> Mages of Virtue: The Phantom Thief
>  by Nova Arc
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Say Hi
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset Shimmer, dressed in a red shirt, black jeans, and black boots, was too excited. It wasn't her birthday, it wasn't summer holiday. It was the beginning of the school year.

"That's not normal," said Rainbow Dash, who wore a blue tank top, black track bottoms, and blue sneakers. "Aren't most people supposed to be looking for an extended holiday?"

"Well, I'm not most people," Sunset replied.

"Of course not," said Pinkie Pie, who wore a pink crop top, blue shorts, and pink hi-tops with long blue and yellow stockings. "Your name is Sunset Shimmer. It'd be weird to find someone named Most People."

"Er, yeah... I guess," said Rainbow, unsure of how else she could've responded.

"So, what're ye lookin' forward to?" asked Applejack, the cowgirl in the green plaid shirt, blue jeans, and brown boots with a Stetson hat.

"Well, for once, people not hating me," replied Sunset.

"I thought everyone already forgave you," said Fluttershy. She wore a yellow shirt, blue jeans, and yellow flip flops. "I mean, you did help us beat the sirens."

"Yeah, well not everyone knows that," Sunset replied. "Remember the kids that got pulled out because of what I did? Some of them just so happen to be living in my side of the city."

"Now that's bad luck," said Rainbow. "So they have no idea?" Sunset shook her head.

"But we do," said Pinkie. "And we appreciate you for it. I mean, we could've all been arguing like little kids if it weren't for you."

"Yeah, well it was Twilight that figured out how to beat them."

"But you helped. That counts," said Pinkie. Sunset smiled. It had been a while since she had actual friends, but it was a nice feeling she quickly grew accustomed to. Soon, their train stopped. "We're here!" Pinkie said excitedly. She hopped off the train, the other girls trailing behind her and she bounced out of the station.

Waiting for them outside were two girls: one with fair skin and purple hair in an elegant swirl wearing a white button-up shirt, black trousers, black flats, and the school uniform, a white cloak with blue and yellow accents, and the other with dark skin and purple hair with lavender and pink highlights wearing a light purple shirt with a purple star in the middle, blue capris, and white and blue sneakers. "Hi, Sunset," greeted the dark-skinned girl.

"Hi, Twilight," Sunset replied. "Hi Rarity. How were your summers?"

"Pretty good," replied Twilight.

"Wonderful, darling," replied Rarity. "How was yours?"

"Could've been worse," said Sunset. Soon, Pinkie joined in by bear-hugging literally everyone, her Gaian roots very obvious in the way she carried six teenage girls off the ground in one go. A bear hug and a few minutes of walking later, they arrived at the grand compound of the Chantalot Magic Academy. "Well," Sunset said, "let the new school year begin."





"It's easy, just say hi."

"Sis, it's never that easy." Dawn Forge was normally looking forward to this day, the new school year. It was when he got back together with his friends... well, friend. He didn't really have a lot of them. He sat on the back of his sister's bike wearing a blue t-shirt, light brown khakis, and black hi-tops, under his uniform, as well as a pair of goggles and headphones. His sister sat in front wearing a red shirt, orange shorts, black boots, and similar pair of goggles. "Especially if it's me."

"Dawn, just remember what I said," said the girl, "Don't let them wind you up. If they know what makes you tick, they'll use it against you."

"Yeah, yeah, got it," Dawn said, getting off. "Oh, and Blaze? Could you check on my bike and see if it's back?"

"Sure thing," said Dawn. "Will the board be okay?"

"Yeah, it'll be fine. Thanks. I'll see ya later." He waved goodbye as his sister rode off. He didn't stay for long before he smiled as the bus arrived in front of the school. Students filed out, most of them talking or reading, but one came out, jumping and shredding on an air guitar with music playing so loud you could hear it through her headphones. She had light skin, bright pink eyes, and long black hair with pink and red highlights tied into a pair of long, waist-length twin-tails and wore a red shirt with a black heart on the upper left side, red and black plaid skirt with pink and black striped stockings, and pink hi-tops. Her headphones had hearts on them and her uniform was tied around her waist. She bobbed her head to the beat of the song and moved through the students as if she had psychic vision. Dawn shook his head and held out his hand, receiving a high-five as she passed. "Yep. I can tell how your summer went," he said.

"It was off the chain!" The girl seemed to be fully in control of her volume, despite the loud jam that would, normally, have made you oblivious to your surroundings. "We went down to Transylmagia and saw the Lost Hotel! Dude, it's super creepy! They turned the place into a giant resort!"

"Oh yeah. My sister went there with her class a few months ago. I wanted to go, but we still had that test in medieval history."

"Trust me. You need to go there," the girl said, still talking as if there was nothing else she could hear but Dawn's voice. "Where'd you go?"

"The usual. Avoided Magehattan like a plague."

"Oh. That's still going on, huh?"

"Nothing we can do about it right now. If we could've done something, we would've." The girl sighed in defeat and turned the knob on her headset. Dawn could hear the music. "Loli?" The girl looked up. "You can stop now."

"Stop what?" the girl asked with an innocent, yet evil smirk.

"Loli? I can hear it from over here."

"Okay. So, you interested?"

Dawn thought for a moment. "After school, send me the entire album."





The students began filing into the grand auditorium. Rows of seats were already arranged for them before they arrived. Students were catching up, talking about their summer, what overly exciting thing did or didn't happen. Soon, Twilight and the others filed in and looked for a row of seats. Once they found some, they quickly rushed to them before anyone else could claim them.

"There's a lot of faces I haven't seen here today," said Twilight.

"Well, this is one of the best schools in this part of the world," said Sunset.

"Plus, the Princesses are the principals," added Pinkie. "How cool is that?!"

"'Sides," added Applejack, "it's really the only school and isn't constantly buggin' ya about money every five minutes."

"Precisely. The school has standards beyond how fat they want their pockets to be," said Rarity. 

"Plus, you get to meet some rather important people here, nice and... otherwise," she added, her eyes drifting with disgust at one particular student.

"And their sports scholarship program is amazing," added Rainbow.

Not too long after, there was a flash of golden light on the stage. From the flash appeared a young woman that appeared to be in her mid-thirties with flowing hair of cobalt, blue, pink and green hair and bright pink eyes. She wore a golden-brown blazer, white shirt, cream trousers, and white flats and had a yellow sun-shaped crest on her jacket pocket.

"To old students, welcome back. To new students, welcome to the Chantalot Academy." Princess Celestia's voice echoed throughout the auditorium. She had made herself a common sight in the school for many reasons. For one thing, she wanted the students to see her more as a Principal and ignore the royal status. It brought her closer to them. "I see many fresh faces in front of me. Many of which have waited for months to get in. Well, you need not wait any longer." She paused for them to finish their clapping and whooping. "I believe you have all undergone orientation. But I must warn you, this academy is for those who are willing to push themselves to their limit and beyond. It will not be easy, but the results will be very rewarding.

"Now, our school features a variety of programs, each one suited for students with particular skill sets or unique methods of learning. Some of you already know this as you entered via our scholarship program.

"Now, I'd give a longer speech, but I'd hate to bore the sense out of all of you before your first day of school even starts." The chuckles rippled through the room. "So, without further ado, welcome!" As she raised her hands. A massive "WELCOME" banner fell from the stage and its letters lit up in bright gold sparks.

"She sure knows how to make you feel at home," said Sunset, applauding with the rest of the students.





"Welcome to Homeroom 618. I am your supervisor, Professor Cypher Creed, Head of History and Philosophy Departments." The tall, black-haired man stood on the stage in front of the class, but his voice echoed all the way to the upper seats ten rows back. He wore a white dress shirt, black trousers, black jacket, and black shoes. Over this, he wore an open white cloak with brown accents and brown armband and had a black fedora. Hanging out of his cloak pocket was the chain of a silver pocket watch he was know to carry everywhere. He looked stern, but his bright brown eyes and calm voice were rather warm. "I'm glad to be here with you all. Now, I don't want you to see me as just a teacher. I want you to see me as a friend, someone you can trust to help with any problems you might have in any way I can... if I can." There was some giggling. "Now you know me. I want to know you... starting from the back."

They all introduced themselves, stating their name, age, class, and magic specialty. Once Professor Creed learned everyone's name, he tapped the board behind him. It lit up and the image of a sphere appeared. It had three distinct rings around it. Creed tapped the floor twice with his foot and a 3-dimensional image of the sphere popped up above him, the rings now spinning and moving around the orb. "Here's a chance to get some points for yourself at the start of the year. What is the name of this device? Miss Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight stood up. "The Gyroflux Orb; a device with the ability to warp gravity in an area with a four mile effect radius."

"Very good. And who invented it?"

"The great mage, Meadow Brook."

"Right again, Miss Sparkle."

"Nice goin' Twi," Applejack said with a playful punch to Twilight's shoulder.

For the next ten minutes, Creed asked about an assortment of items, spells, words of wisdom, and even books and who came up with them. Twilight got most of them, but others also competed for Professor Creed's points. And then... "My last few questions were worth five points each, but this one is worth a hundred." At least half the class gasped.  was in the lead, but a hundred points could push anyone ahead, if not at least close to them. "What is this?" The hologram projector brought up the image of a massive conical object. It looked like a giant, floating city with faces on the four corners.

"Huh? I can't remember that one?"

"What?" her friends whispered in shocked unison.

"The Oberion, also known as the Sky Fortress. A giant city made from crystals from the Crystal Empire by Diamond Carver. Developed as a refuge and watchtower for King Sombra during the Black Crystal Era." Everyone looked in awe at Dawn, who was smiling in his seat.

"That is correct, Mister Forge. So I take it you know what this is then?" The image changed to that of a giant Rubik's cube with at least fifty or so rows instead of three. The image kept shifting.

"The Perplexahedron. Created by Professor Warp Paradox, who worked closely with Diamond Carver. However, it technically does not exist."

"Oh? And yet it is in the history book in front of you?"

"Well, 'technically' is the key word. This being because it is located in another dimension, not within our physical plane. Also, information on it is based on theory as no mage has ever been able to replicate this apparatus. Then again, Professor Paradox was powerful enough to perform spatial distortion and spatial reconfiguration spells on a much larger scale than many others."
The class was silent. They knew he was smart, but now they thought he was a walking encyclopedia.

"Outstanding, Mister Forge."

Twilight looked in utter confusion at Dawn, who sat back down. For the rest of the class, Creed talked about the history of special magic; developers, creators, and their accomplishments. Two hours later, everyone filled out for their next class, if they had any. Dawn zipped out of the class as Sunset walked over to meet Harmony. "I don't think me being speechless is a big deal right now, huh?"

"Nope," replied Applejack.

"Yeah, well, at least the Professor didn't say something like, 'You should all learn from his example' or something," added Rainbow.





The rest of the day went by fairly quickly. As it was the first day, it was all general and basic subjects. Their final class, though, was Nature Studies. Their teacher was a dark-skinned woman with a light gray and white striped Mohawk and deep cyan eyes. She wore a long grayish-purple skirt with a slit down the right side, a white halter top that exposed her midriff, and purple sandals. She had three white marks on each cheek and a series of white tattoos on her arms and legs. On her exposed stomach was a gray stylized spiral sun.

"Good day, students. I am Zecora. In this class, you shall learn about fauna and flora." She moved over to her desk. "We will learn about the many forests in our land, and maybe someday, we will get to see them first-hand." She talked about the Everfree Forest and its unique ecosystem; the magical plants, the dangerous beasts, and even the way its natural magic energy can have various effects on various life forms. That was the final hour and a half of the day.

"Well, that didn't go too badly," said Sunset.

"Coulda toldya," said Applejack. "So, you're in our dorm, right?"

Sunset looked at a sheet of paper in her hand. "Yeah. I'm in the same room as..." Her eyes widened in shock.

"What? What is it?" asked a concerned Twilight.

"Trixie," said Sunset. "I'm roommates... with Trixie."

The girls all looked at Sunset. They could feel her pain. "Yikes," said Rainbow.

"Ah wouldn't wish that on mah worst enemy," added Applejack.

"I'm so sorry, Sunset," said Fluttershy.

Sunset kept looking at the paper. "Well, I also got some girl named Loli Beats. I guess that's a plus." She groaned. "This is gonna be a long night."





Sunset opened the door to her room and was greeted, so to speak, by a girl with pale blue hair and pink eyes wearing a blue blouse, light blue skirt, and blue boots. "So. I'm your roommate," stated the girl. "Just so you know, Trixie has already claimed the top bunk."

"Great," said Sunset. "Can I come in now?"

"I suppose," Trixie said, making way for her to pass. The common area was well stocked. There were three sets of sofas, several bean bags, and a large center table. Hanging on the wall beneath the fireplace was a 52" TV. The room was decorated with bright reddish-brown mahogany wood and a carpet with symbol of the sun and moon covered the floor.

The bedrooms were similar, except with no carpet. There were two bunk beds on either side of the room with a wardrobe at the head and foot of the beds. Next to each wardrobe was a desk and chair and a large dresser stood at the end of the room. Sunset picked out the bed she knew didn't belong to Trixie and opened a wardrobe. It was already fully stocked with clothes. "Whoops!" She closed it and went to the other one. Seeing it was empty, she slipped some clothes for the next few days inside and threw her suitcase into the section at the top. She collapsed onto the bed and breathed a sigh of relief. 

"Hey there."

Sunset jumped, a bit shocked that she wasn't alone in the room. She looked to her left and saw a girl smiling at her. She had bright pink eyes and black hair with pink and red highlights tied into pigtails. She wore a red shirt with a black heart on it and had a pair of heart-shaped stud earrings and a pair of headphones. She was also hanging upside down from the barricade of the top bunk. 

"Sorry. Did I startle you?" she asked, looking a bit concerned.

"A bit," said Sunset. "But I'm fine. I didn't even know anyone was in here."

"Yeah. That kinda happens with me," she said. "Loli Beats," she added, holding out her hand to Sunset.

"Oh. Sunset Shimmer," she said, shaking Loli, which felt a bit weird, seeing as the later was upside down. "So, Freshman or Sophomore?"

"Sophomore."

"Really? I never see you around."

"I wasn't in the boarding school last year. Plus, I kinda tend to blend into the background," she said with a sheepish smile.

"Why?"

"Er... Well... I'm not exactly... popular," she said.

"Oh. Students or teachers?"

"A bit of both. Say," she took off her headphones and flipped down, "We've still got like three hours before curfew hits. Wanna walk around?"

Sunset grinned. "Thought you, "blended into the background "?"

"Nah. You seem pretty cool," said Loli. "Besides, it'd be cool to hang out with one of the girls who saved our school."

"Uh-huh," Sunset said, raising an eyebrow.

"I mean, this isn't for popularity. I just-"

"Relax. I'm not mad," said Sunset, getting up. "Sure, I'd love to get to know you."

Loli smiled. "Great! I'll put on a pair of shoes and wait for you outside." All Sunset saw after that was a black and pink blur and Loli was gone.

"Definitely a Skyborn," she said, smoothing down her hair.





Dawn approached his dorm. He took in a deep breath. "You can do this. Fortune favors the bold... I hope." He opened the door and stepped forward. He was greeted by a room full of a few old, familiar faces.

"Dawn!" One of the boys jumped up and ran over to him. He had light cyan hair with lighter stripes in a mohawk and wore a white shirt with a storm cloud and lightning bolt and black trousers. "How's it going?"

"Not bad, Thunderlane," Dawn replied. "You?"

"Well, summer's over, so... Yeah, not looking forward to it," he said, laughing. "So, d'you do anything exciting?"

"Meh. Mostly just stayed home," Dawn replied. "Not much to do where I live."

"Oh. Well, hope you had fun. We were gonna check out what was going on on TV. You coming?"

"Maybe. I need to unpack." Thunderlane nodded in understanding. Dawn passed the common area and saw some of the others: a large boy with a blonde buzz cut, another, leaner blonde with a more… distinguished look.

Once he was in, he saw that one of the top bunks was still free. He tossed his backpack on it and brought out a few things to put in the free wardrobe. "So, you came back." Dawn dreaded the sound of that voice. The smaller of the blonde boys stood at the doorway.

"Not today, Blueblood," said Dawn. "It's too early."

Blueblood was, for all intents and purposes, a prince. As Princess Celestia's nephew, he held said title with much esteem, but not much respect. He constantly used his title to influence everything around him, from getting his way to making other people miserable. "Really? Because in my opinion the only thing it's too early for is your return."

Dawn groaned. "I've been here three minutes," he said to himself. "Three minutes, and it's just like the middle of last year!" Dawn picked up his headphones and put them on, tuning the volume to near maximum as he walked out, ignoring Blueblood. As he reached the exit, he teleported out and lifted one ear of the headset to hear the sound of Blueblood slamming into the closed door and blurting out random profanity. "Wow. That prince has some mouth," he said with a grin.





Sunset and Loli walked around the large school compound, talking as they walked and getting to know each other better.

“So, when did you first come here?” Sunset asked. “The school, I mean.”

“Well, it's kind of a long story,” said Loli. “Short version: Princess Celestia found me, thought I was talented, and offered me a place here.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Said she was impressed with my magic capabilities as a Skyborn.”

“So, what is your specialty?” Sunset asked.

“Mostly shaping elemental stuff, but I can also manipulate my hair and my main ability is controlling my shadow,” Loli replied, demonstrating her powers by creating a heart shape from her pigtails, but her shadow showed her making a star. “You?”

“Sweet. Mine’s mostly solar-based stuff,” said Sunset. “I cause my magic to absorb and manipulate solar energy,” she explained. “Sadly, I can't move the sun itself,” she added, grinning.

“Do you really want that responsibility?” Loli asked.

Sunset thought for a moment. Then blinked. “Nope. No way. Can't do it.” The two chuckled at the thought of having to control the sun and keep the time. “So, got a team?”

Loli shook her head. “Nope. Just a teammate,” she said. “I'm trying to convince him to get one. We had one last year, but all our members transferred.”

Sunset's heart sank. She deduced that some of the kids that had left the previous year were members of Loli’s old team. “Oh man. I'm… I'm sorry.”

Loli took a moment and looked at Sunset. It didn't take a genius to figure out what she was thinking. “Hey, don't be. Besides, the team sucked anyway. We couldn't get along.”

“Well, I've got no team either,” said Sunset. “Who knows? Maybe we'll wind up in the same group.”

“Hehe. That wouldn't be bad,” Loli said.

“So, you're gonna be preparing for the test?”

“Yep. I heard were going into the Everfree for this year’s test.”

“I'm thinking the not-so-dark-and-scary part,” said Sunset. “There are some terrifying creatures in there, and I'm not just talking about the general wildlife.”

“Oh, you mean the Nyctores?” Sunset nodded. “Come on, they're not that terrifying.”

“I once heard there was one so big, it ate an Ursa Minor.”

Loli gulped. “Okay. Stay away from anything that moves that's larger than a Treant. Noted.”

“Don't worry,” said Sunset. “There's always teachers and guards watching the area, so we're never put or left alone in any immediate danger.”

“Besides, I'm sure we can take down any of those things,” Loli added with confidence.

Sunset rolled her eyes and grinned. Loli reminded her of a certain someone.
> Monsters That Teach
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first few days of resumption were pretty uneventful. The most exciting thing to have happened was when one of the students nearly blew up the science lab, but even that was normal: it's high school.

Sunset Shimmer and Team Harmony were in the girl’s locker room, getting ready for their first PE class. Not everyone was looking forward to it.

“Why is this a requirement?” groaned Twilight. When it came to academics, she was always on top of it. But when it came to anything involving a lot of physical exertion, she was not so great, nor was she a fan.

“C’mon, Twi,” said Applejack. “It ain't all that bad. ‘Sides, you could use the exercise.”

Rainbow looked to Sunset to change the conversation. “So, Sunset, found anyone you'd like to be your teammates?”

Sunset shrugged. “I'm not sure yet,” she said. “There are a few interesting people, but I haven't quite made a decision on who.”

“Ooooh! Do tell,” said Pinkie.

“Well…” Sunset looked around and found one of the people she was considering. “There's this girl, Loli Beats. She's pretty nice. She's also really fast, even for a Skyborn.”

“But not as fast as me!”

“Yes, Rainbow,” Sunset said, rolling her eyes. “Not as fast as you. Anyway, she's really into music, her favorite subject is Art and Music, and she goes on more missions than most other students.”

“Wow,” said Rarity. “That's quite a bit of information.”

“Yeah,” Sunset said, rubbing the back of her neck. “We've been talking for the past few days.”

“We could tell,” Rainbow said.





"ALRIGHT! LISTEN UP!" The class wasn't sure what scared them most; his voice or his figure. He had tanned skin, bright yellow eyes, and dark blue buzz-cut hair and a goatee. His bulging muscles made him look twice as intimidating when coupled with his chiseled eight-pack and barrel chest. He wore a gray sleeveless shirt, a pair of blue military camouflage trousers and black boots. "MY NAME IS IRON WILL! I WILL BE YOUR GYM INSTRUCTOR!" Oh, and he tends to shout when he speaks.

"Huh, I heard that he's a Minotaur," said Twilight. "Or was that just another false rumor?"

"Oh, no," answered Fluttershy. "He is a Minotaur... well, half Minotaur."

"That explains the physique."

"Wonder which side of the family that comes from," asked Rainbow. "Either way, having a kid would be painful for one of the parents, or both, depending" she added, snickering.

"Rainbow Dash, please!" Rarity turned slightly red at her friend’s lewd statement. "Have some decency and refrain from such lewd forms of humor."

"What?" Rainbow asked, smiling.

"TODAY, I WANNA SEE WHAT EACH OF YOU IS MADE OF! SO GET ON THE TRACK, AND GIVE ME 30 LAPS!"

"Oh what?!" was the reply from most of the class.

"What was that?" Somehow, Iron Will sounded even scarier when he was calm than when he was shouting. This was proven when everyone immediately hit the track.

At the final lap, Sunset and Twilight were jogging at the back, along with a group of others, including Fluttershy, Bon Bon and Rarity. "So... how're things... going... with you?" Twilight asked Sunset, struggling to breathe.

"Not… bad." Sunset fared only slightly better. "Rainbow's ahead... as usual?"

"Yeah."

Leading the pack was Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Loli Beats, Thunderlane and Dawn Forge. As they approached the final 200 meters. Loli and Rainbow seemed to be fighting for first place as they reached the end. Once they crossed, the bell went off, signifying the first break between classes.

The first to disappear from the field was Dawn, vanishing as if he were never even there. “Huh? Where'd he-?” Rainbow was surprised when the guy that was behind her just a few seconds ago had somehow vanished from the gym.

“Oh, yeah. He does that,” explained Loli.

“What? He shy ‘r somethin’?” asked Applejack.

“Um… Yeah. Let's go with that.”

Unlike everyone else, Loli knew exactly where to find him. After showering and changing, she headed out and found him in his usual spot: a large oak tree at the back of the school. “Hey,” she called out. “You up there?” She waited for a reply, but there was none. “You know I know you're up there, right?” There was a sharp rustling in the leaves and Dawn looked at her upside down.

“Hm?”

“What was that?”

“What?”

“You just ran out! Rainbow was gonna compliment you.”

“Well, thanks for the message.” With that, he vanished behind the leaves again. But Loli wasn't having it. She jumped up, the air pressure spiraling around her as she jumped. She landed on the branch where Dawn sat with his phone. “Hey. Did you know that DJ 8-Bit was having a sale on headphones at the music shop today?”

Loli raised an eyebrow and stared. “Really?”

Dawn sighed and put away his phone. “What do you want me to do?”

“Give them a chance.”

“Who?”

“Anyone! Look, Dawn, you've had some bad experiences. I get it. But so did I. You don't see me being a grump about it, do you?”

Dawn shrugged. “We deal with this stuff differently.”

Loli grinned and shook her head. “You know you're impossible sometimes, right?” Dawn grinned back. “Come on. I think we should start heading to class. I do not want to be late for Inkwell’s class!”

“On that, we agree.”





Dawn and Loli walked through the hall towards their Magic Applications and Variations class. But the hall was oddly packed with students; mostly freshmen, sophomores, and a few middle-class students.

“What's going on?” Dawn wondered as they made their way to the front of the crowd. They saw what appeared to be a red carpet trailing the hall.

“No way,” Loli said in excitement. “She's back!”

Looking further down the aisle, students saw the girl in question. She was beautiful with lightly dark skin, long, dark blonde hair with a purple streak in it, bright purple eyes, and wearing a purple top, black skinny jeans, black and white high-tops, and a custom school uniform with light fur on the hem and cuffs. She was the current resident queen bee of the school: Rox Candy. Ever since Sunset lost that position, Rox did not waste time taking it in her stead.

All the students whistled and called for her attention. She was popular in all ways: boys wanted to date her, girls wanted to be in her group, nearly all students wanted her seal of approval. But there was that one, undeniable fact that made all that made a lot of that impossible: she could, sometimes, be kind of a… well… snobby. Kind. Giving. But, occasionally, not so sweet.

She simply smiled and waved at the students, even granting the courtesy of signing their notebooks as she passed, after which several students dog piled the one holding the signed book.

“Okay, clear out, people!” Then came the next student: Atlas Storm. He approached wearing a white dress shirt, navy blue trousers, the school cloak, and had his spear, Harbinger, on his back. His long, pale blue hair was tied into a thin ponytail with a point at the end and his blue eyes were partially hidden behind his bangs. Think of him as the private school enforcer… and champion. “Get to class. Only reason you should be out here is if you don't have class or have a sanctioned challenge.”

The students began to clear out the of hall and head to their classes. Dawn felt a shiver go down his spine as he dragged Loli to class. “Hey! Take it easy,” she complained. “Just because your rival is next to my friend doesn't mean we both have to suffer!”

“He's not my rival,” Dawn argued. “He's just really annoying!”

Finally, they reached home base: Professor Inkwell's classroom. As they took their seats, a woman walked in. She looked like she was in her early to mid-fifties or so. She had dark cerulean-gray hair, green eyes, and wore a long, bluish-gray gown with a white collar, hem, and cuffs, and wore an inkwell-shaped pendant. Her very presence screamed, “Make a sound, and I will make your life a living hell!” You could be friends with any teacher in the school… except her.

“Please, turn your textbooks to page 134,” she said as she dropped her bag on her desk and got right down to business. “Today, we will be looking into the application of elemental spells in transportation.” She looked around and saw a hand up. “Yes, Miss Drops?”

“Um, yes, Miss Inkwell.” Sweetie Drops, or as she was more commonly known, Bon Bon, spoke. “Um, I thought our first class was supposed to be on the theory of magic conversion.”

Inkwell just stared at her for what felt like hours. All the students remained silent, not wanting to invoke the wrath of the Black Beast. “Miss Drops?” she finally spoke. “Please, pull out the tablet you were issued by the school.” Bon Bon did as she was asked. “Good. Now please read the message that arrived at 6:32 this morning.”

Bon Bon searched for message. She gulped and read aloud:



Dear Students,

Please be informed that today's class will no longer be on the theory of magic conversion, as you should all be smart enough to already know it, or at least figure it out. Instead, the class will be on…



Bon Bon paused for a moment.



... the application of elemental magic in modern transportation…



Her heart skipped all its beats for the whole time she read.

“And who sent this message?” asked Inkwell.

Bon Bon scrolled down to the bottom of the message. “Um… you did… Ma’am.”

“So I did.” Inkwell walked round her desk and approached Bon Bon’s row slowly. “So, Miss Drops, did you not see my message this morning?”

“I… Um… I… Well…” The girl was a shaking, stammering, sweating mess.

“Well? Did you or didn't you?”

“I, um… Didn't check my messages this morning,” she finally responded.

“Ah. I see. What was the side note at the bottom?”

Bon Bon composed herself enough to look at the screen and read:



All students should spread this information in case a student somehow manages to not get this message. There will be no excuses.



The whole class went into cardiac arrest for about ten seconds. “Mhm. Who are your roommates, Miss Drops?”

“Um… It's…” She mumbled something inaudible.

“Miss Drops, I am not in the mood for games. Who. Are. Your. Roommates?”

“It's… Um… Ditzy Doo, Amethyst Star, and… Lyra Heartstrings.” A mental curse echoed silently through the classroom.

“Would these three students rise?” Hesitantly, three students stood up. One at the back with blonde hair and crossed yellow eyes, one a row behind Bon Bon with purple hair with lighter highlights, and the last one next to Bon Bon, with minty green hair and yellow eyes. “Very good. Now, did all of you receive this message?” All nodded. “I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear that.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” they all said at once.

“Ah-ha. And you didn't think to heed that side note?” No reply. “So you all assumed that she knew because you did?” Still no answer. Inkwell looked around the room. “Very well.” As she walked back to her desk, she called, “Miss Drops?” The poor girl looked ready to jump out the window. “Would you want to go to the ladies’ room, by any chance?”

Bon Bon nodded sheepishly. Inkwell waved her hand and that was all Bon Bon needed. She left her spot and bolted for the door, uncomfortable running in her, now, soaked shorts. “And if you made a mess,” Inkwell called, stopping the girl in her tracks, “Do get something to clean it up. We don’t all need to know of your shame.”

As Bon Bon exited, a few low chuckles and coughs could be heard by a few. Inkwell looked up. “For your assignment, you shall do a ten thousand word essay on the invention of the steam turbine and its advancement over time.” The class took notes. “And it is due tomorrow.”

“Crap!” At that the whole class went silent.

“Who said that?” Inkwell demanded with venom in her voice. No one came forward. “Either you give yourself up, or the whole class gets to write twenty thousand words!” The class looked around for the source of the sound. “And a week’s detention for wasting my time.” Students searched frantically for the culprit, but to no avail. Impatient, Inkwell raised her hand. An inkwell mark appeared on the back of her hand and an outline appeared over it. She drew an inscription in the air, which then arranged itself to for the word, “CRAP” in big, bold, grayish mulberry letters. The word traveled through the class, searching for the most recent speaker of the term. The word hovered over the students.

Then it found its mark… And stayed there.

“So, Mister Gale?” Inkwell said. Thunderlane raised his head as the inscription hung over him like a callsign in a video game! “Did you have something better to do today?”

Thunderlane looked down the class to Inkwell. “Actually, I was going to try out for the varsity team. And signups close by the end of the day.”

The sound of all the students facepalming echoed through the class. “Excellent choice of reaction,” Inkwell said to the class. “Everything I said would go to the class now goes to Mister Gale.” A sigh of relief spread through the room. At that moment, Bon Bon returned with a mop and bucket of water.

“Now, would someone care to read what the page says?”

Meanwhile, Team Harmony and Sunset finally took their first breath since the start of class. “I really feel sorry for her,” whispered Sunset.

“Are we sure Princess Celestia knows what her classes are like?” asked Applejack.

“Do we really want an answer?” Rainbow asked in response.

“Fair point.”





During lunch, Sunset and the girls sat at their usual table, talking about the events that transpired.

“So, am I the only one who was just reminded about why we called Miss Inkwell the “Black Beast”?” Sunset asked.

“Darling, why do you need to be reminded?” Rarity asked.

“I knew the woman could be a bitch,” chimed Rainbow, “but that was just wrong.”

“Well, nothing we can do about it,” said Twilight.

“Oh! Oh!” Pinkie was practically jumping in her seat! “What if she's cranky because she's never had a party?!”

“Um, Pinkie? Didn't you throw her a party during every resumption day?”

“Oh yeah… Back to the drawing board.” From nowhere, there was a large board with some weird form of notes and calculations and diagrams next to her, which she studied again.

“What of Mister Neigh?” asked Sunset.

“The math teacher? He's okay,” said Rainbow. “But we've needed a coach like Iron Will for a long time! I mean, sure he yells and he looks intimidating, but half the school's already friends with him! Plus, the guys totally ripped, meaning he actually takes Gym seriously.”

“Agreed,” Twilight. “Mister Crunch wasn't the most... inspiring gym teacher.” Twilight looked at Sunset, who seemed to be staring off into space. “Gaia to Sunset? Anyone home?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry.”

“What were you looking at?” asked Rainbow.

“You girls know anything about Dawn Forge?” Sunset asked.

“Not much,” said Twilight.

“Guy usually keeps to himself,” said Applejack. “But if he's hanging out with anyone, it's usually that Loli Beats girl.”

“So, they're dating?” asked Rainbow.

“Ah don't think it would be any of our business,” said Applejack. “But no. Ah don't think so. They seem more like long-time friends.”

“Okay. Anything else?”

“His magic is strange,” said Rarity, “and the same can be said about his affinity.”

“How so?” asked Sunset.

“Well, for one thing, during any combat sessions, he seems to be able to… I don't know how to describe it. It's better shown than told.”

“Okay.” Sunset knew this was getting her nowhere. “I'm gonna go talk to him.” The girls all shook and Applejack grabbed Sunset's arm. “What?”

“Is that such a good idea?” Fluttershy asked.

“It's not like I'm going to try to psychoanalyze him. I just want to talk.” As she approached the table, she saw Dawn sitting with Loli as they ate. “Hi,” Sunset said, smiling.

“Sunset!” Loli moved over for her. “What's up?”

“Not much. Just thought I'd sit with you today.”

“Your friends won't mind, will they?” Loli asked.

“Nah,” Sunset replied. “They're cool.”

“Cool. This is Dawn, my childhood friend,” she said, gesturing to Dawn, who sat opposite.

“Point: Applejack,” Sunset thought. “Hi. Nice to meet you,” she said, holding out her hand.

“So, you're the one Loli told me about?” Dawn said.

“Um… I guess so. Is that all you know about me?”

“I know pretty much what everyone else knows.”

“Oh… Um…”

“That's not a bad thing, you know?”

“Oh. Okay.”

Loli looked between the two. “I'm, uh, gonna go get another drink,” she said as she got up with her tray.

“She's not coming back,” Dawn said.

“Really? How do you know?”

“She's been trying to get me to make friends for almost two years now.”

“You don't like making friends? Kinda sound contradictory to your personality.”

“Thanks. It's not that I don't like making friends. I just enjoy my own company.” Dawn was interrupted by the bell going off, signifying the end of lunch and the final lessons of the day. “Well, it was nice meeting you, even if it was just two minutes.”

“Yeah. You two,” Sunset said as they got up and went their separate ways.

“So, what did ya get?” Sunset jumped in surprise at Pinkie’s voice.

“GAH! Pinkie! I've told you to stop doing that!”

“We all have,” said Rarity. “It doesn't seem to to catch on with her.”

“Well?” Rainbow asked.

“Nothing,” Sunset said. “There wasn't enough time to ask any real questions. But he did say he just liked his own company. So I guess he doesn't have anything against anyone.”

“Sounds legit,” said Rainbow.

“Great,” said Twilight. “But we should hurry. We have Mister Creed next.”

“What are we rushing for? The guy's too chill for any kind of formalities,” Sunset said.

“Doesn't mean we should be late.”

“Fine.”





As Dawn headed back to his room, he felt an odd chill run down his spine. That kind of feeling you get when you're being followed. But he kept walking. He would not let anything annoy him during the first week of school.

“Like the camellia,” said a voice. “Silent. Unseen. Unheard. To which all other things are oblivious, it exists in silence. Alone.”

Dawn groaned. “Well, I'm fine with that,” he said to the voice.

“Are you really? Because it seems more like you don't have a choice.”

“Urgh! Give it a rest, Atlas,” Dawn groaned, turning to face the boy behind him. “I can live my own life. I don’t need a self-contradictory imp on my shoulder whispering stuff in my ear.”

“Last time I checked, I was about four inches taller than you,” Atlas said with a grin.

Dawn rolled his eyes and walked away. “Look, if you got a problem with me, get in line.”

Atlas grinned. “I have patience,” he said to himself. “You cannot escape the inevitable.”





Meanwhile, in the teacher’s lounge, Princesses Celestia and Luna and Professors Inkwell, Zecora, and Creed all sat around a large round table. On the top of the table was a 3D rendering of the Everfree Forest, all it's entrances, structures, and paths.

“So, what will we do this year?” asked Creed.

“Last year, we warped them to random locations in the forest,” said Inkwell. “Why not stick with that?”

“Because last year, we wound up having almost five students teleport right in front of some very dangerous creatures,” Celestia pointed out.

“Then why not scout the area and fix the locations away from the creatures?” asked Creed.

“Because we've had situations where students would somehow get a hold of that information and use it to their advantage,” said Inkwell. “Like using it to find the quickest route to the objective.”

“Point taken.” Creed hummed in thought. “What if… We put them to sleep, then drop them off in random locations?” All eyes turned to Creed. “What? No one else is coming up with anything.”

“I know that forest like the back of my hand,” said Zecora, “there will always be danger, no matter where you stand.”

“Zecora speaks the truth,” said Luna. “The Nyctores are bolder than before, even coming out during in the day. And the creatures in the forest will not make achieving their tasks any easier.”

“That's true,” said Celestia, “but this test not only trains them and prepare them for teamwork, it also helps reducing the number of Nyctores in the forest, if that is even possible.”

“They are creatures of darkness,” explained Luna. “Their existence is as constant as the coming of night.”

“True. But-” Celestia was cut off by the sound of her cellphone ringing.

‘Shake your tail ‘cause were here to have a party tonight,
Shake your tail, shake your tail~!’

“I really should remember to turn this thing off during meetings.” She pulled out her phone and answered, completely oblivious to the staring eyes. “Talk to me… Uh-huh… Uh-huh… Yeah… What do you mean? Ah. I see.” Celestia cut the call and turned to face her colleagues. “Well, there are no shortage of surprises.”

“What is it?” Inkwell asked.

“Council wants to know about our plans for the trials. We have a one week deadline.”

“I think that’s plenty of time,” said Creed. “But we’d better get to work.”

“They also said they want to see something less combat oriented.”

“So, I take it having them slay a few Nyctores or fight through a dungeon to retrieve an artifact are out of the question?” Luna asked.

“Well, we can work with those ideas, but they want test that will test them a bit more… mentally, maybe also morally.”

“That shouldn’t be too hard. Wasn’t there a test you had in some files a while back that you never used?”

“Ever since the Nyctores started getting more agressive, more combat-oriented trials and missions have taken priority. But perhaps it’s time to dust off those folders.”

> Shadows and Illusions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset sat with her friends as usual during their break. They were all particularly interested in Sunset’s involvement in the Guardian Trials, which was in less than a month.

“So, the trials are coming up, huh?” noted Applejack. “Got any prefered allies in mind?”
 
“Well, Loli’s apparently happy to be on a team with me, even given my history. Apparently her old teammates left after I… you know…”
 
“Well, she doesn’t seem to have a problem, dear,” said Rarity, “Which is more than I can say for some other inconsiderate jerks.”
 
“I guess…”
 
“Come on, Sunset,” Pinkie exclaimed. “You’re tied with Twilight in magic and could hold your own in a fight against Applejack.”
 
“She does have a point,” said Twilight. “You’re very talented.”
 
“And you’re nice,” added Fluttershy. “Not a lot of people are nice to Hybrids.”
 
Sunset smiled. “Thanks girls.” Suddenly, a phone started ringing.
 
‘Got the music in our hearts; we’re here to blow this thing apart!’
 
“And together we will never be afraid of the dark!” The girls sang along and laughed. Sunset checked and saw it was a reminder.
 
“Oh! Sorry girls. Gotta run. I actually forgot I had to help out in taking in deliveries.”
 
“What deliveries?” asked Twilight.
 
“Mostly school supplies. I’ll catch you all later,” she said, waving goodbye as she walked away.”
 


 
 
Sunset arrived at the back of the school, just outside the storage room where extra supplies were kept. A large truck was just backing up into the room. Normally the school security unloaded the trucks, but students could also volunteer or be called to help with different things, whether it was for the sake of helping or for extra credit depended on what it was.
 
Also in the room were two other students. She already knew Bulk Biceps and Amethyst Star. But it took her a while to get the last girl. She was tall, like competing-with-Applejack tall, standing somewhere between 5’11” and 6’1”, with a slender figure, dark complexion, and killer curves. She had long, curly, bright blonde hair with a purple streak running through it and bright purple eyes to match. She was wearing a white tank top, purple skinny jeans, and black high-tops. On her arm was a band designed with a red and white candy wrapper with a yellow fist in it. She just sat on a crate while the others stood at the entrance as the truck backed in.
 
Sunset waved hello to Amethyst and Bulk, but the last girl just looked blankly passed her, and then looked away. One common fact about Roxy, she wasn’t always as sweet as her name implied. The back of the truck opened and Amethyst pulled out a notepad containing a list of incoming supplies and a pen. Sunset’s hands glowed with magic as she began rearranging the boxes to make room for the new stuff. Bulk proceeded to lift some of the crates out and carry them over to their new spots. Sunset was indeed surprised when she saw Roxy carry out a crate that was about her height. Seeing as she’s President of the Student Council, heavy lifting is the last thing you’d expect from her.
 
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Amethyst walked quickly over to Sunset, who froze, along with the boxes she was levitating. “What do you think you’re doing?”
 
“Um… moving the boxes of notebooks to make space for the practice runes?” Sunset replied unsure.
 
“So you thought you’d move the notebooks next to the practice dummies? Jeez, let there be some kind of order, huh?” Amethyst looked at her notepad while Sunset looked confused. “Okay, there’s a stack of textbooks behind the spare sparring kits. You can put those there.”
 
Sunset rolled her eyes, but complied. Amethyst was always very picky about details and organization, second only to Twilight. Even Rarity wasn’t always this obsessive-compulsive. Once she dropped the boxes, Sunset turned around and was startled by the towering figure of Roxy.
 
“Oh, sorry,” said Rox, which felt odd, considering how cold Sunset thought she was acting earlier. Sunset never really knew Rox, so all her deductions were assumptions.
 
“Oh, no it’s fine,” said Sunset. “I didn’t hear you come up behind me.”
 
“Huh. Weird,” Rox replied. “Normally it’s hard for me to sneak up on people. That’s more of Loli’s thing.”
 
“You know Loli?”
 
“Crazy Goth chick’s been bugging me for years for the fun of it.”
 
Sunset was surprised by this information. Loli was eccentric, to say the least, but Sunset didn’t quite peg her for annoying.
 
“Really? I spoke to her a few times. She doesn’t seem all that bad.”
 
“You obviously haven’t been around her long.”
 
“She’s my roommate.”
 
Rox froze. “May Faust be with you,” she said. Sunset chuckled. Maybe Roxy wasn’t as bad as other stereotypical queen bees.
 


 
 
Trixie stood victoriously, her foot planted on the back of her defeated opponent. “And that, Blossom Forth, is why I am the Great and Powerful Trixie,” she said proudly. The Skyborn’s eyes were still spinning from the beat down.
 
“Humility, Miss Lulamoon,” said Iron Will. The tall man stroked his goatee in thought as he thought through Trixie’s strategies. “Alright then, would else care to make an attempt?” No one moved. Sunset was about to raise her hand, but hesitated. It’s not that she didn’t think she could take Trixie. In fact, she knew she could take down Trixie in ten seconds flat. “Sorry, Rainbow,” she thought. But she just didn’t feel like it. But someone else did.
 
“Why not?” Sunset followed the voice and saw Loli Beats stand up from the bleachers and float slowly down to the center of the gym, facing Trixie as Flitter and Cloudchaser helped lift Blossom’s unconscious body off the floor and to the nurse’s office.
 
“Don’t be too disheartened if you lose to the Great and Powerful Trixie, Skyborn,” Trixie said. “It’s an honor to face her, even if it is to lose.”
 
“Yeah, well I wouldn’t get my hopes up,” Loli said. She bent down and used her hand to draw something into the ground. It was barely visible, but just enough. Loli stepped over it so that she was now standing in front of it and tapped it with her the tip of her foot. The seal began to glow and resembled a heart wearing a pair of headphones. From it, her weapon began to emerge. It appeared to be some sort of blade, about five feet long. The blade was wrapped in the same pink streamers that adorned and flowed from the base of the handle, which looked like the handle of a pair of scissors! Just above the handle was a large black circle with a pink cat face on it. “Summoning spell. This just felt like a good time to practice.”
 
“Well you’d better bring you’re A-game because Trixie won’t hold back simply because you want to try a few new tricks.” Trixie reached into the bag around her waist and whipped out a bunch of cards, which scattered, hanging in the air in front of her. They waited, staring each other down between the cards. But Trixie didn’t have the patience for that.
 
She flung her hands forward, sending a barrage of energized cards flying at Loli with incredible speed. But the Skyborn was unfazed. In fact, she was smiling. She flipped and slipped out of the cards’ path with acrobatic precision and landed back where she started, although teetering a bit on one foot, but ultimately balanced. “So… is it my turn yet?” she asked innocently.
 
Trixie growled and sent wave after wave of cards at her opponent. Loli looked like she was having fun, dodging the cards and began to run around the gym, leaving her weapon behind. Sunset watched, or tried to anyway, as the cards tried to hit the pink blur blitzing around the room. Finally, Loli made an advance, zooming towards Trixie. Just as she got in front of her, she vanished, but suddenly reappeared behind Trixie and pulled her hat down over her eyes, cutting off Trixie’s sight. Trixie pulled her hat back up, irritated that her opponent was toying with her.
 
“Hope you brought sunscreen,” Trixie said, conjuring up a sparking fireball in her hand, “because it’s about to get a bit hot!” Loli found it much harder to dodge the attacks she could actually see coming, mostly because the fireballs expanded after travelling a few feet from Trixie’s hand. Finally, one nailed Loli, sending her flying across the gym and into the wall. “Ha! Trixie warned you not to hold anything back! Maybe now you’d like to demonstrate the special talent of yours that makes you feel so special.”
 
Loli looked up and winced. That hit most likely scorched her shoulder, but that wasn’t going to stop her. She got up holding her right shoulder… and grinned.
 
“If you insist,” she said. This time, a pink aura enveloped her. Trixie got into her fighting stance and pulled out her weapon: a black wand with a moon and star keychain at the end. An array of cards appeared once again. But this time, Loli moved first; and she was faster. There wasn’t a streak of pink; it was more like flashes of pink silhouettes appearing and vanishing. Trixie let loose a storm of cards, which were now rigged to explode on contact. She switched back to the flames, but she would soon regret doing so as Loli had finally reached her weapon. She yanked it out of the ground and swung at the air, creating a massive burst of wind that scattered the fireballs and caused the flame to trail back to Trixie, who blacked them by extending a pink energy whip from the tip of the wand and twirling it to create a shield. She lashed out and wrapped the whip around the blade of the weapon. She did not, however, predict Loli would run around her and wrap her in her own weapon. Trixie struggled to untangle herself as Loli approached, dragging her weapon behind her. She made her swing, but the Trixie vanished, fading away like a mirage.
 
Loli grinned and spotted Trixie behind her, her wand raised over her head with a large, bright pink hammer head shimmering with energy at the tip.
 
“You’re finished,” she said as she brought down the wand… but abruptly stopped. “W-What?” Trixie struggled to move as she stood there, frozen. Loli stood upright and turned to face her opponent.
 
“No. You are,” Loli replied with a playful flick to the head.
 
Sunset was confused. “Why did she stop?” she asked out loud, along with almost every other student… almost.
 
“Y’know, for s showgirl/stage magician, you pay very little attention to detail,” Loli said.
 
Sunset still didn’t see it.
 
“The ground.” Sunset turned and saw Applejack. “Look at the ground,” she said. That’s when Sunset saw it; the black line connecting Loli’s and Trixie’s shadows, which extended as Loli walked away.
 
“What to do, what to do,” Loli said. “Hmmm… so many possibilities…” As she spoke, the shadows began to extend from the ground like black vines. “Hmmm… Nah.” She cut the connection, causing Trixie to jolt forward from the momentum. “Besides, class is over.” As she spoke, the bell rang, signifying the end of the lesson.
 
“Great work today, class,” said Iron Will. “Now, remember, unlike your other classes, this class is all about external work; how much effort you put outside school. So I expect to see you all taking a lot of missions if you want any points in my class. DISMISSED!!!”
 



 
“That was interesting,” Sunset said as she and Harmony changed out for their PE kit. “So that’s what Loli’s ability is.”
 
“Yep,” said Rainbow. “I can’t remember what she called it, but it allows her to manipulate her shadow and do all kinds of crazy stuff with it.”
 
“Wow. Not a good enemy.”
 
“Thing is her shadows can only move so fast on the ground and it takes a bit more focus to control the vine ones,” said Rarity.
 
Sunset pondered this. She now knew Loli’s ability and some of what it could do. Her thoughts on having Loli as a teammate were slowly being reinforced.
 
Later that night, Sunset talked to Loli as she got dinner ready. They took turns and Sunset had chosen to take Friday and Saturday. They were both in the kitchen, which was adjoined to the living room. It was well equipped and even had a small T.V. mounted on the wall; the royal sister had spared no expense, and that didn’t seem to be a problem.
 
“So, was there a particular reason you chose to challenge Trixie?” Sunset asked as she chopped up peppers.
 
“Well, not really,” Loli replied, sitting on the freezer on the other end of the kitchen, sucking on a lollipop. “Just felt like it. Plus, I saw you hesitate when you put your hand up.”
 
“So you figured you’d go in my place?”
 
“Um… well, that wasn’t really my, um… I was just…”
 
“I’m teasing,” Sunset said, giggling.
 
“Oh, hehe. Right.” Loli rubbed the back of her head.
 
“You don’t have to take everything I say so seriously, you know? I’m not always so literal.”
 
“Well, I’m still getting to know the difference.”
 
Sunset smiled. Loli seemed nice enough. So why did Roxy seem to have a problem with her?
 



 
“I think she’s doing rather well,” Rarity said to her friends. The girls sat in their room discussing their friend’s progress. “She seems to have gotten close to Loli. That’s progress.”
 
“True,” Twilight agreed. “But I think she’s still a bit hesitant. She stopped herself from raising her hand to challenge Trixie.”
 
“Speaking of which,” Rainbow interjected, “anyone else feel like Trixie ain’t gonna let that slide?”
 
“Well unless she asks for a rematch, ain’t much she can do, really” said Applejack.
 
“You kidding, right?” Rainbow said. “Trixie’s got a bigger ego that a cumulonimbus cloud. She’s planning something as we speak.”
 
“Rainbow, just because Trixie is a peacock on an ego trip doesn’t mean she’s always going to be up to something,” Twilight said. Then she thought about that for a second and remembered what happened during the Battle of the Bands… “On second thought, maybe we should keep our eyes open. Just in case. I certainly don’t want to be locked up under a stage again.”
 
“Agreed,” they all said in unison.
 



 
Trixie finally arrived back in her room... well, storming in, anyway. She was carrying several bags, which got Sunset and Loli to deduce she had been on some shopping spree.
 
“Hey, Trix,” Loli called out. “Dinner’s in the fridge.” Trixie said nothing and stormed into the study opposite the bedrooms. Loli looked at Sunset and said, “You don’t think she’s still mad at me for beating her today, do you?”
 
“What? Nah,” Sunset replied. Then she thought about it. “But maybe try to keep your distance until this whole thing blows over.”
 
“Good idea.”
 
Meanwhile, Trixie could just about make out what they were saying from the study.
 
“You think this will just blow over?” she said to herself. “No one embarrasses the Great and Powerful Trixie with cheap moves like that and gets away with it. Trixie demands satisfaction!”

Back outside, Loli and Sunset sat by the TV, watching the news.

As of recent, it has been recorded that nyctores attacks have become even more aggressive, some of them going as far as trying to cross town borders. Luckily, the Royal Guard as well as resident mages have been able to keep them out of the towns.

Sunset and Loli watched intently as the network played a recording of Guards armed with assault rifles firing at a Nox Ursa as it tried to cross into a city. Their white armor with gold and blue accents contrasted the extra-dark purple fur of the evil creature.

“Yikes,” Loli said. “And that thing’s just a baby!”

“Yeah,” Sunset replied. “You do not want to see mama bear.”

“Ever wish you took a different path in life?” Loli asked. “Or have you always squeed at the thought of being a battle mage who was assigned to protect her home?”

“Well, I guess at a point all I ever wanted to do was study magic,” Sunset answered. “But as time went on, with timberwolves and nyctores and everything, I think I just decided that maybe I could use what I learned to help people. But…”

“Hm? But what?”

“I guess  got a bit carried away at some point.”

“Hey, Sunset? If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s to never beat yourself up over bad things you made in the past. I mean we’ve all made some bad choices before… like when I thought that it would be a good idea to prank ten of the richest Espers in Chantalot by dumping a vat of chocolate ice cream on them at a dinner party!”

“Um, I don’t think that’s the same thing as trying to turn your school into your personal zombie army,” Sunset said.

“Trust me, Sunset. I’d rather have that on my head than having to deal with snobby jerks who think that the only way for me to reconcile with them was to be their maid for a week… each!”

“Wait, wha-” Sunset couldn’t finish her statement as she tried, and failed, to keep herself from laughing.

“Uh-huh. Yeah. Laugh it up,” Loli said with a grin.

“Wait, did you actually…”

“Nope. Luckily, Princess Celestia found it hilarious and convinced them to let it slide. She was also really grateful that I didn’t hit her. Plus, the chocolate ice cream went pretty well with the chocolate cake at the party. So in the end, I made the princess happy and made myself happy; it was win-win!”

“Well that’s one way to look at it,” Sunset said with a smile. “Is that when she invited you to the school?”

“Nope. That was a year after I got accepted.”

“Wait, really? Wasn’t that a bit risky?”

“Hey, it was risk and reward. Besides, everyone who isn’t a stuck-up government official knows that Princess Celestia loves a good prank. Personally, I think that if she wasn’t a princess, she’d be the greatest prankster in all Etheria!”

“Because she’s an Omnian Archmage?”

“And because she has an appreciation for it!”

“Well, she certainly doesn’t hide during Nightmare Night.”

“Well I didn’t see her last year.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Really? Well, I wasn’t here for it last year, so I wouldn’t even know. But that is odd.”

“Well, I think it had something to do with her dedicating that night to the return of Princess Luna and not wanting to “steal her spotlight” I guess. I mean after being remembered as Nightmare Moon for so long, it wouldn’t be odd to see people cowering behind Celestia.”

“Fair point.” Sunset herself, despite rough nature at the time, would probably also have cowered at the sight of Princess Luna. Thinking about it, they had quite a bit in common. “Were you scared?”

“Well, she is an Omnian Umbramancer with the power to manipulate gravity, darkness, and dreams. Not to mention that her Nightmare form was both hot and scared the pigtails off me. So yeah, I’d get her autograph, then run and hide in an everything-proof bunker!”

Sunset chuckled, but soon realised something Loli said. “Wait, “get her autograph”?”

“Hello? She’s pretty much the Queen of Nightmare Night, which, BTW, is my favorite holiday ever! Of course I’ve got to show my appreciation!”

“Oh… kay....” Sunset was still confused.

“What?”

“Uh… Nothing.”

“You think I’m weird?” Loli asked with a smile.

“What? No! Just… different from most people.”

“Yeah, I get that a lot. Normally people run from the things that go bump in the night. Me? Not so much.”

“Let me guess; you watched too many horror movies as a kid so now nothing scares you.”

“Oh, no. There are still quite a few things that scare me. But I’m generally not afraid of the usual stuff. You know, like spiders and zombies.”

Sunset looked somewhere between absolute confusion and bursting into laughter. Then, a question came to mind. “Hey, do you know Roxy?”

Loli raised an eyebrow. “How can you be in this school and not know Roxy? Wait, did she say something about me?” suddenly, Loli’s expression was one of contained excitement.

“Um… well…” Sunset was wondering how to put it. “She said something about you.”

Loli noticed the hesitation. “Good or bad?”

“Um… I wouldn’t exactly say “bad”, but it wasn’t rea-”

“She said I was a pain in the ass, right?”

“Well, she didn’t use those terms exactly.”

Loli sighed. “Yep. Figured.”

Sunset was worried at how Loli sank back in her chair. “What does she have against you? In my experience, you’re a pretty nice person.”

“Yeah, well…” Loli sighed. “You know how sometimes you want someone you look up to to notice you, so you do something a little bit… overboard?”

“Oh, yeah. I’ve had a few of those in my life.” A memory flashed through Sunset’s min; the image of a giant hole in the side of the royal banquet hall!

“Yeah. Turns out I only got one strike with her before striking out.”

“What did you do? Mess up her hair?” Sunset joked. But she stopped smiling when she saw Loli fidgeting. Sunset’s eyes shot open. “No…”

Loli laughed sheepishly. “I know everyone knows never to mess with her hair, but…”

“Jeez. How bad was it?”

Loli gave a sheepish smile. “Well, turns out she’s not so big on fades or mohawks… or anything that requires her to cut her hair lower than a couple inches.”

“You did- How are still alive?!” Sunset said, her surprise growing.

“To be perfectly honest…” Loli answered sheepishly, “I have no idea. Nurse Redheart herself was surprised that all I got was two broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and a major concussion!”

“Well, now I know I don’t want to see her sour side.”

“No,” Loli said. “No you do not.”

> The Ghost in the Halls
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was finally Saturday: the other holy day for students! Sunset opened her eyes to see the sunlight peering through a crack between the curtains. She smiled to herself as the warmth stroked her face. She stretched out her arms as she heard birds chirping outside by the window. The Fall breeze rustled the tree leaves, but it wasn't too cold. Not yet anyway. She closed her eyes to continue enjoying the moment. All seemed right with the world.
 
Obviously, it didn't last.
 
“What the hell is THAT!!!” Sunset’s eyes shot open at the loud yell.
 
“I should be asking that,” Sunset said to herself as she looked at the wall clock in the room. She got of bed and walked out of the bedroom into the living room, still wearing her pajamas. “What's going on here?” She asked as she entered the common area. “It's 8:45 on a Saturday…” Her trail of thought was disturbed, partially by her brain still trying to boot, partially from the large sound system that Loli stood next to. Trixie was staring at the large speakers, which towered over all of them at about seven feet and was about three feet wide.
 
“What does it look like, Trixie?” Loli asked, rhetorically. “It's our new sound system!”
 
“What did you do? Steal it?!” Trixie asked. “And how did you even get it here?!”
 
“You know, Trixie, I'm not a broke,” Loli deadpanned. “But if you must know, I preordered it a few days ago and they said it would be coming in last night. But… I wanted to surprise you guys. So I got up super early and went to the store to pick it up. As for how I carried it here, I got help from a friend.”
 
Trixie looked at the set from top to bottom. “Well… It's not bad. But I'm sure it's not the most expensive one there!”
 
“Well, no doy,” Loli said, making a goofy face. “The most expensive one is out of our combined budget!”
 
“Well, I think that was really nice of you,” said Sunset.
 
“Aw! Thanks! We really do need a new system. The current one has too much static!”
 
“Yeah.” Then, a sudden realization hit Sunset. “Um, Loli? You're still in your pajamas.”
 
“Yeah,” the girl replied. “And?”
 
“Wait, did you go twenty minutes into town wearing your pajamas?”
 
“Um… Well… Y’see…” Loli, unlike Sunset, did not wear regular pajamas. Hers consisted of a small, black t-shirt with a cat on it and pink short shorts; not very modest. “Look, we all make mistakes.”
 
“How long did it take you to figure out?”
 
“Um… When we got to the shop,” she said, averting eye contact. “I was in a hurry.”
 
“I wish I had gotten a photo,” said Trixie. “Comedy gold! Front page of the school paper for the next week!”
 
“Keep dreaming, Trixie! As if I'd let myself get caught like that!”
 
“The day you slip up,” Trixie continued, summoning a camera to her hand, “Trixie will be there to get it!”
 



 
Dawn remained in bed, staring at the ceiling. It was one of those days; he didn't want to get up.
 
“Dude! Come on,” he heard Thunderlane calling. “Are you coming or not?”
 
“Thunder, trust me. I want to go,” Dawn answered. “But my body doesn't feel like doing anything that requires me to leave this position.”
 
“Fine. Guess you won't mind me borrowing your scarf and-” Before Thunderlane could reach out for the rounded cloth hanging on Dawn's bed, a blur of yellow and blue whizzed past him, taking the scarf with it. Thunderlane grinned to himself. “Works every time.”
 
Thunderlane, Dawn, and the last boy, known as Bulk Biceps, or simply Bulk, headed out and were looking around the streets of Chantalot. They stopped just outside a shop that sold sports equipment. Thunderlane and Bulk looked excited, Dawn less so; he wasn’t really into sports… not normal ones, anyway.
 
“Have fun with that,” Dawn said, taking off as the other two entered the store. He made his way to Joe’s Donuts, one of the best, if not the best, pastry shop in the city, well known for its, you guessed it, doughnuts.
 
Dawn walked in and met a rather full room. It was normal for people to hang out here during their free time. The man behind the counter was fairly tall and wore a white shirt with a red band around the bottom, brown pants, and grey shoes. He had rather messy orange hair under a white hat and green eyes.
 
“Well, well, well,” the man said. “Dawning Forge, that you?”
 
“It’s just Dawn, Joe,” the boy replied.
 
“If you say so,” Joe said. “What can I get’cha?”
 
“Six Lemon Crunch, as usual, with the extra… something, six Strawberry Sundowns, and one grandѐ Ice Mocha.”
 
“Coming right up,” Joe said, disappearing into the kitchen. Not too long later, Dawn walked out of the shop with a bag in one hand and his drink in the other. He sipped his drink as he continued roaming the streets, looking into shops and just enjoying the peaceful Saturday morning while it lasted.
 
“Well, look who it is.” Dawn sighed. Something told him to keep walking. Something stronger made him turn around. Behind him was Blueblood, wearing a fashionable white shirt with a black vest, black pants and shoes, and his sheathed weapon hanging on a belt on his waist.
 
“Hello, Blueblood,” Dawn said, unusually warmly.
 
“Is that any way to great your superiors?” Blueblood said with a grin.
 
“Well, it’s all you’re getting out of me,” Dawn said as he turned around and walked away.
 
“Oh, is it now?” Blueblood vanished in a flash of royal blue light and reappeared in front of Dawn, blocking his path. Dawn in turn teleported behind Blueblood and continued walking. Blueblood saw this was going nowhere and cast a spell. A compass rose emblem appeared on the back of his hand, as well as beneath Dawn, who suddenly couldn’t move. “We’re not through here.”
 
“Blueblood, I’m not really in the mood,” Dawn growled.
 
“Aw! Does the wittle kitty not wanna pway?” Blueblood mocked. “You either give me the respect I deserve, or face my wrath.”
 
Dawn chuckled. “Me? Face your wrath? Oh forgive me, Prince Vladimir,” he said, in mock respect.
 
Blueblood’s face scrunched up into a snarl. “Tch! What did you call me?”
 
“What? Isn’t that your name? Vladimir?” Dawn felt the spell weaken as Blueblood’s focus was clouded with rage. Blueblood’s hand lit up and fired a bolt of bright blue energy at Dawn. The ground erupted in a display of smoke, dust, and sparks. Dawn, however, shimmered into existence behind Blueblood, completely unharmed. “Wow. Someone’s sensitive.”
 
“Don’t you ever EVER call me that again!” Blueblood’s voice roared through the streets, drawing a few wandering eyes.
 
“Then don’t bug me again,” Dawn said, “because apparently it’s the only way to get away from you.”
 
“Running again?” Blueblood taunted. “That’s all you ever do, you rat!”
 
“Not running, being smart,” Dawn said.
 
“You mean being a coward? I guess like it runs in the family.”
 
Dawn’s calm demeanor faded. He turned slowly to face the blonde. “Say that… one more time.”
 
“What, the part about your bloodline heritage being cowardice? Do I need to? I’ve been in the archives. I know a little bit about your family. Even your sister, the dumb bi-” Blueblood didn’t get the chance to finish as a fist collided with his face and sent him flying across the street.

Dawn stood up straight. “Don’t go there, Blueblood.”
 
Blueblood looked up in shock, a red mark on the point of impact on his face. “How dare you lay your filthy hands on me, you street rat?!”
 
“Talk about my family again, and I’ll do more than that, you pathetic excuse for royalty.”
 
Blueblood was seething. He cried out as he drew his broadsword from its sheath, the golden hilt shimmering with the silver blade as it streaked across the air. Blueblood charged at Dawn, who stood waiting. Roaring, he brought the large blade down. But Dawn caught it… with his bare hands. Blueblood looked confused.

“Now you dare touch this sacred weapon?!”

“How can it be sacred,” Dawn said, pulling his other arm back and lowering his stance, “if you can wield it.” He thrust his palm into Blueblood’s chest, knocking the air out of his lungs and sending him flying back across the street. Dawn walked toward him as he tried to pick up has sword and stand.

Blueblood swung his sword furiously at Dawn, who leaned and ducked to avoid them. He ducked under one swing and got back-to-back with Blueblood, wrapping his arm and Blueblood’s neck and flipping him onto the ground. But Blueblood sent a bolt of energy at Dawn’s chest, knocking him back. Dawn regained his balance in time to dodge another downward slash and countered with a left hook. Blueblood crumpled to the floor and couldn’t get up, seeing as Dawn was holding his head down.

“You think I can’t fight you just because I don’t?” Pulling by his hair, Dawn flung Blueblood several feet into the air with very little effort. In a shimmer, he appeared right above Blueblood. “Don’t be dense!” He delivered a rib-cracking punch, sending him crashing into the ground. Dawn floated slowly to the ground and stood over the crater. “And don’t pick fights you can’t win.” He turned around and walked away. He glanced down and saw the items he bought sprawled on the pavement. “Fan-freaking-tastic.”
 



 
Loli, Sunset, and Trixie all stood among the crowd, watching the fight. Sunset was the most dazed.
 
“He didn’t even draw his weapon,” she said. “How does he move like that?”
 
“Nobody knows~” Loli said in a fake spooky voice.
 
“Trixie didn’t see anything quite so impressive,” Trixie said. “It’s not like Blueblood is the best fighter in the school.”
 
“Well, he’s… decent,” Sunset said, struggling to find the right word to classify the boy’s mediocrity without sounding too harsh. Loli didn’t seem to worry about that.
 
“You kidding? He sucks! He’s all bark and no bite! The guy just barely knows how to swing a sword for Faust sake!”
 
“On that we agree,” Trixie said.
 
“And yet, I remember you having a crush on him at some point…”
 
Trixie turned red. “Wait, wha- No! Of course not! Why would Trixie aim so- … Say a word about that and Trixie will have your head!”
 
Loli watched as Dawn walked away from the scene. “I’ll be right back,” she said, walking off in the same direction. Soon enough, she caught up with Dawn. “Hey-O!” Dawn turned and waved back, waiting for her to catch up. “What’s up? You okay?”
 
“Yeah,” Dawn replied. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
 
“Well, considering Blueblood actually got you to fight him again, I figured he must've said something really stupid.”
 
“How would that set me off? ‘Stupid’ is his first language!”
 
Loli giggled, but soon looked worried again. “You sure you’re okay?”
 
“I’m fine,” Dawn said. “I’ll see you later. Gotta meet up with Thunder and Bulk.”
 
“Alright, if you say so.” Loli still wasn’t convinced, but let him go. She knew better than to push her luck with Dawn.
 
She met up with Sunset and Trixie, who were still at the scene, where Blueblood shrugged off any and all assistance from those around him and dragged himself away, boiling with anger.
 
“Well, this isn’t going to die down anytime soon,” said Sunset. She looked to Loli and asked, “How’s Dawn doing?”
 
“He’s fine,” Loli said, still not convinced. Sunset could hear it in her voice.
 
“Uh-huh.”
 
Trixie groaned. “Trixie is bored! She thought we were going shopping!”
 
“Alright, alright! Yeesh!”
 


 
 
Monday morning was like Monday morning for every high school student: you knew you had to get out of bed, but you just couldn’t bring yourself to move and your brain wasn’t even trying to encourage you. Sunset was experiencing this. As much as she loved learning, she didn’t quite share Twilight’s enthusiasm for getting up at six in the morning. She groaned as she finally managed to drag herself out of her bed. She could feel her hair sprawled in every possible direction! She looked up and saw Loli fast asleep, her mouth open, snoring quietly, with one leg hanging over the barricade of the top bunk.
 
“Hey, Loli, wake up,” Sunset said, shaking the girl carefully.
 
Loli mumbled something, but all Sunset got was, “… minutes…”
 
Sunset figured she’d go take a shower, and then come back out to check on her. Trixie seemed to have gotten a head start as she stood in front of her wardrobe, draped in a towel, trying to figure out what she would wear that day.
 
Sunset went in and as she took off her pajamas, she noticed something weird. “Trixie?” she called. “Did you move my stuff?”
 
“Maybe she did,” Trixie called back. “Trixie does need her space for all her beauty products.” She poked her head into the bathroom. “This doesn’t just happen, you know,” she said, motioning to her face. “But no… not today, anyway.”
 
Sunset rolled her eyes and used her telekinesis to shut and lock the door. It was wonderful being an Esper. Once she was done in the bathroom, she went back to the room, where Loli was still fast asleep, only this time she was hanging upside-down with only her lower legs holding the bed. Sunset looked around and saw her headphones hanging on the corner of the bed. She placed them over Loli’s ears and linked it to her own phone. She scrolled through her songs and selected I’ve Got the Music in Me. Turning it up to max volume, it didn’t take long before Loli was bobbing her head to the beat, and soon enough was singing along.
 
“Find the music in your heart,
Let the music make you start,
To set yourself,
Apart!”
 
With that she literally jumped out of bed and hovered for a moment before slowly descending to the ground. “Thanks, Sunset,” she said as she stretched. “I needed that. How’d you know that would work?”
 
“To be honest, I didn’t,” Sunset said with a sheepish smile. “I was just hoping the loud music would jolt you awake.”
 
“Well, you were half right,” Loli said smiling back before leaving to get ready.
 




Dawn yawned as he tried to focus on what Professor Creed was saying. All he was getting was bits and pieces of information and the rotating 3D image of what appeared to be the symbols of the three main types of mages.
 
“Dawn?” Dawn’s eyes shot open at the sound of his name. “Are you with us today?” A low laugh echoed through the classroom, with Dawn himself laughing.
 
“Yes, Professor,” Dawn replied, chuckling with the class.
 
“Then would you mind explaining the three types of mages and their gifts?”
 
Dawn composed his thoughts before speaking. “The Espers, who possess the Magic of the Unicorn, allowing them cast powerful spells and manipulate magic energy for a variety of uses; the Skyborn, who possess the Wings of the Pegasi, can manipulate their magic to project wings that grant them flight and possess unrivalled speed and prowess in elemental magic; Gaians, who possess the Strength of the Earth, which grants the unmatched physical attributes, as well as an affinity for earth and nature magic.”
 
“Very good,” said Creed. “But I think information stays better while you’re awake.” Dawn nodded as another low laugh went through the class. “Twilight? Care to give a brief explanation as to how these races came to be?”
 
“Each race was made when Faust, the Architect of Etheria, took the power of each mystical pony and granted one power to select humans. They, in turn, taught their skills to those who possessed each respective gift, and thus the teachings were passed down until it became first nature.”
 
“Very good, Twilight,” Creed said. “Lyra? Are those all that exist in the world?”
 
“No,” Lyra replied. “There are other races that exist such as Harpies, who were gifted by griffins, Drakes, who were gifted by dragons and a still unknown number of other races, not to talk of hybrids, such as-”
 
BRRRRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNGGGGG!!!
 
“That will be all, class,” Creed said as the students packed up. “Remember, your first assessment will be coming up next week, so study hard.”
 
“Bored?” Dawn looked up and saw Loli standing in front of him. “Or did you just not sleep?”
 
“Bored, I think,” he replied as he got up and they walked out.
 
“So, how’ve things been with Blueblood?”
 
“I’m waiting for the moment he tries to sucker punch me,” Dawn replied. “I give it a few more days.”
 
“Probably. I’m waiting on Trixie.” Loli suddenly stopped. “That reminds me, I need to go meet up with Vinyl Scratch. She said she found the hookups I was looking for to fit the new sound system.”
 
“Cool. Catch ya later.” As they went their separate ways, Sunset noticed Dawn alone.
 
“Now’s my chance,” she thought as she approached. “Hi.” Dawn turned and waved back. “How are you?”
 
“Not bad,” he replied.
 
“Saw what happened with Blueblood on Saturday. You okay?”
 
“Never better, to be honest.”
 
“You sure? You two are in the same room.”
 
“Even he’s not dumb enough to wake me up in the middle of the night,” he said with a grin.
 
“Oh.” Sunset wasn’t sure what else to ask, so she sifted through the flashcards in her head. “So, um, you and Loli? How long have you known each other?”
 
“What's it to you?” Dawn asked.
 
“Oh, just, um, curious.”
 
“Curiosity killed the cat.”
 
Sunset was a bit surprised. It wasn’t obvious, but she could sense the venom in his voice. “So is that a no?” She asked with a sheepish smile. Dawn just walked off. “Dammit.”
 


 

Celestia sat in her office, groaning as sifted through files and documents on her computer. She hated paperwork of any kind. She preferred the good old days when she was out there fighting herself. She still could, but between being a Princess and managing the school, upon several other important duties, there simply wasn’t any time. Then there was a knock on her door.
 
“Praise Mother, a distraction!” She straightened up and said, “Come in.”
 
The door opened and Luna walked inside. “Good afternoon, sister,” she said. “You said you wanted to see me whenever I was free today?”
 
Celestia smacked herself mentally; she’d almost forgotten. “Oh, yes. Come in.”
 
Luna closed the door and grinned. “You forgot, didn’t you?”
 
“Hey! We all make mistakes!” Luna laughed as Celestia groan. Picking up the phone, Celestia hit the speed dial. “Raven, be a dear and bring me the files I’d asked for earlier, will you? Thanks.”
 
“What’s this about?” Luna asked as Celestia dropped the phone.
 
“Luna, you know I’m all about the students, right?”
 
“Of course. Has anyone said otherwise?”
 
“No… not yet.” There was another knock on the door. “Come in.”
 
The person who came in was a young lady in her mid-twenties with black hair and eyes wearing a white shirt with a short, purple tie, black skirt, and black low heels. She had her hair tied into a bow with a dark purple ribbon. She walked over and handed the files over to Celestia and said, “Is that all?”
 
Celestia opened the brown booklets and waved through the contents. “Yes, that’s it. Thank you.” Raven bowed respectfully before exiting the room.
 
Luna looked at the file’s labeling. “Those are student files. Celestia, what’s going on?”
 
“Luna? You remember all the students we asked personally to come in?” Luna nodded. “Have you taken an interest in any of them?”
 
“Quite a few, actually,” Luna replied. “They all have so much talent just waiting to be let out.”
 
Celestia laid one of the files down in front of Luna, who picked it up and looked through it. “Sunset Shimmer?”
 
“Outstanding student, both before and… after her… mistakes,” Celestia said. “Good in class, a slight rebel, but she is a teenager. In the past year she’s done everything possible to make up for her wrongs and personally I think she succeeded.”
 
“You took her in many years ago, Celestia. Why bring her up now?”
 
Celestia handed Luna the other file. Luna looked through it. “Dawning C. Forge… This is the boy you brought in about four year ago?”
 
“Five years, actually,” Celestia corrected.
 
“And?”
 
“Luna, in those five years, do you know how many friends he’s made?” Luna waited for the answer. Her first guess was- “Zero.” Luna stared in disbelief.
 
“What? But the girl he’s always with…”
 
“Loli Beats? They already knew each other from their less… glorious days.”
 
Luna looked at the file. “So… he’s made no meaningful relationships with any other student?”
 
“Nothing outside schoolwork, no.”
 
Luna looked at the picture; it did not look like the face of a loner. “So, what exactly brought this up?”
 
“Personally, I’m worried. Apparently, something happened over the weekend and he literally beat Blueblood into the ground.” Luna looked shocked for a moment. “He’s fine, though.”
 
“Although, Celestia, I must admit, he probably got what was coming to him,” said Luna. “Forgive me if I speak out of turn, but your nephew is a, how do you say… jackass.”
 
“Well he’s your nephew too, but I can’t argue,” Celestia said. “And I had warned him that he would receive no special treatment from me. But it worries me.”
 
“Sister, you can’t force someone to make friends.”
 
“I know. But you’ve seen his record? His history? I don’t think it’s safe for anyone like that to have only one friend in their life.”
 
“Even if that friend is one he would trust with his life?” Luna asked.
 
“I’m not sure if he even trusts her that much.”
 
“Celestia, you are overreacting,” Luna said. “But if you want, I can keep an eye on the boy for about a week and see what I come up with.”
 
“I would be forever grateful.”
 
Luna grinned. “You still owe me several eternal favors.”
 
“Luna, we’ll balance our accounts later.”
 
“You said that three year ago!”
 
“Um… really? I don’t recall- BYE!” Celestia vanished in a flash of golden light, leaving Luna sitting in midair alone in the room.
 
“I hate when she does that.”
 


 

Later that night, Sunset lay awake, staring at the bottom of the bed above her, hoping she hadn’t somehow blown her chances of making friends with Dawn. As she rolled around, she couldn’t help but feel she might have tried going to deep too soon.
 
“I’ll apologize tomorrow,” she thought as she rolled on her side and closed her eyes. She began to drift.
 
She was in a field of pink and red, surrounded by flowers, roses specifically, of all shades and shapes. A calm breeze blew past her. She felt more at peace at that moment than at any moment in her entire life. And it wasn’t the first time either. But as always, it never lasted.
 
From the dream, she could hear an unnatural shuffling sound, less like grass moving in the breeze and more like dry leaves being crushed. She looked around and saw nothing, just endless fields of grass. But slowly, the dream began to melt away.
 
Sunset woke up slowly, the wall her bed was next to being the first thing she saw. She heard a shuffling, but ignored it, thinking it was Trixie or Loli moving in their sleep. She rolled over, trying to get comfortable and opened her eyes a bit. She could see Trixie, half-covered by her blanket fast asleep, her magic items sprawled across the floor next to her bed, and a shadow. Sunset closed her eyes again… until it finally clicked. Opening her eyes again, Sunset saw it was not a shadow, but a silhouette. There was someone else in that room, looking through Trixie’s bag. Initially thinking it was Loli planning a prank on Trixie, Sunset reached up slowly and pushed against the top bunk; she could feel some weight there. She looked back at the figure; it wasn’t Loli.
 
Finally, the figure realized it was being watched. It stopped moving and just remained crouched on the floor, motionless. Then in a flurry of black, it popped one of Trixie’s smoke bombs and used the cover to take off.

“HEY!!!” Sunset reacted instantly, throwing off the covers and jumping out of bed, hurling a bolt of teal energy at the doorway. The loud noise of energy smashing the door frame jolted both Trixie and Loli awake.
 
“What the hell was that?!” Trixie cried, startled by the noise.
 
“Jeez, not so loud,” Loli groaned, rolling in her bed.
 
As Trixie was about to make a smart comeback, she heard the main door slam open, also noticing that Sunset wasn’t in her bed.
 
“Shimmer?”
 
Sunset ran as fast as she could, chasing after the shadowy figure. Unfortunately for her, she didn’t quite have the stamina of Applejack or Rainbow. So instead of trying to catch up, she hurled bolt after bolt of magic, trying to knock her evader off balance and slow them down. The shadowy figure ducked and winded and swiveled through each of the attacks, seemingly without losing momentum. It took a hard left and Sunset just missed it, striking the wall at the bend. She cursed and teleported right in front of the corridor and continued after the figure. It slid to its side, aiming to take another turn.
 
“Oh no you don’t,” Sunset said she teleported again and reappeared right at the corner. Using the edge and a pivot, she launched herself around the corner and slammed into the figure, knocking it on its back. “Got’cha!”
 
“You sure did.”
 
Sunset’s look of victory turned into one of disappointment as she noticed the mop of messy amber hair. Then blue eyes. Then the rest of Dawn, pinned under her weight.
 
“Ohmygoodness! I’m so, so sorry!” Sunset immediately got up and helped him to his feet.
 
“Don’t worry about it,” Dawn said. “I have that clumsy luck of literally running into people… and people running into me. Or was this payback for something I might have unknowingly down to offend you?” he added.
 
“What? No,” Sunset said defensively. “Wait, did you see anyone come through here?”
 
“If they did, I probably didn’t see them with you tackling me,” Dawn said.
 
“Again, sorry about that,” Sunset said. “And I’m sorry if I pried too deep earlier. I just-”
 
“Don’t worry about it,” Dawn said. “I don’t hold grudges.”

“So… we’re cool?” Sunset asked, holding out her hand.
 
Dawn looked at it for a moment. “Yeah, sure,” he said, shaking it.

> Alliance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset’s mind was not at rest. She could just barely keep her focus during class. Her mind wandered back and forth between the holographic 3D image of the first rune-infused items in history and the shadowing figure that she saw the night before.

“Am I boring you, Miss Shimmer?” Inkwell asked.

Sunset bolted upright, snapping out of her daze. “Um, no, of course not, Professor Inkwell,” she said.
 
“Then what reason do you have to be dozing off during my class? Did you not sleep well last night?”
 
Sunset thought the question through. It wasn’t easy going back to sleep after what she saw. Her mind was still spinning with questions-
 
“Miss Shimmer!” Sunset’s fluttering eyes shot open again as a low laugh echoed through the room. Inkwell shook her head and continued.
 
After class, however, Twilight approached Sunset. “Hey, you don’t look so good. Something happen?”
 
“No… well, yeah, kinda,” Sunset said. “But I don’t know what, exactly.”
 
“Well, it must’ve been something if it didn’t let you sleep,” said Twilight. But they decided to wait until after Math.
 
Finally, it was lunch and Sunset sat down with Team Harmony to talk.
 
“So what’s this all about, Sugarcube?” asked Applejack.
 
“Well, last night, I saw this weird… thing in our room. It was looking through Trixie’s bag,” Sunset explained.
 
“Wow. Must either be desperate or has really bad taste,” said Rainbow. “What was it looking for?”
 
“No idea. But it was all black. I couldn’t even see any eyes.”
 
“It was a she.” Everyone turned to look at Pinkie.
 
“That’s a bold accusation, Pinkie. Especially considering you didn’t even see the person.”
 
“True,” Pinkie replied. “But the Internet’s been on fire about it for a while now! She’s the local school mystery!”
 
“Not this again,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes.
 
“Wait, not what now?” Sunset asked confused.
 
“Well, last year, students were sending in complaints about missing items: books, clothes, runes, tomes; among other things,” Twilight explained.
 
“They never found the missing things?”
 
“No,” Twilight replied. “No one knows who took them. No one even saw anyone take them. Everyone started blaming each other until quite a few people started reporting seeing something at night carrying their stuff away.”
 
“Everyone calls her The Phantom Thief,” stated Pinkie, “But no one knows who she really is.”
 
“Again, Pinkie, how is it a she?” Rarity asked. “You never reported anything stolen.”
 
“Nope,” Pinkie replied. “But I have a hunch. She’s also got a really flat chest.”
 
“Uh…” No one knew how to respond to that.
 
“Well, I didn’t get a chance to “check out” her curves, so I wouldn’t know,” said Sunset.
 
“That sounded so wrong,” said Rainbow.
 
“I know,” Sunset said, hiding behind her hair.
 
“Have you told Princess Celestia?” asked Fluttershy.
 
“No,” Sunset said. “Not yet.”
 
“You probably should, dear,” said Rarity.
 
“Agreed,” said Applejack. “Maybe she could have some guards look into it.”
 
“I guess so,” Sunset said.
 
“I’m sure everything will turn out fine,” said Fluttershy.
 




“I’m sure everything’ll be fine,” Loli said as she and Dawn made their way to Gym class.
 
“Look, Loli, I don’t think it’s such a good idea,” Dawn replied.
 
“Since when is having friends not a bad idea?”
 
“Well, I got you.”
 
“Awww! That’s sweet! But you can’t isolate yourself from everyone else.”

Dawn groaned. During class, Iron Will came through the gym door carrying what looked like a pyramidal structure almost as big as a footstool in one arm and an orb just as big in the other. He set the pyramid down, after which some runes began to glow on the sides, then balance the orb on the tip, after which it began to float.
 
“All right,” he said. Although he didn’t shout, his voice was still naturally pretty loud. “Today, I’m going to be gauging your physical capabilities.” He tapped the orb. “This is called a Hit Register. It gauges the energy in your attack and produces a value according to the strength. Now this test is only for your physical strength, seeing as not all of you have offensive magic abilities. Now, I suggest you put everything you’ve got into your hit to get the best possible score you can because you only get one shot and your score will also determine what missions you can and can’t go on… and if you get to go on any at all.” Echoes of students saying, “Wait, what?” rippled through the room.
 
“Well, of course,” said Iron Will with a smirk. “If you can’t at least land a decent blow against a foe like a Timberwolf, do you expect to take a mission that may or may not involve an Ursa? Now, we’ll start from the people farthest behind.”
 
The first one up was Thunderlane, who was standing at the far back of the class. He walked forward towards the device and took a deep breath. Then, a pair of ethereal gray wings shot out of his back and propelled him forward at tremendous speed, adding enough power to his kick that there was a slightly visible ripple upon impact. The red runes glowed brightly as they calculated the power in Thunderlane’s kick. On the orb, a counter began rolling and when it stopped, it registered a value which Iron Will read out loud.
 
“354,” said the coach. Everyone gasped, but then they all realized something: without anything to compare it to, they had no idea how high that was. Seeing this, Iron Will said, “That’s the equivalent force of a tackle from a griffin at top speed.” Students flocked around to congratulate Thunderlane on hearing this. “NEXT!”
 
As each student went, Iron Will recorded their score on a tablet. Every student got above a 200, although some of them were given a second chance due to an unavoidable derp of straight-up missing the device altogether!
 
As Applejack stepped up to the device, the rest of the class stepped back. She grinned as she turned so her back was to the Register. She crouched and planted her hands on the ground. Everyone else braced themselves, holding onto something or someone else. Finally, she raised her legs and kicked back. The blow was strong enough to produce a shockwave that knocked most of the students back and knock a few others down.
 
Applejack beamed proudly yet humbly, as Iron Will announced her score, “847.”
 
“Ain’t nothin’,” she said as she walked back to her team, high-fiving Rainbow Dash, who had gotten a 343, and that was without much of a running start.
 
“NEXT!”
 
Up next was a somewhat dark-skinned girl with long, curly blond hair with a purple streak tied back into a fluffy bun wearing a purple sports bra and black track bottoms. Sunset remembered her: Rox Candy. She stepped up to the Register and smirked. Wasting no time, she leaned back to gather momentum and nailed the Register with an overhead swing. The force rattled the ground, although not as much as Applejacks, but still enough to topple a good number of students. Sunset was shocked at the outcome: “821,” said Iron Will.
 
She’s almost as strong as AJ?! Sunset was impressed. Rox walked back to her spot, where a group of student council members were waiting to congratulate her.
 
“NEXT!” Up next was Loli, who got a 462 with her shadow-infused punch. Then, Dawn. Sunset was eager to see exactly what kind of power he had. Judging by his fight with Blueblood, who was nowhere to be seen during this class, she estimated him at over 400. She was a little bit off. Dawn’s punch registered a surprising 683; that’s almost 150 points higher than her! Even she didn’t expect a value that high!
 
Once everyone had gone, Iron Will put down the final values. “Okay, looks like you all made the cut,” he said. “But I’m gonna need to give a few of you a promotional test just to be sure you’re ready.”
 




At the end of the day, Sunset was heading back to her dorm room when she saw Roxy walking towards the school gate. As if she could feel Sunset looking at her, Roxy turned around to look at Sunset, who waved to her. Sunset’s heart sank a little when Roxy responded by sticking her nose up, turning back around, and walking away; not so much as a smile.
 
Sunset was confused, wondering if she may have done something to unknowingly upset her. Maybe something from her… past mistakes that Roxy just came to realize? She pondered this all the way back to her room, where Loli was still installing the system.
 
“Hey, Sunset, I might need some help,” Loli said, trying to untangle the lengths of wire tangled in her hair. But Sunset didn’t respond. “Hello? Gaia to Sunset, do you read?” Loli could see she was very distracted. She looked around for something to get Sunset’s attention and found the TV remote… and threw it at her.
 
“Ow!” Sunset rubbed the side of her head where the remote hit and glared at Loli. “What was that for?”
 
“I was trying to get your attention, but you didn’t notice,” Lolli replied. “Sorry.”
 
Sunset sighed. “No, it’s fine. I was just a bit distracted.”
 
“Ya don’t say. What’s up?”
 
“I… It’s nothing. What did you need help with again?”
 
Loli wanted to insist, but rethought. Instead, she held up the streams of wire caught in her hair.
 
“Wha- How?”
 
Loli gave a sheepish smile. “I’m as surprised as you. I’m usually way better at this stuff.”
 




Meanwhile, Blueblood seethed in his room, but not his room in the school. As a member of the royal house, he had an exclusive suite in Chantalot Castle; not like Celestia was doing anything with them.
 
His mind was a mess; Dawn had humiliated him. Worst of all, he dare to touch his royal blade, a blade the other student would kill just to see him unsheathe. He intended to satisfy his vengeance, and unlike most students, he didn’t simply try to prank them or mess with their stuff; he went deeper, more personal.
 
As he paced his room, a shadow appeared on his window.
 
“What’s got your bloomers in a bunch?” she asked.
 
Blueblood jumped in surprise at the voice, turning swiftly, ready to draw his sword. The shadow remained unfazed. “How many times have I told you to never sneak up on me?!”
 
“Well, you didn’t exactly call me because of my lack of restraint, did you?” she replied.
 
Blueblood growled and let go of his sword. “Well?”
 
“Well what?”
 
“How much?”
 
“Kid, I doubt you could afford my services per minute,” she said, sitting on the windowsill.
 
“Do you know who I am?” Blueblood said, insulted. “I am Prin-”
 
“Don’t…” said the figure, putting what looked like a long needle, as along as a rapier, to Blueblood’s neck to silence him. The silver weapon shimmered in the moonlight. “If there’s one thing I hate more than anything, it’s people flashing their fancy titles at me, or anyone else at that. It’s not like the whole Planet doesn’t already know you. Also, it doesn’t quite care, so why should I give a damn?”
 
“Just… making a point,” Blueblood said, mustering as much courage as he could. “Besides, I doubt our ages are that far apart.”
 
The figure stared at him for a moment. “Physically, maybe,” she said, hiding the weapon behind her again in one swift movement. “But mentally, you’re just a runt.”
 
“Tch!” If he didn’t need her services at this moment, he’d decapitate her where she stood… or at least try to. “How… Much?” Blueblood said through gritted teeth.
 
The shadow looked up in thought. “Hmmm… well, considering what you’re having me do, I’d say… 3000 per night should be fairly generous.”
 
“”Three thou-” Blueblood calmed himself before he could scream in outrage. “F-Fine. Be here by 10:37PM sharp. Any later and you don’t get paid.”
 
“Oooh, acting tough now, are we?” she said mockingly. “Just remember who’s actually doing all the heavy lifting here.” With that, she shifted back and dropped off the windowsill.
 
Blueblood didn’t quite care what her move was after falling. He had other things to attend to; figuring out how to humiliate Dawn, to get as far under his skin as possible until he begs Blueblood to make it go away. And a cold grin crept across the boy’s face as an idea crept into his mind.
 




Sunset sat on her bed, staring at the bedroom door as she had all night. Her eyes were practically bloodshot and the only reason she wasn’t on the verge of crashing was the cup of thick, black coffee in her hands. She looked at the clock and saw it was time to get up. As usual, she pulled Loli’s headphones over her ears and played a song on the highest volume until Loli practically danced herself awake!
 
“Morning, Sunset,” she said with a yawn. “How did you sle-” The moment she saw Sunset’s eyes, she knew to changed her question. “Better question: did you sleep?”
 
Sunset groaned. “Nope,” she said, sipping her coffee, cringing at the bitter taste.
 
Loli was very confused as to why anyone wanted to stay up all night. She knew she did sometimes, but that was for an entirely different reason. “You’re gonna need a lot of sugar to get that taste to go away,” said Loli.
 
But the words didn’t register. Sunset’s brain could barely register that she was even awake.
 
At school, it wasn’t any better. Sunset had stayed at the very back of the class just to escape the eyes of their teacher, Professor Creed.
 
By lunch time, her friends were worried. She was practically ready to fall asleep in her food; only her arms kept her from face-planting
 into the plates of mashed potatoes.
 
“Should we do something?” asked Fluttershy.
 
“Not sure if anything we do is gonna have any effect,” Applejack said, poking Sunset.
 
Twilight looked around the cafeteria and caught sight of someone who she thought could help.
 
“Hey, Loli?” she called out as the girl passed by them.

“Whaddup?” Loli replied, walking over to their table.
 
“Did Sunset sleep last night?” Twilight asked.
 
“Nope,” Loli replied. “No idea why, though. Said she was waiting for something, but she wouldn't give any details other than that.”
 
Twilight was worried. If this had something to do with the shadow Sunset saw the night before, she knew Sunset’s stubbornness would get the better of her.
 
“You guys are her best friends,” Loli said. “She must’ve told you something.”
 
“Well, she said something about seeing a shadow rummaging through stuff in your room,” Rainbow said. “Well, when she was awake, anyway.”
 
“Huh? I probably wasn't awake for that part, but Trixie was going on about her blowing off a chunk of the door and disturbing her sleep. Any idea what’s going on?”
 
“The Phantom Thief is making a comeback!” Pinkie said, matter-of-factly.
 
“Whoa, really?” Loli said, her eyes lighting up.
 
“Don’t tell me you’re buying into that boarding school ghost story,” Twilight said in disbelief.
 
“Hey, deny it all you want. Whoever they are stole my favorite ribbon last year!”
 
“Why would they want to steal a ribbon?” asked Rainbow. “Unless it was made from imported silk, I doubt there’s any value aside from sentimental ones.”
 
“I don’t know,” Loli replied. “Why’d they steal bags? And socks? And lamps? I think it was just a big practical joke, and a prank master myself, I can appreciate it.”
 
“Well except only a few people got back their items,” said Twilight. “Considering nothing’s gone missing, I think someone is just trying to play a huge prank on the school.”
 
At that moment, Sunset yawned as she woke up.
 
“Welcome back to the physical realm,” Loli joked.
 
“Wha… how long was I out?” Sunset asked.
 
“All through lunch,” Applejack replied.
 
“Oh…”
 
“You really don’t seem like the all-nighter type,” said Loli.
 
“Well, I’m usually much better at it,” she joked, making Loli roll her eyes and smile.





By the end of the day, Sunset was ready to crash for the next week! But she couldn’t, knowing that Professor Inkwell hadn’t given their assignment a deadline, meaning she could ask for it tomorrow. So the moment she got back, she went into the study and got to work on her laptop. As she browsed the internet for information on her topic, a news article in her feed caught her attention. She looked through it and saw it was a repost of an old blog about the Phantom Thief.
 


No one knows who it is or why they do it. Most people believe it isn’t even human. But the one thing they know for sure is that they tend to target items of some kind of personal value, no matter how little the value. It has been recorded that almost 100 students reported some item of theirs going missing, random things like their clothing items, school books, and some even reported diaries going missing. The rumor is that they are looking for something. The question remains: what?


 
Sunset closed the article. They had zero information on whoever this was and she didn’t like that. She wondered if the Princesses even knew about it.
 
“Don’t even think about it.” Sunset turned around to see Loli standing at the door.
 
“Do you even know what I’m thinking?” Sunset asked, closing the tab.
 
“Something along the lines of, “Maybe I can catch this creep.” The only thing I can’t figure out is your reason. Are you trying to prove something?”
 
“No,” Sunset replied.
 
“Don’t lie to me, Sunset,” Loli said.
 
“What makes you think I’m lying?”
 
“Your heart rate went up.”
 
“Wait, what?”
 
“I have exceptionally good ears. I can pick up on stuff like that. So, what’s your reason?”
 
Sunset remained quiet. She wasn’t sure how to answer. Was her reason even worth it? Loli shut the door and locked it. Using her finger, she carved a symbol into the door using her magic: a silencing rune.
 
“Talk to me,” Loli said, sitting on the table next to Sunset.
 
Sunset bit her lip. It wasn’t the kind of thing she could tell just anyone, especially not someone she just met a week ago. But then, she took a deep breath.
 
“I just… I just want to do something to help,” she said. “I hate sitting on the sidelines when I know there’s something I can do, especially if it means I can help my friends.”
 
There was a long, awkward silence. Sunset didn’t look up. She didn’t even want to know what expressing Lolli had on her face at that moment.
 
“That… was so cheesy.” Sunset looked up to see Loli smiling. “Seriously? That’s what you're worried about? Jeez, Sunny. For a moment I thought you had some kind of personal vendetta with… whoever this person is.”
 
“Wait, what?” Sunset said, confused.
 
“Look,” Loli said with a grin, “whether you like it or not, I’m helping. Partly because I like helping, partly because I really want my ribbon back.”
 
Sunset chuckled. “You really aren’t taking no for an answer, are you?”
 
“They have my ribbon,” Loli repeated.
 
“Guess there’s no way out,” Sunset thought. “Alright, but let’s keep it between us,” she said, holding out her hand.
 
“Deal,” Loli agreed, shaking her hand.
 
At night, Loli left their room to meet Dawn, who was waiting outside the dorm building.
 
Dawn saw her in the distance and before she reached him, he said, “Don’t you think you should cover up a bit more?” noticing her skimpy pajama set.
 
“What? Getting any bad ideas?” she teased.
 
“Don’t hold your breath,” he said with a grin. “So, what’s up?”
 
“Well…” Loli shifted uncomfortably. “This is supposed to be between Sunset and me, but… you’ve heard the rumors about the Phantom Thief, right?”
 
Dawn raised an eyebrow. “Yeah… why?”
 
“Well… we’re going after him… her… whatever they are.” Dawn didn’t move. “Look, I promised Sunset I’d keep it between us, but-”
 
“I'm not getting involved,” Dawn said.
 
Loli stared blankly at him. “Huh?” she said, tilting her head to one side.
 
“I’m not getting involved,” Dawn repeated.
 
“Wait, but…” Loli thought about this for a moment. “So you’d love to run into the Everfree Forest to investigate a deviant Nox Ursa sighting, but you don’t want to get involved with chasing someone who’s going about the school taking people’s stuff?”
 
“Ding ding ding!” He noticed Loli still looking at him. “Look, it’s none of our business. I’m pretty sure the Princesses have heard rumors and are already working on it themselves in silence. If you or anyone else wants to join in on a private investigation, I'm not stopping you, but I’m gonna be on the sidelines for it.”
 
Loli knew there was no changing his mind. After a few experiences, she knew he had a hard time getting involved in anything outside official school stuff. It still annoyed her; obvious when pink electricity arced around her.
 
“Oh… you can be so… so…” She struggled I frustration to find the right word.
 
“Dense?” Dawn completed. “Stubborn?”
 
Loli growled. She was pretty much ready to drag him back to her dorm room and force him to cooperate. But she knew better than anyone that his denseness and stubbornness were beyond anyone’s. So she calmed down. “Fine,” she said, walking away. “Fine. But you’d better keep your stuff under your pillow and sleep with both eyes open.”
 
Dawn shrugged and walked back to his dorm. He felt sort of bad for turning Loli down like that, but he also knew his boundaries.





“What’s got you all wound up?” Sunset asked, noticing a frustrated Loli walk into the bedroom.
 
“Nothing… It’s nothing,” Loli assured her as she hopped into her bed. But Sunset was not convinced.
 
“No. Buying it,” she said. “I don’t need to be Applejack to tell you're hiding something.
 
Loli took a deep breath. “Well… I may have kinda tried to let Dawn in on it.” She winced, waiting for Sunset scold her or yell something along the lines of, “WHAT?!”
 
But Sunset had already guessed she’d tell her closest friend about what she was doing. “I take it he didn’t want to join?” she asked.
 
“He can be so nice and so helpful,” Loli said. “But at the moment you least expected, he decides to not want to be part of history.”
 
“History?” Sunset asked with a faint smile.
 
Loli’s head appeared upside down just above Sunset. “We’re about to be the first ones to catch the Phantom Thief,” Loli said. “How would anyone possibly say, “No,” to the chance to catch the uncatchable?”
 
“I’m pretty sure he has his reasons,” Sunset reassured her. “Besides, we don’t even have a plan aside from “look out for mysterious figures and chase down anyone we see”.
 
“Sometimes, his reasons are stupid,” Loli said bluntly, lying back down. “Plus, I’m pretty confident we can catch just one thief… unless it’s secretly multiple people working together to pull it off…” Her mind wandered to the possibility. “Like when Team Harmony did the whole Mage-do-Well thing…”
 
Sunset chuckled. It was weird and funny how Loli shifted from frustrated back to her perky self. Maybe she was right; maybe they could catch the Phantom Thief.





A shadow hung over the school, staring at the watch on its wrist. As it struck 11:00PM, it pulled up a cell phone and tapped the screen. A detailed holographic map appeared over it and the figure touched one of the blocks, turning it red in contrast to the remaining blue.
 
“Still a lot of ground to cover,” she said, looking over the schematics with over 70% of it still blue. “Then again, time is on my side.” She looked from her perch at the school. She looked back at her phone and turned off the map. Now on the screen was a picture of a certain girl with hair that reminded her of ketchup and mustard on a Magehattan hot dog. She heard her stomach grumble. “Jeez. I knew looking at this was a bad idea,” she groaned as she put her phone away. “But I guess one night off wouldn’t hurt. Besides, after last night, I think I’ve earned a treat.”
> Casino Calling
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finally, it was Saturday once again and Sunset was rather happy this morning. She and Loli had pretty much just cemented their newfound friendship and had were now working together to do the nigh-impossible: catch the Phantom Thief!

Sunset hopped out of bed and went straight to the kitchen, seeing as Loli and Trixie were still asleep, and made breakfast. In a matter of minutes, the flat was filled with the smell of eggs, sausages, bacon, and the best bagels in Etheria, straight from Magehattan! The scent spread, enticing Loli, who literally floated from her bed to the dining room/kitchen and didn't fully awaken until she was standing right in front of the table. And when she did...

"FOOD!!!" But just before she could divebomb the table, she was stopped by a yellow aura that enveloped her. Sunset moved her away from the table and onto a chair.

"Uh-uh-uh. Not until Trixie gets up," Sunset said.

"Aw," Loli said, disappointed. "She probably wouldn't wait for either of us."

"So, you want to be like her?" Sunset asked.

Loli contemplated this, then answered, "Y'know what? I can wait." Luckily, she didn't have to wait long as Trixie was soon out of her room. Neither Loli or Sunset knew how, but she was apparently immune to the bed-head syndrome; no one's hair should look as good as groomed as Trixie's was when they woke up!

"I swear, it's some weird hair-manipulation spell outside the range of my Affinity," Loli said quietly.

"Morning, Trixie," Sunset greeted. "Sleep well?"

"Trixie slept fine, tha-" Trixie suddenly stopped and noticed Sunset beaming. "Uh, is everything alright, Sunset?"

Sunset looked a bit confused as she answered, "Yeah. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, for starters... Uh, never mind." Trixie sat down, giving Loli the go-ahead to dig into her plate.





Rox Candy looked up at the ceiling as she lay down, staring at the clock above her massive queen-size bed with a mattress so soft it was like lying down in a marshmallow that had been held over a fire all light long. She lay there, her mind empty, just the way she liked it... until her door opened.

"Lady Roxanne?" a voice called from the other end of the room. "Time to get up." Roxy knew that voice and what it meant and instantly hid her head under the blanket. "I know you're awake."

"No I'm not," Roxy said back.

"I don't recall you being able to sleeptalk."

"I, uh, developed it a few days ago," Roxy said again. The silence that followed proved that the other person was not falling for it; Roxy had to step up her game. "Um... this is a prerecorded message. Please leave a message after the beep. Beeeeeeep."

For a moment, Roxy thought she had nailed it... but then- "Nice try, Lady Roxanne." Roxy heard footsteps coming closer and closer. With a shlink, the curtains and window blinds of her bedroom were drawn open, allowing sunlight to flood in.

"Aaaah! The light! It burns!" Roxy bounced up a little and twisted in midair, wrapping herself even more in her blanket.

"Really?" asked the voice, before it yanked the corner of the blanket, unraveling the whole thing and sending Roxy bouncing off the bed and onto the ground. The young girl bolted for the door, still wearing her pajamas. But just as the handle was in reach, the source of the voice tackled her to the ground and sat on her. Still, Roxy clawed her way across the ground.

"Must... escape.... official... things," she groaned as she crawled across the ground, a testament to her strength as she was still able to move with the weight on her back. The weight belong to a young woman in her earlier mid-20s wearing a white dress shirt and blue trousers. Her light brown hair was tied into a pair of buns with white ribbons. She grabbed both of Roxy's ears and pulled.

"How many times have I told you to at least listen to what I have to say before trying to jump out the window?" she asked.

"Owowowowow! Hey, I already have a general idea of what you're going to say," Roxy said defensively. "Which is how I know I don't want to even hear it."

"Oh, really?" said the woman.

"Yes! Stop if I'm wrong, but ain't it something along the lines of, "First of, you have to get your measurements taken for your new gown. Then, sign a bunch of papers in your father's absence. Then you have a meeting at 4pm, where you get to meet a bunch of your father's business partners in hopes that they'll try to auction you off to their rich, snobby sons, in which case you have to forget you morals and beliefs and kiss their fat, lazy, rich, gold-plated, ego-centric, lazy a-"

"You just got your weekend allowance, the car is yours, and I was about to suggest we go shopping," she said, cutting Roxy off. "But... if you'd rather do all that other stuff, I think I can get in touch with Jet Set. I hear his son just bought a brand new mansion in the west side of town."

Roxy remained silent for a while. Then, she finally managed to say, "So, we can go shopping?"

"Mhm."

"And anywhere else I want to go?"

"Your father won't be around all weekend, last time I heard. So the car is all yours."

"And I don't have to ride in that dumb anaconda tank?"

The woman above her chuckled. "Hell no."

"You know what a troll is, right Pearl?" she asked with a grin.

"Mystical troll or Internet troll? You're going to need to be more specific." She pulled harder on Roxy's ears. "And choose wisely."

"Internet! Internet!"

Pearl released Roxy's ears and Roxy breathed a sigh of relief as the woman got off her and helped her to her feet.

"I'm 24-years-old. I'm very much aware of what a lot of crap is."

"Well are you aware that you could have said all that stuff before throwing me out of bed and sitting on my back?" Roxy said as she rubbed her sore ears.

"You implying something?" Pearl asked, cracking her knuckles.

Roxy gulped. "What? No! Of course not. Oh, look at the time! I should get ready before the lines get too long," she said hurriedly as she pushed Pearl out the door.

After getting ready, Roxy picked a sandwich out of the fridge and got into the purple sedan waiting outside. She sat next to Pearl at the back as they were driven out of the massive estate. Even after driving five minutes, the mansion - no, castle -  was still visible from the back seat.

"Why do rich people always feel the need to flaunt their wealth and rub it in everyone's faces?" Roxy asked out loud.

"No idea," Pearl replied. "Maybe they're compensating for something?"

"Probably either their height, intelligence, self-esteem..."

"Or dignity?" Pearl added with a grin, causing Roxy to laugh. Pearl may have been a respectful servant, but when with Roxy, she completely changed; they could practically be sisters!

Finally, they arrived in town. As they got out of the car, Pearl told the driver to circle back to his usual parking spot by the school dormitories. Roxy took a deep breath. Getting a chance to go out on her own like this was a rare event. Normally, she had her father send at least six bodyguards to watch her every move and make sure she didn't get in trouble. Cold Cut took his daughter's safety very, almost too seriously. All his bodyguards were armed with royal guard-grade equipment and were trained by various military forces. Roxy constantly felt smothered, knowing full well that she could pretty much beat the living daylight out of her father's entire personal detail. Well, all except one...

Roxy and Pearl roamed the streets, passing shops and looking through the windows to see if there was anything that she liked. They stopped at a clothes store that was having a sale. She picked out a bunch of clothes and tried them on, getting a second opinion from Pearl. After Roxy was done, they switched and Pearl tried on some new items. Cold Cut wouldn't have liked that, but they'd been doing this for over two years; no law said he had to know!

They each walked out with a bag of clothes, smiling. Pearl was happy seeing Roxy happy; it was quite rare these days. But then, as they got closer to the southern part of the city, Roxy saw something in the distance that made her grin even wider. Pearl tracked her line of site to the one place she did not want them to go to: the Karma Casino.

"Absolutely not," Pearl said before Roxy even had the opportunity to ask. She looked at Roxy, who was attempting to use the ancient art of the  Puppy Dog Eyes to force a yes out of Pearl. "Lady Roxanne-"

"Roxy," the younger girl corrected. She preferred not to be referred to with any titles when she could avoid it. "You know how I feel about titles."

"Fine. Roxy," Pearl corrected herself, "do I need to remind you what happened the last time we were in a casino?"

"Nope," Roxy said. "Way too much fun to forget," she continued with a grin. "C'mon, Pearl. Just a couple rounds?"

"At least do me the honor of not lying to my face," Pearl said.

"So, is that a yes?" Roxy asked, again trying the ancient art of cuteness.

"No!" Pearl was not ready to get involved in any shenanigans Roxy wound up getting herself into, which was quite often. Sadly, she didn't have a choice, seeing as Roxy had already vanished from her side... and Pearl was holding both their bags. "I hate it when she does that.

It didn't take long for Pearl to find Roxy, but she was still too late. Roxy was already at a roulette table and was waiting for her turn. As she was about to pick up the dice, she was stopped by the hand of one of the dealers.

"Ain't you a little young to be in here, young lady?" the man asked.

"You could say that," Roxy replied. Then, she pulled out her phone, worked her magic, and place it on the table. The high-tech surface registered the phone and brought up Roxy's avatar, which resembled a golden chili pepper with a purple top. Soon, there was a rush of coins with the face of a famous mage going from her phone to the dealer's end, where there was a wallet labeled "BANK". "But I think my good friend, Starswirl the Bearded can cover for me." By the time the flow was cut, the "bank" total had risen from 20,000 to 35,000! The dealer stared blankly between the figures on the table and Roxy's grin.

"Okay then," he said, rolling the dice over to Roxy.

But before she could even think of throwing, Pearl grabbed her ear.

"How many times have I told you not to ignore and leave me standing like an idiot out on the street just so you could run around and play some dumb gambling game?!"

"Owowow!" Roxy tied to move with the motion of Pear's twisting, but still took the pain. "Pearl, wait! I've already put in the cash! I'll just do this one roll, and we're out! I promise!"

"You're promises mean as much as a pile of horsesh-" Pearl immediately stopped when she noticed all eyes on the table staring at them. "The hell are you all looking at?"

"C'mon, girl," said one of the men at the table. "Let the kid have her shot. It's only B15,000! Besides, when I win, I could treat a sweet thing like you to a very fine evening." Then, he wrapped his arm around Pearl's neck. Big mistake. Pearl let go of Roxy's ear and instead grabbed the man's hand and twisted his wrist back so far that the back of his had was almost flat against his arm, causing him to gasp in pain.

"First off," Pearl said, "don't call me "sweet thing" or "girl". Second, don't touch me. I barely know who you are and where you've been. Third, my boss can barely afford me and considering I don't know, nor do I give a damn, who the hell you are, I doubt you could even give me a decent lunch." Pearl looked at Roxy, who was still tending to her ear. "One roll, we're out," she said as she released the man's hand.

Roxy smiled and picked up the die once more, shaking the pair of cubes against her right ear, then her left. "I hear two sevens," she said. She held the die up to Pearl. "For good luck?"

Pearl raised an eyebrow. "For real?"

"Pwease?" This time, the big eyes got to Pearl and she blew on the dice. "I can already hear the jingling of these babies in my purse!" However, she didn't just roll the die; she had to be a bit more extravagant. She tossed the pair of dice into the air and flicked them across the table. The green cubes rolled and bounce off the other end and began to slow. The first one stopped: 7. The second still spun on it's edge. Roxy had the strong urge to kick the table to stop it, but she knew that winning in a casino means not being suspected of cheating in any way whatsoever. Finally, it stopped, as did the breathing of everyone at the table.

...

...

...

7.

The table erupted in cheers and Roxy hugged Pearl so hard she lifted the older woman off the ground. "WOOHOO!!! When have I ever let you down?"

"Please give me a week to sift through every single scenario," Pearl said, although with a slight grin. "Now get your winning's and let's get the hell outta here!"

"Leaving so soon?" asked the dealer.

"Hey, we agreed on one roll, and that's it," Pearl said.

"Really?" He looked at Roxy. "Whaddaya say, little lady? Double or nothing?"

"Nah," Roxy said, without  second thought. "I just wanted to make sure I wasn't rusty. And I think this just about proves I still got it. Am I right people?" she asked, earning another cheer from the crowd.

"Alright," the dealer said, tapping the bank and sending a flow of coins to Roxy's phone. But there was a problem: he only send B15,000.

"Hey, where's the rest?" Roxy asked.

"Kid, you're lucky I gave you anything," said the man. "I said "double or nothing". You declined."

"I won that money fair and square!"

"Roxy, don't," Pearl said, holding her arm.

"Yeah right. So, was it telekinesis or did you just straight-up warp the laws of probability?" the dealer accused.

"What?! Are you freaking blind?!" She pulled up her shirt shirt sleeves and pulled back her hair. "In case you didn't notice, I'm the only one at this table who isn't an Esper or a Skyborn! I'm just surprised you didn't make sure I didn't get that second seven!"

"So you're saying I cheat?" said the dealer, walking up to Roxy.

"Don't," Pearl urged.

"If the monkey suit fits," Roxy growled.

The dealer glared daggers at her. But then started backing as he felt an odd heat emanating from her, forming a slight heatwave around her.

Pearl grabbed the phone the moment she saw the man reach under the table. "Time to go!" She dragged Roxy across the casino to the exit. They left the building without any problem. Or so they thought.





"I'm telling you," Loli said, "Sapphire Shores can hit much higher notes."

"But Coloratura can modulate her voice without autotune," Dawn argued.

"But when did you last hear Sapphire use autotune?"

Dawn paused in thought. "Huh. touche."

Loli laughed. "Y'know, you should be like this more often."

"Like what?" Dawn asked, confused.

"Teehee! You're so adorable when you're clueless," she said. "I mean more open."

"Not this again," Dawn groaned.

"Look, I'd never put you in a situation where'd you'd look back on your choices with regret, you know this. So what is it? You're still holding on to what happened three years ago?"

"It's not something you easily forget." Dawn stopped and sat down on a bench. Loli sighed and sat next to him. "I want to. Trust me. I mean it wouldn't be a bad thing. But..."

"You're afraid someone might get hurt." Loli smiled. Dawn was unusually nice and caring and he hated seeing people get hurt. But this had a major flaw: he developed a bad habit of taking the pain alone. "Okay, we'll make a deal."

Dawn looked suspiciously. "I don't trust your deals," he said.

"Hear me out. Try to find at least two other people you can make friends with. Do that and I'll... try to open up to you-know-who."

"Ah! Your secret crush," Dawn said with a grin.

"Shhhhhh! Do we have a deal or not?" Loli said, trying not to turn red.

Dawn thought about it. After everything he'd been through, he doubted whether he'd even feel any different having another person he thought he could talk to. But on the bright side, he may actually get to see Loli as a bumbling mess tripping over her own tongue! "One person," he said. "Then maybe we have a deal."

"Alright. But you gotta do your side first before me. You've got nothing to lose. Me? Whatever may be left of my dignity is on the line."

Dawn laughed and looked across the street. It was quite busy, even for a Saturday. But then he spotted something a bit... odd.

"Hey, is that Roxy?"

"Huh? Where?" Loli asked. It wasn't hard to spot the curly mop of blond hair running across the other side of the street. It was similarly easy to spot the three shady figures in black suits suspiciously going in the exact same direction. "Should we do something?"

Dawn thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Why not. I'm bored."





"They're still on us," said Pearl as she maneuvered her way through the crowded street.

"I know," Roxy replied, following closely behind. "Maybe we can't shake 'em. They're pretty persistent, huh?"

"True. But we can't risk a fight out in the open. Plus, however you say it, a sixteen-year-old in a casino does not make for a great alibi."

"Yeah. And the last thing I want is to be recorded and wind up on the six o'clock news!"

Finally, they took a turn into an alley. Unfortunately, it was empty and there was nowhere to hide.

"Don't move," said a voice. The three men had blocked the alleyway and the girls' only way out was over a fence in front of them. Then again, there wasn't any more running involved in this part of the plan.

"I don't think they have guns," said Roxy.

"Yeah," Pearl agreed. "If they did, they would've brought them out already."

"So, you take the one in the middle, I take the rest."

"Remember who's training who here," Pearl said with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

"Now come with us," said one of the men, "and no one gets hurt."

"Yeah, about that," Roxy said. "Either way, someone's gonna get hurt, but we're not going anywhere with you creeps!"

Swiftly, Pearl whipped out a pair of kunai in each hand as she turned and crouched and threw it at the men. Roxy used her as a stepping stone to get in the air as the kunai exploded into a cloud of smoke. Blinded, the man in the middle couldn't see Roxy as she crashed into him from above. The men to the side couldn't see her when she grabbed them and threw them back further into the alley either. As they got up, one of them got an eyeful of Pearl's impressive rack, which didn't last long.

"Y'know," Pearl said, cracking her knuckles, "it's very rude to stare, pervert!" Before the man could pull back his hand, Pearl delivered a quick succession of blows, causing him to stagger back as he began losing the feeling in his upper body. He stared confused as he tried to ask what was going on, which was difficult when you lost all the feeling in your chest. "Oh that weird, numb feeling? I just struck five major nerve points in your chest and stomach. Don't worry, I tried to make the hits non-lethal," said the woman just before the man collapsed, unconscious.

The other man was suddenly a bit less sure of whether or not he'd rather fight the ninja in front of him or the miniature giantess that was currently dragging his unconscious partner across the ground, his eyes blank and mouth open.

"Hey, P?" she called. "This was boring. I blame you."

"What?!" Pearl replied, outraged. "Me?!"

"We should've let more guys come after us before taking 'em on! Jeez, this barely lasted two minutes!"

"Seriously." Pearl shook her head, perfectly aware that the last man trying to escape toward the fence. Pearl sharply drew a kunai and turned "Not so-" But her hand never even pulled back before a silver streak cut around her. The object bounced off the wall to the side and struck the back of the man's head, causing him to fall forward and reach out for the fence with the few milliseconds of consciousness he had left.

Pearl followed the streak, which turned out to be a disk, as it trailed back the a hand belonging to Dawn. "Need a hand?"

"Does it look like we need a hand?" Roxy asked rhetorically, holding up the unconscious goon.

"Fair point." Dawn said, as the shield retracted into a disk just small enough to fit on the back of his glove. "So... do I even want to ask?"

"Probably not," Roxy replied. She then finally caught sight of Loli staring at her. "What're you looking at, emo?"

"I'm not an emo!" Loli said back, a bit irritated at the name.

"Tell that to your fashion adviser." Roxy hefted the unconscious man onto her shoulder. "Now if you want to make yourselves useful, help us get rid of these guys before-" Before Roxy could finish, a ring appeared around the base of Loli's pigtails and her hair extended into a hand, grabbing the man on the ground in front of Pearl. Her shadow also extended and grabbed the man Dawn had knocked out. She tossed them both into a garbage bin as Dawn hit them both in mid-flight with a memory wipe spell. Roxy followed suit once Dawn had wiped the man she held. "Would you look at that? Guess you can be good for something," Roxy said, ruffling Loli's hair and walking away.

Loli deadpanned as Pearl walked by. "She... can be so... annoying," she grumbled.

"Try living with her," Pearl said as she followed Roxy out.

"You know, for someone you look up to, you two couldn't be further apart," Dawn said as they walked out.

"You don't say," Loli deadpanned. She was in a really bad mood. If there was one thing she had a problem with, it was being called an emo.





Back in school on Tuesday, Loli was still not in a good mood. The only thing she was looking forward to was being able to hit something (or someone) with permission she before she did something really bad.

"I have never seen you in this bad a mood," Sunset said as they sat on the bleachers, waiting for Iron Will to call up the names of the two who would be fighting today.

"I'm fine," Loli said, taking a deep breath.

"I don't need extraordinary hearing to know that you're lying," Sunset joked. But Loli didn't so much as crack a smile. "What's wrong?"

Loli sighed. "You know that feeling where you look up to people but it's like all of them turn out to be jerks when you try to get to know them?" Loli asked. Sunset was a bit confused.

"Um... kinda, I guess... I used to," Sunset said, remembering her earlier days as Celestia's apprentice. "I used to think Princess Celestia looked down on me every time I wanted to go further and she held me back. Maybe this person is just seeing how patient you are."

"Oh, they're testing my patience alright," Loli said.

A few moments later, Loli walked back towards the bleachers, carrying her ribbon-wrapped scissors in one hand and holding up a beaten Lyra with the other arm.

"Sorry," Loli said, now a lot less angry. "I really did try to hold back." It wasn't convincing to the eyes of a third party, who only see the pink blur ripping across the platform, knocking Lyra back and forth like a ragdoll. "I promise I'll make it up to you! I'll restring your lyre tomorrow!"

"You don't have to," said Lyra. "But... I was going to ask you were you got your guitar strings." Bon Bon then arrived to take Lyra from Loli and escort her to the nurse's office, but not before shooting Loli a "There will be some serious retribution" glare.

"I think I just made enemies... with Bon Bon," Loli said sheepishly.

"Congrats," said Sunset. "Maybe next you can try becoming Pinkie Pie's mortal enemy," she added, warranting a laugh. "Looks like you calmed down, though."

"Yeah," Loli said rubbing the back of her head. "Not exactly the best way."

"Alright," Iron Will's voice rang, getting the students' attention. "Final round of the day. Sunset Shimmer," he announced, much to Sunset's surprise. "You've been rather docile during sessions."

"Probably should've seen this coming," Sunset said as she made her way down.

"And Dawning Forge." The room went silent. Many turned to face Dawn, who sat there, as surprised as Sunset.

"Uh... okay," said Dawn as he walked toward the platform. The two stood on either end of the platform and face each other. Sunset wasn't sure how to read the smile on his face; was it real or was he trying to hide something?

"Good luck," Dawn said with a genuine smile; which surprised Sunset.

But she smiled back and said, "You too," as she brandished her weapon and grinned. "You might need it more than I do," she taunted.

Dawn grinned back. "We'll see about that."
> Fire and Fury
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset and Dawn stood on opposite sides of the arena, brandishing their weapons, waiting for Iron Will’s signal to begin. Sunset was wielding a red staff with yellow designs flowing down it’s length. At one end was a keychain shaped like her signature: a shimmering sun, half red, half yellow. At the other end was a lamphead, a small golden flame alight in the center, suspended in midair.

Hovering over each of Dawn’s forearms was a silver shield each about 12 inches in diameter.
They each had a blue gear symbol in the middle with a yin-yang sign symbol filling the space inside.

The readiness and anticipation glowed in their eyes as they waited for Iron Will’s signal. As soon as the first letter of, “BEGIN,” left Iron Will’s lips, a burst of fire flew across the area and towards Dawn. The explosion lit up the arena visibly as Sunset stood, ready for Dawn’s counter. Or so she thought. She never expected Dawn to be as fast as he was, moving in short bursts from side to side so quickly it was almost like he was teleporting. She just barely managed to bring her staff up in time to block his kick. Sunset swung at him while he was still in the air, but was stopped by his shield and countered with a telekinetic shockwave.

Sunset looked up and grinned. “Offensive. Shouldn’t be too hard to deal with,” she thought. She slammed the lamp on her staff onto the ground and the center exploded with power, the flames now bursting wildly out the cubical container. Sunset swung wide, sending a massive wave of fire at her opponent, but his shields were more than enough to take it. Immediately, he shook off the flames and bolted forward for another attack.

“Just as I thought,” Sunset said to herself. She watched him closely, following his movements to the best of her abilities. After training with Rainbow Dash for long enough, Sunset had little trouble predicting his next move. She ducked as he jumped, trying to nail her with his knee, but instantly recovered and went for a roundhouse. Dawn was more than surprised when his foot only hit the air and kept going. As he turned, he saw Sunset’s staff, burning bright, at point-blank range, as she sent a massive blast of fire at him like a beam. As far as people could see, Dawn took the hit head-on, carried by the blast until it slammed into the wall on the other side of the arena.

Sunset straightened up and sighed, laying her staff across her shoulder. “That was quick.” She soon realized she had spoken too soon when a flying object hit her square in the side of her head. Her eyes crossed for a moment before she finally fell to the floor, holding her head. She looked up in time to see the object fly behind her… and into Dawn’s hands. Regaining her senses, she looked between the smoke at the end of the arena and the boy behind her. “Wait, what? When? How?”

“You’re smart,” he said with a grin. “You’ll figure it out.” He flung the hovering disk at her again, a blue tail trailing behind it as it flew. Sunset was still groggy, but managed to roll out of the way as the shield hit the ground. As she got up, she was tripped as the shield passed under her foot as she stood. She looked up to see it set right over the back of his arm again. She noticed a glowing ring on the back of each of his gloves. That gave her an idea. She got up and slammed the lamp on the ground again, further infuriating the fire. She ran straight for him, swing her staff and launching fireballs along the way. Dawn got down and held a shield up to protect him as he slowly advanced.

Just as she reached him Sunset slid past him. “If I’m right…” she thought. Just as she suspected, the moment the heat was off, Dawn went back on the offensive. He turned to follow her movements and threw a shield, which she whacked back towards him. Skillfully, he spun in the air to dodge, catch the shield, and return the shield. Sunset ducked and threw another salvo, which Dawn weaved past. Before Sunset could straighten up, Dawn was right on top of her, ready to attack. But Sunset was ready as well. She slammed her lamp into the ground again, this time, the explosion went far past the lamp and engulfed both combatants. Dawn was thrown back, smoking from the blast. He coughed up a comical ring of smoke as he got up and looked at Sunset, who was grinning behind the remaining flames.

Dawn grinned back. “What’re you so happy about? All you did was try to give me a tan.”

“Did I?” Sunset asked, smugly. Dawn ran and swung a punch, which Sunset easily avoided. Stopping on a dime, Dawn turned and swung his arm back. He was clearly surprised that the shield didn’t respond and smack Sunset in the back of the head. “Whether it works with magic energy or batteries, a magnet still loses its charge…”

“When exposed to extreme heat,” Dawn finished, right before Sunset slammed the lamphead into his torso, sending him flying with a fireball. Sunset stood, grinning triumphantly as Dawn tried to shake off the blow. “Not bad. Luckily, I never just use magnets. The shield over his arm shrunk, as did the one still pinned to the wall across the arena, until they were just larger than his palms, but also got thicker. Dawn let go of the weapon, letting it fall, but it didn’t touch the ground. It just hung suspended from a thin wire, spinning in place before sharply shooting back into his hand. “It’s been a while since I actually used yoyos for anything.” After a few tricks, he shot the yoyo forward, slamming it square into Sunset’s stomach. Sunset was pushed back a bit by the force. “Yep. Still got it.” Confident, Dawn teleported to the missing set on the other end of the arena and ripped it out of the wall. “Now, let’s try this again.”

“Okay,” Sunset said, as a little odd blue arc appeared just behind her. “Bring it!”





Celestia sat in her office, watching the fight from a holographic screen over her desk. She was quite impressed with both of them. Next to her, her sister sat with a cinnamon roll in hand.

“Are you not at all worried?” Luna asked.

“About what?” Celestia asked back. “Sunset?”

“Is it not odd the way her persona changes in and out of battle?”

“That’s perfectly normal,” Celestia said. “Many great warriors adapted different personas on and off the battlefield. Jeez, Lulu, I got that idea from you.”

“I thought you were supposed to be the bad influence,” Luna said, grinning.

“Then I seem to be doing a good job,” Celestia said with an equally smug expression.

Luna smiled. “Touche.” She took a bite of her roll as she asked, “So, how are preparations for the Trials coming along?”

“Not bad, to be honest. I found an old idea I wanted to try out a few years ago that just might work for this year’s test. By tomorrow, I’ll have Raven print out and put up flyers for entrants to sign up.”

“And the board?”

“Well, I haven’t heard any complaints from them yet, so that sounds like an all clear to me.”

“It’s funny. Up until a few years ago, the fastest way through the Everfree was around it,” Luna said. “Now, we’re sending in students there like it’s an obstacle course for toddlers.”

“Times change, Luna,” Celestia said. “The Nyctores decided to push out, so we decided to push back.”

“I just wish my mistakes only haunted me,” Luna said, looking away. “After a thousand years, I’m still making this world a nightmare.”

“Oh, come now, Luna,” Celestia said, wrapping an arm around her sister. “You’re not that person anymore. This is not your fault. If not you, it could’ve been someone else. Your only guilt should be the guilt of still feeling like it’s your fault.”

Luna smiled. “Thank you, sister,” she said.

“Now, shush! I have good money on Sunset!”





Sunset herself wasn’t sure herself if she was a smart bet. Dawn was now working with momentum; never stopping, never breaking the flow. The constant motion was getting harder to keep track of.

Sunset aimed a fireball at him, but her aim was thrown off when one of the wires wrapped around the staff shifted the weight to one side. Dawn tugged, loosening Sunset’s grip and throwing her forward. A telekinetic force blast was enough to knock her back and send her weapon flying.

“What happened to that confidence from before?” Dawn taunted, spinning his weapons as he advanced slowly towards her.

“It’s still there,” Sunset said with a grin. “You obviously haven’t been paying attention.”

Dawn didn’t get it, but after close observation, he saw it: the arc. It wasn’t blue anymore, it was a deep orange.

“Uh… what’s that?” he asked.

“That…” Sunset said, getting up. The ground around her shook as yellow, red, and teal energy swirled around her, her hair standing up like flames. “... is my Affinity.” In a flash, she was gone, swiftly appearing next to her staff before vanishing again, taking the weapon with her.

Each time she materialized, Dawn tried to land a hit, but missed as she teleported before he could make contact. Changing strategy, he tried to predict where she would appear, but it was so random he wasn’t sure if he was getting closer or farther. But Sunset didn’t hesitate to close the gap. Keeping her staff spinning, she swung and swung again, forcing Dawn to back up. Finally, he was against the wall, literally, as Sunset charged forward, engulfed in flames.

Dawn focused, his eyes glowing. Sunset crashed into him with enough force to create a crater both in the wall and the ground… or, she thought so at least. She didn’t notice until the smoke and dust cleared and Dawn wasn’t under her staff.

“What the-?” Sunset looked to her side to see Dawn rolling out of the smoke. She was so certain she landed the hit. She thought she felt the contact. She didn’t think too much on it, choosing to throw a salvo of fireballs instead. Dawn dodged the attacks and ran towards her again. Sunset twirled her staff overhead before bringing it down creating an explosive wave that rushed towards Dawn like a tide of fire. Dawn jumped, weapons forward as they returned to their original size. There was resistance, but he powered through the wave of fire only to get blown back by another wave. As he pushed the sea of fire apart, Sunset charged through the opening and swung her staff. Again, just as it made contact, just as she felt the resistance from the impact, Dawn managed to completely avoid the blow and put some distance between them.

Sunset was seriously confused. “How is he doing that? He’s fast, but not that fast.”

Dawn charged forward again. Sparks and flames sprang from between them as fire and metal clashed. But it was clear that Sunset was winning. Dawn kept backing up, trying to make space to launch a proper attack, but Sunset always closed the gap. It was like she was getting more aggressive with each passing second and Dawn could not keep up. It was only a matter of time before-

“Gotcha.” Sunset grinned as she caught his foot with the lamphead and pulled back, knocking him to the ground. She raised her staff up. “That’s game.” The flames burned with great fury, a blinding yellow blaze erupting from the lamp. But as Sunset brought it down, Dawn raised his shield and-

BRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGG!!!

Sunset’s weapon stopped a mere inch, maybe less, from Dawn’s shield. The flames calmed and retracted back into their cage. After peeking over his shield, Dawn’s body relaxed and his arms dropped to his sides in exhaustion. He lay spread-eagle on the ground, panting like a dog in a marathon.

“Not bad,” Sunset said, standing over him. Her hair had fallen back down, but was still a bit messy… and smoking slightly. “I was pretty sure I could beat you in fifteen minutes.”

“Do… I really…  look… that easy?” Dawn said, still trying to catch his breath.

Sunset grinned in reply, holding out her hand. Dawn looked at it and hesitated, but grinned back and accepted it. “Loli told me you were good, but damn.”

“Hey, at least you got a heads up.”

“Alright, hit the showers, everyone,” Iron Will ordered.

Dawn turned away and headed off. Sunset was about to follow, but was almost knocked down when something jumped on her back.

“That. Was. AWESOME!” Sunset turned to see Loli’s eyes almost as wide as her smile.

“Loli… hurts,” Sunset groaned.

“Oh, right. Sorry,” Loli said, letting go. “Wait, you didn’t take that many hits.”

“I took enough,” she said, holding her head. “Besides, once my Affinity shuts down, my whole body aches like crazy.”

“Noted. So, was it as tough as I said?”

“Was it? Loli, he uses shields as weapons. That sort of puts things in perspective.”

“But you still won, right? I mean, I’m pretty sure even if he did stop that last attack if it hit, he’d be knocked as far down as the Chantalot Archives!”

“It’s not the victory, but the battle that determines strength,” Sunset said, humbly. But that humble soon turned smug. “But yeah, I totally whooped him!”





“Ahem!” Dawn snapped out of his daydream and looked up. Inkwell was tapping her foot in front of the class. “Mister Forge? Is there something in your head more important than understanding the spells you may be using in the future?”

“Um… that depends,” Dawn joked.

“On what?”

“Whether or not it’s one I know already.”

A low laugh went through the class.

“Pride before the fall, Mister Forge,” Inkwell said. “Please remove your goggles and pay attention. I’m sure whatever you’re thinking off can wait until my class ends.”

Dawn complied and removed his goggles, placing them around his neck and looked down at the board. Inkwell continued.

“Now, what is the next spell on the list? Miss Star?”

Amethyst Star looked at her book and read out, “Augmentation Spells.”

“Very well.” Inkwell’s signature appeared beneath her. A gust of wind from the magic formed a ripple in her gown. In the blink of an eye, she vanished. “Augmentation spells.” The class followed the voice and saw her at the very back of the class. “These spells are used to enhance the physical attributes of the receiver. How is this achieved, Miss Star?”

“The caster sends a magic pulse to the recipient, who then synchronizes their magic with the caster’s. This link enables the recipient to access the energy the caster is sending, granting them enhanced physical and magic abilities.”

“Close enough,” Inkwell said. “Now, as second year students, each of you must be able to perform at least the most basic Augmentation spells.” She looked around the classroom. “Miss Lulamoon? Perform a speed augmentation on Miss Beats.”

Loli gulped. Part of her wanted to object, especially after seeing Trixie’s smug expression, but with Miss Inkwell, she’d need a legitimate reason. She got up and headed for the front, praying that something would happen so she didn’t have to do this. Apparently, Faust and the other spirits were not taking requests at that moment.

Once at the front, Loli said, “Keep it simple, Trixie,” she said. “Double velocity.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn’t do simple,” Trixie said with a smirk. Whipping out her wand, Trixie drew her signature into the air in front of her. She focused, directing her attention to the ground beneath Loli. She tapped the symbol and it appeared below Loli, who gulped as she synced her magic with Trixie’s. Loli’s signature overlapped Trixie’s and both vanished in a flash.

Loli took a deep breath. She had no idea what multiplier Trixie has used, but the the surge she felt made it clear that it was much more than double. She got into takeoff position as a pink aura engulfed her. In the blink of an eye, Loli vanished, the ground where she was initially shattered, and pieces of the ceiling rained to the ground. The students looked up and saw the hole in the ceiling.

Inkwell looked rather surprised, althought not just anyone could see it. “A bit overkill, Miss Lulamoon,” she said. Before she could say anything else, a pink streak crashed through the top of the class and into the ground. Loli’s eyes were still spinning and the goofy smile on her face were good indicators that she wasn’t 100% conscious of what was happening. “Miss Beats?” Inkwell called, but received no answer. “Miss Lulamoon? Could you escort Miss Beats to the infirmary?” Trixie complied, levitating Loli and carrying her out the class, pretending to not pay attention as her head hit the door frame.

“Now, your assignment will be to practice an augmentation spell in teams. Those teams will be your roommates. By the next class on Thursday, I want to see a perfect four-mage synchronization between all members. Questions?” Inkwell looked around the class and saw a hand up. “Yes, Miss Shimmer?”

“Um, Professor. What if you only have three people in a room?” Sunset asked.

“Is that your situation?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Inkwell thought for a moment. “Well then, find a fourth person from another room. Either that or you and your roommates should be able to perform three different augmentation spells. Any other questions?” Once she noticed no hands were up, she added, “In that case, class is dismissed.”





Loli’s groaned as she came to. Her vision was hazy and her head hurt. As her vision focused, she was greeted by a countenance that made her think of food.

“Mmm~... Hot dogs…”

“Don’t even think about it,” Sunset replied.

“Ever thought of dying your hair?” Loli asked, still a bit groggy. “I really think orange is your color.”

Sunset chuckled and said, “Glad you’re okay.”

“Please, I’ve been through worse.”

“Worse than flying headfirst into a ceiling at over 200mph?”

“Wow… I should write an autobiography and have you read it,” Loli said with a grin.

“Very funny.”

The door opened and in walked a woman in her mid-to-late-twenties holding a clipboard. She had on a white button-up shirt under a white lab coat, pinki capris, and white sandals. She had pale pink hair tied in a bun and light blue eyes.

“Well, no real damage,” she said, putting her hands in her coat pockets, “but I’d recommend avoiding any kind of strenuous activity for the next day or two. You hit your head pretty hard. Any harder and you’d have a minor concussion.”

“Take that, Trixie,” Loli thought.

“You can stay here for the rest of the day if you’d like, but if you’re up for class, you’re free to go.”

“Hey, Sunset? What do we have next?”

“History and Philosophy,” Sunset replied.

Loli thought for a moment. “You know, as cool as Professor Creed is, I’m pretty sure that trying to learn the events of the 1st Great War counts as “strenuous activity”. So…”

Sunset sighed. “I’ll take notes, but you’re copying them yourself.”

“You’re the best, Sunset!”

“Yeah, just remember that when I come back to cash in,” Sunset added, smugly.

“I won’t,” Loli said as she hid under the blanket. Sunset could’ve sworn she heard her snoring lightly the moment her head hit the pillow.





Roxy had yawned her way through Creed’s class. As much as she loved learning about war tactics and strategies, she was also easily bored when not putting them into practice. As always, she had two members of the student council on either side of her; today, she had her organizer, Amethyst Star, or Sparkler, as she was more commonly known, on the right and self-proclaimed personal bodyguard, Atlas Storm, on her left. If there was one thing she didn’t like, it was being smothered with this much attention. She could barely stand it at home, did she really need it in school too? Everyone knew that she could pretty much take care of herself (and anyone else who dared cross her), but with her title came much unneeded pampering.

“Sparkler? Have you cancelled the rest of this week?” she asked.

“All your appointments have either been rescheduled or shifted to VP Rarity,” Sparkler replied. “Um, may I ask what important event came up that requires you to drop everything you had this week?”

“No you may not,” Roxy teased, smiling. “Personal stuff.”

“I thought your duty was to the students,” Atlas said.

“Hey! Don’t question Prez’s loyalties,” Sparkler said. “If she has personal matters that take priority, she can shift the responsibility to someone more available.”

“I wasn’t talking to you,” Atlas responded.

“Well I chose to answer because she doesn’t have to explain herself to you!”

“But you can explain for her?”

Amethyst’s eyes glowed a faint purple and a magic aura enveloped her hand. Atlas, in turn, reached for his spear behind him.

“Enough, you two,” Roxy said, stepping between them. “Atlas, it’s personal stuff. That’s all you need to know.” She turned to Amethyst and said, “Amy? Go make sure Rarity doesn’t forget. The last thing I need is clubs breathing down my neck for this and that.”

Although irritated, Amethyst calmed down and the glow faded as she walked off, as did Atlas. Roxy sighed. Sometimes she really hated her job. Luckily, the day was over. Now she could go home and relax. But first…





Roxy sat next to Pearl at the back of her father’s sedan. She looked at her phone and saw a message from her father.



Meeting was rescheduled. Won’t be back for another week.



“No surprise there,” Roxy said. She scrolled through her phone and opened a webpage. It was a betting site for something called “The Cauldron”. Roxy scrolled through the list of bets and found the one she was looking for: Sugar Angel vs Red Giant.

“Don’t,” Pearl said.

“Oh, come on,” Roxy pleaded. “You know I always win these bets!”

“Not the point. You have a test next week, and you told me to make sure you prepared. The last thing we need is for you to wind up failing, especially since your father will be returning next week.”

Roxy groaned. “Look, Pearl, this is the only time I get to have fun without having my dad and his goons watching over me every second. Plus, it’s on a Saturday. C’mon!”

Pearl groaned. “Look, I am completely against this, but if you can swear to me, no, to Faust, I may consider.”

“I’ll do you one better. Cross my heart and hope to fly,” she said, drawing an “X” across her chest, “stick a cupcake in my eye,” she finished, shoving an invisible cupcake in her eye.” Pearl raised an eyebrow in confusion and even the driver looked back to check if he had picked up the right student. “What? Some girl at school made it up.” She blushed slightly as Pearl forced herself not to laugh. “Hey, everyone else does… whatever that is.”

Pearl finally managed to compose herself and considered. “Fine. But keep it under B2000.”

Roxy hugged Pearl. “Deal.” She pulled back and looked at Pearl. “And speak to no-one about what you heard here just now.”

Pearl forced herself not to laugh as she replayed it in her head. “Study, and it never happened.” Roxy sat back and went back to her phone. Pearl snickered. “Hehe. ‘Stick a cupcaked in-’”

“Pearl, I swear to Faust above!”





Blueblood tapped his foot impatiently as he glared at the shadow on his window.

“Uh… you don’t look happy,” she said.

“Because you haven’t given me a progress report on what I hired you for,” Blueblood said.

“Because you never asked,” the Phantom replied. “Anyway, I haven’t found it yet, but I’ve cleared almost half the school. Considering what I have left, I’ve been able to narrow it down to-”

“I don’t care! Just get it done,” Blueblood lashed out.

“Oi! Better watch it,” said the Phantom. “The only reason I’m even listening to you is because you’re paying, but money doesn’t buy respect.” With that, she hopped off the window before Blueblood could even respond.

Blueblood growled. “If I didn’t need you, I’d have the guards throw you in prison!” He walked over to his vanity mirror. He tapped the screen and it rippled, revealing the image of a book, the cover of which had the image of a wizard hat with a sword hanging on the end.

“Soon. Very soon. I shall have what is rightfully mine!”

“Blueblood!” The boy groaned at the sound of his name.

“Coming, Aunty,” he called back. He looked back at the mirror. “Soon, the entire school will be answering my every ca-”

“Blueblood!”

“Coming!”

> MoV Q&A: That 4th Wall Though...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey there! I'm Sunset Shimmer.

And I'm Loli Beats. And this is-

Mages of Virtue: Q & A!!!

...

Was that weird?

Eh... a little bit.

Phew! I thought it was just me.

In this segment, we, members of the cast, organize a talk show where we answer your questions!

Nova was going to wait a while, but serious issues with something he calls a Goggle Driver or something like that are slowing progress on the actual story.

So, he decided to do this now instead.

But hey, better than nothing, in my opinion! So, let's get started. Leave your comments, questions, concerns in the comments below and we, along with Nova and some other characters, will take a look and answer them to the best of our abilities.

Now, honestly, this wasn't much of a success back in the original version, The Infinity Matrix, but-

Really?

Yep. Actually, we didn't get a single question.

Wow. How do I not know this?

Uh... because you weren't around when it came up.

Huh. Makes sense. How could anyone think it'd work out without me?

*rolls eyes* Anyway, Leave your comment, question, whatever down below and by Monday, expect all your questions to be answered.

Wait, all?

Relax, Loli. It's not like we're going to get up to five questions. If we do, I'll eat a dragon fruit! *leans towards the audience* FYI, I don't mean the flower. *goes back to Loli* And if you lose, you have to surrender all you're sweets to me for the next week.

Deal. Better get the ER on speed dial.

If you actually saw the old version, you'd turn in all your sugar right now.

Bring it! Save my sweets, guys! I need my saccharine!

Hm? What was that?

Nothing! LeaveyourcommentsbelowandjoinusnextweekforyouranswersandanewchapterBYE!!! *bolts out the door*

Uh... yeah. What she said. *evil grin*
> MoV Q&A: Turns Out This Can Be Kinda Successful
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh! Oh, Sweet Celestia, YES! *nom nom nom* Hm? Oh! *gulp* Hey guys! Welcome to the next section of Mages of Etheria, Q&A! So… Yeah. I won! Ha! Take that, Sunset! Although, I do feel kinda bad that she had to eat that thing. Not sure if her breathing fire was her showing how mad she was or just an effect of the dragonfruit… eh. She’ll be fine.

Anyway, let’s see what we got. So, the first six questions came from Undeadnut.



Luna: What evil thing did you do?


Well, aside from the whole Nightmare Moon thing that went down, I have no idea. Everything involving that event was kept under wraps, locked up in a vault, then buried in the deepest, darkest, most inaccessible area of the Everfree! Basically, no one knows all the details except whoever was around back then.



Blue blood: what are the exact measurements of your "royal blade"?


Ugh. I can’t believe you made me ask him this! First, he misinterpreted what I meant, leading to a very disturbing conversation I wish I could wipe from my mind! Then, when I explained I was talking about his sword, he wouldn’t stop yammering on about it! Argh!

So, 36 inches long, another 12 inches for the handle, and 5.5 inches wide. 



Loli: if your candy is so important to you why did you bet it?


Because it’s go big or go home! Besides, I kinda knew I’d win, so I wasn’t too bothered. Hehe… yeah...



Phantom: are you going to steal someone's heart?


What? NO! Well… I don’t think so. She usually steals stuff with material value… I think...



Sunset: does your hair taste like bacon?


She insists that it doesn’t. I don’t entirely believe her, but I don’t think she’ll give me the chance to actually find out for myself. Besides, not everyone can have hair as delicious as mine!



Dusk: don't you think your shields are a little… small?


First off, I think you mean Dawn. Second, they can expand and contract at will. He just keeps them at that size as a default so he can move freely. He said he designed them using schematics from some hero called “Gogo Tomago”.

This one’s from Professor Tacitus:


Favorite video game series/franchise?



I’ll ask around, but I personally love the InFamous series. Fetch really knows how to make a fashion statement.

So. That’s all for this Q&A. Hope to see more of you guys around next time. For now, leave your questions for the next Q&A in the comments here and they’ll be answered then.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go hide while creating an indestructible suit of armor. I don’t need to be psychic to see the ultimate sunburn in my future.

See ya next time!
> Face-to-Face
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset and Loli walked back to their room. Loli still had a mild headache, but at least she was out of the infirmary.

However, they were going to get anything but peace and quiet with Trixie apparently waiting for them in front of their room.

“You two hang out way too much to have just met this year,” Trixie stated. “And Trixie doesn’t believe in coincidence. What’s going on?”

Sunset really didn’t want to explain it to Trixie, but she also wanted to avoid Trixie from coming up with any crazier ideas.

“I, uh, lent my pen to Loli,” Sunset lied. “But I decided to help her back from the infirmary. Remember when you put her there?”

“Yes, I do,” Trixie said without an ounce of remorse. “And do you mean this pen?” Trixie asked, holding up a bright teal pen.

“What the- you went through my bag? What the hell?!”

“I knew you were going to lie, so I made sure to removed all opportunities so you’d have no choice but to tell the truth.” Trixie must’ve been proud of herself, seeing as she was grinning like an evil mastermind that had caught her arch nemesis in the ultimate trap. But Loli was not fazed.

“Well, I do have another response we could use,” Loli said.

“And that is?”

“None of your beeswax! Now move,” she said, bolting past Trixie with enough speed to kick up a gust and spin Trixie. Sunset immediately followed while Trixie was still disoriented. Trixie was the last person she wanted involved in this. “So, got any ideas for how we can lure out the Phantom?”

“Yeah, but, uh…”

“But what? What is it?”

“It’s… not one of my best.”

“Dawn and I have taken on a pack of Timberwolves by making up a plan as it went along. Lay it on me.”

“Well, we could… wait for her to show up.”

Loli stared at Sunset for a moment before replying. “I know what I said, but aren’t you supposed to be the one with a plan?”

“Well, I’ve never tried catching something I have zero info on,” Sunset replied. “No article I’ve read on her has anything solid!”

“Uh… okay… well, I guess it could be a start. I mean, apparently, you saw her in the room, so anything’s possible.”

“We should probably take turns watching.”

“I’ll get the coffee.”





By nightfall, Roxy was at the desk in her room, working on her computer… well, it looked like she was working. She heard a knock on the door and changed the web tab before saying, “Come in.” Pearl walked in and closed the door behind her. “What’s up?”

“You got a package,” Pearl said, holding out a parcel the size of a shoe box. It was wrapped in purple and silver wrapping paper, which was held down with a yellow ribbon. “You’re lucky this came in before your father came back.”

“No kidding,” Roxy said, taking the package. There was no tag or letter attached. She looked all around it and found something on the corner of the bottom: a symbol of a rock with what looked like sugar cubes sticking out of it. Roxy smiled. “Really glad he didn’t see this one.” Roxy placed her finger on the symbol on the corner and a message appeared on the top:

Dear Roxy,

I’m really, really sorry this didn’t get to you earlier. Business has been slow lately and too many problems keep popping up at the wrong time. But I managed to sneak out of an important meeting to get this sent over. So you’d better damn well appreciate it!

I really hope it reaches you directly. Just to make sure “you-know-who” doesn’t get his hands on it.

I’ll try and get in touch as soon as I possibly can. Take care of yourself, sugar.

Love,
Mom.

Roxy’s smile turned into the grin of a starstruck teenager. She looked closely at the ribbon and sniffed. She bit the top and pulled, drawing the ribbon out of its knot. Once it was out, she bit the ribbon and chewed. “Lemonade. Nice.” She opened the box and grinned. Before she could bring out the contents, her phone rang. She looked at the screen and gasped.

“Crap! It’s my dad!” She looked out the window, but didn’t see the car. She answered the call. “Good evening, dad.”

“Evening, Roxanne,” replied the man. “How was your day?”

“Oh, it was… great,” Roxy said with some hesitation.

“I see,” he replied. “Well, I won’t be back as early as I thought. My appointment got moved, so I’ll be gone for another two days.”

“Thank Faust,” Roxy thought. “Oh. Okay. Well, I hope it goes well.”

“Good night, Roxanne.”

Roxy breathed a sigh of relief as her father hung up the phone.

“You’d think he’d care less with how he just leaves for weeks on end without a word,” she groaned.

“Uh-huh. So, you want to start with General Knowledge, or History?” Pearl asked, holding up two large textbooks.

“How about Sleep?” Roxy joked. “No? Ugh, fine.”





Sunset was, once again, in the same open field. The flowers were just as bright and the breeze was just as calming. She looked around at the vast space around her, taking deep breaths. But then, just like the last time, she noticed a figure in the distance. It was clearer today, as Sunset could notice her bright orange hair.

“Hey,” Sunset called out. But the figure did not move. Sunset began to walk towards the figure, still calling out. “Hey! Can you hear me?” It was hard to move through the thick flowerbeds. But the figure moved slightly at the sound of the flora rustling.

However, something from the outside distracted her; her own name.

“Sunset,” it called. “Sunset… WAKE UP!!!”





Sunset’s eyes shot open and immediately scanned the room. Her eyes darted rapidly around her surroundings. At first, she saw nothing except a sleeping Trixie and relaxed. But then, she looked to her side.

“Well, you sure are a heavy sleeper.”

Sunset was paralyzed with shock. Right in front of her bed, sitting cross-legged on the ground next to her, was a figure in a black robe with a brown satchel bag over her shoulder. Her face was hidden in shadows, save for her bright blue eyes.

Sunset’s body finally reacted, but just as she made her move-

“Shhh.”

On hearing the shushing sound, Sunset’s body froze. She couldn’t move, she couldn’t speak; actually she couldn’t do anything!

“Uh-uh-uh. Play nice,” said the shadow. “Now, in case you’re still trying to process it, yes, I am the “Phantom Thief”,” she said. “No idea why you guys came up with that, but I got used to it.” Sunset stared, confused. “Yeah. I expected that look. Let me explain. See, I’ve got a job to do, but it’s hard to do with you snooping around. Bad enough Princess Celestia is upping security around the school, I don’t need any more nosy kids like you looking into my business. So, here’s the deal: I need you to back off.”

Sunset just stared.

“Oh, right.” With a wave of the Phantom’s hand, Sunset’s throat loosened. “What were you going to say?”

“LOLI!!! NOW!!!” Sunset waited… and waited… and waited… “What the- LOLI!!!”

“Save your breath,” said the Phantom. “No one can hear you while I’m here.”

“Wait, what?”

“How do you think I sneak around all the time without anyone being able to catch me?”

“A silencing rune…”

“Ding-ding-ding! I can isolate sounds in an area so I, and whoever I choose, are the only ones who can hear what’s going on! But enough about me… or, wait… you probably have a crap-tonne of questions about me. Go on.”

Sunset was staring, surprised. “Where should I start?” Sunset she finally said, forcing herself to remain calm. “What exactly are you doing? I heard you only take things of sentimental value, but you’ve been around since the year started, but no one has reported anything missing.”

“Let’s say I have a bigger job,” she replied. “Someone made an offer I can’t refuse. Don’t worry, I’ll be out of your hair in about a week.”

“What are you looking for?” Sunset asked.

“Nothing worth wondering about,” replied Phantom. “Honestly, I don’t really care much for it myself. I just came out of retirement because I got the deal of a lifetime!”

“From who?”

The Phantom looked left and right before leaning in. “Can’t say, but he’s in your class.”

“Well, that narrows it down… kinda,” Sunset thought. “Wait, what of all the stuff you stole before?”

“Hm? Oh, you mean last couple of years? Never really did take them. Look around in places people wouldn’t normally pass by and you’ll find a lot of them.”

But one question really bothered Sunset: “Why are you telling me all this so casually?”

“Like I said, I’m retired. I have no need to keep anything but my secret identity. Pretty anticlimactic, huh?” She got up and stretched out. “So, no more ghost hunting for you, okay? I’m generally a nice person, as you can see, but I really hate people who are rude, nosy, and pushy. So please, for your sake-” She leaned in closer, “- back off.”

Sunset blinked and suddenly, she could move. But in that split second, the Phantom had also vanished. Sunset looked around, but there was no sign that she had even been there! Trixie was, somehow, still asleep and she could still see Loli looking out the window.

But then her train of thought was broken when she noticed a sliver of sunlight creeping in through the window. “Wait, wasn’t it still dark out just now?”

Sunset was more than confused, especially the part about “coming out of retirement”. And why couldn’t she move? Was that magic or another part of her Affinity? And apparently, Princess Celestia already knew about her presence, but said nothing.

“Probably better off that as few people as possible know,” she thought. “Loli and I may have to rethink our approach.”





Dawn was not a morning person. In fact, the only reason he was awake was because he had to prepare for anything, and by “anything”, he was thinking of Blueblood. On his bed was one of his yo-yos, or pieces of it anyway. Bits and pieces of what looked like weapon parts were also scattered across his bed.

“Yo. Awake already?” Thunderlane called from the door. Now he was a true morning person. Unlike Dawn, he didn’t need coffee to wake up at 7:30AM and kick the day off in fifth gear! “It’s normally a war to get you out of bed.”

“I’m not really “out of bed” now am I?” Dawn said, grinning.

“Whatever.” Thunderlane looked at the mug of steaming hot coffee on Dawn’s bedside table. “How do you drink that?” he asked, staring into the black liquid.

“Three cubes of sugar,” Dawn answered. “You should try it.”

“Dude, my body's a temple,” said Thunderlane. “And I do not intent to anger the gods by offering them poison.”

“You say poison, I say jet fuel.” Dawn looked behind Thunderlane. “He’s still not back?”

“Who? Bulk or Blue?”

“Uh… Both. I didn’t even know Bulk had left. Where’d he go?”

“Said he was helping Fluttershy at the shelter or something.”

“Who?”

“Shy girl. Pinkette. You know, the one who was caught with about twelve pets in her locker, including a bear!”

“Oh.”

“You really need to get out more often. She’s in your class!”

Dawn shrugged. He didn’t really care much for social interaction. “So, where to?” he asked.

“Gym. Scheduled a session with Atlas.”

“Right. And you didn’t just get one of the gym’s trainers because…?”

“Eh. They cost too much.”

“That makes sense,” Dawn thought. “Well have fun with that.”

“You know I do,” Thunderlane said before taking off.

Before he could get back to what he was doing, Dawn’s cell rang. He picked it up and saw it was a call from Loli.

“Whad’up?” Loli chimed.

“Not much,” Dawn replied. Trying to see if I make some adjustments to my weapons. I still think they can be a bit more compact.”

“Well, it’d be a lot easier than carrying them all separately. Doing anything else?”

“Nope. Why?”

”Sunset and I are heading into town later today. You’re joining us and I’m not taking no for an answer.”

“No.”

“I said that wasn’t an answer.”

Dawn heard a tap on his window and looked out to see Loli standing outside the window pane.

“Really?”

Loli cut the call before answering through the glass, “If you don’t come out, I’ll drag you out, kicking and screaming if I have to.”

“You and what army?”





“Uh… Is he fine with this?” Sunset asked, concerned when she saw Loli pulling Dawn behind her with her ponytail. She was sitting at a table outside Joe’s Doughnut Shop where she had told Loli to meet her.

“He’ll be fine,” Loli said, finally letting Dawn go. Then she looked at him. “Still think I was bluffing?”

Dawn simply glared at her, then at Sunset.

“I had nothing to do with this,” Sunset said, trying not to smile.

Dawn groaned. “Okay, so, what’s this about?”

“Sunset said she had something important to talk about,” Loli explained. “I just wanted to get you out of your room.”

“The last time I was out of my room on a Saturday, someone got hurt.”

“Come on! At least sit here and pretend to be interested.”

Dawn grudgingly complied and sat down with them.

“So, what’s up?” Loli asked.

Sunset took a deep breath. “There’s no other way to put this, so… um… yeah. Last night? I saw the Phantom Thief.”

“WHAT?!” Loli cried, getting the attention of everyone in the cafe. “Sorry,” she apologized. “What?!” she cried, but a lot less loud.

“She was in our room.”

“W-What?!”

“You and Trixie couldn’t hear us because, apparently, she had a silence rune.”

“Well, what did she say?” Loli said, her eyes glowing with excitement.

“Uh… back off.”

The excitement suddenly faded. “I know this is getting old already, but… what?”

“She knows I’ve been looking into her. She knows my name. And apparently, Princess Celestia already knows about her return.”

“Well, if she did, she’d obviously want to avoid panic… or more people doing what we’re doing,” Loli said. “But I still don’t get how you could’ve been having a conversation and I Didn’t even hear her come in!”

“Like I said, her rune controls sounds. But here’s the weird part: she said she “came out of retirement”. Something about the deal of a lifetime offered to her by someone from our class.”

“O… kay. That’s even weirder.”

“Are you sure you weren’t having a bad dream?” Dawn chimed in.

“Look who suddenly got interested,” Loli said, a smug grin plastered on her face.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. But you so sure someone isn’t messing with you?”

“How?”

“Say, for example, someone knew that you were looking into this ghost story and decided to have a little fun with it.”

“Killjoy,” Loli mumbled.

“I’m just saying it’s a possibility.”

“Dawn, come on! You’re the same person who believed this “ghost story” back when your hoverboard got stolen!”

“I told you, I just lost it. Not the first time.”

Sunset watched the bicker like siblings. It was a struggle to hold back her laughter.

“So, how long have you two know each other?” Sunset asked.

“A really long time,” said Loli. “Pretty much since we were kids. We grew up together in Magehattan.”

“Wow. Your parents knew each other?”

“Kinda. My mom never told me the details, but they’re both adventurers and met on some trip to Masia.”

“Wow. So you guys get around a lot, huh?”

“Not really. We just stuck to the Everfree.”

“When you were kids?!”

“Hey, no one told us that the things in there were supposed to be scary. All they said was, ‘Don’t go there.’ How were we supposed to know it wasn’t safe.”

“But we made it a habit anyway,” Dawn added.

“‘Cause we’re crazy like that.”

Sunset looked in disbelief. But then, she had an idea.

“So, the trials are coming up in a week. Are you two entering?”

“N-”

“Yup,” Loli cut it before Dawn could finish. Dawn looked at Loli, shocked. “Since we don’t have a team anymore, we need to retake the whole thing. Besides, we just threw our old team together, so we actually need to take this test.”

Sunset noticed Dawn looking at Loli like she had just told the world his one true weakness like it was normal.

“Oh… cool. I wasn’t here to take it, so I need to too,” she said, not wanting to go any further; Dawn still had that look.

“Sweet!”





“‘Sweet?’ NO! Not sweet!” Dawn protested when they left. As they walked down the street, Dawn continued to scold Loli for her actions. “Did you even ask-”

“No,” Loli said. “Because I knew you’d say no.”

“And for a very good reason!”

“One bad experience is not a good reason,” Loli argued.

“We’re going into the Everfree Forest, the most dangerous area of land in this hemisphere; what make you think this won’t end horribly for someone?”

“Dude, the point is to find teammates you can actually trust.”

“And if I happen to get paired with Blueblood?” he asked.

“Uh…” Loli looked for a way to fill the hole in her logic.

“Or Atlas? Or Trixie?”

The hole was getting bigger and harder to fill.

“Um… you let me worry about Trixie,” Loli said, but Dawn still looked skeptical. “Come on! It’ll be fun! We’ll be in the Everfree, fighting monsters and… probably looking for some symbolic artifact to signify we completed the challenge; it’ll be great!”

Dawn was still not sure. But he did love exploring the Everfree…

“One condition,” he said.

Loli instantly beamed and a huge smile cut across her face. “I don’t care. As long as you say yes!”

“Whatever happens is on you.”

“That is a very small price to pay!” Loli said, her excitement causing her voice to squeak.

“Great. Now, first, you’re going to help me tweak me gear.”

“Hey, Razer needs a tune-up too,” she said, referring to her weapon. “That’s a playdate, not work.”





Meanwhile, Sunset had met up with Twilight and Pinkie Pie, both of whom were waiting just outside the Chantalot General Library, and explained what had happened the night before. Twilight looked surprised while Pinkie looked very excited, which is not how you’d expect a normal student to react to hearing that there’s a mysterious figure lurking around the school.

“Okay… I… um… what do I say in a situation like this?” Twilight asked, still lost for words.

“You say, “I was wrong. Ghost stories do exist. Sorry for doubting you, Pinkie.” Go on,” said Pinkie.

“Are you absolutely sure it wasn’t a dream?” asked Twilight.

“You’re the second person to ask me that question,” replied Sunset. “Answer’s still yes.”

“Then maybe we really should report this to Princess-”

“Princess Celestia knows,” Sunset interrupted. “According to the Phantom anyway.”

“Oh… so what now? It doesn’t look like there’s much else we can do.”

“We could try to catch her,” Sunset suggested. “And by we, I mean me, you two, and Loli.”

“Wait, wha-”

“I’m in,” Pinkie answered immediately before Twilight could object.

“Hold on, let’s think about this,” Twilight said, trying to reason with her friends.

“I’ve been thinking about this for weeks and I’ve made up my mind,” said Sunset. “We’re catching the Phantom Thief.”

Pinkie could barely contain herself, jumping up and down like a five-year-old who just ate a whole sack of sugar.

“Where do we start?” asked the pinkette.

“First, we need runes; lots and lots of runes…” Sunset said, a determined grin plastered on her face.





Later that night, in Sunset’s room...

“This is crazy- no scratch that… IT’S COMPLETELY INSANE!!!” Twilight could spend the whole night listing everything that could possibly go wrong with their plan. Sadly, the other three girls in the bedroom had very selective hearing; anything she said would probably be carried away in the wind.

“Relax, Twi,” said Pinkie with her usual optimism. “Bait traps are the simplest and most effective traps ever!”

“Except when the aren’t. What if she figures out it’s a trap? What if she turns it on you? On us? What if-”

“Twilight,” Sunset said, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder to calm her. “Stop worrying about what could go wrong and start imagining what could happen if this works!”

Twilight’s breathing slowed. “I still think this is insane,” she added as she tried to calm herself.

“A lot of the greatest things in the world are insane,” said Loli. “Someone woke up one morning and said, “Hey! I have an idea! Let’s have a celebration where we dress up in scary outfits and get scared of some crazy myth that happens to be true because it’s fun!” BOOM! Nightmare Night.”

“That’s… an oddly good point…” Twilight admitted.

“See,” said Pinkie. “Nothing to worry about. You’re surrounded by professionals.”

“I highly doubt-”

“We all know our part?” Sunset interrupted, grinning at Twilight’s scowl.

“You sleep, we keep a lookout and charge in the moment she makes her entrance.”

“See that?” asked Twilight. “That’s the kind of explanation that makes this plan sound completely nuts!”

“Look, Twi, it’ll work,” Sunset said. "Trust-”

Sunset was cut off by an odd rumbling. Everyone held onto something to keep from falling down.

“Uh… what was that?” asked Twilight.

“I think our plan just went out the window,” said Loli, looking out the window.

“I know I’ll regret asking… but why?”

“Because the Royal Guard just cornered the Phantom Thief outside the library.”

Nobody asked questions. They all shot towards the window.

Just across their dorm, a shadowy figure stood in front of the library, holding a large book. Royal Guards surrounded her, weapons at the ready in case she resisted.

“Well… this makes our job easier,” Loli said.
> All This For a Book?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Phantom stood facing the battalion of Royal Guards, weapons at the ready. Their white and gold armor surrounding her black-cloaked figure. She looked around, scanning her opponents and taking notes.

“Wow,” she said. “There’s a lot of you. Was all this necessary?”

“Put down the book and come quietly,” said one of the Guards, whose armor had a unique, slightly heavier build and a cape.

“Hm?” The Phantom raised up her right hand, in which she held a rather large book with a pale red hard-back cover. “This? Sorry. I need this book,” she said. “Besides, I checked it out and everything. I mean, my library card is on the table inside!”

“This is the last time I’ll ask you to come quietly,” the Guard said.

The Phantom Thief sighed. “Why can’t I do anything in this school in peace! I just wanted this book!” As she spoke, the Guards armed with swords advanced slowly. “But nooo~! There’s either a student, or a big anti-magic lock, or a bunch of armed soldiers making things difficult!” A misty green aura began to rise around her, causing the swordsmen to grip their swords more tightly. “Well, looks like I’m gonna have to make some noise.” Her left hand reached into her cloak and emerged with what looked like a comically large sewing needle! The silver blade was designed with a black spiral that swirled from the base to the tip. The handle was just as thin as the blade, but there was no guard.

At the sight of the weapon, most of the Guards quickly raised their blades. Unfortunately for them, she was quicker. In a blur, she waved her blade and the black marks turned a bright, glowing yellow. Just as fast, she raised her blade, creating an electric field around her that stopped their blades before they could land. Dropping the blade, she popped the shield, sending the guards flying.

“FIRE!” On the leader’s mark, the ten-or-so riflemen all opened fire, automatic rifles blazing. But the Phantom was unfazed. With another rapid flick, the spiral turned light blue. Her arms moved in a flurry, only visible as a blur with a blue trail as she deflected the oncoming onslaught of gunfire! Once she stopped, the air pocket formed around began to expand. She waved her blade again and put the book in her shoulder bag. She drew a second similar blade from her right side in her cloak and flicked it red as well. She pointed them both in the air, points together. The moment she separated them, a tiny spark erupted into a massive flame as the air pocket popped. Carried by the wind, the inferno knock back and knocked out most of the Guards, partially scorching their armor.

As she advanced, the still standing soldiers hurried forward to help pull their fallen, crispy comrades away from the danger. However, the leader continued his advanced, drawing a massive battle axe from his side.

The Phantom looked up at the approaching challenger and readied her weapons again. “I just wanted the damn book!”

The Guard pointed the axe in front of him, revealing the rod was actually a mini cannon! The first shot came as a surprise, barely missing the Phantom as she dove to avoid the shot. The Guard did not relent. He fired round after round at her as she flipped and rolled to avoid getting blasted apart like the ground behind her. “All this trouble for a hardback, limited-edition history book?” she huffed as a round flew by her head. “Jeez! If I’d known it’d be like this, I would’ve just ordered a newer edition online!”

The Guard was getting very frustrated. He spun his axe over his head and brought it down, sending an earth-shattering shockwave at the Phantom. The target flicked her blades again, this time turning them brown, and stabbed them into the ground just as the shockwave reached her. The ground in front of her shattered and the shockwave dissipated, leaving her unharmed. She slashed forward against the ground, sending a salvo of rocks flying towards the Guard. He slashed through the onslaught with little effort, moving towards the Phantom as he did so.

However, the Phantom had already planned for that. Just as the Guard was a few feet away from her, she stabbed both her weapons into the ground, causing a ripple in front of her. The Guard suddenly lost his footing and struggled to stay standing as the ground shook beneath him. Then, like a skilled acrobat, she jumped over him and slashed across his back with both blades. Before he could recover, she stepped forward, slashing low and bringing him to his knees before kicking him in the face.

She planted her boot on his chest and said, “Can I go now? I really need to have this delivered.”

The Guard growled before using his sheer strength to push her off. But just as she was thrown back, her weapon glowed yellow and touched his armor. Violent flashes of electricity arced around his armor and knocked him back to the ground. He groaned as he tried to crawl away, reaching for his weapon, which the Phantom simply kicked a little bit away each time he got close.





“We’ve got to do something,” said Sunset.

“She just took out ten riflemen, twenty swordsmen, and a Royal Lieutenant without breaking a sweat,” said Twilight, a bit apprehensive of Sunset’s eagerness. “What are a few high school students going to do?”

Without hesitation, Sunset reached under her bed and brought out her weapon.

“Since it’s just the first month, we aren’t allowed to go all out in sparring matches in gym class." She tapped the base hard against the ground and the flame in lamp head ignited. “Luckily, this isn’t sparring in gym.”

With zero hesitation, Sunset climber out the window and onto the roof as Twilight called out, “Sunset, wait!”

Loli picked up her oddly-shaped weapon and followed. “Finally! Someone who really understands the meaning of “proactive”,” she said, following Sunset out.

Pinkie and Twilight stood in the room, alone. “They’re all insane,” Twilight said to herself.

“I don’t know. From what I’ve seen, they’re both pretty good fighters,” said Pinkie, who was now, somehow, holding a bucket of popcorn.

“Pretty sure pretty good isn’t going to be enough for this fight.”

“Shouldn’t we help?”

As much as Twilight didn’t like it…

“Well… we are her friends.”





Meanwhile, the Phantom was having the time of her life! She had spent almost the last minute kicking the guard’s axe further and further away. And the unrelenting guard was simply indulging her by continuing in his fruitless endeavor.

“I take it back. This is way more fun than hunting for some dumb old book!” She chuckled as the guard finally laid flat and stopped trying. “Aw! You’re no fun anymore.”

Suddenly, she noticed a glow from the corner of her eye. She instinctively ducked, narrowly avoiding the fireball that whizzed past her head. “Ugh. Really?” She turned and looked in the direction of the attack. “I thought I was done with gru- Oh, it’s you.” On seeing Sunset, her expression went from annoyed to underwhelmed. “You do realize our meeting wasn’t part of some dream, right?”

Sunset got between the Phantom and the hurt guard and raised her weapon. “Back off,” she barked.

“Aw! How cute,” the Phantom mocked. She was unfazed and advanced on Sunset, who got ready to attack. “Look, kid, I was very clear when I told you to back off. I really don’t want to hurt students if I can help it.” Sunset didn’t move from her spot. In fact, gripped her staff even harder. The Phantom sighed. “Alright. Never let it be said that I didn’t try to talk you out of this but…” Faster than Sunset could react, the Phantom switched her blades to lightning and hurled a bolt at Sunset. Unprepared, she blocked with her staff, unable to raise a barrier in time and took the full force of the blast. She was sent flying back, but managed to land on her feet. She had no time to prepare as another bolt slammed into her chest and knocked her on her back.

“Please, don’t make me hurt you,” the Phantom pleaded with such sincerity that Sunset had never expected to even be remotely convinced.

But that didn’t stop her. She spun as she got up, igniting a cyclone of fire around her before hurling it towards the Phantom, who countered it effortlessly with a tornado of her own that sent the flames back at Sunset. As she dove out of the way, Sunset charged up two bolts of solar energy and sent them flying towards the Phantom. The Phantom easily avoided the shots and sent a blast of wind to knock Sunset back to the ground before pinning her shirt to the earth with one of her blades.

“Give it a rest, kid,” said the Phantom. “I’ve been doing this since before even your grandparents were born!”

“Well, you said you weren’t going to stop until you finished whatever job it is you were given,” Sunset replied. “ Why should I?”

“Because what I’m doing is actually important, not to mention my job.”

“Stealing a book from a high-school library?”

“Sunset, you and I both know that there aren’t just books on history and astronomy in there.”

She was right and Sunset knew it. There was a reserved section of the library that held a variety of powerful spell books and grimoires that ordinarily shouldn’t be in a high-school. But ever since Celestia allowed advanced magic training courses, some students had special access to said books. But what book was so important there that her “employer” couldn’t find anywhere else? Let alone have to steal it from the school?

“What was it?” she asked the Phantom.

“Hm?”

“What book did you take?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” the Phantom teased.

“I would indeed. NOW!!!” Before she could react, a pink bolt flew past the Phantom, barely missing her torso. However, as she moved back, her bag took the hit instead and the bolt severed the strap. Whatever was in that bag must’ve been really important, because before the bag could even leave her side, she slipped her blade into one of the loops where the strapped was hooked and pulled it back with her. However, she didn’t have it for long as a streak of black, red, and pink shot past her and relieved her of the extra weight, followed by another pink blur that tripped her..

“Got it!” Loli held the bag triumphantly over her head as Pinkie helped Sunset to her feet and Twilight ran up to meet them. “Was that so hard?”

“You have no idea,” the Phantom replied. “All I want is that book, but noooo~!” The Phantom’s body began to glow an odd shade of turquoise. “I asked you stay out of this, but did you listen?”

“I couldn’t just let you-”

“No,” the Phantom cut Sunset off as she put her blade away back under her cloak. “No you didn’t. And now, a few people are going to get hurt. What happens now, Shimmer, is all on you!” She went on all fours, slamming her hands against the ground as the glow enveloped her. Her body began to morph; her arms and legs gained an extra hinge joint, her hands and feet changed shape, her body gained more mass, and her face extended into a jaw.

Sunset watched in amazement as the masked woman changed from a human… into a full-grown, howling wolf!

“AW!!! PUPPY!!!” Loli, on the other hand, clearly wasn’t fully aware that the situation was not in their favor. Pinkie’s wide eyes and smile gave a similar impression. Nor did they seem to care as the Phantom Wolf pounced and smacked them away with her tail!

The Phantom turned to Twilight and Sunset and knocked them away as well before catching the bag in her maw and bolting off. But before she could go far, the Guard tackled her to the ground, knocking the bag out of her mouth before holding it shut with his armored hands! However, she glowed and shifted again, this time taking on the form of a much bigger animal; a gorilla. With practically no effort, she grabbed the guard and flung him into the library. She found the book on the ground and jumped towards it. But a flash of light blinded her as she landed and she missed. As her vision cleared, she looked back and saw Sunset run towards the book.

“Oh no you don’t,” she said as she jumped towards Sunset, who barely dodged, diving to the ground as Twilight fired a bolt of energy at their assailant. The Phantom took the hit with little effort and swung again, this time stopped by a counter swing from Pinkie’s hammer. But before she could throw another punch- “Wait… what? Why can’t I move?” She looked at her raised fist, suspended against her will. “There weren’t any binding runes in the area!”

“Luckily, I don’t need one,” Loli said, walking in front of the Phantom with her satchel bag. Loli pointed down and that’s when the Phantom noticed a black streak connecting both of their shadows.

“Oh… impressive,” the Phantom said.

“You know, you could’ve opened with that,” Sunset said, getting up.

“Hey, it’s not my fault! She turned into a cute, little puppy,” Loli said in defence.

“First of all, cuteness is in the eye of the beholder,” Sunset replied.

“I thought that was beauty,” Pinkie said.

“Second,” Sunset said, ignoring the remark, “pretty sure five foot ten on all fours does not qualify as little.” Sunset finally got back on track when she saw what Loli was holding. “So, what is it?” she asked.

Loli shrugged and began to open the bag.

“Kids, I’m warning you,” the Phantom said. “Do not open that bag. You may not like what you see.”

But Sunset didn’t care. Loli pulled the book out and read the front cover.

“The Ancient Art of the Sentinels: Guide to the Guardians of the Stars.” Loli raised an eyebrow. “Huh. I was really expecting something a little more on the necromancy side. Not sure why, but…” She looked up to ask Sunset her opinion, but was worried by the look on her face. “Yo, Sunny? You there?” Loli was shocked when Sunset grabbed the book from her and began flipping through the pages.

“No… no way…” Sunset’s expression was a mix of shock and terror. She walked over the the Phantom Ape and held the book up to her. “Do you have any idea what this is?!”

The Phantom tilted her head in confusion. “Yeah. I can’t remember the details, but something about holding some of the possible secrets to the power of some really powerful knights or warriors or whatever.”

“You said the person who hired you was in our class,” Sunset added. “What in Faust’s name would anyone in our class be doing with this?!”

“Hey, don’t ask me. I just deliver the package. Speaking of which…” The Phantom began to struggle a bit more and the strain on Loli was very obvious. Sweat poured down her face as she tried to keep the connection. “Don’t fight it.”

“That’s… grrr… my line,” Loli replied., putting all her focus into keeping the Phantom bound. “QUIT STRUGGLING!!!” Loli picked up her weapon from the wrapped end and used the hard, blunt handle to whack the Phantom, which caused her to calm down a bit… for a while.

“ARGH!!! WHAT THE HELL?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!” The Phantom shook her head and constantly adjusted her eyes to adapt to the repercussions of the hit. “Ooooh. THAT’S. IT!!!” She brought her fist down to the ground, shattering the earth beneath her and shaking the ground everywhere else. All four were knocked off their feet and the Loli lost her focus. The Phantom took advantage of this and drove her massive fist into Loli’s stomach and smashed her into the ground before turning to Sunset, who was reaching for her staff. She looked around and found the book once again in Twilight’s possession.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Twilight thought, too deep in thought to notice the Phantom jump towards her

Sunset finally got her hand on her weapon and rolled over to aim. The moment the fireball built up mass, she hurled it at the Phantom, but the later transformed again, but into something smaller, narrowly avoiding the attack. The Phantom, now a rather large raven, took to the skies, book in talons.

“Not that I didn’t have a little fun here,” she said, “But time is money and the sooner I can get this done, the sooner I can go back into retirement. Later, losers!” And with that, she shot off into the night in a blur of black.

Sunset charged a fireball and watched, but her target was already too far away for her to land a hit. She then realized-

“Loli!” She ran over to her downed friend, who was now struggling to get up. “Loli!”

Loli looked up, still winded. “Sunset…” she said, catching her breath, “I hate monkeys.” The sound of armored boots caught their attention and they turned to see a troop of Guards running towards them. “Are we, uh… are we in trouble?”

Sunset looked at the Guards, then to an equally worried Twilight.

“I really hope not.”





Blueblood paced his room impatiently. It was almost 11pm and he was still waiting for even a report from his hired hand.

“Why is it so hard to find reliable work these days?” he asked himself. “Even the professionals are unprofessional!”

“I know, right?”

Blueblood jumped on hearing the familiar voice in the room and saw the Phantom sitting on the railing of the balcony outside his room.

“It’s so hard to find good help these days.”

Blueblood grumbled. He opened his mouth to tell her off about sneaking up on him… again, but she cut him off.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. “You hate it when I do that, blah blah blah!” I’m a thief, what did you think my greatest skill was?” She reached into her bag and held out her prize. “By the way, I got your stupid bo-”

“GIMME!!!” Blueblood reach out to snatch the book from her, but she moved it just out of her reach.

“Uh-uh-uh! You have to settle my retirement first. This is my last job after all,” she said with a smug grin.

Blueblood growled. He was growing increasingly tired of the Phantom, but the book was right there. He didn’t care for anything else. He reached into his pocket for his phone and completed the transaction online. There was an audible ping once the money was transferred.

“There! Five million bits! Now hand it-” Before he finished, the Phantom tossed the book to him. Blueblood caught it and opened it up immediately. His excitement slowly faded into confusion, then anger. “Is this supposed to be some kind of joke?”

The Phantom shrugged. “Hey, I don’t know what’s in it, I don’t want to know, and whatever’s in it is your problem.”

“The problem is what’s NOT in it!” Blueblood shoved the blank pages of the book in the Phantom’s face. “Which is spells, knowledge, and the information I needed it for!”

The Phantom leaned in, as if hoping to see hidden writing on the blank pages.

“Well, ain’t that something. Guess Celestia had a failsafe in case someone was actually able to steal it.”

Blueblood’s eye twitched. “You mean I wasted my time and money searching for an enchanted book I can’t even USE?!” Blueblood was red with rage and threw the book across the room.

“Huh… the girl could read it just fine. Maybe the book doesn’t like you,” she joked.

But Blueblood didn’t care as much for the joke as he did for the statement before it.

“Wait… what girl?” he asked. The Phantom looked confused. “You said a girl could read it.”

“Yeah, but-”

“Who is she?”

The Phantom was worried. Blueblood had a look; the kind of look that makes one hesitant to give a name. “Uh… I don’t know. She had really weird hair. Besides, there was more than one and it's hard to tell who's what when fighting at night.”

“With any luck,” she thought to herself, “he has no idea who they are.”

“Weird hair, you say?” he asked, thinking. “Best I can tell are the emo, Celestia’s former pupil, and the pink pain in my royal-”

“Uh… who?” the Phantom asked, playing dumb.

“Never mind,” Blueblood said. “I think I know where to look. They’re most probably in my class if they were too weak to stop you.”

“Wow… a compliment… sort of.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” the Phantom thought. “But I probably should be worried about you… and Sunset.”