Shadows Among Everfree

by RedPegasus

Cold Summer

The boy dressed in the academy’s uniform started to tremble. His eyes and fists closed tightly, clenching his teeth he tries to hold back his snarl.

Sunset, from her part, is still puzzled and she looks at him doubtfully. Her concern was temporarily put aside, now too curious about the young man’s presence.

Finally, after growling and grinding his teeth, he speaks.

“Who I am? WHO AM I?! I am White Winter the Third! Eldest of the Winter family!”

Sunset doesn’t respond, just blinks.

“We met at Crystal Prep Academy.”

Another blink from the fire-haired girl.

“I CREATED THAT BLOG TO DEFAMATE YOU IN THE SCHOOL!”

Sunset opens her mouth, she seems to be about to speak, but no. She closes it and just blinks.

Winter growls and whispers unintelligible things.

“… You dumb bitch…”

Winter’s eyes twinkle as he raises his fist. Suddenly, Sunset’s head fills with images, memories.

She remembers how she came to Twilight’s rescue when Winter and another boy jumped her. Then when she talked to him in the halls. Finally, when Suri Polamare brought him before her and the girls where it was revealed that he had been the one behind the blog against Sunset; and eventually the time when he left Crystal Prep due to expulsion.

Sunset, after contemplating all that sequence of images in her mind, is stunned but then smiles.

“Waiiiit…. Yeah! Now I remember! Nice to see you again, how have you been?

Winter looks frustrated before speaking. “Are you being funny?”

“Yes,” Sunset replies somewhat uncertainly. “It’s more or less how my brain fights against a very akward situation.”

“Well, you’ll stop being funny when I make you pay for what you did to me!”

“And what did I do?”

“You know perfectly well! Not only did you make me fail my exams, but I got expelled from the academy because of you!”

“Uhh… nope. You did that to yourself; You could have studied and stop acting like a jerk, but no.”

“Sneer if you want, Shimmer! But this time, I won’t mince words.”

Saying that, Winter’s eyes shine with a whitish light. From the suddenly, Sunset feels her whole body immobile and, although she tries, can’t move.

“This… Is this… magic?”

“If that’s what you want to call it.” Is Winter’s almost mocking response. “It’s a small gift my new allies gave me.”

Sunset is puzzled. “Allies?”

Winter smiles, opening his arms. “Sunset Shimmer, I present to you the Windigos.”

Immediately, an icy wind hits the cave. Sunset – unable to move – can only watch how the walls, the floor, the ceiling and everything in the cave gets covered by a thin layer of ice. She hears a whisper, almost a howl, and feels her blood run cold.

Winter remains smiling, while around him begin to accumulate white shadows that slide by the wind. Little by little they take shape, moving through the air or dangling and menacingly climbing up walls.

“Windigos…”

Sunset feels her entire body freeze at the sight of these creatures, their barely human silhouettes formed by ice and wind. Their sinister smiles, their loud cackles, send shivers down her spine.

“What’s the matter, Sunset Shimmer? Did you stay cold by the impression? Ha ha ha!” The white-haired boy laughs at his own joke.

Sunset feels her body tremble from the cold. “Brrr… how?... what are you doing with creatures like these?”

“It’s a curious story.” Winter says with some sarcasm, to later remember and narrate his apparent tale.

~Shadows Among Everfree~

Snow falls that dark night… The wind blows quite strongly…

Winter walks aimlessly, looking down. His teeth clenched tightly, and a constant growl in his throat…

“Sunset Shimmer… you will pay for this! I assure you… no one… no one shames Winter White Third!... One day!... Soon!... Cold revenge will be mine!”

Suddenly, a strange and cold voice is heard in the air.

“~Cold revenge?~ ~I like the way you think~.”

Winter is surprised and looks in all directions, but he only sees darkness and snow.

“Who said that?!”

“~Just a friend~. ~A lonely spirit looking for someone to trust~.”

“Who are you?! If you think you scare me, you’re wrong!” The boy says, although his expression contradicts his statement. “Show yourself!”

“~No need to fear, we came here to help you~.”

“…We?”

Winter is unable to answer, a strong wind blows with such intensity that the snowfall turns into a blizzard.

Winter takes cover, and looking ahead he sees a silhouette. Maybe… a person?

“~Cold Revenge~… ~Do you want to know… what cold really is…?~”

The surrounding snow spirals like the eye of a hurricane. Winter begins to panic when he feels ice creep up his legs…

… A horrible scream is heard in the void…

~Shadows Among Everfree~

“Perhaps Crystal Prep Academy left me, but they found me.” Winter speaks as she points out the spirits in the cave.

“You see Sunset, the Windigos and I have something in common: a deep hatred towards you.”

Sunset looking serious, just as confused, she decides to speak up.

“Towards me? Why? I mean, you’re crazy, I get it, but I didn’t even know these things were here. What have I to do with them?”

A soft but cold voice speaks from behind Sunset as she feels a pair of hands take her shoulders, freezing her back.

“~I can answer that~.”

The equestrian girl turns around.

Over her shoulder she sees the ghostly face of one of the Windigos, though it looks different. Her aura seemed brighter and whiter than the others. From her ‘body’, something similar to ties that flutter in a non-existent wind is detached. And on her arms, as well as her chest area, are almost spiral-shaped blue markings. The voice that is heard from her mouth and the line of what would be her face also have a feminine essence.

Tough what impressed our redhead the most was…

“You can talk?”

The Windigo gives a soft laugh. “~I have spent a lot of time observing your kind, I learned their language~.”

Spike begins to bark at the ghost holding Sunset, but she just frowns at him. With a wave of her hand, creates a current of air which pushes the cub to the other side of the cave.

“SPIKE!”

The purple dog fell unconscious to the ground. Seeing that, Sunset growls and turns to the being who has her trapped.

“… Who are you?!” Both her voice and her body begin to shake. Maybe fear, or maybe cold… maybe both…

“~In your language, my name would be ‘Hyberna’~. ~I wanted to meet you for a long time, Sunset Shimmer~.”

“W-You wanted to me-meet me?... W-why?...”

Sunset asks with her voice still shaking. Hyberna lightly squeezes Sunset’s shoulders with her hands, which makes the girl tremble more.

“~My people have been suffering from famine for many ages~. ~It’s hard for us to get a good meal~. ~Makind is no longer a good source of food~.”

Sunset was still trembling with cold, Windigo’s hands cling to her shoulders. Through her country shirt she could feel the sharp nails that the spirit possesses.

Sunset is surprised by the fact she was able to feel this ghost’s touch. Even with all this, she is attentive to what ‘she’, Hyberna, is going to do to her.

“~For a long time we were looking for a place where we could eat, and we finally found you and that place you call Canterlot High School~.”

“C-Canterlot… W-What’s w-with that…?”

“~Our species feeds on conflict, the energy produced by the souls of beings when they fight and hate each other~. ~In the past, humans lived from war, looking for reasons to hate and fight~. ~The hatred that all of them produced was so delicious~.”

The ghost licks its lips, and Sunset can feel the icy air escaping from her as she speaks.

“~But their race changed, and now wars are not so frequent~. ~The humans went from holding grudges to just complaining, and the conflicts didn’t have the same flavor~. ~Despite that, we had you~.”

Sunset felt her entire body freeze as Hyberna’s arms completely encircle her, pinning the ghost to her back. Sunset felt like she was stuck to an ice floe.

“~You had unconditional hatred. So great, so…delicious~.”

A growl escapes from the former unicorn as she feels the ghost’s mouth brush against her neck.

“~It was a feeling of hate that, personally, I hadn’t experienced for a long time~. ~A very long time~.”

Sunset grits her teeth, her eyes tremble a little, recognizing what the ghost means. She was reminding her of that dark period in her life.

“~Alas, one person wasn’t enough~. ~Still, you caught our attention~.”

“Stop talking so much!” Orders Sunset with annoyance, although with some fear. Ignoring the tremor in her voice, she tries to look that cold creature straight in the eyes of her. “Why don’t you tell me what you want at once?”

“~Patience~. ~The hate you’re giving off right now is so delicious, I want to enjoy it a little more~.”

Sunset feels the icy touch of the Windigo’s hand on her cheek and neck, while the grip of her arms tightens, preventing her from moving.

“Argh… you disgust me.”

“~And that’s good, for me~.” The Windigo laughs with some grace.

It wasn’t just Hyberna. Sunset could see the other Windigos in the place smiling and they seemed to sigh as if they felt a lot of pleasure.

Could it be they were feeding on her?

“~Your hatred didn’t last as long as we would have liked~.” Hiberna continues with her explanation. “~At some point, you changed and started to be like other humans~.”

Sunset’s mind drifted to the precise moment when the princess had rescued her from her own ambition, and then to memories of her and her friends in Canterlot.

“~But you ended up being too interesting as a food source, so I decided to keep an eye on you. And boy was it worth it~.”

A laugh shared by all the Windigos in the place is heard. The air in the cave begins to grow heavier, and colder.

“~It was there, when the school started to hate you, that we could feel for the first time in a long time we were really eating~.”

Sunset’s eyes widen with surprise, shock, and a certain sadness.

“…Anon-a-Miss…”

“~The hatred of all those humans, not only towards you, but towards each other was like an endless feast~.”

“You are a disgusting being.”

Hyberna laughs again at the young woman’s comment. “~Am I? But Sunset, I only dedicated myself to eating. You fed me.~”

Snarling in rage, Sunset tries to break free of Hyberna’s grasp, but the cold was such that her entire body was numb and she held on tight.

“~Until you had to mess everything up~.”

The mocking tone the ghost had was quickly replaced by frustration. That, and the phrase said, catch Sunset’s attention.

“~I don’t know what you did, Sunset, but after the hate came sadness, and finally nothing!~ ~The banquet ended as if nothing had happened~. ~Humans stopped hating, stopped crying and went back to being nothing~.”

“And it’s supposed to be my fault?” Sunset asks almost sarcastically.

“~You are the one who causes changes in everyone around you~!” Exclaims the Windigo. “~Hate, sadness, even love~. ~Sunset Shimmer, who exactly are you?~ ~Why do you have that power?~”

Sunset is still very angry. “Now I can tell that you are nuts.”

“~You ruined our celebration!~” Hyberna accuses. “~But now that we have you here, we can feed again~.”

“I don’t understand anything.” Sunset says before heading towards the other human in the cave. “And where is the albino supposed to fit into all of this?”

Winter responds with a mocking tone. “You see Sunset, after the Windigos ran out of food, they needed someone to help them keep an eye on you.”

Hyberna follows the explanation. “~We needed someone~. ~A human who felt unconditional hatred for you, to help us keep our strength stable and wait~. ~Wait for the right moment to catch you~.”

Sunset shifts her eyes between Hyberna and Winter, both smiling. Gritting her teeth, her mind works to figure out some link. Then she discovers a detail that leaves her stunned.

“You… you were in Canterlot High School, that’s why it was so cold!”

Hyberna only laughs evily. “~Feeding on humans and causing them even more pain is like our version of ‘cooking’~.”

“And… my friends… the camp…”

The Windigo’s laugh is all the answer Sunset needs.

“Damn you. I hate you! I HATE YOU ALL!!”

“~Yes, THAT’S IT!~ ~Hate me, Sunset!~ ~HATE ME WITH ALL YOUR BEING!~ ~Your hate is so delicious!~”

As if she was dealing with a vampire, Sunset could feel the Windigo’s bite on her neck. The ice seemed to get into her blood, her whole body remains motionless and cold.

“Grrr… what now? Are you going to keep me in this cave and use me as your snack permanently?”

Hyberna touches Sunset’s body with her finger almost playfully. “~Tempting, very tempting~.”

Sunset can feel her feet start to freeze. When she looks down, she sees that it’s true: her legs are starting to get covered in ice.

“~Unfortunately, if I did, I would have to share you with my brothers and sisters~. And I don’t really like that idea~. ~Fortunately, we have another plan~.”

As she listens to Hyberna speak, Sunset tries to move her legs so she can free herself from her. However, she can’t.

“~Thanks to you, we Windigos gained enough power to provoke new conflicts~. ~Let’s return this world to what it was, an endless feast of food~.”

Sunset’s entire body trembles from the cold she feels because the ice has already covered half of her body.

“W-What-are-you-doing-with-me?”

The Windigo takes a second before responding. “~Well, to make sure you don’t ruin our dinner, we’ll leave you here~. ~Buried in an ice tomb, from which we can continue to use your hate to feed ourselves~.”

The ice had already reached Sunset’s neck, she craned her head in a reflex attempt to get away from that fate.

Hyberna just smiles, and mockingly touches Sunset’s cheek with her lips as if it were a kiss of death, making ice begin to spread all over Sunset’s face.

“~Goodbye, Sunset Shimmer~.”

Sunset’s terrified gaze is frozen, as is her entire body completely covered in ice.

Hyberna walks away from her, looks at the young woman as she looks at her newly made work. Winter White approaches and with an eager smile looks at Sunset as he speaks.

“HAHAHA! There you have it, Sunset Shimmer! This is my revenge for getting in my way. And now that I’m done with you, I can get on with the rest.”

Hyberna rises slightly and lets out a kind of howl that echoes throughout the cave. The other Windigos respond by making the same sound, and within seconds, they are flying towards the exit.

Winter looks back at the frozen Sunset. “Everyone will pay me back! You, Crystal Prep, and the world will be sorry for left me behind! Say goodbye to everything, Sunset! To hell with the family inheritance! I have been reborn to claim this planet as my reward!”

Saying this, and giving a last smile to the frozen girl, Winter White turns and walks towards the exit.

Hyberna takes a moment, returning to Sunset, she smiles at him with some mockery.

“~Don’t worry, you still have sight and hearing~. ~I will come often to tell you how things are outside~. ~The more you hate me, the tastier you will become~.”

The Windigo’s leader seems to lick her lips at the thought. She then flies away with a cold, mischievous laugh.

Therefore, Sunset is left alone and frozen inside the cave. Except for the little cub who slowly regains consciousness.

When Spike opens his eyes, he stands up and shakes his head.

“Oww, my head… it’s spinning. I haven’t felt like this since Twilight’s mom put me in the dryer by mistake.”

When he comes to his senses, looks at the cave completely covered in ice, the cold inside makes him shiver. He then manages to make out Sunset’s silhouette and runs towards her.

“Sunset!” Spike lowers his ears when he sees the frozen teen, gives a puppy cry and tries to break the ice with his paws. “Don’t worry, I’ll get you out of there! Resist!”

The pup claws hard, trying to break the ice, but he doesn’t budge. Even so, he doesn’t give up and continues with his attempt, resting every few seconds before repeating his action.

“Sunset! Sunset!”

The purple dog’s action seems pointless, but he refuses to budge. He only stops doing it when he notices how drops of water start to slide down the ice.

He steps back a bit and watches as the ice covering Sunset melts, and it takes only a few minutes for the girl to break free. Sunset takes a breath and relaxes her entire body, breathing hard as she grabs onto her own knees to keep from falling.

“SUNSET!”

The puppy jumps into the arms of the young woman who catches it.

“Are you okay?”

Sunset gives Spike a serious look before reciting, “'Keep your loved ones close, remember how much you love them. As long as the fire of that affection burns, the Windigo will have no power.'”

The dog is a bit surprised by the sentence, but he smiles and wags his tail.

“Come on Spike, we have to save the others.”

Spike gives a couple of encouraging barks and they both run out of the cave to go back to camp.

~Shadows Among Everfree~

Sunset, closely followed by Spike, run through the woods. None of them hide their surprise at seeing how everything in the place is now covered in layers of snow and ice. But they don’t stop to admire it, they are focused on getting to the camp.

When they finally manage to arrive, everything was already a devastated site.

Snow. Ice. A cold wind hits Camp Everfree. Several campers run from one side to another, frightened by the presence of those ghostly creatures who seem to have fun at the expense of their fear.

Sunset can only clench her teeth and fists. Spike looks pretty down and worried.

“Sunset… what are we going to do?”

Princess Celestia’s former student fixes her gaze on a certain structure from which she was thrown earlier. “We need the girls.”

~Shadows Among Everfree~

From inside the structure Sunny Flare, Indigo Zap and Lemon Zest watch how the glass of the cabin froze, and they could see their companions running away as well as those spectral beings that surrounded the place.

“Somebody tell me WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING!” Exclaims Indigo Zap.

A Windigo suddenly appears in front of the glass, scaring the three of them tremendously. The specter laughs and then walks away.

“Ghosts! That’s all we needed!” Claim Sunny Flare in sarcasm.

“Mh hm mh mh hm!” It’s what Lemon Zest can ‘say’.

“Lemon, shut up already! Gosh! Why do these shit happen to us?” Indigo asks frustrated.

Suddenly a loud creak is heard from the door, the teenagers are scared by such a sound. Something hits the door hard, the steady thump making the wood shake. The three girls hug each other in fear.

Finally the door is flung open. Cold air and snow blow in, making the three teens shiver, but what really makes them tremble is the silhouette of a person holding a large axe in its hands.

The Shadowbolts scream in terror as the silhouette raises its weapon high. However, the person drops the axe sticking it into the wooden floor; when it gets closer and the snow stops hiding it, they realice it’s Sunset who needs to catch her breath.

“Hah… the ice froze the door… and I had to force it… urgh…”

“Sunset?!” The three girls exclaim.

Lemon is a bit surprised to realice something. “Hey! I can talk normally again!”

After the miraculous revelation, the three of them still hold each other until they are quickly separated. Indigo then approaches the Equestrian girl.

“Sunset Shimmer! You must know what is going on!”

Sunset tries to catch her breath, but she still answers. “Ugh… yeah. They are windigos."

“Windigos?!” The phrase surprises Indigo.

“The ugly monsters in your story?” Remember Lemon.

Sunset manages to catch her breath and straightens up. “The same. Apparently they allied with Winter White to get back at me.”

Lemon raises an eyebrow. “White who now?”

“I knew it!” The girl with googles suddenly exclaims. “All this mess can only be a product of yours.”

Sunny also joins the claim. “What did you do now?”

Sunset seems a bit lost. “I’m still not entirely sure. But that doesn’t matter now! Girls, you have to go stop them!”

Indigo is puzzled. “We?!” Do you expect us to face those things?!”

Sunset stands her ground as she watches them. “Yeah! You guys have somehow developed magic! You can use it against them!”

“No way!” Denies the one with lime hair. “I don’t want to sound like a speaker again. It would be great at parties and concerts, but that’s it! I refuse to be a walking megaphone!”

Sunny seconded. “And I refuse to have to sleep with a fire extinguisher next to my bed!”

Indigo gets even more frustrated. “What are you complaining about?! I can’t even take off my clothes!”

To prove it, she tries to remove her shirt but it sticks to her torso. And although Indigo manages to take it off, her garment ends up sticking to her arm.

Her complaints escalate to the three girls arguing over who has the ‘worst power of all’, such an argument only adding to Sunset’s already intense frustration.

“You three, STOP!” The angry equestrian yells at everyone to stop their fight.

“Solve your personal problems later! Now you must go out and stop those ghosts from freezing the world!”

Sunny looks outraged. “Pardon?! Who do you think you are to order us around? You are not my-“

“LISTEN HERE, YOU LITTLE SHIT, WHEN SOMEONE SPEAKS TO YOU, YOU SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH AND PAY ATTENTION! AND IF YOU KEEP ACTING LIKE A HYSTERICAL BITCH, I’M GOING TO BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF YOU! SAME GOES TO YOU TWO!!”

Sunset yells with a look of anger right on Sunny’s face, causing the elegant young woman to shut up, her eyes widening, and she backs away. She’s not the only one, Indigo and Lemon are also shocked and back off.

Sunset points a finger at Sunny, who freaks out and throws up her hands defensively.

“Sunny Flare! You were never afraid to be who you are, you never cared what people thought of you because you have always been proud of the person you are and want to be!”

Sunny is shocked by those words.

“If those hands, and that heat, are a problem, what does it matter! Because they are YOUR hands! Your magic! They are a part of you, and you should be proud of it!”

Sunny’s eyes sparkle with excitement as she looks down from her to her hands, clenching them tight and determined.

Sunset turns a little to look at the rocker girl, who jumps scared.

“Lemon Zest, you always wanted to share your tastes with others, express yourself and feel free. Nothing ever stopped you, not even school rules!”

Zest tries to speak but only stutters unable to form a word.

“Now are you telling me you’re going to shut up?! And stop having fun? You are not like that! You never have been, and I don’t think you want to start today!”

Lemon remains silent, though she seems to be pondering that thought.

Sunset looks at the last one. Indigo goes rigid and still, a little sweat trickling down her forehead.

“Indigo Zap, you give everything for others and yourself! You were always strong and you motivate everyone to be, that is your best quality. But now you are here hidden and full of insecurity!”

Indigo’s shoulders relax, but her gaze remains one of wonder.

“If you claim to be what you profess to be, you will be strong, you will be brave, and you will face all challenges to push others and yourself to be better.”

Indigo doesn’t react, but she narrows her eyes and nods determinedly.

“There are ghosts turning our friends and classmates into popsicles, and you are the only one who can stop them! If you’re half the girls you say you are, you’re going to come out, fight them, AND SHOW THEM WHAT THEY’RE MADE OF! UNDERSTOOD?!”

“MA’AM, YES MA’AM!!” All three scream at the same time.

“Then GET OUT THERE AND KICK SOME ICE ASS!!”

The girls make an almost military gesture and rush to run for the door, but stop. Just before leaving, turns around doubtfully.

Indigo is the first to speak. “But… tell us… how are we going to…?”

Sunny follows her. “We can’t…control this.”

Sunny Flare opens her hands slightly. And Lemon Zest tries to make her voice sound like a rumble, but it doesn’t work.

Sunset looks at them for a moment, however she smiles confidently. She answers them with a soft and friendly voice.

“You will make it, because your feelings are strong. Just believe and feel with your whole being. Your magic is part of you.”

Finishing her sentence, Sunset continues to smile at the three. Though they hesitate for a moment longer, the three Shadowbolts smile again and finally enter that ghostly snowfall.

Sunset stands there for a moment, smiling. The sooner she seems to almost deflate, and she slumps down on the bench next to the table leaning lightly on it.

“…It was more difficult than I expected.”

The puppy suddenly appears and smiles at her.

“That was amazing! I didn’t know you could be so aggressive, Sunset.”

“I don’t like to be aggressive, but sometimes you have to teach things the hard way.”

“I see. Well, what now?"

Sunset has too many doubts about it. She eventually decides to get up and leave the cabin.

Outside, the camp is still completely surrounded by that snowfall, the blowing wind and the shouts of various campers, as well as the howls and apparent laughter of the Windigos.

Sunset’s serious look returns.

She can hear several footsteps heading towards her position. Turning around, Sunset sees Twilight and Sonata running where she is, both smiling and the scientist waving a piece of paper in her hand.

“Sunset!” The girl with glasses calls. “We already figured it out. The one who caused this was-¡”

“I know, it was Winter White the Third.” Sunset Shimmer interrupts.

Both Twilight and Sonata fall silent, their smiles fading. The scientist looks at the paper that she has in her hand, ‘Royal Pin’ is what is written on it.

Twilight puts on a rather nervous smile. “Umm…Yeah, sure! That is precisely what we were going to say…”

The scientist crumples the paper, gently steps on Sonata Dusk’s foot and the Siren -by reflex- opens her mouth like a trash can. The bespectacled girl places the crumpled paper in the blue Siren’s mouth and, removing her foot, closes it. Sonata ends up swallowing the paper, then licks her lips.

Twilight is stunned by such an act.

“But he’s not alone,” Sunset continues. “He has allied himself with the Windigos.”

"Windigos?"

“What?! The Windigos?! How did they get from Equestria to this world?!” Asks a surprised Sonata.

“I’m not sure, and I don’t even know if they really come from Equestria, but that doesn’t matter. Twilight, Sonata, we must help the girls. We have to see how to confront and stop these creatures before it’s too late. Can I count on you?”

Both young women, scientist and Dazzling, smile. The pony girl smiles in kind and they rush to save the camp.

~Shadows Among Everfree~

After leaving the dining Hut Sunny Flare , Indigo Zap and Lemon Zest walk around the camp for a bit, assessing the situation. Needless to say how worried and scared they were.

“So… does anyone have a plan?” Indigo asks the others.

“Besides trembling with fear?” Sunny replies, doing just that.

Lemon opens her mouth and lets out a scream. “WAAAAaaaa… huh? Is not working. Why can’t I just shout like a loudspeaker now?! It’s like when I have to take a test! I have all the answers in my head, and when I have the page in front of me, I go blank!”

“Focus Lemon!” Indigo exclaims. “You too, Sunny! We have… we must figure out how to use these powers to take down the Windigos.”

Saying that, Indigo starts rubbing her body, arms and legs.

Sunny asks her, “What are you doing?”

Indigo continues her act. “No clue. I’m supposed to have some kind of static on my skin. If I hoard it, I might attract those things.”

“That doesn’t sound logical.”

“Do you have a better idea?”

Lemon suddenly exclaims. “Watch out!!”

The green haired girl’s scream makes the other two turn, they manage to see how a pair of Windigos fly towards them.

The teenagers scream and throw themselves to the sides avoiding them. The Windigos only laugh meeting others in the air; the spectral beings begin to surround them in a threatening way.

The Shadowbolts come together with their backs to each other.

Indigo is the first to speak. “Someone think of something before they realice they can beat us.”

“I think they already know…” That answer is what Lemon Zest provides.

A laugh is shared among all the Windigos. Soon the three girls feel, and see, how their feet begin to freeze.

Sunny Flare, after biting her lip in fear, gives a resigned sigh and stops shaking.

“Girls… I-… I want to apologize. I’m sorry for everything I told you before.”

Indigo also opens up to the girls. “I’m sorry too. You are my friends and… always will be.”

Lemon sighs as well. “Well, if we’re going to get cheesy, then I’ll say it once: if I do freeze to death from ghosts, I’m glad it’s next to you girls.”

Indigo rolls her eyes humorously. “Damn Lemon, that was too cheesy.”

The three laugh and smile at each other.

Sunny soon wipes the smile off her. “I also regret the things I said to Sunset. She is my friend… the best friend I could have ever had.”

Indigo and Lemon get depressed because of that, they both think of the fire-haired girl as well in the way they behaved with her.

One of the Windigos lets out an ominous howl and lunges at Sunny Flare. When she notices it, the lilac-haired one freaks out.

Indigo takes in the scene, her gaze filling with anger.

A current of electricity runs through her, and upon reaching her legs, she breaks the ice that imprisons her. Without waiting for a second, she moves between Sunny and the ghost.

“Listen here, you bastard: Nobody. Touches. MY FRIENDS!!”

As if on reflex, Indigo Zap raises her arm. Instantly a wave of electricity runs through her body to the palm of her hand, which breaks down into small lightning bolts.

It takes a fraction of a second for the lightning bolts to hit the Windigo, who howls in pain. At the same time, the other Windigos are also hit while the rest flail about in an attempt to avoid being hit.

Those bolts, though short-lived, are enough to hit and injure several Windigos, some of which end up falling to the ground with another volley.

Indigo smiles, looking at her palm and showing a big smile.

“Indigo! How?... “

“Zap-zap! That was awesome! How did you do it?!”

“I don’t know!” Indigo answers although she doesn’t erase his triumphant smile. “I just thought about giving my best for my teammates. Wow! It is just as Sunset said.”

Lemon smiles broadly full of emotion, Sunny instead looks at her hands and is lost in her thoughts.

“Sunset said I’m never ashamed of who I am… and it’s the truth!”

All the Windigos around them narrow their eyes and charge at the girls at the same time.

Sunny clenches her fists with a determined look.

“I have always been myself, no matter what. And this magic… is mine! MY own magic!”

Sunny’s hands glow, and in just a second they are covered in bright pink flames. She doesn’t even allow herself to be surprised, she simply extends her hands throwing fireballs towards the Windigos, who upon seeing that stop attacking her and dodge them.

Sunny spins and shoots fireballs at the Windigos. The ghostly beings manage to dodge it, but her surprise is quite remarkable.

Sunny clenches her fists, contracting her arms, and as she extends them, unleashes a torrent of fire at the Windigos, who scramble to dodge the flames. Sunny waves her arms to force them to disperse.

With a smile, and even a laugh, Sunny parries her attack and watches her hands with excitement.

“IT WAS…. IT WAS…!” Sunny begins to scream with excitement, until she stops and takes a breath before continuing. “…stimulating.” She ends in good spirits.

The three girls hear screams from the Windigos. Those who fly glare at them, and those who were on the ground rush to get up again. Instead of attacking the girls, the Windigos begin to circle over them, forming a kind of encirclement.

Lemon stands in front of her friends full of confidence. “Leave them to me, guys. I suggest you cover your eardrums.”

With a lot of courage, Lemon stands in the middle of that snowfall. Sunny and Indigo also gain confidence and take the advice, covering their ears.

As the Windigos snarl and fly rapidly making their strongest snowfall, Lemon stomps the ground as if she wants to stay on her feet. She takes a breath of air and, looking directly at the sky, lets out a thunderous scream creating sound waves that shake the ground and stop the air; in this way she stops the flight of the Windigos and shakes them. Some of them are thrown into the distance.

The thunderous cry is heard even in the distance.

~Shadows Among Everfree~

Winter White was wandering around the place with a smile, but he erases it when he hears the scream. Turning around can see the Windigos being shot into the air like missiles.

“What’s that?!”

Hyberna, as well as the group of Windigos that were freezing and terrifying every camper they found in their path, stops when she contemplates such agitation.

Even Sunset, Twilight and Sonata – including Spike himself, who accompanies them – hear the cry in the distance and are surprised, although the former unicorn soon smiles.

“What was that?!”

The bewildered teen with glasses exclaims. Sunset keeps her smile.

“It was the girls.”

Comments

[Arthor2017]

Remember kids: never piss off Sunset Shimmer. Much less when she’s not in a good mood.

Also, I'm glad the Shadowbolts finally managed to dominate their magic and use them to fight. Get them, girls!

[Danyram1308]

She can hear several footsteps heading towards her position. Turning around, Sunset sees Twilight and Sonata running where she is, both smiling and the scientist waving a piece of paper in her hand.

“Sunset!” The girl with glasses calls. “We already figured it out. The one who caused this was-¡”

“I know, it was Winter White Third.” Sunset Shimmer interrupts.

Both Twilight and Sonata fall silent, their smiles fading. The scientist looks at the paper that she has in her hand, ‘Royal Pin’ is what is written on it.

Twilight puts on a rather nervous smile. “Umm…Yeah, sure! That is precisely what we were going to say…”

The scientist crumples the paper, gently steps on Sonata Dusk’s foot and the Siren -by reflex- opens her mouth like a trash can. The bespectacled girl places the crumpled paper in the blue Siren’s mouth and, removing her foot, closes it. Sonata ends up swallowing the paper, then licks her lips.

Reference to the Simpsons?

[DavisSentoV5]

I don’t know what’s funnier, Sunset, having no memory of Winter and actually saying “hi how are you doing” to him or the fact, Twilight thought it was somebody else, and actually fed the piece of paper into Sonata? Either way I was laughing my ass off.