(Case 2-1 Ninkasi): Dread and Hunger
After the fight with the human world’s Adagio Dazzle, Sunset Shimmer was certain that whoever she worked for would retaliate by having one of the biggest sponsors taken out. However, contrary to her belief, the next few days ended up being extremely uneventful. She ended up staying at Celestia’s home for the next week as things began to die down. Though nothing much of note happened, that didn’t mean Sunset Shimmer stayed passive.
The day after the Adagio Irons was taken out, Pinkie stopped by Celestia's home. When Sunset answered the door, she was greeted by a massive bear hug and was nearly taken out by Pinkie's enthusiasm.
"You're alive! You're alive!" Pinkie cried out while Sunset struggled to breathe.
Sunset and Gilda then had to proceed to explain to Celestia what Pinkie meant by that, which took a good day and a half. They ended up making up the cover story that Sunset went with a shady stranger near where the mansion explosion happened. Pinkie got worried, and that was what the girl meant when she said that Sunset was 'alive'. That seemed to do the trick, and Sunset was relieved that she was able to hide the truth from Pinkie and Celestia. She didn't want those two dragged into the mess Sunset was currently residing in.
Then, throughout the entire week, she and Gilda tried to further their investigation, with Sunset using her powers of the Witchblade to her advantage. Her new powers allowed her to navigate areas she normally wouldn't have been able to access without the ability to fly or cut through anything she needed to. She ended up breaking and entering many areas in order to get the information she needed. However, despite how much she searched, she ended up finding nothing. It seemed as if all the trails from Anon-A-Miss came to an end or suddenly disappeared.
Whoever Adagio was working with didn't want their identity or alliances to be known. They were hiding well, which worried Sunset about how much power and influence these individuals truly had.
This didn't stop her, though. She kept updated on Anon-A-Miss using her laptop and kept track of the secrets they were posting. After the incident at Adagio Iron's manor, the number of murders suddenly shot down. After the decrease in mystery murders, she was given more freedom to roam the city, and the police were less stringent. According to the news, Adagio Iron's backdoor dealing with the black market and criminal gangs was being brought to light by an anonymous informant. Much of her wealth was being investigated, but the way it related to her was Adagio's connection with the mystery murders.
This mysterious informant brought light to Adagio's efforts to cover the tracks of the murderers, and all the evidence conveniently appeared at the doorstep of multiple police stations and news stations. There were many speculations as to who this mysterious informant was, but Sunset knew that it could only be Aria, wherever she may be at the moment. In many people's eyes, the mystery murders had come to an end, but Sunset knew better. Adagio was only the tip of the iceberg.
So Sunset continued working. The Nottingham had confirmed that there was some connection between the mystery murders and Anon-A-Miss, so she began to connect evidence from the two cases. She went back to her apartment and began to work on her evidence board. The time, the victims, the location, and more of the murders and of the Anon-A-Miss posts were all put together. There was a pattern; Sunset was certain of it, but what it was was the million-dollar question.
On Saturday, she was visited by Shining Armor and informed that the lockdown and surveillance were finally being lifted. Shining expressed confidence that Sunset and Gilda's life was no longer in danger due to one of the major culprits being caught.
"The murderers who were under Adagio Iron's payroll won't dare move for a while, and certainly not against you." Shining armor promised. "We are still looking for the culprits, but I am confident we will catch them soon."
Sunset simply nodded and smiled. She hoped it was true, but she doubted it. So, on Saturday, she began to move out of Celestia's home, finally going back to her apartment. Gilda had to convince Celestia to let Sunset go after the principal was informed of the new changes. Sunset wanted to stay and take the woman's offer to stay, but she couldn't. She needed her autonomy, and it was also for Celestia's own safety. The woman reminded her of the Celestia back home in Equestria, and no matter how much she wished to return to a semblance of that life, she knew she couldn't live in the past.
After moving all of her stuff back in, with some help from Gilda, she showed the girl her board. While she put her gecko's cage back into her apartment, Gilda looked over the board. They went through some brainstorming and bounced ideas off each other, but they didn't seem to get anywhere. There just wasn't enough evidence somehow, and they needed to wait. That was all they could do in the end.
On Sunday, Sunset kept her promise with Pinky and held a sleepover with the girl. Gilda also ended up coming, failing to announce her arrival and scaring the dickens out of the party girl. The permanent scowl on Gilda's face probably didn't help. However, after the usual sling of insults was thrown at each other, Sunset managed to get the both of them to calm down and sit relatively peacefully together in her apartment.
The three of them were in the middle of watching a movie about a vampire slayer named Buffy. It was a fun show, but her mind was wandering elsewhere. She couldn't help but focus on recent events, on everything that had happened and occurred the past week. At this point, she would have preferred if Anon-A-Miss made further moves because the radio silence and lack of activity were nerve-wracking. She could only imagine what plans the demons had, and if they were taking so long, it couldn't have been good.
"Sunset? You okay?" Pinkie asked, snapping Sunset out of her trance.
"Y-yeah. Just a lot of things on my mind." Sunset nodded. "It's nothing to be worried about."
"Sunset, I can tell when something is on your mind. Want to talk about it?" Pinkie asked.
"It's nothing. I promise."
"Sunny ..."
"She said to drop it." Gilda snapped.
"You don't get to tell me what to do!" Pinkie shot back.
"Guys, drop it." Sunset sighed, feeling drained from the tension between the two. "I'm sorry, Pinkie. I'm just feeling a bit drained."
"I understand..." Pinkie muttered. "So am I."
That statement caused Sunset to raise an eyebrow. From all the time she had spent with Pinkie and known her, the girl never seemed to run out of energy. However, now, Pinkie seemed to be a bit distant and much quieter than she had ever been.
"What's wrong? You're quieter than usual." Sunset asked Pinkie.
"It's just stuff at home." Pinkie sighed. There was a second of silence as the girl rubbed her face. "Maud is being a bit overprotective of me at the moment."
"Are you sure? Thought that was Limestone's thing." Gilda snorted.
"So did I, but after the attack on our home ....Maud blames it on you." Pinkie sighed. "She warned me to stay away from you for my own safety. Whatever that means."
"Never took Maud to be an overprotective one," Sunset muttered.
"Neither did I. We got into an argument, and I can tell when Maud is getting frustrated," Pinkie explained. "Things at my house are getting tense. That's it." The girl explained.
"I know you'll figure it out, Pinkie." Sunset smiled as she patted the girl gently on the shoulder. "You always do. Remember the time when you tried to throw a forgiveness party for Diamond Tiara?" Sunset snorted.
That got a chuckle out of the party girl. "She ended up complaining about the glitter and confetti on her clothes for weeks," Pinkie smirked. "You can never go overboard with confetti and glitter, though!"
"I remember that party." Gilda nodded. "You blew out one of the windows in the classroom."
"I sure did." Pinkie laughed.
"I'm not sure how you even managed that!" Gilda snorted. "It was honestly astonishing!"
"It's a trade secret." Pinkie smiled. She let out a small laugh before turning towards Sunset. "Thank you."
"Things will get better Pinkie. Don't let anyone dampen your party mood." Sunset smirked.
"Also you too Gilda!" Pinkie blurted abruptly as she suddenly enveloped the girl in a large bear hug. Gilda raised her hands up with an expression that seemed to be standing between choosing either to explode as a ticking time bomb or coughing in awkwardness.
Sunset raised an eyebrow and stared Gilda in the eyes to tell say 'let Pinke have this one thing'.
Gilda let out a sigh and awkwardly pat Pinkie, causing the girl's hair to bounce a bit. "Ok, ok. That's enough touchy feelings for today." The girl grumbled as Pinkie continued to hold onto her. "Let go now!"
"Sorry." Pinkie said as she retracted her hug. "Thanks guys."
"Don't worry about it Pinkie." Sunset nodded. "We'll be here for you whenever you need us."
"I know," Pinkie said as she leaned against Sunset, not noticing Gilda's building frustration that seemed as if it was going to erupt any time soon. "I just hope ....things get better soon."
"So do I." Sunset muttered. "So do I."
Witchblade
The next day, Sunset was awoken up by the alarm blaring next to her ear. She let out a small grumble and shut the alarm off, and dragged herself out of bed. She managed to kick Gilda up and shake the girl awake while Pinkie quickly jumped up and began to get ready for the school day. Her energy seemed to have returned, which made Sunset happy for the girl. Gilda seemed less enthusiastic, saying that the girl needed to 'go easy on the sugar'.
After they all managed to get dressed and ready, they walked and made their way to the bus stop. Sunset began to miss her bike. The fact that it got turned into molten slag by the demons and thanks to the Nottingham. She couldn't help but grumble as she sat down on the bus bench next to Gilda.
"I miss my bike." Sunset couldn't help but grumble.
"I miss my car." Gilda snorted.
"Oh yeah, you both lost your vehicles, didn't you?" Pinkie pointed out as she swung her legs from her seat.
"Why was that warehouse so combustible?" Gilda growled. "What kind of imbecile leaves such hazardous materials just lying around."
"ChangeData is doing an internal investigation." Sunset shrugged. "But we both know how that will go."
"Well, at least it's all past us now." Pinkie beamed as she bounced in her seat.
Sunset's focus was on the street, waiting for the bus to arrive, that she failed to notice the two figures approaching her until they were right next to her. The hint that alerted her to the arrival of two new people was a low growl. She looked over her shoulder to see none other than Octavia and her girlfriend, Vinyl.
"Of course you're here," Octavia grumbled.
"Nice to see you too. I see you're in a good mood."
"Oh please, you know what you did." Octavia sneered. "Had a lot of time to work on Anon-A-Miss, didn't you, with your break."
"Hey, it was for her own safety!" Pinkie protested.
"Yeah, right! If she was at the warehouse, she wouldn't be standing here!" Octavia snapped. "She would be a puddle on the ground! Not to mention Anon-A-Miss conveniently posted right before she supposedly disappeared!"
"Ah, shit. That post." Sunset mumbled under her breath. After everything that had happened, the post from Anon-A-Miss about Octavia and her secret eating habits had gone under her radar. "The one where you bought the double scoop ice-cream cone, right?"
Pinkie pursed her lips. "Oh. Now I remember."
"Seriously? You're pissed over a stupid photo of you stuffing your face? Out of anything else that could have gotten your panties in a twist, that was what made you angry?" Gilda snorted.
"My parents gave me hell after that photo!" Octavia roared. Everyone around her did a double take except for Gilda, who simply just raised an eyebrow. "She's making me ...." Octavia looked away with a scowl. "Not giving you any more information."
"Make you do what?" Sunset asked.
"Damn you to hell, Shimmer!" Octavia snapped before turning away and walking off. The girl turned her back to the ground and stood next to the bus stop sign. Vinyl turned towards Sunset and let out a small sigh before following after her girlfriend to comfort her.
"Blast. How could I forget that Anon-A-Miss pinned everything on me." Sunset mumbled. "I was so focused on the recent murders ...." She muttered under her breath.
"I haven't been on MyStable for a while," Pinkie admitted. "Didn't like the vibe it was giving." The girl turned to Sunset. "Ignore them, Sunny. They are just a bunch of meanies. Anyone who thinks it's you never liked you from the beginning anyways."
"Does that include Rarity, Appledash, Rainbow, and Fluttershy?" Sunset asked. That earned Pinkie's silence as the girl stared down at the ground.
"Honestly. I'm the most forgiving one of the group. Rarity never really forgave you for what you did at the spring fling. Appledash has a long memory, and Fluttershy ....well, when her trust is broken ....; and RainbowDash is protective of her." Pinkie shrugged. "I think they forgave, but never forgot."
"I don't think you lot ever forgave Sunset." Gilda snorted.
"Hey! I did forgive her!"
"Only after a magical princess from another country asked you to." Gilda turned towards Pinkie. "She had to ask you to do her a favor in order to open up to her. To me, that sounds like something you were roped into doing, not something you wanted to."
"Well, how would you know?" Pinkie pouted. "I'll let you know I threw Sunset the biggest Forgiveness party I could."
"Guys, shut it!" Sunset snapped as she rested her chin against her hands. "We need to focus! Anon-A-Miss is the issue ahead of us."
}}}I disagree. The demons that attacked us are the biggest issue at the moment. They still have not yet been caught.{{{
'I am aware. Thank you Witchblade
}}}I understand that you are enjoying the company of your friends and mate, but the demons take priority over your relationships.{{{
'She's not my ....Forget it. I can do both'
}}}Many wielders have tried to manage their friendships and romantic life along with their duties. It never ended well. I suggest you learn from their mistakes and focus more on the demons.{{{
'Anon-A-Miss is related to the demons, so I am handling it.'
}}}That site is a simple front. We both know this. What we need to do is patrol more.{{{
'I can't. I've got class. I'm a high school student, remember?
}}}Schooling is temporary, duty is eternal.{{{
'I'm not skipping class.'
}}}I have heard little of this high school, but it sounds boring and a waste of time. I suspect you aren't going for experience, but rather to hang out with your mate.{{{
'You say mate one more time, and I'm banging you against the seat.'
}}}Apologies ....I mean to say, concubines.{{{{
In response to the snarky comment, Sunset immediately lifted up her right hand and slammed it against the metal bench, causing the bracelet to shake. She could feel it heating up on her wrist, and the Witchblade's feeling about her current action echoed within her mind.
}}}How dare you! Do you understand what I am? My power!? I have defeated gods' demons and brought kings to their knees! You will show me the proper respect or else....!{{{
'If you had such power, you wouldn't need a wielder.'
A second of silence passed without a single word while Gilda and Pinkie gave Sunset a weird glance.
"Is something wrong with your wrist?" Pinkie asked.
"It's nothing." Sunset smiled. "Just a bug. I swatted it, and now it's gone."
}}}Go fuck yourself{{{
'Noted.'
"Listen Pinkie. Things are going to be hairy when we get on campus. I'm going to have to ask the two of you to distance yourself away from us." Sunset muttered.
"What, why?"
"You saw how things were before the break." Sunset sighed. "And seeing how Octavia reacted, one of the more calmer individuals at Canterlot High ...I shudder to imagine how the school is like."
"That is true." Gilda nodded. "But we're not leaving you behind. Remember, we're partners now."
"I know, but you guys won't help much if you're also being harassed by the students." Sunset put a hand on Gilda's shoulder. "You'll still be helping, but I need eyes on the sidelines."
"I'm not leaving you behind ...."
"It's not a life and death situation." Sunset snorted. "But we need to play it smart and get rid of any unnecessary risks. If things get violent, then you can step in." She turned towards Pinkie. "The both of you. Right now, any attention is bad for us."
"I don't like it." Gilda muttered.
"I can deal with the bullying and sabotage. I have dealt with it before." Sunset pat Gilda on the back. "I won't get hurt. I promise you."
Despite her words, Sunst could still see Gilda hesitating. She knew that when they arrived back at Canterlot High, there would be many hostilities thrown at her. She was certain that she could wear the storm, but whether or not Gilda and Pinkie could was a whole other issue. She was certain Gilda would resort to violence if other students began to harass her, and she wasn't sure what Pinkie would do.
"We need to be smart about this you two." Sunset murmured. "If Anon-A-Miss suspects we are working together, she will retaliate."
Gilda let out a frustrated sigh. "Okay. We'll hang back, but the moment things get hairy, I'm stepping in."
"I don't doubt it." Sunset nodded as the bus finally arrived before them, pulling into the stop. "Okay, guys, stay a couple of feet behind me. There might be other students on that bus." Sunset muttered before getting up from the bench.
"On it." Gilda affirmed as Sunset walked up the bus. She walked up the steps and saw that the bus had a few Canterlot High School students. They all shot her downright murderous looks so she averted her eyes and looked out the window instead. In the corner of her eyes, she could see Gilda and Pinkie getting on the bus with Octavia and Vinyl right behind them.
Sunset ducked her head down in the corner as she watched her two friends in the corner of her eye. The two sat down a couple of seats down. She hoped that nobody on the bus would raise an eyebrow at them sitting next to each other at the bus stop; however, this was the best she could think of at the moment.
'Ok Witchblade. At school, I'm going to be harassed and pushed around. I'm going to have to ask you to not kill or seriously hurt anyone.'
}}}I have looked through your memories. It is quite disturbing what lengths these students will do to harass you.{{{
'They are just dumb High schoolers. They have scrap for brains and are ruled more by hormones than basic logic. Don't activate if I'm tripped or pushed over.'
}}}I don't like my wielders being attacked without retaliation. Too many of my wielders had taken the same stance and suffered awful fates because of it.{{{
'I don't want to cause any unnecessary bloodshed.'
}}}Sometimes bloodshed is necessary.{{{
' Maybe. But that's not me.'
}}}It is like I have said before. Many wielders failed to heed my advice, and it cost them their lives.{{{
' Maybe they didn't appreciate you calling their loved ones concubines.'
Sunset felt the bracelet hum, and she felt emotion emanating from the artifact. It was a strange feeling. It was like experiencing the feeling herself but at a distance. She knew it came from the Witchblade, and from what she could infer, it was grumbling.
}}}You are lucky I am not petty.{{{
' And I am eternally grateful.'
The bus ride didn't take long until Sunset saw her school come into view. She looked out the window and saw that many students were hanging outside. The bell hadn't rung yet, and when Sunset looked down at her watch, she saw there was a good twenty minutes before school started.
"Piss." Sunset cursed. "Guess I'll have to weather the harassment." She muttered before heading out of the bus.
The moment she stepped out of the bus, it was as if an ill wind had passed by her and spread throughout the entire courtyard in front of the school. Sunset looked around and saw many students sitting at the statue or at the steps leading up into the school. The students who caught her eye were those who were recently included in Anon-A-Miss. It was a strange group, with the most unlikely people she would see together, along with two she was certain weren't from the campus.
Maud Pie, Berry Punch, and two others wearing a magenta uniform and skirt. The two strangers had a badge on their chest with a light teal button-up shirt underneath it. One had orchid skin, and the other was a shade of light magenta. The two seemed to be in deep conversation with Maud and Berry, with a couple of students giving them ugly glares as well.
"So you suspect it might be Big Mac and Gladmane, but you don't know. Fantastic." Sunset overheard the orchid-skin girl snap.
"Go eat dirt Suri." Berry Punch snapped. "And do your damn job."
"You two should leave no. We're attracting too much attention." Maud said. "Fleur, I hope you'll behave yourself from now on."
"Why do you always have to ruin my fun?" The Light magenta girl asked, which Sunset assumed was Fleur.
"Because you always get slime everywhere." The one Sunset assumed was Suri snapped. "Let's get back to Crystal Prep and give Indigo the sit rep."
"Indigo won't be happy about this, you know." Fleur snapped.
"Sleep with her, and I'm sure she'll change her mind." Berry Punch scoffed.
"Hardy har." Fleur snarled as she and Suri stormed off towards a sleek, dark magenta and purple car. The two slid into the car before it drove away down the street.
}}}Suspicous.{{{
'Agreed. But it's probably just some high school drama. They are probably trying to get dirt on other students. Not really a priority Sunset agreed.
Before she could focus on where Maud and Berry were heading, a loud pop got her attention. She looked over her shoulder to see Applejack with her brother, Big Mac. They looked to be unloading what looked to be crates of apple sauce from the back of their truck.
"I'm going to kill the Flim Flam brothers one day." Sunset heard Big Mac growl.
"Don't let them get under your skin Big Mac." Applejack sighed.
"I can't help it. Whenever I see them, I just want to rip off their head and bleed them dry."
"Big Mac ...you need to stop listening to Granny Smith's story about her old western days." Applejack sighed.
As Sunset listened on their conversation, she realized all of the sudden how far away Applejack was from her, and the same for Maud Pie and her small group. They were well beyond her usual range of hearing, but somehow, she was able to pick up on their conversation quite easily.
'Why do I have super hearing all of a sudden?'
}}}I grant physical boons as well to my user. Your perceptions are sharpened and have better reaction speed.{{{
'That would have been good to know.' Sunset snorted.
}}}You should also thank Sara. Her passive traits are the enhancement of her detective abilities. These aren't the full extent of course, but while it is off, it grants these small boons.{{{
'Even now, that woman is still helping me.' Sunset raised an eyebrow. 'Are there other users like her? You mentioned you have had many.'
}}}Yes. But they have not reached out to you yet. You don't need their assistance yet, and they do not wish to overwhelm you.{{{
'Being a wielder does come with a lot of perks, doesn't it'
}}}For the trials ahead, such abilities are required. To fight gods, one must be able to stand up agaist them.{{{
'You are just the beacon of positivity, aren't you?'
}}}Of course. I ooze out positivity. I am practically made out of it{{{
'I'm going to have to show you a dictionary one day and show you what sarcasm means.' Sunset rolled her eyes as she reached the steps leading up to the school.
As she walked up the stairs and into the hallways of the school, ugly glares were shot her way. The situation was tense, and it made her a bit nervous as she kept on guard from any who would try to harass her. Scowls surrounded her, and she made sure to stay clear of anyone walking towards her. However, with the number of students there was in the school, a couple bumped into her roughly, causing her to stumble.
' Teenagers.'
}}}You're the same age as them{{{
'But I trained under a princess. I am more mature than them.' Sunset argued. ' Besides, I am technically an adult'
}}}The human brain doesn't develop until twenty-five.{{{
'Whate-wait. How do you know that?'
}}}I am a being of great power! We know such tidbits of information.{{{
Unfortunately, Sunset's conversation with the Witchblade about the age of maturity and whether or not she had the right to look down on the students of the school came to an abrupt stop when she nearly ran into a girl standing in her way. She looked up and saw it was none other than Bon Bon. The girl had a scowl on her face and was giving Sunset a murderous glare, which conveyed how much Bon Bon wished to shove Sunset into a volcano. Her expression didn't match well with the cobalt jacket she wore, which had a smiling candy wrapper in the middle.
"Well, aren't you in a cheery mood."
"Take the post down." Bon Bon scowled.
"What post?"
"Don't play dumb with me! You know what I am talking about!"
'I suddenly wish I had my phone on me.'
}}}I have it. If you wished to retrieve it, of course.{{{
'Wait, what?'
}}}I do. Unfortunately, you have to be in the Witchblade form in order to retrieve it.{{{
'We need to work on our communication.' Sunset rolled her eyes.
"If I told you I wasn't Anon-A-Miss, would you believe me?" Sunset asked.
"Don't play dumb with me!" Bon Bon snapped. "We all know it's you. Your lies aren't fooling anyone. I'm not sure how you managed to fool Celestia and the police, but no student in CHS is falling for it anymore!"
"Lies? Bon Bon, I was caught in a warehouse explosion, how could I fake that? Half the block saw it occur."
"I don't believe that you were there. You just made it up to make everyone in the city feel sorry for poor old Shimmer!" Bon Bon shouted. "Nobody believes you were knocked out before being carried home by some shadowy, mysterious benefactor!"
Sunset let out an audible sigh as she pressed the crown of her nose. She remembered that story that was portrayed on the news. What happened that day was largely shadowed by her as well, but she would rather not announce the truth to the entire world, and that was if they believed her. She didn't blame Shining Armor for making that cover story since he was working off very little information, but she just wished he had put a bit more effort into creating a more plausible story.
"Ok fine, you don't believe me. Why are you upset again?" Sunset asked, hoping the topic would move away from what happened at the warehouse. She didn't want any more attention on what happened that day than was needed.
"The post!"
"What post?! There are hundreds!"
Bon Bon scowled as her gaze focused on the ground. There was a second of silence before the girl finally answered. "The one about Octavia, the one that called her a fat cow."
That cleared things up. Sunset still remembered the post right before the warehouse explosion. It was what led her down this rabbit hole in the first place. She knew that it was Throax who took the picture, even though he didn't write the post himself. Still, Sunset made a mental note to kick the guy in the shin the next time she saw him.
"Ah. That one."
"Yeah."
"Listen, Bon Bon, I'm sorry that Octavia was hurt. But you can't take your anger out on me ..." Sunset began but was interrupted as Bon Bon grabbed her by the coat.
"Do you know what her parents are doing to her!?" Bon Bon angrily roared.
"What?"
"They're starving her! To keep her figure after they saw that post!" Bon Bon shouted. "So you will take it down, or else I will make you take it down!"
"Bon Bon. I am being very patient ...." Sunset managed out before Bon Bon shoved her into the locker. "Take it down now ...."
"Or else what?" Sunset asked, her patience beginning to wear thin.
"I'll smear you across these lockers."
"I dare you to try." Sunset growled. She quickly struck Bon Bon across the face, causing the girl to stumble back. Bon Bon quickly recovered and raised her fist up, aimed directly at Sunset before her arm was grabbed.
"Bon Bon enough!" Lyra cried out. "It's not worth it, let it go!"
"I've dealt with worse than her. I can take her on!"
"This isn't what Octavia wanted! Let it go Bon Bon!" Lyra pleaded. "Don't make it worse."
Bon Bon closed her eyes and grit her teeth before finally relenting. She wiped her cheek while Lyra stepped in front of the girl. "Just go. You've done enough damage already." Lyra scowled before she led Bon Bon away.
Sunset watched the two walk off as she tried to shake the heavy feeling off her chest. Before Anon-A-Miss, she was getting closer to them and was making progress in her amends with them for all the bullying she had done before Twilight. However, it was all brought down after the posts began, and now she was back to square one. She turned away and walked back down the hallway with a heavy heart while ignoring the malicious and angry glares thrown her way.
The day just started, and she was already reminded of the broken friendships caused thanks to Anon-A-Miss. She could only hope that all of this would be over soon.
Witchblade
Lightning Dust followed Berry Punch into one of the empty classrooms. Berry closed the blinds and locked the door before walking all the way to the very back, next to a pair of closets where she ended up standing.
"What's the issue?" Lightning asked as she approached the girl.
"Got another job for you."
"Payment first."
Berry Punch scowled as she reached into her backpack and tossed Lightning a stack of bills. The girl let out a whistle as she began counting through it.
"It's all there." Berry Punch took out a bottle of whisky and took a swig from it. "I'm stressed to all hell, and here you are making it worse. Do you know how thin the ice I am on right now?"
"Not really, no."
"It's really friggin thin." Berry barked.
"And that's my problem, How?"
"Because you're going to help me resolve it." Berry snapped. "So unless you want to continue being paid, I suggest you do what you're told."
Lightning bristled at that. She tried to talk back, but Berry glared at her, and chills went up the girl's spine. Berry wasn't one to seem threatening, but when she got angry, she could stare down many people. Those who didn't take the hint and refused to back off ....it never went well for them.
"Fine." Lightning relented.
"Had a small incident at a certain store."
"The shitty cafe, right? SugarCube Corner?"
"I quite like that cafe." Berry snapped. "But the issue is a couple of witnesses."
"And who is that?"
"Pinkie Pie, Gilda, and Sunset Shimmer." Berry Punch scowled.
"Ooh, the big three." Lightning smiled. "You must have made some impression cause those three are now hanging out together."
"Pinkie and Gilda still think Sunset is Anon-A-Miss."
"No, they don't. Saw them this morning, they are working together." Lightning Dust pocketed the money into her backpack. "They walked some distance from each other, but it's an amateur move. Their demeanor and behavior ...tells me that they have some sort of arrangement."
"Then that's worse." Berry snapped. "Those three are witnesses to my slip-up at the cafe, and that Sunset girl is onto us."
"So what do you want me to do?" Lightning raised an eyebrow. "Want me to kill them?"
"I have a buffet happening tonight." Berry scowled. "I will be using my Wendigo humanoid form there, and they will recognize it. I need them to not be there, how you accomplish that is up to you."
"Buffet? You mean the charity event to bring awareness to cyberbullying?"
"Bah, just in name. The real goal is to get as many people in one place as possible. The three people I don't need there ..."
"Is Sunset, Pinkie, and Gilda." Lightning nodded. "Got it."
"And that Bon Bon girl."
"Bon Bon?"
"Yes. She's onto me as well. She knows my true form, the same one I am going to use tonight. Get rid of them before the event, and I pay you extra. Go it?" Berry Punch sneered.
"Can do boss." Lightning Dust took out a small notebook. "Want fries with that?"
"And a large soda." Berry Punch took another swig from her bottle. "Now go."
Lightning let out a snort but obeyed, walking out of the classroom with a small snicker. Berry simply watched the girl storm off as she nursed the bottle of whisky in her hands.
{Sloth and the other sins won't be happy about this.}
'After tonight, we won't need to care what the hell they think.'
{Do you trust the shadowbolts to not slip up?}
'They were recommended by Chrysalis.' Berry Punch smirked. 'If they do mess up, I'll teach them a lesson.'
{Is everything set up? Is the Melody family ready?}
'Yes. Octavia shouldn't be caught by the spell, so her mother shouldn't make a fuss.' Berry Punch swirled the alcohol bottle in her hands. 'Are you sure we need to take your form to eat?
{I feed on gluttony. I require my true form to cause those around us to indulge in it, and for us to feed most efficiently, they must be acting gluttonous.}
Berry Punch sighed as she opened up her mouth and swallowed the bottle of whisky, glass and all. It went down her throat, and she could feel it break and snap as it went down her throat. It didn't feel the same as bone snapping and the texture of meat, but it satiated her hunger for the time being. Soon, though, she wouldn't have to settle for half-measures and could go for the real thing, and that thought excited her. Now, all she needed to do ....was wait.
Witchblade
Sunset managed to get through her morning classes without much more incident. There were the usual objects thrown at her, but she shrugged it off, already used to it at this point. However, it didn't help much with catching up on all the material she had missed during the week. Even though she managed to get all the homework and assignments done, thanks to Celestia providing it to her, it didn't provide her with much learning. So, she was trying to play catch up while also trying to understand the new material.
When she finally arrived at lunch, she sat down at the table in a huff and looked around the cafeteria. She saw Pinkie Pie sitting with the other rainbooms, and Gilda looked to be speaking to the diamond dogs. Knowing Gilda, she was trying to intimidate them to get information, and it seemed to be working as one of the diamond dogs recoiled from the girl. Sunset kept her head down while eating her lunch but also tried to see the going ons around her.
A couple tables down, the Canterlot Movie Club and a certain Diamond Tiara sat down with their lunches. The four had tired expressions on their faces, and Diamond Tiara had bags under her eyes. There was a bit of silence as the four of them began to pick at their foods.
"No sleep?" Diamond Tiara muttered.
"Yeah. It's been happening for the past week after the meeting with your mother." Applebloom mumbled. "Whatever she gave us is screwing with my brain."
"Yeah. Rarity isn't happy about that, by the way." Sweetie Belle nodded.
"Oh yeah. My mom was on the phone with them the other day." Diamond Tiara sighed. "I can't remember anything."
"Did your mother give us drugs or something?" Scootaloo scoffed.
"Knowing my mother ...I wouldn't be surprised," Tiara mumbled.
"I hate her so much. Why does your father tolerate her?" Applebloom grumbled.
"Beats me."
"Well, my parents aren't going to let me over to your house anytime soon." Sweetie Belle snorted. "But at least our absences were excused."
"Anything can be excused when you're one of the biggest donors to the school." Tiara scoffed. "She buys her way through everything. Tosses money at everything."
"Yeah." Scootaloo let out a loud exhale as she looked over at Sunset, who was eating alone in the cafeteria. "She's still here."
"Yep. She's one stubborn son of a bitch." Applebloom snorted. "Gotta give her that."
"We got what we wanted, why does Spoiled Rich want us to continue?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"I wish I knew." Tiara shook her head. "But you know how she is. She won't let us stop until she's satisfied."
"What does she even have to gain from all of this?" Applebloom scowled. "She has all the money in the world, can't she just be happy?"
"It's not just about the money Applebloom." Tiara shook her head. "I wish it was, but it's not."
"Whatever it is, I hope she gets it soon. I'm tired of Sunset getting pushed around. We got what we wanted, and we've been spending more time with our sisters." Sweetie Belle mumbled.
"Why can't we just stop?" Applebloom scoffed. "Ain't nothing she can do about it."
"We both know that isn't true." Tiara shook her head. "She's got connections and contacts and knows we're the ones who started it. If we stop ...."
"We become the next victims." Scootaloo sighed as she leaned back from her food. "I don't like it either, but we can't go back. We don't have a choice."
"We always have a choice." Sweetie Belle protested.
"Yeah. The choice of becoming the next martyrs or not." Scootaloo shook her head. "It's either us versus Sunset, and I choose us."
"I just ....feel bad for her." Sweetie Belle muttered.
"Oh please, why? She was a bully for years." Scootallo snorted.
Diamond Tiara looked away as Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo began to argue. She looked at Sunset Shimmer, seeing how the girl was eating all by herself, looking down miserably at her food. It caused her heart to weigh down heavily, the sin of her betrayal hanging from her neck. Once upon a time, Sunset helped her become a better person, to get into the good graces of the Canterlot movie club, and this was how she repaid her.
Tiara whispered under her breath, out of ear's reach from the other club members. "I feel bad for her too." Tiara whispered. "I just hope she can forgive me."
Around this time, Pinkie Pie sat down to join the rest of the rainbooms at the lunch table. She noticed the Canterlot Movie Club arguing again, but about what, she couldn't hear. Her attention was more focused on how lonely Sunset looked, sitting and eating by herself at the lunch table.
"Are you alright, darling?" Rarity asked, breaking Pinkie out of her trance.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" Pinkie replied as cheerfully as she could.
"You had a distant look on your face." Rarity looked at Pinkie with concern. "If you need support, we're all here for you."
"We all are." Rainbow smiled. "If the woman who attacked you returns, give me a call, and I'll give her a piece of my mind. And my foot." The sports girl grinned.
"Seriously though, what happened? The news was all very vague about it." Rarity pointed out.
"Well, you see ..." Pinkie sighed before she began to tell the rainbooms everything.
She told them about how the attack started and how the cops were thrown aside like they were made of nothing, how there were these creatures called changelings, insectoid beings with immense strength. The woman who attacked her wore a mask that covered her facial features. Pinkie explained how the woman caught bullets out of the air like it was nothing and how she swatted the rest of her family as if they were nothing but insects. She then finished her tale about how she was thrown outside her home before a mysterious woman, clad in scanty metallic armor, arrived to help, who swept her away and flew her to safety. The last bits of her tale recounted the fight between the two mysterious women, their clash ringing throughout the air.
"Caught bullets out of the air? Especially from a shotgun?" Applejack muttered in disbelief. "Are you sure you saw it correctly?
Pinkie Pie could only nod in affirmation. "She seemed to be only after me, though. She spared the rest of my family."
"Could she be a monster? Like the sirens?" Rarity pointed out.
Pinkie Pie shook her head. "If she was, she would have transformed when the other mysterious woman appeared."
"Why didn't the news say anything about this? They said it was some criminal organization!" Rainbow exclaimed.
"What would the public think if the cops said that there were people catching bullets in midair and insectoid soldiers serving said person?" Rarity asked. "They most likely didn't want to be called lunatics."
"And that isn't mentioning what happened at the cafe," Pinkie muttered.
"The masked woman was there as well?" Rainbow asked.
Pinkie shook her head. "Demon is all I can say. There was this woman, she is a regular patron at the cafe ..." She began. "Her skin is orange, and there is a mouth on her stomach."
"So we got demons and women who can catch bullets out of the air." Applejack muttered. "Fantastic. As if we weren't already deep in shit already."
"Maybe Sunset knows ...." Fluttershy began.
"No! I'm not talking to that backstabber." Rainbow snapped.
"But she might hold the answers ...."
"She betrayed our trust, and she still refuses to own up to it. I won't let my friends be harmed by her." Rainbow growled. "We'll solve this without her."
"How about we ask Twilight? That girl always had the answers to these magic-related stuff!" Rarity offered.
"Sunset has the book." Applejack muttered. "So no go unless you want to go begging Sunset for help."
"Then we can take it from her! She's got to let go of it at some time!" Rainbow snapped.
"Ah, yes. I can imagine the conversation now. Hey, Twilight, how has your day been? By the way, murderous demons and super assassins that can catch bullets out of the air is wandering the city and carving it up like a cake. Why haven't we asked Sunset? Because she is a backstabbing bitch, and we don't want to ask her for help." Rarity scoffed. "I'm sure that conversation will go well for us."
"Well, we have to do something!" Rainbow snapped.
"We aren't seriously considering stealing the book from her, are we?" Fluttershy whimpered.
"Unfortunately, we might have to." Applejack shook her head. "If it's a problem even a gun can't solve ... then we are plumb out of options. We'll have to take the book."
Pinkie sat there dumbfounded. "Do you hear what you are saying?! You are treating her like some criminal or monster!" She exclaimed.
"Pinkie, she terrorized the school for years! And now she is causing all this chaos at school! We have to do something!" Rarity gasped.
"She saved my life!" Pinkie slammed her hand down on the table. "And she saved Gilda's life! Not only that, she is looking for Anon-A-Miss this entire time! All this time, all she has been doing is help others, and she nearly died!"
"Gilda was just being hysterical ..." Rarity began but was interrupted as Pinkie stood up angrily from her seat.
"Gilda is many things, hysterical is not one of them." Pinkie snapped. "I believe her, and from what I saw, I believe Sunset!" The girl picked up her tray and began walking away.
"Pinkie! Where are you going?!" Rainbow shouted.
"To sit with my friend!" Pinkie snapped back.
Sunset was staring at Octavia and her friends at their table, not noticing Pinkie approaching her. She noted that Bon Bon was acting a bit suspicious. The girl's manner and movements weren't that of a regular high schooler when she was speaking to the others. It seemed too cold and rigid, reflecting the actions of a cold-blooded assassin than any high school teenager.
"Hey Sunset." Pinkie said cheerfully.
Sunset turned towards Pinkie, breaking her line of sight from Bon Bon. "Pinkie, what are you doing here?" Sunset hissed.
"Eating with my friend, of course." Pinkie smiled cheerfully.
"You're painting a target on your back," Sunset whispered as she looked around the cafeteria, noticing eyes focusing on them. "They'll suspect that you're Anon-A-Miss too!"
"They can suspect all they want." Pinkie gave Sunset a small smile. "I'm sitting with my friends. Friends do everything together and ..." Pinkie grabbed Sunset's hand. "They make each other smile."
Sunset let out a small sigh. "Once you made up your mind, there's nothing I can say to convince you otherwise. You do know what you are getting yourself into, though, right?" She muttered.
Pinkie nodded yet again. "I do. But who cares what those meanies think." She scoffed. "Besides, sooner or later, Anon-A-Miss would have found out about us sooner or later."
Sunset let out a weak laugh at the girl's tenacity. She could understand why the element of laughter chose her as the bearer. The girl fit the element perfectly to the very core.
}}}First that Gilda girl, and now her. Do you have a goal you're working towards?{{{
'Silence.'
Before she could get into yet another argument with a sentient object, Gilda suddenly appeared, sitting down next to Pinkie. The girl had that glint in her eyes, the one that said whatever was on their mind was urgent; however, Sunset had to gripe first.
"What did I say about keeping a low profile?" Sunset muttered.
"Screw that. I got some good information." Gilda snapped. "Besides, Anon-A-Miss would have found out about our little pow-wow here eventually."
"Of course." Sunset sighed.
"Anyways. I have some good information that Bon Bon is suspect."
"Wh-Why would she betray her own friends?" Sunset snorted.
"Shut up and listen. Bon Bon isn't her real name."
"What?" Pinkie gasped.
"Quiet down!" Gilda snapped. "Don't want this to get out."
Pinkie nodded and made a zipping motion over her lips.
"Her real name is Sweetie Drops." Gilda whispered. "And guess who she used to work for."
"The Spanish inquisition!" Pinkie raised her hand excitedly.
"I'll admit. I didn't expect that." Gilda chortled. "But no. For ChangeData, as one of their child soldiers." The girl explained.
Pinkie let out a gasp. "What a twist."
"That seems implausible." Sunset shook her head. "I've known Bon Bon for a while, and she doesn't seem the type."
"Does it? How she's somehow able to pull off nearly impossible favors for her friends? How was she able to fight you off during the fall formal?" Gilda raised an eyebrow. "Seems plausible to me."
"Where did you even get this information from?" Sunset whispered.
"The diamond dogs," Gilda explained. "Apparently, a couple of years ago, they were shaking down Lyra for cash cause they're a bunch of pricks." The girl snorted. "That's when Bon Bon appears out of nowhere and takes the three down. During the tussle, an emblem fell out of Bon Bon's backpack."
"What kind of emblem?" Sunset asked.
"A green emblem that is in the shape of an insectoid with the initials C.Q. on it." Gilda whispered.
Sunset rubbed her chin. "Q and C." She muttered. "Queen Chrysalis? No ....there was only a Chrysalis Queen"
"You know her?"
"Met her at the party. She was charming. I knew a Queen Chrysalis back in my world, but she was an immortal bug woman, not some CEO."
"Didn't the ChangeData logo from the cafe fight tip you off?" Gilda rolled her eyes.
"To be fair ...I wasn't in a good mindset back then."
"You mean Adagio had you wrapped around her finger."
"Hey, let's switch topics okay thanks." Sunset snapped hurriedly. "Okay, Chrysalis is a bastard. We have established that, and Bon Bon works for said prick, allegedly."
"And she attacked you the week after you blew up the party." Gilda whispered. "Coincidence?"
"Wait, you blew up a mansion without me?!" Pinkie gasped.
"I didn't, Adagio did." Sunset corrected.
"What were the sirens doing there?"
"It's her mirror," Sunset explained. "Seems like even they have their mirror counterparts here." She muttered.
"Oh boy. I wonder if she has the same hips." Pinkie nudged Gilda.
"Pinkie focus." Sunset sighed, burying her head into her arms. "Okay, it's not much. But it's a lead. Wish we had Thorax here to confirm it."
"I still have his number." Gilda shrugged.
Sunset looked up from her arms. "What?"
"Yeah. I can call him." Gilda took out her phone and showed it to Sunset. "Want me to do it now?"
"Yes! Please!" Sunset snapped.
Gilda nodded. "I'll do it after lunch. What do we do about Bon Bon in the meantime?"
Sunset blew a raspberry as she racked her brain. "We can confront her after school, I guess? Just tell Throax to get here as soon as humanly possible." She grumbled.
Gilda gave a cheeky smile. "Don't worry Sunset. You can rely on me." Gilda smirked as she reached into Pinkie's tray and yoinked a piece of bread.
"Hey!" Pinkie protested.
"Food tax." Gilda said with a full mouth.
The two then began to argue, which caused Sunset to slam her head into the table.
}}}You have strange taste in woman.{{{
Sunset pushed her skull further into the table in response.
Witchblade
For the rest of the day, Sunset managed to get through relatively unscathed. She managed to sneak her way through the halls and slinked into the back of the school. There, she saw Gilda standing there, a cigarette in her mouth, with a trail of smoke billowing out from it.
"How long have you been waiting?" Sunset asked.
"Not long." Gilda shrugged. "Thorax will be here soon."
"So how are we going to do this?" Sunset asked.
"Bon Bon and Lyra have been helping Octavia with her practice recently. They will be in one of the unused classrooms in a couple of minutes." Gilda spit out her cigarette and stamped it into the ground. "They stick around after school for about an hour, so there is a large window of time."
"Let's go over the plan again." Sunset said. "How are we going to discuss the situation like calm and reasonable people?"
Gilda let out a groan. "Pinkie will go in and raise their mood up. I stand outside in case things go south. You then go in and explain the situation to them. Is that good?"
Sunset nodded. "Remember. We are here to get information from here. We don't know if she's Anon-A-Miss or not. If she bolts, then we will know, got it?"
Gilda nodded. "Got it." She turned and looked at the backdoors of the school. "When do we go in?"
"Pinkie will call us when it's time." Sunset said.
Gilda nodded in affirmation and leaned against the school wall. The two then stood in the cold awkwardly as the snow gently fell around them. Gilda let out an awkward cough and snuck glances at Sunset, only to look away when Sunset turned toward her. This went on for a couple of seconds before Gilda finally took in a deep breath and steadied herself.
"So ...you free tomorr....(ow)?" Gilda began before Sunset's phone began to ring.
Sunset took her phone out and saw that it was Pinkie's number. "Okay. And we're live." Sunset exhaled. "Let's do this."
Gilda let out an exasperated sigh, but followed Sunset as they walked back into the school. The hallways were empty and silent, giving an eerie feeling. As they passed some of the doors, they saw that some of the classrooms were filled, mostly with club meetings and other extracurriculars that occurred on campus. As they walked down, it got more and more quiet, before becoming completely empty.
Eventually, they reached the classroom, and Sunset could hear a conversation on the other side of the doorway. She gripped her wrist and took in a sharp inhale. There were two doors, Gilda was going to cover the second one while she went through the other. That way, they should have all their bases covered.
'You ready?'
}}}Even if this girl tried to attack you, I doubt she'll do much damage.{{{
'Good, because we're about to be live.'
"Good luck." Gilda nodded as she leaned next to the doorway. Sunset nodded and quickly opened the classroom door and walked through as quickly as she could, and right into an argument; however, she was so focused on the plan she completely ignored that element.
"Bon Bon! We need to talk!" Sunset announced as she walked up to the girl who had her hand up to Pinkie's chest.
"You brought Sunset here!" Bon Bon nearly screeched.
"Sunset isn't Anon-A-Miss!" Pinkie shouted back. "So get your head out of the party cannon and empty your ears of confetti!"
Sunset pursed her lips as she saw the situation immediately escalating and breaking apart. However, she steeled her nerves and put her hands out. "Listen ...this is about ChangeData!"
That caused Bon Bon to freeze. Slowly, she began to back away and began pushing Octavia, Lyra, and Vinyl behind her. "Go now." Bon Bon's voice shook.
"Bon Bon, what is going on?!" Octavia asked.
"Just do it!" Bon Bon pushed Octavia towards the other doorway.
"Sweetie Drops, I am not here to hurt you!" Sunset exclaimed as she began to quicken her pace. That only caused Bon Bon to back up quicker before she opened the other classroom door on the other side of the room. Octavia and Lyra ran out with Vinyl, where Gilda was waiting. Uh oh.
There was a loud thud outside the classroom, along with the shrieks of three very scared girls and the shouting of one very intimidating former bully. "I got her Sunset!" Gilda cried out from the other side before it was suddenly interrupted by a loud crash that could be attributed to a certain musician breaking a cello over another person's head.
"Piss." Was all Sunset could say. She was so distracted she didn't notice the kick that was flying towards her face until it was five feet in front of her.
Sunset quickly ducked down as her instincts fired up to maximum, barely ducking under Bon Bon's attempted assault upon her skull. She looked up and realized another attack was coming up her skull, but this one she could not duck. Pain erupted from her bottom jaw as she was kicked up into the air and into the blackboard.
"Bon Bon stop-" Was all Pinkie get out before a loud crash echoed out. Sunset opened up her eyes to see that Bon Bon had thrown Pinkie into a pile of desks, rendering the other unconscious. That got her blood boiling, so she pushed up off the ground and rushed at Bon Bon. The girl seemed to have anticipated her attacks and blocked Sunset's strikes and kicks before delivering a counterpunch right into her gut. Bon Bon then grabbed her arm and twisted Sunset right over her shoulder and into the ground.
The wind was knocked out of Sunset, but she quickly recovered as her neurons fired up. She looked up to see Bon Bon lifting a foot right over her face.
"Dammit!" Sunset cursed as she threw her arms over her face. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as the Witchblade finally extended outwards, shredding her clothes before covering both her arms and shoulders with metal. Bon Bon's foot was stopped in its tracks as it slammed down on the metal.
"What?" Bon Bon muttered.
Sunset took this opportunity and grabbed the girl's leg. She pulled it out, causing Bon Bon to fall towards the ground. Sunset then jumped up and got into a ready stance as Bon Bon spun on her back and jumped up from the ground. Sunset started with a flurry of punches and striking toward the other girl's face and body, only for each one to be blocked. Bon Bon's arms flew across the air as she deflected and blocked each one of Sunset's strikes before gripping her arms and twisting them. Bon threw Sunset into the window, causing it to crack under the immense force.
Both the girl's struggled with Sunset trying to escape Bon Bon's grap while the other tried to knock Sunset down. Sunset grit her teeth, realizing that she needed more strength. With a roar, she channeled more of the Witchblade's power and pushed the girl off, surprising them. Sunset felt the Witchblade extend down her back, now covering her entire torso.
She couldn't let Bon Bon get the advantage, the girl was too dangerous, right now, Sunset needed to knock her out. Sunset jumped forward, tackling Bon Bon and knocking the girl into the ground. Sunset created metal gauntlets around her fists and began to pummel the other girl.
"Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep please." Sunset muttered repeatedly as she slammed her fists into Bon Bon's face. Each punch let out a loud crunch as she swung with all her strength into Bon Bon's face, causing blood to splatter all over the classroom floor.
As Sunset tried to throw another flurry of punches, Bon Bon suddenly moved her head to the side, causing Sunset to miss. The girl let out a growl and grabbed Sunset by the shoulders before throwing her skull into Sunset's face. Sunset recoiled as she felt her nose break along with parts of her skull.
Bon Bon took that opportunity to throw Sunset off her. With a loud roar, the girl grabbed Sunset and swung her by the arm right toward the window before letting go. Sunset only had a single second to process what was happening until she was already halfway out the window. The force caused the entire pane to collapse, causing glass to shatter everywhere.
Sunset looked over at the classroom and saw Bon Bon jump out of the broken window pane.
'We need to take this fight somewhere else. With less collateral damage'
}}}Agreed.{{{
Bon Bon let out a roar and charged at Sunset. Sunset responded by summoning a pair of wings before flying forward and slamming her arms into Bon Bon's waist. She flew up into the air and away from the school towards the industrial district, where she hoped she could peacefully pacify the girl. As she lifted Bon Bon off, the girl seemed to be determined to be as much of a nuisance as possible, slamming her elbows and fists into Sunset's skull.
Sunset endured it until Bon Bon grabbed her metallic wings and ripped them off, which would've been fine if they weren't a couple hundred feet in the air. Sunset let out a panicked scream as she tried to resummon her wings, only for an extremely irate Bon Bon to kick her in the skull. The two fell down like rocks right through a warehouse ceiling before tumbling through the shelves before landing on the hard concrete floor.
There was a second of silence as Sunset let out a groan. She tasted blood in her mouth and pain all over her body. She was quite certain she had broken nearly every bone in her body because it felt as if a sledgehammer had been slammed repeatedly into her. She laid there for a good two minutes as she felt the Witchblade regenerate whatever was broken.
}}}Deescalate she said.{{{
'Shush. Let me suffer in silence.'
Sunset began to gingerly get up off the ground, peeling herself out of the Sunset shaped hole in the ground. She gripped her chest, which was still regenerating. She looked around her surroundings and saw that she was indeed in a warehouse. However, it was a warehouse holding ChangeData products, ranging from kitchen appliances to artificial kidneys.
"This company is everywhere." Sunset groaned as she felt the Witchblade finally finish covering her entire body. A helmet began to form over her head as she limped through the entire building. "Why is it always a warehouse?"
"Does Chrysalis really think I would be unprepared after all these years?" Bon Bon's voice suddenly echoed out.
"Bon Bon, I don't work for Chrysalis!" Sunset snapped.
"BULLSHIT! First Anon-A-Miss, and now this! I knew it all along, knew that you were her agent the moment you stepped into this school!"
Sunset closed her eyes and let out a groan.
}}}I am unsure if you will be able to take this girl down alive.{{{
'I have to try! She is also a victim of this conspiracy! She's also our only lead!'
"Bon Bon. Let us be calm and rational individuals." Sunset continued to try.
"You can't trick me, Sunset, not again. Prepare to die."
Sunset summoned a plume of flame in her hands using it to light her way through the dark warehouse. She looked around frantically as she heard footsteps echo out. She stood in between two columns of shelves while focusing on her senses. She could hear the soft tapping of footsteps around her. Sunset narrowed her eyes and channeled Piezzi's ability that she had used against Adagio. Her vision became sharper, and the darkness seemed to clear before her, making the place more visible.
Thanks to this, Sunset turned off the plume of fire in her hand and looked around the darkness. She was able to distinguish objects in the darkness despite it being murky. She steadied her breathing and slowly made her way through the warehouse, constantly looking over her back.
The plink of water droplets echoed throughout the empty warehouse as the footsteps tapping around her got quieter and quieter. A bead of sweat trickled down her face as she slowed her breathing and focused all of her energy into her senses. A small wind blew through the entire building, letting out a small whistle. Snow gently trickled down from the hole in the ceiling that they made as Sunset slowly paced her movements to the point it was barely audible even to herself.
The air seemed to come to a standstill as Sunset suddenly came to a stop. She waited and listened to any form of movement around her.
A small wind gust appeared and suddenly echoed out, aimed in her direction. Hearing this, Sunset quickly turned around to see a figure dashing towards her. As she flung her body downwards, the sound of the air being cut screamed out. Sunset twisted her body and punched upwards while keeping her head low and felt her strike connect against a body. She heard a loud crash as the figure was flung backward into one of the shelves, causing a loud echo to reverberate throughout the entire warehouse.
Sunset put her arms up just in time as Bon Bon flew forward with a punch. The girl's ability to rebound was remarkable, and she moved at inhuman speeds. Even though Sunset was holding back, Bon Bon was still able to match her nearly blow for blow.
Bon Bon quickly threw a series of rapid strikes, which Sunset managed to quickly deflect to the side. The other girl varied her attacks, throwing strikes at her head, body, and lower torso in rapid fashion, pushing Sunset back as she was forced to quickly reposition her arms to intercept each strike. After exchanging a series of blows, Bon Bon quickly swung her leg in arc right toward Sunset's skull.
Sunset managed to catch the girl's leg, only for Bon Bon to push herself up and land a kick right into her head. Sunset recoiled back to see Bon Bon leap into the air. Sunset raised her arms up, shielding herself from the girl's kick down towards her face. She took this opportunity to quickly grab their leg and slamming them into the ground. Bon Bon let out a growl as she pulled herself away and jumped up from the ground.
Bon Bon pulled out a pistol out of nowhere and aimed it at Sunset, which was trained right at her head. Sunset kicked the pistol to the side just as it went off. Bon Bon then responded by kicking Sunset's leg out from under her, causing her to fall to the floor.
As Sunset tried to get up, she saw Bon Bon pick her pistol up from the ground. Sunset lunged forward and managed to get ahold of Bon Bon's arms just as the girl fired her pistol up into the air. Bon Bon kicked Sunset's legs out from underneath her as she slowly began to push her pistol towards Sunset's face.
}}}Sunset! You have no choice! You need to end this fight now!{{{
'No ....I can still reason with her ...'
Sunset let out a roar as she finally pushed the gun to the side. She struck forward with a punch, shooting it upwards with as much power as she could, which knocked the other girl back. Sunset quickly grabbed the pistol off the floor and held it up, and aimed it directly at Bon Bon, only to see the girl take out another pistol. At that moment, though, Sunset hesitated, giving Bon Bon the opportunity to fire, hitting the gun out of Sunset's hand. Sunset held her hands up, hoping the Witchblade could stop bullets as Bon Bon prepared to pull the trigger.
Right before, a loud crack echoed throughout the warehouse. The air seemed to freeze as Bon Bon's eyes became glassy before the girl fell to the ground like a sack of 13 potatoes. Behind where she used to stand was a familiar figure, one with purple hair running down her shoulder. She wore an aquamarine trenchcoat now, but now she had no mask. It was none other than Aria Blaze, the feared Nottingham.
"Fancy seeing you here," Aria smirked.
Sunset sighed. "I had it under control."
}}}No you didn't.{{{
' That bullet shot wouldn't have done any damage.'
}}}And how can you be so certain?{{{
"What are you doing here?" Sunset asked, changing the subject.
"I was following you. Making sure you were okay." Aria shrugged.
"Somehow I doubt that. The feared Nottingham, caring about someone else?"
"It's actually just Aria now." Aria sighed. "Can't go around announcing who I am, can I?"
"Doesn't change that you are still the Nottingham."
"How about we make a compromise, and you just call me Aria Nottingham, deal?"
"Fine, whatever." Sunset rolled her eyes before looking down at her body. "You wouldn't happen to have any extra clothes, would you?"
"I do, but ..." Aria lifted up a finger, bringing attention to the police sirens that were getting close. "I do believe we have bigger issues."
"Piss. Grab Bon Bon, and let's go. I need to question her."
Aria simply just shrugged. "Sure thing." The girl said before grabbing Bon Bon off the floor and slinging her over her shoulder. "By the way, why didn't you just hit her pressure point?"
"Didn't have the time."
"Oh, honey." Aria smiled. "Let me teach you."
Sunset sighed and rolled her eyes as she began to run out of the warehouse. Though she didn't say yes, she didn't say no either, and that idea made Aria smile as she followed closely behind the girl.
Witchblade
Lightning Dust sipped a small cup of coffee with both her feet on the table in front of her. She hummed under her breath as she hummed a tune. The piece that was in her head was called 'The king's feast' which was about the last feast of a king before he was devoured by his starving populus. Before she could finish the tune, she heard the cafe door open, which caused her to smile.
As she sat up in her seat, she saw Indigo Zap walk up and take a seat in front of her. "So, you got a job?" Indigo asked.
"So to the point. What happened to 'how was your day'?"
Indigo smirked. She brushed her dark purple dress and uniform and adjusted her arctic-coloured shirt collar. She leaned forward and asked. "How was your day? Did you have fun crushing bugs under your feet?" The girl asked as sarcastically as possible.
Lighting snapped her fingers. "There, see. Now we're pals." She took another sip from her coffee. "Yeah, got us a job. From one of the wendigos."
"Huh, thought they didn't trust us."
"This one is in deep shit." Lightning smirked as she pulled out the dollar bills from her backpack. She tossed it to Indigo, who seemed impressed by the stack of money in front of her. "Needs four people zeroed. Pinkie, Sunset, Gilda, and Bon Bon. Already took out my share."
"And she paid upfront?"
"She was so desperate she didn't think twice when I asked for it." Lightning Dust snorted.
"Hmmm. Killing Pinkie and Sunset will upset the other wendigos."
"So we pin it on Ninkasi."
"Does she have a time frame?"
"Tonight. At the charity event."
"She planning to feast there?"
"Beats me."
Indigo began to rub her chin. "I heard rumors that there was a mysterious benefactor that was going to make an appearance there."
Dust shrugged. "Guess that's our gal."
"We'll do the hit at the event." Indigo nodded. "Can you do it alone?"
Dust raised an eyebrow. "Of course, but ....why? Didn't you like to get your hands dirty?" She asked.
Indigo nodded. "I do. But I have to watch over a certain sex cult while also searching for two potential rogue wendigos." The girl scowled.
"Ah, yes. Midas and Khan. Any luck?"
"Found the remains of Khan's exploits." Indigo shook her head. "What was left of it, at least."
"Midas?"
"Found traces of arms dealing, trafficking, and extortion. Definitely him."
"Well then." Dust blew a raspberry. "I'll do it myself. Need info, though. Need to know the location, vantage points, and participants." She said.
"Sunny Flare will send the details to you right before the event."
"Also ...why at the event?" Dust asked. "Just for clarification."
"Don't want to upset the other wendigos." Indigo nodded. "We do the hit, and pin it on Ninkasi. Since we are already paid, we don't need to worry about money, just integrity." The girl rubbed her chin. "Lure the targets to the event. Zero them right before Ninkasi begins killing everyone, and then check out."
"Easy peasy." Dust nodded.
"Don't fuck this, Dust."
"I would never." Dust smirked. "Count on me, boss."
Indigo nodded. "Of course. Only the best can join the Shadowbolts. Be seeing ya." Indigo said before walking off out of the cafe.
Dust smirked as she slowly sipped her coffee. "Buffet." She smirked. "It'll be a feast to remember." She affirmed before finishing up her coffee.
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11757256
Hello. I know this is a bit late, but thanks for catching that. I edited that part out, and I'm trying to be more careful during editing and writing lol.
The reason for the pronoun difference is actually because the demon intended to be male instead of female. I was in a huge debate about whether or not to make the first demon a woman or a man, but eventually decided on making them a woman. I tried to catch any previous instances of them being called a man, but it seems like I missed a couple.
I think the main issue was that the demon was a male, and the person was a female, so I was debating on what their form would look like. I finally decided to make the gender consistent in order to avoid headaches. Of course, this kind of kneecapped me because I had to find another deity or demon to replace the original one I had in mind.
Just a little fun fact.