear, Sunset rolled her eyes. “So what are we going to do next to keep a ‘low profile’? Commit arson?”

Twilight focused up ahead. “Rainbow Dash…”

She let out another sigh, this one far more “mellow” than before. “I know, I know… It’s just…they tick me off, is all. All of ‘em. It’s not just these Harmonium people. It’s the Gaitians, Solarians, Zebrabwians…the whole bunch. I’m just mad at them right now. They all cut and run for years then crawl out of the woodwork praising Harmonium for taking away the eternal night.” She snorted, jabbing her thumb in her chest. “We took away the eternal night. Not some god.”

She sneered as she glanced back at the church over her shoulder. “You talk all about your god being so good and so gracious… Where was your god for the past eight years? How much good did all those prayers do to all your little church buddies who got eaten alive by Nighttouched? The least you sycophants can do is give some credit to who actually did something except wait for some woman in the sky to come save them!”

Twilight gave Dash an uncertain look. Even Sunset looked a bit taken aback at her sudden backlash. However, she simply exhaled before turning around and walking on. “Don’t tell Pinkie I said any of that.” After saying this, she was silent for the rest of the way.

Two blocks later, they came up to a more run-down part of the city, and a large beaten and sooty building with broken out front windows. The emblem and name of the Huntsman Guild was on top of it on a large sign posted over the entrance. As they began to draw near, Sunset grew tenser yet. Enough to where Twilight began to see her change in mood. She turned to her.

“What’s the matter?”

Sunset turned to her with a look that spoke volumes of how dumb the question was. “What’s the matter? What’s the matter? We’re headed right for a Huntsman Guild! You think Trottingham hasn’t put out a bounty for me yet?”

“Just relax and keep quiet,” Dash shouted back over her shoulder. “Trust me. If there was a bounty for you in here I would be bringing you in to collect it myself.”

“Again…not terribly comforted,” Sunset muttered.

On passing through the wooden double doors to the interior, the three found themselves surrounded by rough-looking, variously-armed types that resembled Rainbow Dash. Multiple tables and chairs were set up in a large entry area, with about half of them taken by the various types in the room. Wheeling in the four unconscious men attracted their stares no less than it had outside, but the three ignored them (or tried to) as they pushed past. Soon they were walking past two different boards filled with job requests and postings, and right up to an old, broad, heavy, and scratched and splintered clerical desk that took up the entire rear of the room and blocked off the general floor from a couple of doorways in the back.

An old woman with one sound eye and a dead, paling orb for the other was seated there. She glanced up when Dash crossed about half the room, and immediately her one good eye drifted over both Twilight and Sunset, pausing for a moment on Sunset, before looking over the four men with them. Nevertheless, she said nothing and showed nothing as they closed the last of the distance. When Dash finally stopped her wheelbarrow and set it down, walking around to walk up to the desk, she finally cracked a grin.

“Been busy lately, ‘Sonic Rainboom’, heh,” she remarked as she leaned on top of it. “Who you got for us today?”

“Heya Gram. Check it out.” She grinned as she gestured behind him. “All four of the Cattle Rustlers. Better tell the cops to bring out the extra large wagon for them.”

“Gram” leaned up from behind the desk to look them over, opening her bad eye a bit wider to see them all. “So you do. Heh…pretty good even for you. That’s a cool 8,000 in all. Really been getting the lead out the past two weeks, haven’t you? Ain’t going to leave anything for the younger folk. You want to cash in on this one?”

She shook her head. “Nope. Wire it to the same place as last time. And as for me, I think this is the last you’ll be seeing me in here for a while.”

“Oh really?” she remarked just as she began to reach for a voucher. “Leaving us now? You haven’t stashed so much as a cent this past month. Sure you don’t want one more for the road? Get yourself a nest egg to go out on?”

She shook her head again. “’Fraid not. I’m after a bit bigger score now. A little past the pay grade of the local Huntsman Guild, if you get my drift.”

“Yeah? Don’t tell me you’re actually rejoining the military, are you?”

“Heh, I’m fearless…not brainless. You take care of yourself, Gram. The newbies need someone looking out for ‘em.”

“Same to you,” she answered, before her good eye narrowed a little. Squaring Sunset in her sight, she leaned over the desk again. “’Specially with that one over there. If she’s with you, take care. Looks so much like that Fire Witch from Trottingham someone might try to club you in the back of the head to bring her in on the chance we get a bounty for her.”

This was said more than loud enough for both Twilight and Sunset to hear, which caused the latter to run her hand along her face and sigh. Dash, on her part, grimaced a little before speaking a bit more quietly. “I’ll, uh…be careful. Thanks. Keep the wheelbarrows. These four don’t need them anymore.”

Turning away from the desk, she walked back up to the two of them. “Alright, show’s over here. We can head straight to the embassy. Just a couple blocks up the street from here and I know a shortcut.”

“Finally…” Sunset sighed as she let Dash get ahead before walking after her again. “8,000 for a single tab? Just how much do you drink…?”

“So long as this is the last stop on the way,” Twilight interjected, “I think it’s just going to be smooth sailing from here.”

Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “Unless they’ve already closed the embassy.”

“…Yeah, there’s that. But other than that, I don’t think we have anything to worry about from here on in.”

“Especially now that I’m with you guys,” Dash grinned. “You heard Gram. I’ve been kickin’ it for weeks. Now that I’m with you, nothing’s gonna stand in our way.”

Reaching the front wooden doors, she reached out and put a hand on them. Flashing them a thumbs up, she shoved forward to fling them both open and let all three of them exit.

They only got one step before they froze to the tune of no less than eighteen different gun barrels pointed at them cocking at once. Each one was in the hands of a Baltimare police officer, a number of whom were now spanning out in front of the Huntsman Guild and staring at them coldly.

The three stood there in total astonishment, gradually giving way to anxiety to see themselves surrounded with loaded firearms. They stared blankly at the officers facing them, not making a move or a sound for several seconds.

“All of you,” one of the officers shouted in an ordering voice, “get on the ground with your hands behind your head. You three are under arrest.”

Dash’s jaw dropped. “Arrest?!” She took a step forward. “What do you mean-”

She was cut off by the sound of a loud gunshot rocketing out and embedding itself in the door frame right above her head. Sunset instantly cringed. Twilight let out a shriek. Even Dash was forced to halt where she was in alarm.

The officer cocked her weapon to chamber a new round. “Don’t make any sudden moves, don’t shout, and don’t attempt to raise your marked hands above head level.”

Swallowing, Twilight quickly put her hands on her head. Sunset followed soon after. Dash, on her part, grit her teeth and began to tighten her knuckles. Before she could do anything stupid, however, Twilight quickly called out to her in a whisper. “Don’t! You heard them! They know about the Promethian Sigils! If you start calling on yours, they’ll shoot before you’re done!”

That only seemed to make Dash more upset, but she muttered once before putting her hands up and on her head.

“Sunset Shimmer,” the officer went on, “you are under arrest for crimes against the nation of Fillydelphia, including theft, arson, murder, vandalism, terrorism, harassment, and at least 18 violations of international treaty.”

She frowned and sighed as she began to get down on her knees to get on her stomach. Dash only looked confused again. “Alright, I get her, but why us?”

“You two are under arrest for aiding and abetting an international fugitive.”

“Aiding and abetting?!” Dash nearly screamed, beginning to lower her hands.

Half the guns trained on her. “On the ground! Now!”

Dash began to curse and swear under her breath as she started to get on her knees, casting constant angry glares back behind her at Sunset. Twilight, however, couldn’t help but close her eyes and moan as she began to get down as well.

Seeing both of their reactions, Sunset frowned a bit more as she began to tense up even more. “Well…I expected to get stabbed in the back again,” she muttered. “Let’s see how long it takes before one of you does just that…”