Chapter 1: Hard Landing

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Sunset’s pulse pounded in her ears, adrenaline surging through her as she desperately fought to keep herself up right and running. She risked a glance back and immediately regretted it; the hunched, skull faced creature releasing another unnatural screech as it pounded after her. Pressing tighter against the bleeding gash in her side, the until-just-recently-pony girl pushed herself to sprint faster.

However, her overworked heart plummeted at what she saw when she turned back ahead, a row of lockers bordering the solid wall of a T intersection at the end of the dark hall. Yes, there were turns on either side but she knew she couldn’t slow down enough to take them without the death-faced monstrosity reaching her. She doubted that even if she did have time that she’d still be able to pull it off; she was amazed she was even running in her new body.

Then as if the fates had decided her luck wasn’t bad enough, a door to Sunset’s side burst open with another, more spider-like and tall-headed monster lunging out at her. Her instincts forced her into a running crouch, finally breaking her fragile balance and sending her sprawling to the floor.

A pair of shrieks collided above her and a heavy weight slammed into her back, forcing the air from her lungs. A loud rip sounded and Sunset slammed her eyes shut against the oncoming pain. However as soon as the weight hit her, it rolled off with a cacophony of snarls and unnatural cries.

Quickly scrambling away from the pair now viciously clawing and snapping at one another, she bolted down the rest of the hall before hesitating at the turn. Spotting the backs of a pack of the walkers feasting on some poor soul to the left, she quickly headed down the right hall as quietly as she could. She rushed to the first open door and gave a frantic scan before closing it behind her, falling against it and sliding to the floor panting.

Her hands flew over her mouth as rapid thumping sounds rattled along the wall before scuttling to a stop on the door itself. Sunset stayed as still and quiet as she could, feeling the vibrations of each step of the monstrosity rotating along the wood, as if sensing her just beyond. After a silent beat that felt like an eternity, she at last heard the abomination continue on its way.

Deep, ragged heaves escaped her as soon as she let herself finally breathe. She fought off the urge to break down into a crying mess and settled for doubling over and losing her lunch instead. She fell back into the door and tried to wipe the sweat from her eyes before slowly pulling a hand, sticky with blood, away from the gash in her side.

‘That damn mare in the helmet. Or female… whatever the Tartarus I am now. I was fine until she showed up!’ she cursed internally. Her shoulders slumped as she closed her eyes and tried to focus, to sort through everything that happened and figure out her next step...

Less than an hour earlier...

A short yelp echoed through the moonlit courtyard as a young woman suddenly fell out of the statue standing at its center. Rubbing her head, she wearily pushed herself up to her hands and knees before jumping at the realization that not only was something very different, but that something very important was also missing. Strange appendages scrambled over her forehead.

‘Where is it?!Where is it?!Where is it?! How can I-STOP! Stop. Calm down’ she shut down the panic, taking several deep breaths as she searched her core. It took only a moment of focus but she confirmed it; the internal flow of her magic was thankfully still there. Unfortunately, it also seemed to be all the magic of substance that she could sense in the whole area.

‘Guess I’ll be stuck using my own reserves for now… wonderful…’

After taking a moment to look over the strange new body, she moved to crawl before the rough pavement dug into her palm. Wincing at the mild irritation, she reexamined her status and quickly reached a conclusion based predominantly on the boots she now wore. Using the statue as support, she pushed herself into a leaning stand more suited to the now obviously bipedal body before a second realization dawned on her and dashed any sense of satisfaction.

She pressed against the stone. She then pushed off to shove wholeheartedly against it. She even went as far as to lightly pound a fist against it to the same result.

Solid.

“Well that rules out going back home right away… must have been that shock wave…” Sunset knew better than to jump through a portal completely blind; while she may not have known where it would lead her, she had learned how often the mirror activated and how long it should be open for. However as she entered the swirling vortex, there was some kind of explosion of colorful magic that hit her just as she jumped in. The manipulation of time and space could be unpredictable enough under normal circumstances. Being mixed with the sudden unknown magic, she was surprised she was only changed as much as she was. For all she knew she was nowhere near where or even when the portal was supposed to normally connect to…

She shook away the uneasiness and turned her attention back to her current surroundings. There was nothing she could do about it for now, not without knowing where she ended up at least.

Despite the late hour, the full moon gave her a fairly good view of the area. It was obviously a school. Even if she was in a completely different dimension, she could tell a school when she saw one. That observation was only proven when she went inside; Classrooms, desks, lockers, the works. They were all tailored to fit creatures like her new self but all the stuff was the same as she knew from back home.

She was examining her new self again in the reflection of a display case when a low, disjointed rumbling caught her attention. She paused to perk her ears and quickly discovered she couldn’t actually do that anymore. After giving a small huff, she made her way towards the sound. An odd smell also began to reach her as she moved through the darkened halls. It had a familiar coppery tinge but she couldn’t quite place it. She was making a mental note that her now tiny nose probably had a relatively diminished sense of smell when she spotted the flickering of candle light from a door slightly ajar at the end of the hall.

‘It’s chanting’ she realized, creeping up to peek through the opening. It was some kind of auditorium, full of the same species her new body was. It was a decently sized group, all kneeling and wearing hooded robes covered in dark blotches. A new wave of the smell slammed into her.

‘Oh Sweet Celestia, it’s Blood!’

“EVE EMBRACE US!” one figure suddenly shouted and as one they all impaled themselves with what looked like syringes. Everything inside Sunset told her to start running but she was frozen on the spot, unable to look away from the spectacle.

The effects were instantaneous, if not uniform. The majority broke out into convulsions and their bodies began twisting and contorting with sickening snaps. Others seemed unaffected as they either looked on in horror or searched around, eyes distant and lost. The rest…

The rest burst into flames.

Sunset yelped as the door she was peeking around burst open, knocking her to the ground as one of those few that avoided either grisly end barreled through. A terrified man locked eyes with her, confused until an unnatural shriek cried out over the screams. He turned back at the sound before whatever he saw sent him sprinting down the halls. Sunset looked back herself and blanched.

The rest had stopped contorting and began to stand to show their new, horrific forms ripping through their clothes. A pair of hungry, primal eyes in pools of black locked onto her and their owner unleashed a monstrous wail.

Sunset tried to scramble to her feet, but her unfamiliarity with her new body resulted with her flat on her face. She looked up and felt her blood run cold, the horrible mutant was charging toward the door and quickly filling her vision.

A shadow crossed between them as an unchanged female tried to escape from her own pursuer, only to run right into Sunset’s.

The former pony managed to rise and sprinted away from the screams for help, from the sounds of ripping flesh and gurgled screams. There was no thought, just fear and running. Not to the exit, she couldn’t even remember where it was. Just away, away from those things and the terror they wrought.

She would stop to breathe, hide or sneak when she could, catching glimpses of other survivors before getting seen and running some more. This pattern repeated for she didn’t even know how long when she was driven down a hall slick with noxious goo. She slipped, landing hard on her tailbone just before another creature loomed over her, one different than any she’d seen so far.

It was shaped similar to her new body, except it was far taller and lanky yet solidly built. It was as if a bodybuilder had been stretched out to fill the odd tactical garb covering it from head to toe. It stood hunched, its disproportionately long arms nearly brushing the ground despite its equally disproportionate legs. A gasmasked visage turned downward to her before her nearly forgotten hunter cried out and leapt at them both. She turned away with her eyes slammed shut, awaiting a fate she couldn’t escape.

The cry turned into a sharp gurgle, promoting her back around to see the tall figure holding the beast aloft with a single hand. It clutched its grip with a sudden twist and a spine chilling crack echoed through the hall. She scrambled backwards until her back hit the wall, paling as the figure's soulless gaze turned back to her.

Sunset knew she needed to get away. Even if it had just technically saved her, alarms in her head were triggering left and right. She tried sliding away against the wall, it’s head tilting almost curiously at the action. A small glint of hope that it might just let her leave rushed through her. At least until it exploded into motion. She pushed away from the wall in a stumble just before a fist drove straight into the brick where her head had been only an instant before.

She rounded the corner to find a female wearing a skin-tight suit and heavy black helmet dominating her view. The headwear was largely featureless save for two solid, glowing red lines over where the eyes would lay. Under it stood the body far more like Sunset’s, its form fitting sheath shining like rubber even in the low light.

A shine that grew blinding as the female whipped a hand up and a ball of light burst to life before slamming into the former pony.

She didn’t know how far her flight took her, only that it ended with the sound of breaking glass and the sudden pain of something piercing her side. She couldn’t even blink away the spots before she heard more cries of the damned heading her way. So she was running again, the pounding of her pulse contrasting against the pounding of feet right behind her.

She opened her eyes, returning to the present with a heavy sigh.. She was wounded, cut off from home, in a school full of monsters, far from the exits, and both physically and emotionally drained.

“And why in Celestia’s name is it so HOT?!” she was positively drenched in sweat but her body refused to cool down. She struggled out of the dark jacket she had appeared out of the portal with, grumbling at the only minimal relief it brought ‘I don’t understand, I was actually kind of chilly when I first got here…’

Dismissing the feeling as much as she could, she struggled back to her feet and hobbled deeper into the room. It seemed to be some kind of workshop; Several chest high tables were lined up opposite to a much larger one at the room’s front, all adorned with tool marks and a light layer of sawdust. The offending tools lay organized in containers beneath them or along the walls.

They were remarkably similar to pony tools. In fact they seemed almost far better suited for her new appendages then they did for hoov-

She shook away the thought before any theories cropped up to distract her and grabbed a screwdriver. It wasn’t much of a weapon, but it was better than the nothing she currently had.

She next moved to the door behind the bigger desk at the head of the class. It was locked but she found the key in the teacher’s drawers. She rolled her eyes at the laziness as the deadbolt clicked open. Within she found what she had been hoping for; something clean for her wound. She grabbed the plastic-sealed towels and a roll of thick, silver tape. There was a moment of panicked tension after the first rip, the sound far louder than she anticipated. However, after several moments of breathless silence, she learned how to exhale again and got to work.

‘Well, that’s the best I can do for now…’

It would hurt like tartarus when it came time to take it off, but her wound was triaged and she could move again without leaving a trail. She had considered a healing spell but wasn’t sure she could trust completing it with just her own reserves. She especially didn’t trust it without a proper focus to channel it though either, not when it was already not her best area.

‘I’ll almost certainly need as much of my reserves as possible to get out of here too…’ She could survive this injury without magic. Surviving against one of those creatures without it though? That was far less likely.

She quickly repaired the new tear in her pack with more of the tape, left the closet and walked back into the room. She was considering searching the other rooms when a shadow passed over the window, stopping her in her tracks. She slowly turned to see the spider-like monster clinging to the frame, its head reared back before rushing back forward.

Sunset was out the door before the breaking glass hit the ground, slamming it behind her and racing down the hall. More cries and shrieks sounded all around her, the creatures from what sounded like the whole school seemingly agitated by the noise. Too late did she realize she was headed right back toward the pack she saw earlier.

She failed in her skid to a halt and fell into the side of a drinking fountain. Ignoring the pain in her shoulder and the fresh wave from her side, she bolted back the opposite way. Her thoughts skipped as a large blob of flesh fell out of a door ahead, and her heart skipped next as it pushed itself off the floor.

‘How many different kinds of these things are there?!’

Its gait was a plodding waddle, as if its weight was almost too much for its short, blubbery legs. If the masked figure from before was a stretched body builder, this thing was the opposite. Its disgustingly bloated body filled more than half the hallway as it turned toward her and a dumb grunt escaped its drooling maw. She stumbled back until a trashcan clattered behind her, knocked over by the closing pack she had left behind. Her head whipped back and forth, both avenues of escape cut off.

Options gone, she decided to take hold of the heat that had gripped her and build upon it. She crossed her arms across her chest with the image of the heat’s flame in her mind, feeding it until an inferno raged in her core.

The monstrosities stopped in their tracks, instinct taking over as the food before them began to glow and raise off the ground. Before they could react, something sparked and the girl exploded. Flame engulfed the hall, burning everything in its path.

Embers drifted through the air as the unicorn turned girl drifted back to the ground and fell to her knees, panting heavily. That had taken the entirety of her reserves and then some. They’d build back up in time, but not soon enough. She looked around with satisfaction though; she managed to keep the spell’s target matrix intact even without a horn. If she hadn’t, a lot more would have burned than the monsters and some posters on the walls.

Speaking of, she looked to the burnt remains of her pursuers. The hunched, skull-faced ones seemed to be almost melting, puddles of the noxious goo she slipped in before forming from their bodies. The fat one laid still on her other side, smoke wafting off its charred carcass. She sighed and stood…

And nearly doubled over in pain. She clutched her sides, but not because of the hole in one of them. The heat that she built upon hadn’t extinguished with the spell, if anything it had only grown hotter. It felt like she was on fire. She looked down to her hands and screamed.

She was on fire.

Flames danced along her skin, burning without consuming. Even worse, beyond the pain a new sensation emerged. Something foreign...

Something Wrong.

Her skin darkened. A deep red spread beneath the blaze as her form began to twist. Her fingers elongated and grew sharp. Snaps and cracks echoing out as her body followed. A fresh wave of suffering ignited as two new limbs erupted from her back.

“NO!” an anguished scream ripped from her throat “I DON’T WANT TO BECOME ONE OF THESE THINGS!”

She clutched her head; she could feel something pressing in on her mind as tears streamed down her changing face. Something was trying to smother her, trying to extinguish all she was. She screamed again, fighting with all she could.

‘You can’t fight what’s already within…’

*BANG*

Blood splattered across her face when the deafening boom rang from down the hall. The obese creature she hadn’t even realized was back up fell away with a sizeable hole through its head. Behind it stood another figure, one like what these things were before they changed. A bald male with a smoking metal tube extended before him.

“What the hell?” a gruff mutter escaped him as he got a look at what stood past his target. His surprise widened eyes then narrowed dangerously, his weapon’s aim snapping to her. Sunset’s vision went red as a rage brighter than the fire surrounding her flared to life at the sight. Her body turned to him, wings flaring out. None of it within her control.

‘No…’ she thought weakly ‘No, I don’t want to!’

She lunged at the male before another heavy boom shook the walls and a flash erupted from his weapon. Pain ripped through her bicep and the wing behind it, sending her reeling back. Yet despite the pain and the tears rolling down her cheeks, she snarled, seemingly unfazed to any that would witness the scene. The male’s silver weapon shimmered with the reflection of her flames as it aimed unerringly at her head.

“No!” a shout called out before the next flash and a blur crashed into the shooter. Another ripping pain grazed the twisted pony girl’s temple and made the red of her vision far more literal. She raised a claw and tried to shake away the obstructive liquid when a growing green glow filled the hall with the sound of arcing electricity.

She flew back and slid across the ground in a blinding flash, a tingling static washing over her. The pain began to fade and the light of her flames started to dim as her senses began to grow numb to the world. A weight landed on top of her before the sharp prick of a cold needle pierced above her collarbone. A soothing chill spread from the needle, finally driving away the heat.

New tears flooded her eyes to wash away the blood. Her vision began to clear but a deep lethargy descended upon her as the final flickers of her flames went out. The borders of her vision began to grow hazy...

The last thing she saw before the darkness took her was a pair of intense blue eyes locked on her own.

Chapter 2: Awakened

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A bald, dark skinned man stood at the infirmary window, watching their nurse tend to the unconscious, still partially transformed girl on the other side. With an elbow propped up on a crossed arm and a contemplative hand to his mouth, he studied their newest NMH. He saw the reflection of his most trusted subordinate step up next to him.

“We got more than a name yet?” she asked.

“No, but Shining’s got her stuff. We’ll hopefully have something soon” he answered. A moment passed before he let out a heavy sigh, eyes still on the girl.

“Don’t worry Rupert, she’ll make it” the rather young looking blonde woman next to him assured him “She probably won’t even scar, knowing how we heal.”

“It’s not that…” Rupert answered, his concerned scowl reflected in the glass “I’ve never seen an NMC like that before, and it sure as hell didn’t match the descriptions of either EVE.”

“No…” the blonde replied somberly “No, that was something different alright. Even now, there’s… something else. An extra layer. It’s weak, but it’s there.”

“Twilight have any answers?” he asked.

“Not for that. But she’s stable for now. And, well...” she hesitated before continuing “turns out she’s not infected.”

“Not infected? But wait, that would mean... she’s an awakened?” his head snapped to the woman. She simply nodded with a pitying look, her blue eyes still on the patient beyond the window “...Shit.”

“Yeah” the blonde sighed, studying the sleeping girl. She could see Rupert working his jaw in her peripheral “I can tell when you want to say something Rup’...”

“You think she was becoming an EVE?”

“I don’t know.”

“...Is she at risk of it?”

“You know I can’t answer that’’ she answered honestly, and gave a little shrug “I don’t even know if I am.”

He nodded understandingly and turned back to the window. The nurse noticed and shot him a small smile before returning to monitoring her patient’s suppressant intake.

“Shit.” he repeated.

“Yeah…”

Sunset was floating weightless, a dark expanse enshrouding her as her body felt distant and unresponsive. With great effort she contorted and looked down to her hooves, praying she would see them and not a pair of hands. Her hopes were only half answered. Surrounding the sight of her cloven limbs was an almost ghostly overlay of the fingered appendages. She motioned and the fingers closed into a fist, a trail of sparkles left in their wake.

As she stared curiously at the sight, the darkness around her began to brighten with millions, perhaps even billions of tiny lights suddenly flickering to life. They drifted around, about and even through her. It was a curious sensation, as if a warm haze of static followed in their wake. She spun to follow the path of those that moved through her and the whole within the expanse moved with her. Her brow furrowed and she put out a hoof, seeing a small section move with it as well.

Concentration overtook her face and she next stretched out with her magic, her aura extending beyond the hand. Some of the specks embraced it, dancing excitedly with contact. Others avoided it, but stayed at its edges in a close orbit. The rest didn’t react at all.

She stretched out further.

An intense heat abruptly flared within her as many of the sparks burned a deep crimson. The remaining, unchanged lights collapsed upon her, trying to shield her from the heat. They cooled the flames to a tolerable, if still uncomfortable warmth. But it proved only temporary and the fire soon returned again.

A sharp pain pieced her arm and a familiar chill swept through the darkness. The flame was snuffed to embers, the lights grew dim, and Sunset fell back into thoughtlessness.

Something smelled funny. It wasn't entirely bad but it was almost as if the air was too clean, like when she would try to contain a lightning spell. The source of the ozone-like smell was also currently shoved right up her nose. A distant groan echoed as she tried to remove the uncomfortable obstruction, heavy limbs flailing until the annoyance was torn from its home.

An annoying, rapid beeping began not a moment later and a small clatter sounded in response.

“Oh…” A soft voice gave a sigh of relief and a small chuckle. Then, after the briefest of pauses “OH!”

The noise of hurried movement closed on her and a softer, longer tone sang out before the beeping mercifully stopped.

“Hello?” a feminine voice called gingerly “Can you hear me?”

Sunset opened her eyes before immediately slamming then back shut, stinging tears gathering at their squinted edges.

“Slowly now, you’ve been down for quite a while. Take your time.” the voice cooed patiently. A shadow crossed over her and a gentle touch landed on her shoulder. Sunset tried again, lids separating more cautiously to a blurry curtain of pink “There we go…”

Blinking a few times, Sunset’s vision cleared to show a female of her new species smiling down warmly at her. She was stooped over her bed, using her long pink hair to block the light as she studied her with bright opal eyes filled with concern.

‘Still on the other side of the mirror I see’ she thought dully as the female turned away to grab some equipment. She spun back with a stethoscope, pressing it to Sunset’s chest as she started giving simple instructions.

“Deep breath. Good. Lean forward.” the cold disc was moved to her back “Again. Gooood.”

“Where am I?’ Sunset croaked, finding her throat completely dry.

“Shhhh. Someone’s on their way to answer all that. Here, drink this” the nurse handed her a cup of water. Sunset clumsily tried to grab the cup and nearly dropped it. The girl simply hummed and helped her bring it to her lips. With the cup empty, Sunset’s mind began to clear. She looked down to her hands and tried to persuade them to stop shaking “How many fingers?”

“What?” Sunset’s head snapped up “Oh, um… three.” she answered and earned a wider smile from the girl who then wrapped a blood pressure cuff around her arm. Her mind raced with questions, but before any more escaped the sound of an opening door drew her attention. A young female with purple hair and a tall, bald male stepped through, both studying her intently; one with clear curiosity, the other with a stoic frown.

“Ah, she’s finally awake!” The female smiled brightly before looking to the nurse “How’s she been?”

“Her vitals are good. She’s aware and responsive. There does seem to be some impairment to her motor functions though” the pink haired one answered.

“Hopefully it’s just a bit of atrophy” the first returned and took a seat on the other side of the bed, moving her lab coat out from beneath her and adjusting her glasses before she addressed Sunset directly “Do you know what your name is?”

“Um, Sunset” the former pony answered confusedly, “Sunset Shimmer.”

“Good! Well, at least we know the journal was in fact yours. Looks like we have yet another ‘hippie name’, eh Rupert?” the girl shot a smirk back to the male, who just rolled his eyes in response. She turned back to Sunset and continued “Do you know how old you are?”

“Nineteen” Sunset’s brow furrowed.

“Good. Do you know where you’re from?”

Sunset opened her mouth and hesitated, the truth dawning on her. She answered with a question of her own “Where am I?”

“I assure you Miss Shimmer, we’ll answer all your questions in a moment but please bear with us. We need to get a baseline and to see if there’s any issues. Do you know where you’re from?” the purple haired female repeated as Sunset held her expression steady, fighting against the satisfaction of her correct deduction. They were testing her cognition.

She could use this.

“I’m…” she started and let her expression fall to a surprised concern, making herself look lost “No…”

“Hmmm” the girl hummed with a frown “Can you remember where you were born? If you have a family?”

Sunset looked up, expression distraught as she locked on the girl's purple eyes. She broke the connection and shook her head, casting her vision back down.

“Memory loss, that’s another add to the list...” she muttered with a hint of sadness “Do you remember anything before waking up here?”

Sunset let the question hang a moment, feigning deep thought. Amnesia would be a great cover for her utter lack of knowledge regarding this world. Still, she knew she’d have to give at least a little.

“I remember... being at a school…” she answered solemnly. The lab-coated female shot a look back to the male behind her, who stepped forward to listen even more intently.

“What do you remember from that night?” his deep voice asked calmly.

“I was... walking down the halls when I heard… some kind of droning…” Ironically enough, Sunset actually was struggling to remember now; the event coming back blurred and jumbled from the adrenaline and fear. She focused “I followed it until I realized it was chanting. There was a smell… blood.”

Sunset recounted the tale of her unfortunate first night in this world, obviously leaving out the details of her origin or true self. She just finished telling them about the lanky, uniformed creature when the trio shared a deeply troubled look. The female with the glasses grabbed the strange plastic sheet she had brought in with her and tapped rapidly along its surface. She then flipped it around toward Sunset.

“Did it look like one of these?” The sheet's surface was now illuminated.

‘Maybe there is magic in this world’ Sunset marveled at the device before the images shining upon it sunk in. The first wasn't quite it, but the second struck much closer.

“Yeah, not exactly but it looked a lot like that one” she confirmed before the male cursed quietly and the worry deepened in the younger two.

“Damnit. Here we thought it was just another cult…” he muttered then gestured at her “Please, continue.”

She resumed only for them to stop her again at the mention of the girl in the helmet. She identified another picture, though it was a bigger deviance than the last. She told them of hiding in the room and triaging her wound and…

Sunset’s eyes flew wide as the memory of the night’s end came rushing back. The formally rhythmic beeping from the medical equipment sped up dramatically.

“Miss Shimmer, everything's okay. You need to calm down.” the doctor’s voice sounded distant.

She could feel it. Something was WRONG inside her. The heat, the same heat and alien sensations were still streaming through her veins. The image of her body twisting and growing beneath flames filled her head. She began to hyperventilate.

“It’s okay! You’re safe here!” the nurse tried to soothe her. Sunset recoiled, as if trying to escape from her own body.

“No! No, something’s wrong!” she shouted and twisted away, feeling the presence inside grow agitated at her panic “Something’s inside me!”

“It’s okay! We have it under control! Please, we’ll explain everything. You have to calm down.” the woman delivered but Sunset continued to thrash. The pair of females shot one another a quick glance before lunging forward to take hold of the panicked girl.

A sudden blue light flared and Sunset froze in place, an almost forceful calm gripping her as their hands landed on her. The subtle azure glow now covering the girls’ hands slowly seeped into the former pony and a gentle current began to quiet the growing firestorm within her.

Sunset marveled as the glow receded and stared as the girls removed her hands, transfixed. That wasn’t magic. Not any kind she had ever experienced at least.

“I guess it’s time for those answers then, isn’t it?” The bespectacled woman sighed “Well I suppose some introductions would be a good place to start: I’m Dr. Twilight Sparkle, this is Fluttershy Breeze and, as you may have caught, the grumpy man behind me is Rupert, Rupert Broderick.”

‘Man, what they call a male’ Sunset made the mental note, the logging of facts further relaxing her.

“What was that?” the fiery haired girl finally managed, staring at the pair’s hands.

“Are you familiar with Mitochondria, Miss Shimmer?” Twilight asked.

“It’s… something to do with cells, right?” Biology wasn’t Sunset’s strong suit, but she remembered something along those lines from her classes. That level of microscopic study was still a rather new field at the time though. Twilight nodded.

“They help produce the bioelectric energy for our cells. One could even say they’re the cell’s powerhouse.”

“Okay…” Sunset gave slowly. She had to admit she found it was interesting, especially considering it meant these beings could be significantly more advanced scientifically. She wasn’t making the connection to the monsters and.. her change, however. Twilight continued.

“Well, a little while back, a unique kind of mitochondria was discovered. One that can evolve rapidly, gaining incredible new abilities. In most cases they also forced rapid mutation upon its host; be they animal, human or even plant.” the young doctor explained “We call this new form Neo-Mitochondria. In a select few cases, including the earliest on record, this Neo-Mitochondria could even reach a point of collective sapience: A consciousness that could then exert its will over its host and even force the evolution within others. We call this consciousness EVE, as it identified itself as such in both cases of this emergence.”

“So those monsters were changed… I was changed by one of these Eves?” Sunset asked, a queasy feeling rising to her cheeks. Twilight however, shook her head.

“Within the recent years a new development has arisen among NMCs- sorry, that’s shorthand for Neo-Mitochondrial Creatures, the official identification for the ‘monsters’ you saw. But no, recently they’ve gained the ability to infect others, similar to a virus. While not a uniform trait, it has become common enough to be the main cause of their spread these days. That’s how the people you encountered were changed” the lab-coated girl elaborated.

“So I was infected…” the red and golden haired girl’s head hung low.

“No, you’re actually immune to infection Miss Shimmer” Twilight corrected “A person with mitochondria that has the potential to become Neo-Mitochondria can also have the evolution triggered by a being near large enough collection of NMCs, or by another person with particularly potent Neo-Mitochondria of their own. We call these people Awakened. They’re very rare. With you included, there are now only six alive in the world. That we’re aware of at least.”

‘Person, people… analogous to pony, ponies’ more mental notes.

“And that’s why I changed? But then why am I better now? ...AM I better now?” Sunset asked, to which Twilight returned an assuring nod.

“It’s possible to have one’s Mitochondria, awakened or infectious, stabilized. Sometimes it occurs naturally, and more recently we’ve developed means of inducing it… even if they can be a bit hit or miss. You were stabilized with suppressants and the personal intervention of one of our hunters, another of the world’s few Awakened. We call someone that has been stabilized a Neo-Mitochondrial Human, or simply NMH for short” Twilight then gave an encouraging smile “So yes Miss Shimmer; You are, in-fact, still human. You’re just…” she searched for the right words “a little more now as well.”

‘Human’

“And that’s why you were able to… use that strange magic. Because you three are NMHs?” Sunset queried.

“I’m not, just these two” Rupert cut in before Twilight answered.

“What you saw was one of the possible abilities Neo-Mitochondria can grant to its hosts, yes. I am also an awakened like yourself Miss Shimmer, and Fluttershy was infected roughly six years ago” Twilight then narrowed her eyes slightly “Though no, while the ability NMCs and Hs can possess may be incredible and not entirely understood yet, it’s not magic. There are rational, scientific explanations for it, even if we don’t quite know all of them yet. There’s no such thing as magic.”

‘There is now’ the former unicorn countered mentally, noting the doctor’s companions roll their eyes with amusement at the unnecessary correction. Rupert then fixed her with a serious stare however.

“It is also important to know Miss Shimmer: none of this is public knowledge. Only the knowledge that the creatures exist isn't classified. The truth behind them however, still is. What you’re told here and your condition is not to be shared lightly. You’re only being informed because it is, with no exaggeration, your new lot in life” he declared with a well practiced, professional tone.

“Is it really that bad?” Twilight gave an uneasy frown at Sunset’s worry.

“There are many advantages and perks that come with being an NMH; accelerated healing, enhanced physique, and abilities like and beyond what little you’ve witnessed. You may have also noticed that Fluttershy and I appear a bit young for our positions; Neo-mitochondria values an able host, so it keeps us in our prime pretty much indefinitely. Or in simpler terms: we don’t age. For example; our awakened hunter is in her thirties, yet barely looks a day over twenty.” Twilight offered before her expression dropped further “But yes, there’s also some gravely serious considerations, complications and compromises that can come with those boons. There is also still much that we have little to no understanding of or control over regarding the condition. Further still, there is also always the possibility of destabilization; a danger not only to yourself, but the public as well.”

“So, I could change back into that thing…” Sunset gave in a frightened whisper, eyes distant.

“...Or worse. We won’t lie to you: It is an uncertain life Miss Shimmer, made all the harder by being one of secrets.” Twilight returned honestly before a small smile returned to her face “But, you’re not alone. MIST is here for you.”

“Mist?” Sunset repeated. Twilight opened her mouth to respond but hesitated, head tilting at a thought. A proud smirk graced her face immediately after.

“Are you feeling up for a walk Miss Shimmer?” she asked and glanced back at Rupert “A tour might be in order.”

“Are you sure it’s okay for her to be moving so soon after waking up?” Fluttershy interjected “She was out for so long…”

“Should be. It could actually do her some good. Her mitochondria will respond to the stimulation and further speed up her recovery” the purple haired woman confirmed, pushing her glasses back up “It’ll also give her a distraction until Dash gets back with food.”

A loud lurch rumbled from the former pony’s stomach. She hadn’t even realized how hungry she was until she heard the word. Sunset chuckled, slightly embarrassed. For their part, the trio simply smiled understandingly. With a little help, Sunset untangled herself from the sheets and she swung her legs out. With Fluttershy at her side, she slowly slid to the edge of the bed. Rupert excused himself outside and Twilight closed the infirmary blinds. Sunset furrowed her brow but went with it.

“Try to land both feet together, you’ll be less likely to buckle that way” The pink haired nurse instructed. Sunset followed as best she could and nearly buckled anyway, but the pink haired nurse caught her in surprisingly strong arms and righted her. A brief tingling surged through her, giving her a light head before her legs steadied. Not much, but slightly “Don’t worry, we’ll help you get your footing back… you okay?”

‘Feet, foot’

“Yeah, just weird not feeling alone in my own body anymore” Sunset muttered as she kept trying to learn to walk again… again. Twilight's voice echoed from the inside of a cabinet she was fishing through.

“If it makes you feel any better, even normal mitochondria has different DNA than its host. So technically speaking, you were never alone. That’s also if you don’t count the one to three percent of a person’s weight that’s symbiotic bacteria” she gave and returned to the pair, holding a bundle of folded clothes.

‘Seems clothes are important in this culture. Weird.’ Though she did admit, with her now relatively hairless body and the open backed patient gown, it was a bit drafty. The pair helped her into the simple garments and, with Fluttershy supporting her, made their way to the door. Rupert turned as they exited, gesturing around with a tired smile.

“Welcome to the headquarters of Mitochondria Investigation, Science and Tactics, or simply M.I.S.T. for short” he said and, with a considerate slow pace, led them down the hall “As you can surmise, it’s our job to do whatever we can to keep people safe from the dangers of neo-mitochondria.”

“AND also researching it” Twilight added “So that maybe someday it can be neutralised with methods other than guns.”

“So you’re with the government then?” Sunset asked.

“We’re independent but currently contracted, yes. MIST was originally a division within the FBI with a slightly different name making up the acronym, but-”

“But then they jumped ship” a new voice cut in, a suited man with blue hair and a wide smirk appearing from around the corner ahead of them, a plastic bag hanging from one hand “Taking some of our best agents with them and then tried to go public.”

“Shiny...” Twilight scolded jokingly.

“Miss Shimmer, this is Agent Shining Armor, our liaison with the Bureau.” Rupert informed her.

“Good to see you up and about Miss Shimmer. We were a little worried you weren’t gonna come out of it with how long were you down” the agent offered “When you’re feeling up to it, I’d like you to swing back around. There’s some questions I’d like to ask you.”

“Um, sure” Sunset returned, trying to ignore the nervous knot that formed in her gut “I may not have all that many answers for you though.”

“I’m afraid Sunset has lost a significant bit of her memory after her transformation” Twilight explained but then shot their charge an encouraging smile “However, it is fairly possible it will return in time.”

“Here’s hoping” Sunset smiled halfheartedly. Shining hummed and gave her a sympathetic look.

“Well in the meantime then, I do have this for you” he lifted the bag, pulling a book out and handing it to Sunset “I’m afraid the rest of your belongings are still being held for examination, but this was cleared for return.”

Sunset looked at the expertly crafted journal in her hands, a large slash gouged across her former mentor’s cutie mark on its cover. She ran her fingers along the mark; it was deep enough to even mar the first few sheets beneath. She opened and flipped through the blank pages. She noted a light scorching along some of its edges but it seemed to be mostly intact other than that. She flipped to the inside of the back cover, finding it completely unmarked save for the ‘Sunset Shimmer’ written along the bottom.

“That’s how we knew your name” Twilight said before asking softly “Triggering any memories?”

Sunset shook her head and closed the book, looking at her own cutie mark on the back. It was triggering memories alright, but none that she wanted to share… or even have herself at the moment.

“To continue the tour then... my lab!” The bespectacled woman beamed and dragged the group ahead.

“Don’t overload her mind when she’s just got it back Twily!” Shining called after them, the young scientist sticking her tongue out at him playfully. He just smirked again and returned to his office.

“Shiny’s also my older brother” Twilight responded to Sunset’s curious look and led them into her workspace.

The former pony’s jaw dropped; The few bits of advanced science she’d seen hadn’t prepared her for this. To most it was just a science lab but to Sunset... The level of organization, the complexity of machines she couldn’t begin to identify, the fully rendered models of DNA strands displayed on multiple, shining plastic screens like the one Twilight carried... and that was at just a glance! The beings of this world were decades ahead of Equestria. At least! And she was the first pony with access to all of it...

“This is where we made the suppressants that helped you keep your humanity and where, with the help of our other labs of course, we will hopefully unlock all the secrets of our condition” the bespectacled doctor presented with arms wide and a spin “But for today, it’s where we’ll run the rest of your tests and maybe perform your psych eval… If Cady will let me do them at the same time that is.”

If the reminder of tests and evaluations didn't bring Sunset back to reality, the name Twilight said certainly did. Her brow furrowed with concern.

“Don’t worry” Fluttershy cooed, misinterpreting the look “They’re mostly blood tests and basic, noninvasive procedures. And our counselor is very patient and comforting. Come on, let’s continue the tour.”

Sunset nodded and followed, only half listening to Rupert explaining how the headquarters used to be one of the city’s police stations. She shook away what was probably just a coincidence and focused. If she was going to have a psychological evaluation, she needed to be ready. She had the feeling that telling them she was actually a dimension hopping magical pony when they didn’t even believe in magic wouldn't go over too well.

'Seems like I'll have to commit to this amnesia bit for a while yet.'

They hit a flight of stairs that proved a challenge, drawing her from her thoughts while they worked to get her down without any falls. An arrhythmic booming reached them as they hit the bottom, which grew louder the closer they moved toward a wide window that overlooked a long room. She recognized it from the guard grounds as a shooting range but the woman wearing a cowboy hat within wasn’t using magic or a crossbow, but instead a long tube letting out bursts of fire with every bang, like a handheld cannon. She tracked moving targets being controlled by another woman with poufy pink hair at a console nearby. The latter shouted something they couldn’t hear through the glass and hit a few switches, a much larger target dropping into view from above.

Sunset then received her next look at the strange, ‘not magic’ powers as the woman with the weapon suddenly radiated with sparkling yellow and gold light. She pumped the weapon and fired, but unlike the previous targets that merely received holes through them, this one was completely obliterated. The pair within shot each other wide grins before Rupert pressed a button at the base of the window.

“Hey!” the pair jumped and looked back, blushes raising on their features “Careful not to blow a hole in the range!”

They both shot sheepish smiles at the boss, the blonde one mouthing what looked like either ‘sorry’ or ‘don’t worry’. The other however spotted Sunset and lit up like a Hearthswarthing Tree, letting out a massive, silent gasp before she bolted out of view.

“HI!” Sunset jumped as a pink poofy mane was suddenly an inch from her face “I’m Pinkie! What’s your name?! I know they said the name in the journal was Sunset Shimmer but I didn’t want to presume. Are you Sunset Shimmer? That’s a really pretty name if it is-”

“Easy there Pinks, the girl’s only jus’ woke up” the one in the cowboy hat caught up and then extended a hand “Name’s Jack, Jacquelyn Apple. But everyone jus’ calls me Applejack. Good ta see ya back on yer feet.”

‘Oh, like a hoofshake. Interesting parallel’ Sunset took a hand away from the journal clutched to her chest but then nearly dropped it. A third hand shot into her fumbling pair and caught the book. Applejack lifted it back into the former pony’s grip “Thanks.”

“Big change left ya all caddywompus huh? Yeah, I was worse than a one legged cat on a frozen pond after mine. But don’t worry none there Sugarcube, we’ll get you right as rain soon enough” the cowgirl encouraged, thankfully forgoing the handshake for now. Rupert then stepped up next to Sunset, gesturing toward the green-eyed woman.

“AJ’s one of our hunters, and an NMH like you. And Pinkie here is one of our armory attendants and the assistant range master” he introduced.

“Hunter?” Sunset parroted.

“We hunt down them critters that tried ta make a meal outta ya” Applejack explained “Though, we usually try to get there before it gets anywhere near as bad as it did…”

“So will I get powers like that?” Sunset shifted back to what they just saw. Applejack brightened back up with an unsure expression.

“Well, unless yer gonna become a hunter or one of Twi’s guinea pigs-” she started.

“HEY! I’m not that bad!” the scientist in question objected, earning a few giggles from the gathered girls. She resigned to a begrudging frown before her expression softened and she looked to the fiery haired girl “Most NMHs outside of MIST are on suppressants, limiting their ability to develop their ‘powers’ and lessening the chance of any incidents.”

“Ah… well I guess that settles it then” Sunset perked up with conviction “I’m in.”

Confused looks landed on her from all around.

“You’re in?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, I want to join MIST.” confusion turned to surprise “I’m sure I’ll be of help. I’m very intelligent.”

“Well, she sure didn’ lose her confidence at least!” the cowgirl laughed, followed by Rupert clearing his throat.

“Let’s just take things one step at a time and make sure you’re okay first...” he gave stiffly. Sunset resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She had heard too many ‘no without saying no’s to not see through this one. It didn’t matter though, she would find a way to convince them.

A loud honking noise made her and the nurse still supporting her jump. She let out a heavy breath as her heart slowed down.

“That would be Dash” Fluttershy muttered “Come on, let’s get you something to eat.”

The group came to another large open space, a number of very odd looking carts parked about. One of those parked closest had a girl bent over digging in the rear of the vehicle. A head covered in hair that’d be considered particularly colorful even back home popped out and turned.

“FOOOOD!-oh… wow, you guys must be hungry” a smirk came after the raspy shout. The woman spotted the fiery hair amongst the group and an ‘o’ of comprehension gracing her “Oh cool, she woke up!”

“Miss Shimmer, this Rainbow Dash. She’s our mechanic and, when needed, back up for our hunters” Rupert gave yet another introduction. The girl opened her mouth only to be cut off by a metal churning. Sunset stared wide eyed as one of the strange carts rumbled into the space. She however didn’t have much time to think how it worked as it stopped and a tall, attractive woman with tri-colored hair stepped out “And this would be our counselor, Doctor Cadenza Amore.”

“Most people just call me Cadence” the well-dressed woman walked up and offered her hand. Sunset however was stuck standing stiff, transfixed at the woman.

‘There’s no way…’

“Miss Shimmer?” Sunset snapped out of her tance. She awkwardly grabbed at the fingers and only managed one pump but at least she didn’t drop her book this time. The counselor gave her a warm smile before looking to the bald man “Did you let-”

“Sent her a text” He answered before she even finished “Haven’t heard back but it’s already pretty late there.”

“Good, it’ll be one less worry on her mind.” nodded and turned to Dash “Rainbow, did you happen to get something for Miss Shimmer too?”

“Yeah, I got the text” the woman grabbed a paper bag with a large X from a marker on its side from a pile and handed it over “Didn’t know who it was for so I just got a basic burger meal.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine, thank you. Well then Miss Shimmer, are you ready to head to my office?” Cadence cut right to business.

“Sure…” the former pony muttered. Breaking from the group, Cadence and Fluttershy helped her back upstairs and to the woman’s office. Fluttershy then left them to return to the infirmary.

“So,” Cadence began as Sunset got settled and started digging in the bag “Rupert’s text said you’re having some memory loss...”

Cadence stepped through the lab’s door back into the hallway, giving her newest patient a small wave as she passed the window. She walked up to the door of her husband’s office and, finding it slightly ajar, entered to find both Rupert and Shining within.

“So?” the dark skinned man started. Cadence took a seat herself and looked to the agent behind his desk.

“You ate right?” she asked, a slightly admonishing tone beneath her words.

“Cady…” Agent Armor returned with a warning tone of his own “Yes, I did. Now-”

“She’s fine. Sane, responsive, cognizant, and other than the atrophied motor skills, which really isn’t my area, mentally sound” Cadance listed off “Though I would be lying if I said she wasn’t a little unique.”

“In what way?”

“Well for starters, she’s brilliant; maybe not Twilight levels but at the very least she’s bordering on near genius” Cadence explained “She also certainly has a rather notable amount of self-confidence and ambition for someone who just went through what she did.”

“Meaning her memory isn’t as absent as she says?” Rupert asked rhetorically. The counselor’s head tilted, her expression conflicted.

“I did get the impression she remembers more about herself than she says. But it is also clear that she's no longer familiar with the world around her. And while she’s holding herself together better than she really should be, she’s still scared” she looked to her husband “The way she clutched that journal, her only link to her old self… Even if that had been the only sign, which it wasn’t, that alone would’ve made it pretty clear. Not a bad idea giving it to her right away. Good job babe.”

“No longer familiar? In what way?” the bald man asked.

“She doesn’t recognize everyday things, or at least needed clarification for them. For example she called the cars in the garage 'carriages', and I had to explain what I meant by texts and even then I think she may have been too embarrassed to ask what a phone was… Never seen a form of amnesia hit like this, but then I suppose none of this is normal. And before you ask: No, I don’t think she’s faking that. Now as for her past, that’s harder to tell. I thought I caught hints of anger but still nothing nefarious.”

“So not a cultist?” Shining asked.

“I seriously doubt it” she returned with a smirk.

“Or part of Ark Shadow?” Rupert added. Cadance’s head snapped to him, eyes wide “She saw a golem and a woman in a control helmet at the school.”

“Well that’s not good...” Cadence stated bluntly “But no, I certainly didn’t get an undercover spy vibe. Not unless she’s an even better liar than she seems. If I had to guess; I’d say runaway.”

“A nineteen year old runaway with a bag of gold in her backpack?” Shining countered skeptically.

“That I don’t have an answer for” Candance shrugged “She seemed to treat it like it was no different than a normal wallet strangely enough.”

“Everything else in her bag, including her personal journal was of exceptional quality” Rupert commented “Even the pouch the gold was in seemed like artisan work. If she’s a rich kid, it could explain both the gold and the older age. The wealthy ones tend to stick with the family longer. That or she just robbed one.”

“Didn’t get a thief vibe. She’s a little manipulative but if anything she might consider herself above petty theft” she offered before her husband gave a chuckle.

“I’m sensing a pattern of possible arrogance” he said before Rupert gave a scoff of his own.

“Yeah, you should have heard her declare how she ‘was in’ with us” he grumbled.

“Actually, I... wouldn’t dismiss it out of hand” Cadence returned in slowly, smiling at Rupert’s flat look “She’s a young woman with a mysterious condition and nowhere else to go in what is, from her perspective, an entirely new world. For her to latch on to the thing that can help her learn the most about the one part of herself she knows is understandable.”

“So I just make a teenager with no training or identity a part of a monster hunting organization responsible for saving lives because she wants to learn how to use her superpowers?” he asked skeptically.

“I’m not saying make her a hunter, I was just asking you to actually consider her for something” Cadence argued “It’d be easier to keep an eye on her condition if she’s in MIST and with her being an awakened that would be a definite plus; Twilight would certainly appreciate having another one readily available. And if we’re honest, even accounting for the half of us away helping set up the Manhattan office, we’re still a bit short staffed. She’s smart enough to help out somewhere.”

“It would certainly be better, not to mention kinder, than just dumping her somewhere all alone,” Shining added.

“Fine, I’ll consider it...” Rupert relented. Then a small smile graced his lips with another amused scoff “Who knows? Maybe I can finally saddle Aya with an actual partner.”

Log 001

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These Chapters will be dedicated to Sunset's journal and will follow a different format than standard to help differentiate. Hopefully it'll be easy and intuitive enough to catch onto... hopefully
Italics will be what Sunset is actually writing in the journal itself
Bolds will show what Sunset herself is putting emphasis on, intentionally or unintentionally. (Yes, she's even unconsciously writing a little bolder in reality.)
[Anything in Brackets shows what's happening in real time as Sunset is writing. Pauses for thoughts or distractions and Mutterings to herself. Also anything that would be overly redundant or just plain boring but still ends up in the journal.] (This is to help give further insight into Sunset's mindset at the time as well as offer a more relatable and comfortable read, as Sunset is unlikely to add ellipsis and the like to her own journal entries for clarity sake.)
Page Breaks indicate breaks between writing.
(Things in parenthesis are Sunset's own notations, again for clarity through elaboration)
Anything ~~struck out~~ is a mistake Sunset made while writing or wished to correct herself. (She still has a preference for ink, even without a proper quill. Meaning pens: ballpoint this early on)

Testing

[...]

Testing

[...]

Hello?

Are you there?

Well, it would appear my suspicions were correct. The connection between this journal and its twin has been severed. Whether from the damage caused by the NMC’s attack or it simply doesn’t work with the pair on different sides of the portal, I can’t be sure. I would guess the latter first but it’s most likely both. Even if my diagnostics were wrong, which is entirely possible with only my personal magic to cast them, I’m still sure Celestia would have responded by now if she could. (Even with how I left things, or possibly because of how I left things. I may very well be a criminal back in Equestria right now.)

[Sunset pauses and taps the pen thoughtfully, considering the possibility.]

[“...Whatever” she finally mutters and continues writing.]

Thankfully though, the rest of my tests show most of the other enchantments either intact or still stable enough to fix. Most importantly, the privacy enchantment is still working. Only I will be able to read what’s written here without my permission or some strong magical intervention, which I don’t believe is available here in high enough levels.

It may be the best thing that could have happened actually, as I would prefer whatever I put in these pages be only available to me and not privy to the princess. I alone will have the credit for bringing any discoveries home. I’ll also not have to worry about anyone here learning of my true nature from these logs.

In addition to practical notes and knowledge, I will also be sharing my impressions and experiences in this world for future prestige (and until then, reference). If everything works out, I’ll publish it myself after accomplishing a high enough status back home. After some editing of course. But I suppose I’m getting ahead of myself. So without further ado…

Day 3
(Technically speaking, I’ve actually been in this world 18 days. However, for just over two weeks of that time, I was essentially in a coma. So from my perspective, and the one I’ll use for simplicity, it’s only been three. The one night before the coma and now the two after.)

[Objective and factual accounts of the events after Sunset’s arrival follow, without commentary or bais until the end...]

Initial Impressions:

[...]

I’m honestly not sure how to feel about all this. On one hoof hand, I’m still alive and now have a condition that keeps me perpetually in my prime and opens a whole new world of ‘magic yet not magic’ up to me. I’ve gained access to advanced technologies and the opportunity to learn about an entirely unknown sapient species and their culture.

All it cost me was becoming a monster, with the potential of losing myself completely even after the change has been reversed. I’m also cut off from a home I don’t know if I can ever return to. Am I a criminal? Am I contagious? Would ponies even accept me anymore? I’ve been told that there seems to be an instinctual uneasiness about NMHs in those who have not grown used to being around them. We can feel unnatural to somepony without them even knowing why. Would that be even worse in Equestria?

[...]

I don’t know. Even just no longer being a pony is strange enough without all that on top of it. While these humans seem as intelligent as ponies, their culture and society is notably different. They not only lack personal magic (or at least any they can use), most don’t even believe magic is real. It’s fantasy and myth to them. Some still do believe, or attribute it to certain things like music or love as a kind of metaphor but even then they can be thought of as outliers. The other closest thing is the various religious beliefs but that seems like an entirely different can of worms I’d rather not deal with. Still, myths usually tend to have some basis in fact, so I would surmise there must be at least SOME magic in this world but it’s simply not at all commonplace. (I mean there has to be, right?)

Also, save for some of their manes (which they simply call hair), they have significantly less color variation than the average pony population. There’s the constant wearing of clothing as well, though I suppose with that ‘hair’ being only really significant in a couple places, it’s required for protection from the elements. I know these are more petty concerns but it will take some getting used to nonetheless.

What’s not petty though, is the loss of my horn. Without it and only my personal magic available, I’ve lost a great deal of what made me great. I’m still as brilliant and adaptable as always of course, but I won’t lie and say I’m not concerned.

Then there’s this whole parallel factor. On top of a human Cadence popping up, I’ve learned the city I’m in is also called Canterlot. It’s not the nation’s capital and this Cadenza is no princess, but the fact they exist here at all has certainly brought up some questions. Are there more counterparts here? Is there another Celestia?

[...]

Is there another me? If there is, is she anything like me? Dr. Cadence had the same mane, voice and even the same ‘sense of humor’ as her alicorn counterpart. But as said she certainly isn’t a princess, and is also more mature than the Cadenza I had to share so many of my lessons with. She’s married and has a career she earned, as opposed to simply being given her position for growing a horn. I also believe she’s older, though since she’s an NMH (infected), I may be wrong.

[Sunset pauses, giving a quick huff before writing again]

I need more data. It’s as simple as that.

In pursuit of that, I’ve asked to join MIST. If I’m going to master this new power, this is the place to do it. Hopefully I’ll stay at this branch. They only have a couple branches out there so I’m not really worried but I want to make sure I’m where Aya, the woman who saved me, is. I haven’t met her yet (she’s out of town currently), but I’ve already deduced that she’s the most powerful NMH. It turns out she had to intervene and actually dominate my mitochondria with her own when the suppressants weren’t stopping my transformation on their own. I’ve learned only awakened can do that effectively and she was one of the first, so she’s the one that can teach me the most.

Beyond that though, I’ve not been able to learn too much more. Most of my time since waking up has been spent on tests, physical therapy, resting and eating. (Turns out NMHs require a notably higher caloric intake than normal, something to do with our metabolism.)

Will write more soon.

[“Harmony do I hope my hoofwritting gets better.”]

Priority research topics (when opportunity finally presents itself): Cars, guns, computing technology and communication methods, in varying degrees of importance. Even in my first day I deduced that these humans have quick and accurate means of long distance communication and information sharing.

[Several notes regarding MIST and it’s personnel follow, mostly names and positions for future reference]

-List incomplete: More than a third of this branch’s employees, including Aya, are currently across the country helping set up the “Manhattan” office (another sudo-parallel). Will make an updated list later.

Day 5

There have been arrangements made to have me stay at the home of Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash for the time being. It’s not really practical for me to stay in the MIST infirmary long term after all. They have an extra room and were willing to let me stay with them until my long term situation is decided. That and living with MIST’s primary medic will mean I’ll be more likely to have somepony someone around that can help if something goes wrong.

[“Gotta work on getting these pronouns down before I make people suspicious”]

I was concerned about money, as until I’ve convinced Rupert to take me on, I have no income for rent. Miss Dash however just winked at me and said something along the lines of “Don’t worry about it right now, first month’s free. Plus once you get your gold back, you’ll have plenty for a while.” I didn’t have that much, I wonder if gold is worth more here.

Still not much to report. I’ve learned a bit more but want a more complete picture before giving any ignorant guesses. Still stuck doing mostly therapy and recovery.

Gold is worth A LOT more here!

Day 9

Big Update

Rupert has agreed to let me work for MIST. I’m sure to ace Okay, I’m not sure to ace whatever written portion there is; I’m smart but even I can’t correctly give knowledge that I simply haven’t learned yet. I’m also not too confident about the physical evaluations. Like most unicorns, I never put that much stock in physical abilities. Thankfully, Dash and Fluttershy have said it’s more to rule out disqualifications and prove competence, rather than impressing anyone. If I pass that, I’ll be trained to the required point of performance, not expected to start there. So that’s a little more hopeful.

[“It would still be nice to impress them though...”]

I AM concerned this may all be for nothing more than a janitor or secretary position or the like. Granted that’s still an official ho- Foot in the door but this’ll be much simpler if I can get them to actually take me seriously. Well if they don’t, then I’ll just have to show them what I can do.

I also gained prolonged access to a computer, an old ‘laptop’ that Dash loaned me that she says she barely uses anymore. I’ve actually had access to it for three days but have been too engrossed in research to document anything.

Simply put, human technology is amazing. They are not only decades ahead of Equestria in many areas but have devised innovations we’ve never even considered. They have world wide, near instantaneous communication. A vast network of information sharing and storage exists as what they call the internet; I have a thousand library’s worth of knowledge available to me in one plastic, folding plank. They’ve created incredible weapons, some that could theoretically end the world several times over- okay, that last one may not be so great but even just firearms alone would revolutionize Equestria’s military. And there’s just So, SO much more, too much to write here.

And it’s all mine to learn about and bring back, on top of what I’m sure to learn and help push forward with Neo-Mitochondria. I’ll be able to lead Equestria into an entirely new age! Technologically, biologically, and maybe even culturally (the entertainment these humans have!). And if I truly don’t age, I won’t even need to become an alicorn!

No, I can become something even more.

I’ll be so beloved for the future I’ll bring, it won’t matter if Celestia won’t make me a princess. The kingdom's ponies will.

And even if they don’t, I’ll have too much leverage for them to deny me again.

Author's Notes:

This something new I'm trying and hoping will work out honestly. I hope Sunset's more personal perspective will help elevate the story some and give greater insight into her development. Plus it's also kind of fun so yeah, there will be more if that needs to be said.

Also, smaller snippets will show up in main chapters sometimes as well, where deemed appropriate yet don't have enough substance for their own 'chapter'.

But there we go! The beginnings of my third Story and first non-displaced story! I know the site isn't quite what it used to bein terms of traffic but hopefully I can at least entertain enough people to make this worth continuing. Not that I'm planning on stopping, the next chapter is mostly done infact, but it would still be nice

But for now, as always, Thanks for reading and hope to see you next chapter! Have a good one!

Chapter 3: Ignited

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“Now you don’t need a lot, just a drop or two is enough. Too much and things get all gummy.”

Sunset followed along with the bubbly, pink haired woman’s demonstration of applying oil to the cotton mop and started lubricating. She repeated the action on the one in front of her, trying to ignore the unpleasant grime building up not only on her hands but places she wasn’t even sure how it could have gotten to. This was just the latest in a line of tasks Rupert had given her over the past few days; sweeping up the range, doing the infirmary’s laundry, helping Twilight re-label and catalogue samples…

In other words: Busy work.

She didn’t much appreciate what she saw as little more than pity and just more delay on her progress, but she did take solace in the fact they hadn’t just dismissed her outright. And at least this busy work was something she could get somewhat invested in. She had already looked a good deal into the operation, mechanics and even a little into the history of firearms, but getting the chance to take one apart was another thing entirely. It just made more sense; they were tools. Tools with deadly purpose yes, but still just contraptions built by learned standards and practiced principles.

Also in other words: They were something she could replicate when the time came.

She smiled, the swishing of the prickly, corkscrew shaped brush filling the empty space. This assignment also gave her the opportunity to ask questions, and unlike many of her attempts with the others, Pinkie was more than happy to talk at length about the topic… and anything else that popped into her head. After a few more pistols, Pinkie moved on to show her how to properly clean a shotgun. Then they moved on to the rifles. Before long however, the novelty began to wear off and Sunset realized that while there were many different mechanisms, the basic principles were the same. All things she’d log in the journal of course but it wasn’t quite as thrilling as she’d hoped it would be. Granted, maybe she simply didn’t know enough yet to get as invested in the minutia but at the end of it all, she was still just doing more busy work.

“You stopped asking questions,” Pinkie pointed out cheerfully. Sunset snapped out of her trance.

“Oh, sorry. This is interesting, really. It’s just...” she started before shrugging “After all I looked up and especially with how Rainbow tells it, I guess this just isn’t as… engaging as I thought it’d be.”

“Well DUH! Cleaning guns isn’t the fun part! Shooting them is!” Pinkie exclaimed before gasping “You’ve never shot a gun, have you!?”

“Not that I can remember” Sunset returned simply before being ripped to her feet.

“Well we gotta fix that!” Pinkie beamed before grabbing a duffle and darting to the ammo shelves “I mean we got a few more guns to clean anyway, so we might as well put a few rounds through ‘em first, right? Go down to the range! I’ll meet you there!”

Before Sunset could even think of considering a response, she found herself already standing in the hallway. Shrugging, she made her way to the lower level. It took a little longer than she would have liked; even with Fluttershy and now Rainbow helping with her physical therapy, stairs were still a little tricky. Before too long though, she came upon the large window to the range to see the assistant rangemaster setting up the systems. The former pony girl blinked and double took between the girl and stairs behind her.

“Wait, but- ...What?”

“AJ! DASHIE!” Pinkie poked her head out and shouted down the hallway “SUNNY’S GONNA SHOOT HER FIRST GUN!”

The rapid patter of jogging steps quickly echoed from the garage and the rainbow haired mechanic appeared from around the corner a moment later.

“Oh I gotta see this!” she smiled before a chuckle came from the break room, the blonde hunter stolling out more casually behind her. Dash stopped and smirked at the teen “Popp’n your cherry huh?”

“My what?-EEP!” Sunset gave a surprised yelp as a hand snagged her arm and whisked her into the long, reinforced room. A pair of broad glasses appeared perched on her nose and heavy plastic earmuffs were stuffed onto her head before she was spun around. A simple bull’s eye target hung a short distance beyond the small shelf in front of her. A hand passed her peripheral to twist a small dial on the noise blockers and a subtle hiss filled the silence. Pinkie's voice came through the heavy headphones with an odd, filtered echo.

“Okie Dokie! Safety’s on the side here, keep that on until you’re ready, finger off the trigger until you’re about to shoot, always keep the gun down range, pretty sure I don’t have to tell you not to point it at anyone, and never forget that the gun is always considered loaded even when it isn’t!” the woman rattled off without taking a breath “Okay so what we got here is the good ol’ standard issue Beretta M9. It’s a little bulky in the grip but we can get a nice feather pull on the trigger when cocked so you're not struggling and it has a nice big tang so you won’t catch yourself on the slide. Trust me, if you do that once you ain’t ever gonna do it again. But here you go, again keep that barrel down range.”

Pinkie placed the pistol in her hands, proving that the grip was indeed a little bulky. She looked back toward the target when a finger suddenly flicked her own.

“OW!”

“What I’d just say?” she scolded firmly, even if still with a smile “Trigger discipline!”

“Okay, I get it!” she returned, promoting a giggle from the excitable instructor. She looked down to the magazines on the shelf in front of them. There was one already in the gun but the fiery haired girl still looked questioningly to Pinkie, who returned an encouraging nod.

“Good, now pull back the slide. Now take aim- no like this,” Pinkie angled Sunset’s shoulders for her, leaving her primary arm straight with the other hand cradling the gun. She then placed a leg between Sunset’s and spread out her stance. She then hummed lightly and, after a moment of thought, simply pressed against the girl and added her grip hers to steady the weapon. Their ear protection clacked together lightly as their embrace shifted Sunset’s posture. Pinkie lifted a thumb over the teen’s and clicked off the safety “Okay safety’s off, so we’ll just pull back the hammer. Now you can lightly rest your finger on the trigger, line up those three little dots on the sights, and slowly squeeeeeze-”

*BANG*

Sunset jumped more than the gun in her hand; Only the instructor pressed against her had kept her in place. She didn’t so much hear the shot as feel it, the sound cutting out in her earphones for the brief instant. She stared at the small hole that now rested in the upper corner of the large sheet, well outside the series of circles.

“Hey! You actually hit it!” Pinkie cheered “Here, hold on a sec.”

Pinkie clicked the safety back up and guided the gun down to the shelf, barrel aimed at an angle out of the lane. She dashed out to the target, leaving Sunest alone for a second.

Her whole body was tense, save for her lightly trembling hands. She had watched the others shoot and had seen plenty of guides and demonstrations online, so she thought she knew what to expect. She didn’t anticipate it being so… violent though. Simply put, it scared the shit out of her. Yet, if she was honest, it also left her rather exhilarated.

She glanced back to the observing window to see a thoroughly amused pair grinning back. Despite seeming like they were giggling at her expense, Dash still flashed her two excited thumbs up and Applejack tilted her hat. She guessed thumbs up were a good thing from the couple times she’d seen it so far. Sunset returned a shaky smile before Pinkie bounded back to her side, stuffing a marker into her cotton candy curls.

A small red circle now surrounded the hole with “Sunny’s first shot” written just above.

“Just so we don’t lose track of it” the poofy haired woman winked at her and resumed her guiding position through the rest of the magazine. With each shot, Sunset grew more used to the feeling and even managed to improve her aim… slightly. As the final round and another small hole joined the others along the outer circle’s rim, the slide locked back and Pinkie’s supportive stance turned into a quick, if slightly awkward hug. With a practiced ease, the range master flicked the safety, releasing the slide and placed the gun back on the shelf before turning back to the duffle behind them.

Sunset looked back to her audience again. AppleJack gave her a smile before she tilted her head and mouthed ‘first mag!’ Dash meanwhile actually looked very mildly impressed as she nodded slightly; It was the kind of look somepony gets when a filly manages to not fall off their bike on the first try. She muttered something to her fellow viewer, lips spelling ‘Not terrible for a total…’

‘Newb?’ Sunset tried to decipher the last word but then Pinkie was in front of her again, turning her back toward the target. She handed the magazine to Sunset but stayed a step away this time, smiling patiently.

‘I’ll show you once, then watch.’

The words of her last teacher echoed through her mind. She rather appreciated that Pinkie trusted her not to screw up after just one magazine, especially considering how things could go wrong. She nodded and picked the pistol back up, sliding the magazine in the receiver… before it almost slid out again. She pushed again without much success.

“Pull it back out and slam it in hard” Pinkie offered. Out of the corner of her eye Sunset could see Dash snickering on the other side of the glass. Ignoring it, she arched an eyebrow at Pinkie “Just because you have to be careful doesn’t mean you have to be gentle. These things use tiny explosions to throw metal rocks; they’re built to stay together.”

She let the mag slide mostly out before trying again more forcefully, a solid click being her reward. A small smile tugged the corner of her lip as she looked at the instructor.

“Explosions to throw metal rocks?” she chuckled.

“Deceptively simple, isn’t it?” an even brighter smile appeared beneath the poofy mane before she tilted her head toward the range. Sunset turned her attention back to her target and raised her aim, then hesitated at a thought. She pulled the slide back so she could actually shoot, a quick glance letting her see Pinkie’s approving look. She clicked the safety and, with her finger off the trigger until she was ready, began her first solo shoot. Her aim was notably harder to maintain without Pinkie’s support, and it showed. Yet she couldn’t deny what the rangemaster told her before; Shooting the guns was definitely the fun part.

She finished the magazine and set the pistol back down, mindful to click the safety. Pinkie gave her another quick hug before setting the box of ammo down and wagging her eyebrows at her before turning back to the duffle. Her attention was diverted as their audience was now entering the range with eye and ear protection of their own and shoulder holsters to bear. Pinkie smiled before trotting behind her little booth and lowered a pair of targets in the lanes on either side of Sunset’s. The teen didn’t mind the brief delay of her lesson; she was still struggling a bit getting the last few rounds in the magazine. She was struck once again by how easy things looked in the videos.

“It gets easier,” Pinkie assured her as she slid back to Sunset’s side. She set another pistol down, a simple looking revolver. “Maybe should have started you with this but learning about safeties is pretty important so whatever. Anyway, this is a simple Smith and Wesson 357; we’ll just be using .38 Special for now though. There’s no safety, so keep trigger discipline even more in mind. Also, like the M9, it’s got a feather trigger when it’s cocked so even, even more...”

“Trigger discipline” Sunset finished, trying not to flinch too much at the other girls’ shots now ringing out on either side of her. Pinkie either didn’t seem to notice or didn’t judge. Sunset lifted the revolver, attempting to adjust to the weight and balance before aiming. The recoil was better but her aim was a little worse if anything, the longer barrel and heft throwing her off compared to before. Six shots and she was reloading on her own. 12 more and Pinkie was long done loading a trio of new magazines. The bubbly woman smiled and loaded a single round into the revolver before handing it back to her, grinning brightly

“Hold on tight.”

*BOOM*

That wasn’t a 38.

“Magnum?” Sunset only distantly heard Dash ask, her hands still up and eyes still wide. The other two shooters were peaking around the dividers, the much deeper shot having piqued their curiosity. Pinkie giggled and shrugged.

“Figured I’d give her a treat” she winked again at the former pony. Sunset gave a shaky smile back.

“Here Sunny, try this out” Dash waved her over. Rainbow’s ‘Glock’ was significantly lighter than the beretta and revolver, easier to hold too. The targets switched lanes before she could take aim, Pinkie waving at her from the control panel. It was a bit better to shoot if a little harder to control. It didn’t help her aim. AJ ambled over and let Sunset try her ‘1911’ out too. She warned her it would have a kick and she wasn’t lying. It wasn’t quite the magnum Pinkie sprung on her but her wrist was still protesting. She didn’t even hit the target a few times.

“Don’t worry there none Sugercube” AppleJack patted her shoulder “Yer actually do’n pretty good fer a first timer.”

The teen shrugged half heartedly, glancing at the other two targets. No shots were outside the middle rings, let alone the outer ones. She was sure she wasn’t going to convince Rupert to take her seriously with a lack of skill compared to that, first time or not. Their targets switched back to their original lanes, Dash giving her an encouraging smirk before getting back to her own practice.

“Last one for today Sunny” Pinkie prepared a new pistol Sunset hadn’t seen, even while cleaning earlier. She pushed away the minor irritation that it appeared ‘Sunny’ was going to stick, and took in the firearm. The design was different then the other semi-autos she had tried so far and that was without the box attached under its barrel. The barrel also protruded from the front a bit and looked to be threaded like a screw. Pinkie clicked the end of a wire connected to the grip and a small red dot lit up above the box’s lens “Here. It’s not loaded. Just try to keep it steady on the bullseye as well as you can.”

She couldn’t. The dot wasn’t a dot for even a moment in her grasp, just a spastic line squigling around the middle rings.

“Yeah, didn’t think so. But hey, something to work up to huh?” Pinkie offered as she took the gun back, clicking the pointer off and loading it for her newest student “Sights are better anyway. Lasers are more for quick shots and you won’t be at that level for a while yet. We’ll empty these three I loaded and get back to cleaning.”

Sunset took aim and started. It wasn’t quite night and day, but this was easily the best feel of everything so far. She kept it under control better and even landed shots in the middle circles with some consistency. By the last magazine she had even scored a few glancing the bullseye. She turned to smile proudly back at Pinkie only to see the other two girls looking at her incredulously as well. She hadn’t even noticed they stopped to watch her.

“Huh,” Dash smiled with an arched brow. “Guess we found a fit.”

“Ain’t that one of Aya’s?” AJ asked.

“It was due for maintenance anyway, so I figured she wouldn’t mind,” the rangemaster shrugged, “It’s just one of her backups after all.”

‘Aya’s, huh?’ Sunset looked back down to the weapon in her hands with a slight reverence. This was something her new goal used, and now it was what she was best with; Limited reference of comparison notwithstanding. She couldn’t yet learn from the still absent hunter but if this gun was Aya’s, even if just a backup, then she couldn’t believe her increased competence with it was just a coincidence. Human’s may not believe in magic but this kind of connection did mean something to her. ‘I’ll have to see if she has any other backups I can try...’

“Think it’s a mitochondria thing?” Dash asked, bringing Sunset back to the moment. The colorfully haired woman was studying Sunset’s target as Pinkie called them forward for collection. She pulled her earphones off and continued “The 229’s a nice gun sure, but it’s not that much of a difference…”

“Like ya’ said, maybe it’s just a good fit.” The blonde Hunter offered before draping an arm around their newest NMH “That or Sunny ‘eres just a natural. Ah mean Ah don’t feel nothin’ when I use any of Aya’s guns.”

“Could always ask Twilight” Pinkie offered “Though she might rope you inta buncha experiments to test it if you do.”

“Hmmm” Dash’s expression grew truly conflicted, prompting some hearty laughs from Pinkie and AJ. With a giggle of her own, Dash relented “Well, we should probably tell her anyway.”

After washing up, the pair bid adieu to the hunter and mechanic as they went back to their own machinations. Sunset followed Pinkie back to the armory to help clean the newly dirtied firearms. It was as unexciting as it had been, but she wasn’t quite as bored as before. The residual adrenaline and fresh experience made keeping her spirits up a bit easier. Pinkie even let her clean Aya’s P229 while divulging her seemingly near encyclopedic knowledge on it.

When they finished and had put everything else away, Pinkie took Aya’s pistol and moved to a large locker. Sunset followed behind and saw a simple label next to the lock Pinkie was now searching a large keyring for: “Aya”.

“She gets her own locker?” Sunset asked “Isn’t the reinforced room with bullet proof glass in a police station full of monster hunters enough?”

“Aya’s a pretty big deal Sunny. Though it’s mostly an organization and insurance thing really. Most of the stuff in here is Aya’s; as in it’s owned by her personally and not MIST issued equipment. The other lockers have the other hunter’s gear but Aya has a bit of a collection and Evie doesn’t like too many being at home, so she keeps most of her stuff here.” Pinkie explained before finally finding the key and popping open the locker. She grabbed what Sunset understood as a suppressor and screwed it onto the pistol, explaining the threading the former pony noted before “Well, except her sword.”

“Wait, her what?” The teenager did a double take. Pinkie beamed mischievously.

“Oh no, I’m not ruining that surprise!”

The next day Sunset was sweeping up the cases on the range. However, she wasn’t bothered at all by this busy work. Not today! Not only because she got to shoot again and a third of the cases were hers, or even because she didn’t have to do it alone this time. It was because the sooner she finished, the sooner she could get to what they were doing next!

True to Pinkie’s prediction, Twilight was positively fascinated by the possibility that Aya’s mitochondria could somehow be influencing Sunset’s competence with her pistol and insisted it be tested as soon as possible. One, to avoid any natural increase in Sunset’s aim clouding the data and two, because she simply couldn’t wait any longer to finally test Sunset’s abilities- ALL of her abilities.

That’s right, Sunset was finally being allowed to test her powers! She could hardly wait any longer herself.

But Rupert was there, and as much as she wanted to rush, she wanted to show him she didn’t half-ass things more. The better the impression she made here, the better her chances that he wouldn’t dismiss her again. She had already improved her marksmanship a little since the day before; she could tell since Pinkie had hung her first target up with the other hunters’ on the wall behind the control booth. It was still laughable compared to the rest, particularly one she understood was Rupert’s best results (Marked 50m without a single hole outside the center ring!), but it was still better than the day before... if only by a smidgen…

‘Stop that’ she shook the unhelpful thoughts away and tried to focus on finishing the task before her ‘It’s not about how skilled I am now but how great my potential is. Skill comes with practice and instruction; Talent is what matters today.’

As soon as she and Pinkie were done, Twilight sent Sunset off to wash up. Not just making sure the gsr was off her hands, but a full shower. While it was extremely uncommon for mitochondrial abilities to ignite the residue, Twilight didn’t want to take any chances on Sunset’s first attempt. Thankfully MIST had its own locker rooms, showers included, so she didn’t have to go all the way back to Fluttershy and Dash’s place.

Soon enough Sunset was back in the range with an also freshly bathed Applejack, standing beyond the shelves in the center of the reinforced space. Everyone else was gathered on the other side of the safety glass. Sunset tried not to think too hard about why Fluttershy had a medical kit at the ready or why AJ had not one but three injector-pens of suppressant on her belt. She also tried not to think about the fact the Hunter was still armed, her gun ready and loaded in its holster.

Yes, she Tried not to think about it.

“Don’t worry Sunset” Twilight’s voice came through the window’s intercom “We’re not expecting anything to go wrong. It’s just standard procedure.”

With that not entirely reassuring assurance, the doctor nodded to Applejack.

“Alright then Sugarcube, while normally we’d have Aya doin’ this, I reckon I can still coax a rise outta ya” the cowgirl declared and took her place behind the redhead now facing the few targets at the other end. They had no idea what kind of ability Sunset might show today, if any, but some powers came easier with a target.

There were, as Twilight tried to explain simply, different branches of mitochondrial abilities. The ‘simply’ part quickly fell away however, as she almost immediately dove into concepts of meta-physics, energy manipulation and the conversion of matter. Interestingly enough, they had some curious parallels to Sunset’s studies of magic, though the actual science the doctor got into was enough to make the former pony’s head spin. Dash then told her they were like the basic elements: Earth, Wind, Water and Fire. It seemed to aggravate Twilight quite a bit.

It also made a lot more sense, further to the scientist’s chagrin.

AJ’s hand landed on Sunset’s shoulder, bringing her back to the task. They had gone over what was going to happen several times: Applejack was to try to create a connection between her own and Sunset’s mitochondria to stimulate a response. There was little question of whether AJ could actually take any kind of control to guide them as Aya had done with the other NMH hunters, not with Sunset being an awakened, but hopefully the mitochondria itself would be able to help her figure it out from there.

A flash of warmth and energy filled her as the cowgirl’s mitochondria called out to hers, receiving quite the answer indeed. Just warmth thankfully, and not heat. If there was one constant Sunset had figured out pretty quick, it was that if someone started burning up when Neo-Mitochondria was involved, then things were about to get bad.

“We all good back there?” AJ looked back to the small crowd to insure that bad wasn’t happening.

“No hot flashes here!” Pinkie cheered while Dash gave a thumbs up. Twilight looked to Rupert who, while still stone faced, nevertheless nodded for them to continue.

Sunset smiled and looked back to the targets before closing her eyes. She rolled her shoulders and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she adjusted to the invigorating energy coursing through her. It reminded her of the first time she cast a master level spell, though that had lacked the tingling of something moving through her veins. That thought also reminded her that she had to pay special attention to keep her magic in check: she wouldn’t learn anything if she just ended up casting a spell instead of actually doing what they came here to do.

“You feel that, yes?” Twilight turned to quietly ask the medic behind her, who nodded with a slightly worried frown. She turned to Rupert “It’s that extra layer again, the one we haven’t been able to pinpoint the cause of. Don’t worry, she seems to have a handle on it. It’s receding some.”

Unaware of the exchange, Sunset finally suppressed her magic enough to not have to worry about it. She grimaced slightly at the slight increase in warmth as she did so, but promptly forgot the concern as she felt something shift. It wasn’t a bad shift; on the contrary, it was just what they were hoping for. Applejack’s grip tightened a bit as the redhead in her grasp raised a hand, guiding a build up of heat to her palm.

Sunset’s eyes snapped open and an aura of red and gold flashed about her form before a ball of flame flared into existence and surged forth, incinerating one of the targets.

“Woo doggy! That was a might bit more than I expected!” AJ stepped back and fanned herself with her hat “Guess Ah did alright then.”

Meanwhile, the spectators were forced to take a step back when their resident egghead began hopping excitedly as she spun inplace.

“OhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygosh-Oh-my-Gosh! PYROKINESIS!” she finally stopped jumping and positively beamed back through the window “There hasn’t been an NMH with a natural affinity for that since Aya! Oh this is incredible!”

She continued smiling at the panting teen with her arm still raised until the girl in question’s expression dropped. A small chill ran through the woman as Sunset’s head turned about curiously, as if trying to hear something.

“Sunset what’s wrong?” she immediately asked through the intercom with no lack of seriousness.

“O-oh, nothing. It’s nothing.” The former pony tried to wave off but they didn’t seem to be buying it.

“Seriously Sunny, what’dya hear?” AJ asked calmly, arms crossed as she studied the girl carefully.

“It was… it was just- I don’t want to say wind” Sunset struggled, trying to think of how to describe the noise “A hiss? Sort of?”

“Not a voice?” Twilight asked cautiously. Sunset shook her head, prompting everyone to finally release an unconsciously held breath. “Ok, good. That’s very good.”

“So hearing voices would be bad, like even worse than normally hearing voices bad?” The girl at the center of it all asked nervously.

“Yer bugs start talking to ya, like actually talking to ya, then yeah; That would be bad. As in evolvin’ inta an EVE bad.” AJ leveled with the girl before giving her a comforting pat on the arm “But the occasional hiss’n or growl’n ain’t too big a’ deal.”

“Well there wasn’t any growling, and the hiss wasn’t even… I’m not sure how to explain it. It was like… like-”

“Like the Echo of a Whisper?” Fluttershy’s voice politely interrupted.

“Well- um... Yeah, actually” The former pony was about to point out that if a whisper is loud enough to cause an echo, then it wasn’t a whisper. But then she realized the sentiment just struck true. “That’s a pretty good way to put it. Let me guess, Aya again?”

“Her sister, actually,” the nurse giggled. Aya might be kind of a big deal in MIST, but she wasn’t the end-all, be-all to everything.

“Well now, with that little scare out of the way, I think we’re good to continue” Twilight brought them all back to the task “Do you think you can do that again?”

Twilight did her best to contain her giddiness as she sat in Rupert’s office while she, Cadence and the director waited for her brother. Even after nearly an hour of testing Sunset’s pyrokinetic affinity, followed by another hour with her in the lab, Twilight was still almost bursting at the seams with excitement. As she told them before, no NMH since Aya had a natural affinity for the ‘fire element’ as she begrudgingly tolerated it being called. Even then, Aya had a natural talent for virtually all the branches of Mitochondrial abilities. The chance to observe a more singular focus and the actual development of it, which she had been too late to observe in the veteran hunter, was quite the opportunity.

‘If she’s allowed to develop it, that is…’ Twilight’s exuberant mood dropped at the thought. To say Rupert was resisting the idea would be like saying Twilight was ‘only kind of smart’. She couldn’t dwell long though as a knock came to the door, followed by her brother joining them.

“Sorry about the wait” he offered before taking a seat “So Sunset can make fire huh?”

“It would seem so” the director replied in a grumble “And now your sister wants to throw gasoline on it.”

“Now Rupert, that’s not fair” Cadance cut in with a frown “Twilight knows as well as any of us how dangerous blindly rushing forward can be. She wouldn’t have suggested further training if there was any serious risk.”

“There’s always a risk” Rupert countered, prompting another in turn from the MIST scientist.

“Sunset was stable throughout the tests. The only hiccup was the single auditory response which all of us still get occasionally.” Twilight argued “And frankly her level of control is astonishing for a new NMH, let alone for pyromancy. Even I had more trouble getting started than she did! We can’t just let this chance pass us by, who knows when or even if we’ll get another one.”

“What about that girl from the LA office?” Shining offered “Petra of whatever. Isn’t she trying to learn fire stuff?”

“Pyrrha. And yes she is, but she’s naturally inclined toward the ‘Earth’ branches.” Twilight pointed out, finger quotes and all “She’s already learned how to use her mitochondria quite effectively in that branch and will no doubt have a notably different development than Sunset thanks to that experience. Not to discount what she’s doing of course, but it’s not the same.”

“Besides, she’s just transferred to the Manhattan office.” Rupert added with a sigh. He had actually tried convincing the young hunter to join them instead, but Dr. Maeda somehow won her over first. “So we’re just supposed to let her have super powers? And do what with them?”

“You could make her a hunter” Twilight offered simply, earning her a flat glare.

“You did say you wanted to give Aya a partner” Cadence added to save her in-law, drawing the glare her way. Unlike Twilight however, she didn’t flinch under the man’s stare “Yes, I know you were joking. Honestly, so was I. At least I was at first. But even in just the little while she’s been with us, Sunny’s showed some remarkable adaptability.”

“She has improved at a pretty impressive pace, and I don’t just mean with her physical therpy” Shining also added earnestly, turning Rupert’s stare to disbelief.

“She’s a teenager! With no identity or memory!” the bald man contended “The Bureau would never consider hiring someone like her.”

“Then I guess it’s a good thing we broke from the Bureau, isn’t it?" Cadence smiled smugly "Considering we’ve sort of hired her already.”

“As a…” Rupert paused “We didn’t even give her a title! The feds wouldn’t care about that, but they do get a say in who we make into hunters.”

“I’d put through the paperwork. Hell, I’d even put in a recommendation” Rupert stared at the agent like he had grown a second head “Sunset’s a blank slate, she can be molded into anything. And with how smart she clearly is, that anything might be literal.”

“Not exactly the most ethical argument there babe.” Cadance pointed out. “Though Sunset wants this, and while I can only breach confidence so much, I can definitely say that us not allowing her to develop her powers isn’t going to stop her from still trying.”

“I don’t think saying she’s ambitious is a breach of confidence, Doctor. We all knew she was ambitious less than an hour after she woke up” he assured her before continuing in a more somber tone “Which is another concern we shouldn’t dismiss. She may want this now, will she when she learns what it really means to be a hunter? Can you say she’s mentally stable enough to handle it?”

Cadance took a deep breath and considered a few moments before answering. She had already made her conclusions but she knew better than to always just go with your gut. She also owed it to the director to not forgo any reconsideration. She was fairly sure she got a good read on Sunset’s character though: Driven, Brilliant, Adaptable, and yes, arrogant to a fault, even manipulative. But mentally unstable? No.

“I think she’s too determined to fall apart like that.” the counselor confirmed “Yes, when it all finally does hit her, it will undoubtedly hit her hard. But she’s already proven how resilient she can be by just dealing with everything that’s happened to her so far. The girl was chased, wounded, and transformed by NMCs, all of which landed her in a coma for two weeks. Yet as soon as she wakes up she’s ready to face them again. She’s not weak.”

Rupert frowned, though more contemplative than before. He let out a sigh before regarding Twilight again. She met his gaze with a nervous certainty, but certainty nonetheless.

“Sunset’s the first awakened willing to develop her powers like this since Aya. Yes, Starlight and I still work on ours but if that’s proven anything, it’s that they grow faster and stronger when tested against NMCs. AJ’s abilities are already more powerful than mine and Rarity’s more honed.” Twilight explained “I understand your concerns Rupert. I don’t feel right knowing that I’m basically recommending we train an amnesiac girl more than half a decade my junior to be a monster slayer. We rarely get the luxury of normalcy here at MIST though, do we?”

“No, we don’t” the director sighed again with the begrudging agreement. He nearly forgot that Twilight had been with them for over seven years now, more than long enough to be there when they lost other young hunters. Not quite as young as Sunset, but still... It was too easy to forget these girls were older than they looked. “And we are short handed, even with the Fed’s support. Another awakened hunter would certainly help… we could stop her though, even if she tried without us anyway.”

The last statement was directed to their counselor. She gave a releting shrug.

“We could, but not without locking her up and forcing her on suppressants. There’s also the very real possibility she’d outsmart us if we tried. This is honestly a win-win, not to mention a lot less of a headache to give her what she wants in this case. Even if not the most righteous course of action.” Cadence sighed herself before her husband added another two cents.

“Plus we at least know we wouldn’t be walking into another Baldwin situation with her. Blank slate and all.”

Rupert nodded grimmly at the assessment, remembering MIST’s former Director. The man had been a double agent of their primary adversary, the organization only known as ‘Ark Shadow’. Even after he and so many other moles in the bureau were rooted out, they still knew so little about those that seemed to be trying to forcibly evolve the human race whether they liked it or not. That betrayal had been the primary reason MIST went independent in the first place. Sunset could at least be trusted to not be part of all that, at least… unless...

“What if she gets her memories back?” He asked evenly.

“You think she could be a sleeper?” Shining arched a brow. Twilight however just shook her head.

“That kind of brainwashing still leaves its mark. I’ve examined Sunset in and out more times than she’s certainly been comfortable with; something would have shown up by now. Also consider that if they could brainwash someone that reliably, let alone an awakened NMH, then I doubt they would need those control helmets.” Twilight finished and Cadance gave a short hum.

“I’m inclined to agree. While being an NMH causes more than its fair share of distress, which Sunset is not immune to, I still haven’t seen anything to suggest brainwashing or even coercion” She then gave a shrug “But as for the case of her regaining her memories and possibly not liking what she’s become? What we would make of her? ...That’s harder to predict.”

“A bridge to cross if we ever come to it” Shining declared “I think we’ve made the point that making Miss Shimmer a hunter wouldn’t the worst thing, but it’s your call Rup’. We’ll follow your lead either way.”

Rupert drummed his fingers on the desk, eyes closed in concentration. No one spoke further. Maybe there was more to be said, but Shining was right; it was the director’s decision in the end. Being able to argue for an alternative later was one thing, but he had the final say on the branch’s hunters. He had yet to lead them astray on that front and they knew it was a responsibility, a trust, that he never took for granted.

Silent minutes passed as he deliberated internally. The man opened his eyes and looked to the other MIST leads, only Aya was absent. He locked eyes with each, studying their resolve. Then after several more minutes and a final, heavy sigh, he decided.

“Goddammit”

Day 15

I’m in. My training starts tomorrow.

Chapter 4: Pest Control

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Doctor Cadenza Amore sat behind her desk, looking over patient files as she enjoyed the breeze from the hall. She always kept an open door policy at MIST, feeling that the simple fact she was available to them whenever helped ease the minds of her charges, however slight a relief it may be. Not that she expected much traffic today: Only she, Rupert, Twilight and Sunset were in and she already had her appointment with the last one earlier that morning.

Almost as soon as she had the thought, the girl in question walked past her door, giving a small wave as she passed. Cadence smiled back and returned to her files, moving on to the most recent hunter reports. She knew the OC we’re getting back from their investigation today but nothing in their report suggested anything she’d have to be present for.

She noticed Twilight jog past her door next with a grin, clearly in a rush to whatever peaked her excitement. She shook her head with an affectionate smile, knowing Twilight was sure to gush about it later if it was important. She was mildly concerned about the surges of energy she was feeling from her sister-in-law, but nothing had exploded yet so she didn’t worry on it any further.

She then saw Sunset amble past again. It earned a furrowed brow but nothing more as she shrugged it off, figuring the young hunter in training was probably just bored.

However, the pair then jogged past again a few minutes apart. It was finally after seeing their staggered passing twice more that her curiosity got the better of her. She intercepted Twilight the next time the doctor came by.

“What ARE you two doing?” she asked with a bemused grin. Twilight blinked before scratching at her cheek with a light blush.

“Oh, sorry if we’re distracting you” the scientist gave a small chuckle “I’m trying to help Sunset get the hang of her mitochondrial senses.”

The redhead herself came around the corner a moment later. Her searching look turned to concern as she approached the sisters-in-law.

“I didn’t think you felt that far. Is everything alright?”

“Oh everything’s fine, Cadence was just wondering why we keep running back and forth past her office” Twilight assured her and turned back to her former babysitter “I get a headstart and then Sunset tries to figure out what room I'm in by only what her Mitochondria are telling her. Sure, we won’t be reaching anywhere near Rarity levels of precision, but it’ll still help. That’s why you keep feeling me use my powers, I’m just trying to make it more obvious since she’s just starting out.”

“Sooooo… you’re playing Hide and Seek?” Cadence concluded with a smirk. Sunset chuckled as her current teacher gave a huff.

“We’re trying to develop Sunset’s extrasensory abilities.” the scientist clarified.

“By playing Hide and Seek” the counselor reiterated, still thoroughly amused.

“Super powered Hide and Seek” Sunset added with a jovial grin, earning a look of her own from the scientist. Even in just the short time with MIST, she had picked up how fun it was to tease the woman, prodigy status notwithstanding. She was also hardly the only one to do it, but to Twilight's credit, she took it in stride. In fact, she actually seemed to enjoy the affectionate barbs most of the time, and could even strike back with some good ones of her own when the mood struck her.

“Can I play?” the pair blinked at the counselor’s earnest request. Twilight then hummed approvingly.

“That could actually help a lot. You have a much subtler signature than I do and it’d help her learn to differentiate.” The counselor smiled warmly but the mood was interrupted by Rupert leaving his office with an abrupt urgency.

“What’s wrong?” Cadence quickly asked.

“Just got a call from Gertrude, they found NMCs in the school’s basement.”

“Oh no, none of the kids were-”

“No- No, everyone’s fine” he quickly assured them “It’s just a pack of rats stuck down there.”

“A mischief” the trio all glanced at the scientist’s statement “A collective of rats is called a mischief.”

“Yeah, well I got a mischief to exterminate” the director returned casually, adjusting his shoulder holster and turning away. Cadence frowned as they moved to follow him.

“By yourself?”

“It’s just some rats, Doctor. Besides, I have no choice,” he explained “Apple and Dash are on the other side of Downtown, tracking a possibly infected cat and the OC don’t land for another couple hours. I’d rather not leave this any longer after what happened last month.”

“I could come with.” Sunset tried not to wince at the flat look she received. “Yeah I know, I’ve only been in training a couple weeks but I’m sure I’ve at least learned enough to not accidentally shoot you. I’ve studied the classifications and, considering how calmly you’re all talking, I’m guessing these aren’t the ones that throw fire.”

“...No” Rupert gave after a pause.

“Those have actually been incredibly rare since the blockade” Twilight commented, tapping her chin abestly.

“I think I’ve learned enough to not die against one of the weakest kinds of NMCs. Especially if you’re there too” she added with a hint of a smile. The director didn’t seem impressed.

“You’ll find flattery doesn’t work on me Miss Shimmer” he said bluntly before looking to the counselor. She gave him a nod. “But yeah, okay. Go grab your gear.”

“All of it?” the redhead did her best not to show her excitement.

“You won’t need your armor; just grab the arm and shin guards” he shook his head as she promptly took off to the locker room. He waited with the remaining pair and sighed “It’s too soon.”

“Better for her to be a little sloppy than to make you go alone. And it is just rats.” Twilight offered.

“NMC rats. Those can still kill...” he pointed out. “Aya goes on assignments alone all the time.”

“And you hate that.” Cadence countered.

“Yeah, that’s why I’m letting this happen at all… not that she’d follow the example even if she were here.”

“You’re still a good influence on the rest of us” Twilight smiled sweetly, managing to bring a slight reflection of it to the flustered man. It didn’t even falter much as Sunset came back, geared up and looking confident. He jerked his head for her to follow, though Candance set a hand on her arm to stop the girl.

“Don’t take advantage, but flattery totally works on him” she whispered to her before sending her off with a wink. Sunset nodded and made for the garage, hearing Twilight trying to suppress a giggle behind her.

Rupert’s car was a simple four door Sedan, she believed they were called, though any details beyond that she wouldn’t have the faintest idea. It was nice inside; more luxurious than Fluttershy’s or Dash’s vehicles, not to mention significantly cleaner on the inside than the latter. She once more marveled at the comfort features humans had built into the contraptions; the air conditioning and heating being the most appreciated. Not that she didn’t often travel in style as the princess’s apprentice, but even her carriages lacked the simple concept that were seat belts.

‘They did have cup holders though’ she acknowledged.

“Alright Shimmer, this is not normal procedure. I know you think you know what we’re going against but the last thing you should ever be is overconfident when NMCs are involved. Even ‘just rats’ can still kill people.” Rupert informed her. His tone was stern but not aggressive as they pulled out of underground parking “You stay behind me and do exactly as I say. Understood?”

“Yes sir. Your lead, to the letter” she confirmed. She knew this was an exception, and while used to having exceptions made for her, she knew better than to take it for granted with Rupert. He may be a rather gruff individual but his first concern was the safety of his subordinates. He had shown himself a competent leader from her observations; tough but understanding, mostly knowing when to stand firm on something and when to give in. She had already seen faults true, but he was certainly better than half those she had observed back home.

‘Even Celestia wasn’t perfect, as I learned the hard way.’ she thought bitterly. She still respected her former teacher’s ability to lead however, especially as she had managed to do it fairly successfully for at least a millenia. She had the suspicion her mentor would have approved of the man’s method, even if it was notably different than her own.

“Mind your fire lanes in there” Rupert continued as they hit a red light.

“No barrel sweeping. Yes, Pinkie’s been particularly insistent on the basic five, that included.”

“Well yes, that too. Though I was speaking more about not damaging anything.” he clarified “They’re a public school; the last thing they need is us shooting their boiler full of holes.”

“Be doubly aware of what’s beyond my target and keep collateral to a minimum. Got it.” she returned. Rupert nodded without taking his eyes off the road. The rest of the ride passed in relative silence and it wasn’t long until they were pulling up in front of the school. A police cruiser was a short ways ahead of them with a uniformed officer standing by.

They climbed out of the car and Rupert raised an acknowledging hand toward the cop before moving to the sedan’s trunk, receiving a wave back. He reached into the storage and fished out Sunset’s current primary: An MP5A5. It used the same bullets as the p229 on loan to her from Aya, but with full-auto and significantly more control. As Pinkie had put it, the gun practically shot itself. Rupert then removed another revolver similar, if a bit smaller, to his own.

“Do you normally take two pistols?” She asked curiously.

“No, but like I said, we need to be careful: the Mongoose tends to over penetrate small targets,” he explained as he looped a second holster along his belt and swapped the smaller gun into his shoulder harness.

“Mongoose? I thought Pinkie called it an Anaconda.”

“It is an Anaconda, but I had it customized enough for my daughter to give it a name.”

“You have a daughter?”

“I did.”

‘Did, past tense. Shut up Sunset’ she mentally corrected. “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it” the director gave with no particular inflection as he closed the trunk and made his way over to the cop. “Sunset Shimmer, this is Officer Flash Sentry, one of Canterlot’s finest. He also has a habit of being the one called in whenever MIST has to meddle in things.”

“I guess I’m just lucky” the young man quipped. He was taller than Sunset but didn’t quite reach Rupert’s height and was fairly handsome, for a human. He extended a hand to the novice hunter “Nice to meet you, Miss Shimmer.”

“Officer Sentry” she returned cordially, taking the offered hand.

“Just you?” Rupert asked, examining the courtyard.

“You know how it goes, too many cruisers show up and people start getting worried” he shrugged “And start asking questions. And before you ask: no, I didn’t find anything on perimeter check. Nothing’s found its way out.”

“Good. The Principal inside?”

“Just Vice-Principal Luna at the moment, her sister’s still inroute. She’s waiting just inside the entrance.” the director nodded and Officer Sentry tilted his head knowingly “I’ll keep the perimeter?”

“Yes, thank you. Come on Shimmer” they broke from the officer and continued on. It took Sunset a good deal of discipline to not stop and study the statue they were now passing. She repressed a chill that tried to take her as they crossed the threshold, pushing away the memories of her last visit to the school. A harried woman with dark violet hair tapping her foot anxiously let her focus her attention, fortunately.

“Mr. Broderick, I hope you take no offence when I say I hadn’t wished to see you again so soon” she gave grimly, but not insultingly, the moment she spotted them.

“Believe me Mz. Oliver, I feel the same way. No offence taken in the least.” he returned. The vice-principal gave a shadow of a begrudging smile before gesturing for them to follow.

“Our janitors' have been noting something moving around in the basement for a few days now, but it wasn’t until Sam was locking up when something lunged at him. Thankfully, he batted it away with his broom handle and escaped up the stairs.” she explained as she walked “He told Mrs. Apple and she immediately called you and has been standing guard outside the door ever since.”

“Mrs. Apple?” Sunset asked before she could stop herself.

“Jacquelyn’s grandmother” Rupert answered simply. They turned a corner to find an older woman decked out in hockey pads and holding a baseball bat ready, eyes glued to the double doors before her. Luna sighed and muttered to the hunters

“Before you think the worst of us, I didn’t ask her to stand guard. She simply refused to let anyone else.”

“Don’t worry, I’m well acquainted with the Apple family stubbornness” he returned understandingly “We can take it from here Ma’am, you should go wait for your sister.”

Luna looked like she wanted to argue but made her way back to the entrance without a fuss. Rupert called out as they closed on the door.

“It’s okay Gertrude, you can stand down now.”

“Huh?! Oh, Rupert!” the woman turned, showing a face younger than Sunset had been expecting. When she heard grandma, her mind had gone to elderly, but Mrs. Apple didn’t look like she was beyond her fifties. Though the redhead did admit to herself that she simply may not be that good at judging human ages yet. The elder’s orange eyes landed on her next “And you must be tha’ new girl. Sunrise, wazzit?”

“Sunset” she politely corrected.

“Yea, that was it!” she smiled and turned back to the bald man “Jackie off chase’n somethin’ else Ah take it?”

“She’ll catch up in a little while” he answered cryptically “You didn’t have to stand guard-”

“Like heck Ah didn’t! Ah wasn’t ‘bout to let any of these critters get out ta ruin any more lives. An’ Ah was the bes’ won here ta’do it! Ain’t like Ah can get infected twice!” she declared passionately. Her brow did furrow right after though “Can I be infected twice?”

“You would be the first” he answered more candidly this time before regarding his charge “You ready?”

Sunset gave a strong nod, her expression set as she shouldered the sub-machine gun. He didn’t look terribly convinced but returned the nod all the same.

“Right. Again, try to stay within sight and keep your eyes peeled. Rats aren’t too strong but they’re quick and their bites are nothing to sneeze at.” he reiterated and took point through the door.

“Ah’ll be up here, just in case any find ther’ way past ya.” the Apple matron called as the double doors closed behind them.

The staircase was wide, and railed on both sides with a ramp making up one half. Sunset guessed it was for getting the mop bucket up and down easier. They stuck to the more stable stairs until they reached the bottom, where the basement’s lights were thankfully still on to let them see the surprisingly spacious area. Shelves and a few clusters of pipes blocked a lot of their sight lines, earning an irritated, though mindfully low huff from the rookie hunter.

“You were learning to use your senses earlier, right?” Rupert asked quietly with his revolver up, sweeping over the shelves. “You feel anything?”

“There’s… something down here with us.” she hesitated, trying to focus before having to accept that was it. She continued with a dejected note “Sorry… that’s all I got.”

“That’s all I expected” she received back in a lighter tone “Don’t get down on yourself kid, even Aya needs a motion tracker to get pinpoint data. Belle’s the only hunter out there that’s honed their senses enough to give numbers and locations.”

The redhead took solace in that fact, letting her frustration ease and shook away the distracting thoughts. Now wasn’t the time to lose focus. They moved by the first set of shelves, each scanning their sides. She mentally kicked herself when she saw Rupert turn to give a quirker glance through what she just searched when she had just moved to the next aisle.

‘Redundant sweeps, right’ she clicked on her gun's under barrel flashlight and shone it across Rupert’s side before they fell into an alternating search. NMC were rarely clever, but they had enough instinct to usually wait until you were turned away to attack, hence the second set of eyes double checking.

As if to prove the precaution’s use, a loud clattering sounded as a hairy mass crashed through a collection of spray bottles the moment Sunset’s light left an aisle. A deep boom reverberated through the enclosed space as Rupert fired a snap shot toward the noise.

“Forward!” he ordered before the Sunset had even blinked away the spots from the flash. They sprinted into a more open area with a concrete pillar at its center. The director put his back against one side and glanced for her to take the other. Another crash rang out as she took position, seeing a blur knocked out of the air in her peripheral. She didn’t have time to look as another skittered out from beneath a pallet of boxes.

It shrieked and flailed back as she snapped her aim to it, her flashlight’s beam stunning it long enough for her to get her first proper look at it. Its hair was tattered and filthy and its teeth and gums stretched too far beyond its face in an almost crab-like pincer. The legs fruitlessly swiping at the light also seemed too long and well defined. It fell back to all fours and squinted through the light, raising a thick, stinger tipped tail with a hiss. While each trait was disturbing in its own right, it was the size of the beast that gave her pause.

The thing was the size of a small bulldog.

Another shriek escaped the creature before it charged the rookie hunter, snapping her out of her stunned state. She pulled the trigger and a trio of shots burst from her gun, slamming into the rapidly closing NMC. It fell back and died with a final, disheartening spasm.

She didn’t have time to dwell as another charged her from the side. She turned and opened fire, her aim unfortunately being a notch too high as it peppered the cement just behind the creature. She couldn’t readjust before it leapt up and clamped down on her arm, squeezing painfully even through her vambraces.

She cried out as she flung her arm to the side and bashed the pest against the pillar. It let go after the second hit and quickly fell to the point blank burst that found its face.

Another hiss sounded from the shelves, alerting her to the threat behind her. With no desire for another close call, she clicked the select fire and emptied the rest of her magazine at the oversized rodent. She shredded a box of cheap toilet paper and punched a few holes through the thin metal shelf, but at least the rat wasn’t moving anyone.

She moved to pull another magazine from her belt but stopped at the almost unnatural silence that found her. She peaked around the column to see Rupert calmly reloading his revolver with the corpses of six rats spread out on his side.

“How many you get?” he asked simply, the adrenaline still coursing through her making her jump at just the words.

“Oh, um… three.” He gave a non-commental grunt before snapping the cylinder closed and glanced across to her work. His gaze lingered on the mangled box of now ruined fluff and gave a notably more commental grunt.

“That’s probably all of them, most NMCs don’t just sit around after the fight starts. Stay here and stand watch, I’ll clear the rest of the shelves.”

“Yes sir.” she gave quietly, eyes to the ground. She pulled the empty magazine from her gun and stuffed it away, moving away from the pillar for better a sight line. She realized there was a subtle sizzling sound filling the silence and saw the rats were already starting to melt.

“Gross…”

Apparently the same heightened metabolism that made her need to eat like a pig is also what drove NMCs to be so violent. They were literally always hungry, and with their mitochondria unrestrained, that hunger was cranked up to eleven. It also left them with the unpleasant trait of their cells self cannibalizing to try to sustain themselves when they died, rapidly breaking down the body into a slimy goo. She just recently learned that MIST had almost as many cleanup specialists as they did hunters.

She pulled out a full mag when another truth hit her.

She could still sense something.

A form much larger than the rats erupted from a pile of loose pallets with a wail. It lowered its head and stepped into the light, revealing the shape of an emaciated NMC. It was the same kind with the hunched posture and skull faced visage as those that had chased around the school her first time there, what MIST dubbed as a Stranger. Unfortunately the fact it was starving only seemed to make it more desperate. Sunset scrambled away, frantically fumbling at her attempts to load the magazine when it charged.

Rupert heard the commotion and could see Sunset struggling as he sprinted back. He could hear the Stanger’s plodding steps and see its shadow through the shelves but didn’t have a clean shot. A cold hand gripped his heart as he realized he couldn’t intercept before it reached her. He stopped and drew his Mongoose, instinctually assuming a classic shooter's stance that was steady as a statue. He waited for the assuredly brief window, as focused as he’d ever been: he’d only get one chance. Movement flashed at the end of the aisles and Rupert tensed-

Then blinked at the sight of an MP5 bouncing off the Stranger’s face, stunning it enough to halt its charge.

Flames had already began to dance along the redhead’s forearm when the stranger’s head exploded at the sound of Rupert's hand cannon. She sagged with relief as the body fell lifeless to the ground and Rupert walked back into view. She noticed him glance at her dwindling flames, arching a brow as he gave another quiet grunt. She was honestly starting to wonder if was ever going to be able to get a decent read on the man. She suddenly jumped again at a shout that came echoing from the stairs.

“Did’ya get’em all? Ah don’ feel as much as I did so Ah hope it’s jus’ the new girl!” Gertrude called out. The marksman looked to said ‘new girl’ expectantly. Catching on, she closed her eyes to concentrate. After a moment they reopened and she shook her head with a hopeful smile.

“I don’t feel anything else.”

“Good enough” The director gave simply and headed back to the stairs. The Apple matron met them at the doors.

“Glad ta see it’s you two climb’n back up” she smiled before immediately collapsing into a folding chair and started rubbing her feet “Woo, my dogs are bark’n! Buggers might be make’n me young again, but not stand’n guard for hours young.”

“Thanks for the backup Gertrude” Rupert gave with a small smirk.

“Yeah yeah…” she waved off “New girl babysitt’n?”

“No, Jacquelyn will be by when she’s done” he answered as he checked his phone.

“Ah’ll be sure ta let’er know she missed all the fun” she grinned at them before leaning back with a content sigh “Ya’ll take care then.”

“Gertrude” the director gave before they made their way back to the courtyard. She saw the Vice-Principal waiting with Officer Sentry, chatting pleasantly with the man. Rupert spoke before they got any closer though “You can hang back for a breather if you want, let your adrenaline wane. You won’t have to deal with this part for a while yet.”

Normally she would say she’s fine and learn as much as she could, but her new boss just gave her an opportunity. She accepted and hung back, waiting until he started speaking with the pair before she discreetly made her way to the statue at the courtyard’s center. She tentatively put out a hand as soon as she was close enough, taking a deep breath before letting her weight fall forward.

She stopped only a couple inches later, hand firmly pressed against the still very solid base.

‘Didn’t think so…’ She stepped back with a sigh. She really hadn’t expected the portal to be open, and she was far from done learning everything she wanted from this world, but a small part of her still couldn’t help but be disappointed.

She found herself studying the stone equine top of the structure as a distraction. The horses of this world certainly wouldn’t have been considered particularly attractive by pony standards, but they did still manage to capture at least some sense of majesty. She supposed there could have been far worse parallels to her species. Then, as if almost to mock the thought:

“Sunset Shimmer?”

The former pony froze at the voice, her blood running cold. It wasn’t possible. She wouldn't have followed her through, not at the risk of not being able to get back to the kingdom she was responsible for. Not just to find a wayward student. Least of all she just couldn’t be there because Sunset simply wasn’t anywhere close to facing her yet.

Yet all the same, she spun around to the speaker with wide eyes to see the now bipedal but unmistakable form of her former mentor.

“Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you!” Rationality flooded through the redhead at the words. They weren’t spoken with a sense of familiarity. They were the words of a complete, if kindly voiced, stranger. It was Celestia, it just wasn’t her Celestia.

“Oh-um… n-no, I’m fine!” she tried to compose herself, responding a little more loudly than she intended. The multi-colored haired woman just smiled warmly though; warmly enough to tug at that small part of her again.

“Of course” the doppelganger gave soothingly. She was humoring her but Sunset was surprised to find herself not really minding “Not that I could blame if you were a bit jumpy. I can’t imagine what it’s like to not even remember yourself.”

To say Sunset was caught off by the sentiment would be an understatement.

“H-How did you-”

“Oh, I’m sorry!” she quickly offered again with a wince. “I really don’t mean to keep scaring you. Since you were found here, MIST had asked if you were one of our students. They also more recently asked us to check our graduate records; that’s when the excitable young woman on the phone let it slip that you had lost your memory. Though I’m sorry to say I can’t give you any leads by saying you were ever one of my students…”

‘If only you knew the irony’ Sunset smiled sadly before shrugging “That’s not your fault.”

Celestia looked to be about to respond when Rupert called that they were leaving.

“Oh, I uh-” Sunset began before the principal smiled understandingly.

“Of course. Good luck in finding yourself Miss Shimmer, I sincerely hope it’s something worth finding.” She bid her farewell before going to join her sister.

Rupert didn’t say anything as they loaded their gear back into the trunk. He didn’t say anything as she climbed into her seat either. He didn’t even say anything after he began driving them to their next destination. It suited Sunset just fine, her brief chat with her mentor’s double leaving her in such a daze that she wasn’t sure she would have even noticed if he did. It was only several minutes after what she was sure was long enough to get back to MIST headquarters that she pulled herself out of it, realizing they hadn’t.

“Where are we going?”

“The airport, the OC should have just landed. All processed then?” he asked patiently. Sunset quickly realized that he'd been waiting for her to internally sort out the fight. She hadn’t even thought about it, but she determined there’d be time to go think about that later.

“Yeah, um… thanks.”

“Good” he nodded, “I wanted to go over your performance before we had an audience.”

‘Oooorrrr I can think about it now…’ the rest of the trip was filled with him pointing out mistakes she made and then having her answer of what she could have done instead. It wasn’t a pleasant event but she knew it had to happen. She did notice that he never seemed to get upset though, which she hoped was a good sign. They also thankfully made good time, limiting the exchange a little.

They pulled up to the waiting area and Sunset climbed out to get in the back at Rupert’s request. As she was transferring, a merry shout drew her attention to a pair of women in suits approaching with luggage. The first was wearing the full ensemble, blazer and all with only an unbuttoned collar signaling any thought for comfort. The other seemed far less concerned with appearing professional, blazer draped over a shoulder and several buttons more free than her companion.

“Hey-Hey! It’s Sleeping Beauty!” the casual woman with short cyan and white striped hair beamed at her. The trunk popped a moment later, the pair moving to unload as it did “Oh ho, looks like you two had some fun on the way.”

The more well cut of the two smiled at Sunset, gesturing to the door. Catching herself, she quickly climbed in at the signal. The other woman flopped down into the back next to the newest hunter.

“Nice to see you rejoin the living! Shimmer, right? Lyra Heartstrings” Lyra gave with a bright smile and settled in.

“Bonavire Drops” the one with blue and pink hair gave cordially from the front seat.

“You can just call her Bonnie” Lyra winked “So how’ya doin boss? Hope the guns in back don’t mean we missed anything serious.”

“Just some rats” he returned simply. Most of the trip back was spent in debrief between him and Bonnie, Lyra chiming in when necessary... and occasionally when not. As the report winded down though, the latter turned her attention back to Sunset.

“SO, you got to get out into the field a little early huh?” she leaned in “How’d ya do?”

Sunset tried to fight off a blush and grimaced. Before she could answer though, Rupert did it for her.

“She did alright,” he said simply. Sunset’s head snapped back up at the statement.

“W-Wait, What?” Lyra gave a chuckle at the girl’s expression.

“Let me guess, he was giving you a right proper tear down about everything you did wrong the whole way here?”

“Not the whole way. He did wait for me to… sort things.”

“Aw, you big softy” Lyra very lightly punched the director’s arm, which earned a flat look from him and an eye roll from her partner.

“Hmmm.” He hummed and then glanced to Bonnie. “Still, it’d be better if she didn’t have to throw her gun next time. She’ll need someone to help her with reloading drills.”

“Not a problem.” The woman in the front seat said immediately. Lyra shot the rookie an incredulous smirk.

“You really throw your gun at ‘em?”

“It’d worked” she shrugged, earning a hearty laugh from the senior hunter.

“Anyone get hurt?” Bonnie asked.

“No…” Sunset returned hesitantly, consciously not rubbing at her still sore arm.

“Any NMCs get away?” Lyra asked next.

“No.” Rupert answered.

“Then you did good,” the golden eyed hunter declared and draped an arm around the novice’s shoulders. “Everyone got out safe and there’s no risk of spread. That’s all that matters!”

“Not All that matters” Bonnie corrected, giving her partner a brief look “But yes, you seemed to have done acceptably, all things considered.”

Rupert didn’t say anything at the assessment, but he didn’t disagree either.

‘Well, at least that’s something.’

Sunset was sitting at the dining room table, her borrowed laptop in front of her playing a funny cat video. Rupert had given her the rest of the day off, after having another season with Cadence, at least. It… helped, though honestly Sunset really didn’t see what the big deal was. Sure she had been scared a couple times and her arm was a little bruised, but she made it out fine.

‘Maybe human’s are just more sensitive to that stuff than ponies’

She browsed through the list as the video ended, not much feeling like researching too much after the day she had. She may not be traumatized, but she was tired. Fluttershy was currently, well, fluttering about the kitchen of the open space, singing softly to herself as she made dinner. She said even though she hadn’t used her powers, Sunset’s mitochondria would have still been agitated by the distress and that eating would make her feel better. She wasn’t complaining; Fluttershy was actually a pretty good cook.

The front door slammed open and shut, making the nurse jump a little. She let out a breath when she saw it was only Dash coming in. The colorful mane bobbed as its owner seemed in a hurry and then stopped when she spotted Sunset with an incredulous grin.

“Did you seriously throw your gun at Stranger?!”

“Ugh, yes…”

The mechanic’s laughter filled the house as she braced against a wall.

“Dashie…” Fluttershy scolded gently.

“It worked!” The novice hunter defended herself.

“Yeah, yeah, fair enough” Rainbow relented, laughter petering out as she headed off to shower and change. She came back out just a little while later, falling onto the couch and flicking on the TV as they waited for Fluttershy to finish.

“You guys manage to find that cat?” Sunset asked.

“Oh yeah,” she said over her shoulder “Turns out it wasn’t infected, just really sick.”

“Ohhh…” the pink haired girl cooed sadly.

“Don’t worry Flutters, we took it to a vet” Dash consoled her housemate “They found a chip and called the owners. The old cat just got lost when their kid brought it to a sleepover or something. Vet said it should be fine.”

“That’s good” Fluttershy breathed out before shuffling her feet a little “...Thank you.”

“Hey, I know better than to leave a sick animal in the same city as you. I might not live to see tomorrow” Fluttershy rolled her eyes at the mechanic smirking back at her “But yeah, no worries.”

The chime of the timer went off and Fluttershy loaded the plates. Dash tried to take hers to the couch before the nurse snagged her by the elbow and dragged her to the table. As expected, it was quite good; good enough that Sunset was tempted to just focus on her food. With that little display of closeness though, she thought she might be able to get some more information without coming off as suspicious.

“So you guys have known each other since high school, right?”

“Oh yeah,” Dash answered through a mouthful of mashed potatoes “Actually most of us at the Canterlot branch went to highschool together. Pinkie, AJ, Rares, the OC, uhhhh…”

“Bulk” Fluttershy added as Dash was listing them off on her fingers. She nodded and put up another.

“Yeah, pretty much everyone but the originals” she concluded “Huh, I knew about our click but hadn’t really realized it with the others. Weird.”

“The originals?” Sunset parroted.

“Rupert, Aya, Jodie, Pierce,” Fluttershy listed off herself as she answered “And everyone else from before MIST went independent.”

“Me and Flutters have known each other forever though” Dash smiled and then tilted her head at the thought “Literally as long as I can remember actually… I don’t even remember how we met.”

“I remember.” the nurse declared with a touch of pride.

“Yeah?”

“Mhmm” she hummed with a smile of her own “We were both little more than toddlers. Your family had just moved here from Cloudsdale and threw a pool party to get to know the neighborhood. You just couldn’t wait to show everyone how brave you were by jumping off the diving board.”

Dash’s laugh echoed down the halls again at the imagery.

“That does sound like me.”

“I didn’t want anything to do with it but you were determined to get me in on the ‘fun’. Took a bit but you somehow convinced me to the edge.” she shook her head with a fond grin “I took one look at the water and tried to run.”

“You didn’t jump?” Sunset asked.

“No” a slight blush rose to her cheeks as she played with her food a little “I slipped and belly flopped right into the pool.”

The admission set the pair into a fit of giggles. Fluttershy even gave a small chuckle herself.

“Hey, I say that still counts!” Dash claimed, earning a warm look from the nurse.

“And you did” she gave and looked back to Sunset “The first thing I saw when I came up was Rainbow cheering that I did it. We’ve been like sisters ever since.”

“Cool!” the mechanic exclaimed and raised her glass in a mock toast “I learned something today!”

‘Yeah’ Sunset thought as she took another bite, ‘Me too.’

The next day Sunset was with Bonnie on the range, running reloading drills. Pinkie had the day off, so it was just the two of them. The senior hunter was standing behind her, hands clasped behind her back as she watched the girl repeat the motions for the hundredth time, only speaking when she felt it warranted.

Sunset had the weapon raised as if firing before pulling back and hitting the magazine release, making sure not to just let the empty drop. It may have looked cool in the movies, but Pinkie had stressed that movies were almost always a terrible guide to go by, no matter how fun they were. That included that if you don’t have to let the mag drop, then you shouldn’t let the mag drop. She stuffed the empty into her belt and grabbed the next in the same motion, bringing it up...

And having it slip out of her grip, practically throwing it out onto range with a clatter.

The redhead slumped forward with a groan, falling onto the shelf as she ran her fingers through her hair.

“I’m getting Worse!” her muffled cry came from behind the red and gold curtain.

“You’re not” Bonnie returned patiently. “You’ve gotten a little faster, in fact.”

“Faster at dropping it maybe…” Sunset sighed, straightening as she looked down to her hands. She flexed them before giving a huff “I’m just not getting it.”

“That’s because you’ve already gotten it” the instructor countered, prompting Sunset to turn back confused “There’s a reason these are called reloading drills and not reloading lessons. You’ve already learned what to do, now we’re just training your body to do it reliably and, eventually, without even thinking about it.”

“So it’s just muscle memory?”

“Essentially, yes.”

“So I just have to do this a million more times until my hands are about to fall off.”

“Yes. It’s a massive pain in the ass.” Bonnie smirked as her blunt assertion landed, earning a snort from the novice “Come on, we can take a break. If I’m getting hungry then I’m sure as an NMH, you definitely are.”

Sunset nodded and holstered the pistol. She lamented the fact she was going to have to do this who knew how many more times and then again for everything that followed after the sidearm. All she could hope for was that at least some of the skill would transfer between.

‘Hopefully...’ She collected the errant magazine and rejoined the senior hunter outside the range. “So what’re we having?”

“I don’t know, we’ll check the menus in the break room.” she answered simply and the pair retired to the little retreat. No one was there, though that wasn’t terribly surprising as the only other ones in today were Twilight and Lyra. Bonnie pulled a small stack of take out menus from a drawer and started flipping through them as she took a seat. Sunset waited patiently when a thought occurred to her.

“Can I ask why everyone calls you and Lyra ‘The OC’” A small smile graced the hunter’s lips before answering.

“It stands for Odd Couple.” she said with a touch of affection “You may have noticed Lyra and I have fairly different personalities. Yet even before we confessed to each other, we were still best friends despite some of our notably different interests. We somehow stay together though.”

“Oh, so you’re partner partners” Sunset gave.

“Yes. I know people say you shouldn’t work with someone if you’re in a relationship, but Lyra and I work well off each other, so Rupert keeps us together.” she offered, still flipping through their options. She did pause briefly to glance up to her current charge. “I hope that won’t be an issue.”

“Hey, you love who you love. Why should I have a problem with it?” an appreciative chuckle escaped the instructor.

“Why indeed?” she muttered before the next menu caught her eye “Oh, a gyro sounds pretty good right now. You in the mood for greek?”

“Sure.” She didn’t know what it was, but the pictures looked good enough to Sunset. “Then we can get back to throwing magazines… Better than throwing the gun, I guess.”

“Only if you don’t have to” Bonnie quipped as she pulled out her phone, though Sunset didn’t miss the hint of genuineness the statement held. Bonnie was about to hit the call button when she saw Sunset’s confusion out of the corner of her eye. She set the phone down and rested her elbows on the table as she regarded the teen “Alright, so my old instructors would probably kick my ass for what I’m about to say- well, try to kick my ass- but there are rare times when it’s appropriate to throw the gun.”

“Yes, in Nine Hundred and Ninety Nine times out of a Thousand, it will be an infinitely better idea to hold onto it. BUT… but if you end up in that one in a thousand situation, where the only choice is between losing your life, or someone else’s, and potentially losing the gun; if it results in a life saved, then you throw that fucking gun” the overly professional woman delivered with complete seriousness, even cursing for emphasis. “Your gun’s just a hunk of metal and plastic. Equipment can be replaced. People can’t be. You can’t be. You got that?”

“Y-yeah” Sunset stuttered. Satisfied, Bonnie leaned back and picked her phone back up, as casual as if the whole thing never happened.

“You know what you want?”

“Huh? Oh, uh no, whatever you think is good” Bonnie just nodded and brought the phone to her ear.

Sunset had never particularly thought of herself as replaceable but… no one had ever actually said anything like that to her either.

She knew she wasn’t Celestia’s first student, not by a long shot. She also knew she’d be far from the last but the thought of her being replaced hadn’t really occurred to her until now. And now that it had, she didn’t like it. It bothered her that someday Celestia would just move on to another student, just forgetting about her in the process.

‘Heck, for all I know she already has’ she thought, disquieted despite trying her best no to show it.

However... The disquiet was also mixed with another feeling, one she didn’t recognize. Bonnie just told her, without a hint of doubt, that she was irreplaceable. Not because she was brilliant, or well connected or... Heck, with her amnesia act, she was just about as close as she could get to being literally nobody in this world. She was irreplaceable just by being… her.

She didn’t recognize the feeling, in fact for some reason it seemed to be making her distinctly uncomfortable. Yet it helped make the first feeling… Not as bad…

She subtly shook her head and began running the reloading drills through her mind as she waited for their food to arrive.

Log 002

View Online

Day 16

N0t wr1t- nov. Tred. Tr@ImiN9 SUCKS!

Day 19

Okay, so it’s my first day off since my training began. As my only mildly legible last entry attempted to say: training sucks. I remember days, even weeks of my magic lessons ending with me completely drained and my horn aching, but this? [...] This just hurts. It’s all just so [...] physical! I swear even earth ponies would still be miserable after these kinds of drills. If nothing else, I’ve gained a new respect for the guards I used to see out on the training grounds.

[A tired, heavy sigh sounded before writing resumed.]

Alright, enough of me complaining about how my entire me is sore. Though honestly I don’t have much more to talk about. I’m learning a lot but most of it is fairly basic and intuitive. I suspect that, besides the focus tailored to firearms and their tactics of course, that much of the general concepts are already known back home. Much of it is also simple demonstration, repetition and reaction honing. I’ll still try to relate what I can to writing here, but probably not until I’ve gotten the hang of it myself.

Most of the others are still away helping Manhatten. Apparently they left only a day before I woke up, explaining some of why they haven’t returned yet. As I understand it, the headquarters itself is mostly set up and the team is still there basically teaching by example by just working as if they were stationed there. I suppose it’s a decent way to test the system for any flaws but I’ve been seeing more and more how much their absence has put a strain on things here.

Though it could always be worse as I understand. Twilight said her colleagues at the LA office claim they’re having it even worse. She did mention they work a lot more closely with the FBI there, considering it was the original facility they had set up. Apparently they’re taking advantage of the strained workforce to lean on them more heavily than usual. Guess we’re pretty lucky we just have Agent Armor looking over our shoulders, and that he’s pretty lax about things.

Yay for nepotism.

I have learned more about my co-workers, including some insights into those currently absent. That insight is second hand however, so I’ll be mindful to limit expectations. I’ll write some of my more detailed impressions at a later date. Today though, I just want to soak in the bath for as long as Fluttershy will let me and then sleep until my next session. Seriously, training sucks.

[Several accounts of Sunset’s training are written in small bursts over the next week; technical, informative and entirely unstimulating]

Day 27

I found this world’s Celestia.

[...]
[...]
[...]

It was [...] strange.

Turns out she’s the principal of the school I landed in front of, where my whole life changed. It was her, but also not. Like I said, strange. It was a very brief exchange, limited by the fact I was on assignment and my complete lack of anything to say. Not like she was the princess.

["Though I’m honestly not sure what I’ll say when that time finally comes either..."]

She said a couple things that frankly sent me for a loop. Things I still need to process properly.

[...]

But yes, I had my first field assignment today. I wasn’t supposed to, but our short handedness worked out in my favor. Seems like the NMCs weren’t quite done with the school yet and I was the only one available to back up Rupert. Thankfully it was mostly just some rats, though the bruise on my arm suggests that maybe I shouldn’t say ‘just’ so casually.

Part of my training is familiarizing myself with all the common variants of NMCs, rats being at the top of that list, as some of my previous notes will show. I made the suggestion to amend the record on the rodents after today though: “Larger than average” is not an accurate enough description for them. [...] Anyway Twilight had theorized that a rat must have eaten some dried up NMC goo left behind from the incident that changed my life and just grew from there. That was before she learned about the Stranger however.

We’re not entirely sure how it got down there. We partly suspected it may have been missed during the first incident but how it hadn’t starved to death or attacked anyone before we showed up conflicts with that idea. It could have been eating the rats but there would of had to have been a lot of them down there to sustain it’s perpetually hungry nature, even with how starved it was. Far more rats than a school would have tolerated. It also doesn’t explain why it never attacked any of the janitors.

Well however it got down there, it’s dead now, along with nine rats. [...] I suppose I should feel bad about that but from all I learned, putting these things down is more a mercy than anything else. Sucks it happened but we can’t turn back time. I admit it’s a bit callous, but it’s better to end things before more people can get hurt.

I also got to meet ‘The OC’ today, though I still don’t know what that stands for. While they were gone during all my time awake until now, they actually weren’t at the Manhattan branch! No, they were somewhere called ‘Missouri’ on an investigation. Canterlot might be a current hot bed for Neo-Mitochondria activity, but NMCs are apparently all around the country. They are thankfully found in far fewer numbers outside the three big hot zones, where we now have a branch in each.

Rupert said even after I properly start field work, that I still won’t be leaving the state much. Not for a long while at least. The abroad hunters are already pretty set for the moment, the OC among them. The FBI also handles a lot of the smaller cases. It makes sense, considering it was their responsibility in the first place and where MIST started. Current MIST is the creme de la creme through, the specialists, the Elites,[...] Special as it were. We’re also who they look for to help train their own NM teams.

I’ll give some more details about the specifics of the assignment in my next entry, but for now I have some reloading drills to rest up for. [“yay....”]

Day 28

Apologies to my future self for the quality of the handwriting. Though I doubt I’ll forget just how much my wrists hurt after an entire day of reloading drills anytime soon. Still, I wanted to get this out before the specifics of the event start to blur anymore than they already have.

[A more detailed report of the events of and surrounding Sunset’s first assignment fill the rest of the entry]

Will write more on my next day off.

[“Fluttershy? Do we have any more ice packs?”]

Day 32

I have two days in a row off for the first time since I was recovering! I actually get a weekend! So, while I intend to enjoy it, I did figure this would be a good opportunity to finally give a proper assessment of what I’ve learned about my new co-workers. So, here we go.

Rupert Broderick: Director of MIST, veteran Hunter, and my new boss.

Rupert seems well respected by virtually all of MIST, even among the other branches. Everyone at the Canterlot branch is also quite fond of him on a more personal level as well. I can understand the first quite easily; He’s an exceptional hunter and a competent leader. He takes care of those working below him yet still manages to maintain authority. He’s not put above them by simple fact he has more responsibility, but because he’s the best for the job. It reminds me of something Gilbert once taught me about the difference between a leader and a boss- Rupert certainly falls into the former.

The personal fondness part is what alludes me though. I don’t mean to suggest he’s a bad person, but he is a very gruff and exceedingly private individual. I may not put much stock into the concept of friendship but I’m sure I can still recognize the symptoms. But Rupert doesn’t hang out or laugh with the others, make jokes or point fun. Heck, he barely ever smiles. He maintains a respectable distance, as any proper leader in his position should. Yet everyone treats him like a big teddy bear whenever things don’t need to be professional. [...] I don’t get it.

Dr. Cadenza Amore(-Armor): MIST counselor and mental health advisor.

I try not to let my previous relationship with Dr. Amore's counterpart cloud my opinion of her. I would judge that the effort has not been in vain. Cadence seems to be quite competent in her field, though I admittedly am not terribly knowledgeable with it. Before coming here I had never been to therapy before (Not officially at least. Celestia seemed to be trying to counsel me herself at times), and I still don’t require it. I do know the importance of a stable emotional state from my magical studies however, so I don’t dismiss her importance within MIST.

As mentioned in previous entries, she is older than her Equestrian double. She’s fairly mature but still seems to have a sense of playfulness I might compare to Celestia’s; she even asked if she could ‘play too’ when Twilight was helping me get a grip on my new extrasensory abilities. She’s married to our primary liaison to the FBI, which I would have assumed to cause a conflict of interests but I’m certainly not going to cause a fuss over it. I’m simply glad she has a much healthier respect for boundaries than the ‘princess of love’ does. While I don’t expect to require her services much, I believe we’ll work fine together.

Dr. Twilight Sparkle: MIST’s Head Researcher, Scientist, Biologist, some other ‘ist’s and apparently one of MIST’s Primary Financial Benefactors.

Twilight is a genius, no two ways about it. She’s a literal prodigy that achieved her first doctorate before she was out of her teens. As much as it stings my ego to say, it’s more than possible that she’s smarter than I am. [...] In the scholarly sense that is. For her all her expansive knowledge and technical expertise, she’s rather socially incompetent with anyone she hasn’t grown used to. She’s also rather excitable and easily distracted when not single mindedly chasing her latest theorem; then she has the opposite problem.

Still, I find her rather enjoyable to talk to. She’s actually able to keep up with me intellectually, even challenge me. Other than when she delves into the specific machinations of her specialties to the point I have no reference for, our conversations and occasional debates can be quite stimulating.

She’s also very fun to tease and has a positively adorable pout.

I also just learned she’s rather wealthy. It would appear she’s the inventor of at least a few very lucrative patents, and personally to thank for more than half of MIST’s non-government funding. Pretty much everything in her lab, as well as the station’s refit into its current state, came basically out of pocket from her. I feel it’s safe to say she’s in this for the long haul. Either that or she’s just that rich enough to not really care.

[“And here I thought I’d be the envy of the office when I got my gold back- oh yeah!”]

-Side note (So I don’t forget later): My stuff, including my gold, was cleared to be returned. Shining’s looking into having most of the amount converted into usable currency at a decent rate for me. (I did decide to keep a couple bits. I admit it’s for mostly sentimental reasons but, considering gold’s value here, it may prove useful incase this all goes wrong somehow.)

[“Maybe I can just sell it all to Twilight… probably not…”]

Agent Shining Armor[-Sparkle]: FBI liaison to MIST.

After MIST separated from this country’s Federal Bureau of Investigation, they were then almost immediately contracted by the organization to help prevent them from making the details of Neo-Mitochondria public. Considering that fact, I suspect there may have been more coercion involved than simple funding. Still, if Agent Armor is any example, then they can’t be all that bad.

To be frank, I’m actually not entirely sure what Shining’s exact duties are, and that seems to be the way he likes it. He said the less I know, the better off I would be. Interestingly, Bonnie told me essentially the same thing when the topic came up. Still, he seems earnestly on our side of things, even looking the other way on many minor things his superiors might disagree with. The fact he’s Twilight’s brother undoubtedly plays a part in that but I do get the feeling he understands that getting things done isn’t always the same as following the rules. I can respect that. It certainly makes our jobs easier and, I suspect, his as well.

Jacquelyn Nicole Apple: Hunter.

Applejack is [...] I hesitate to say Applejack is simple. Doing so would suggest that she’s unintelligent. While many may take her cowgirl demeanor and accent as a sign as such, there’s a deeper understanding one can see as they observe her at work. She’s extremely competent at what she does and has a sharp intuition. Perhaps it would be better to say that she’s simply not an intellectual, and has no desire to be.

[...]

Uncomplicated might be the best way to describe her actually. Direct, honest and with a bullish stubbornness that runs in the family as I understand it. I suspect she would be a terrible liar, but I’ve not actually seen her try to lie yet. Beyond that however, I reserve the rest of her assessment until later, as I’ll soon be standing in as her support until her regular partner returns from Manhattan.

Rainbow Professionalism (Yes, seriously) Dash: MIST Mechanic, Reserve Hunter, and Primary pilot if MIST ever gets its own helicopter.

Dash isn’t terribly complicated either. She wears her emotions on her sleeve and rarely fails to not say what one can’t find there. She’s brash and mischievous but I’ve yet to see in any malicious sort of way. She actually reminds me a little of Gilbert’s jovial manner, though not nearly as finely tempered from age. She’s also very observant; though again not an intellectual, and even less inclined to be one than Applejack. I suspect she doesn’t do well without some kind of stimulus. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her not engaged with something to occupy her attention outside of when she’s sleeping.

She’s considerate but also rash, not always thinking before she speaks or acts. She is also easily the most crass of everyone I’ve met in this world so far, though honestly I find that refreshing. Everyone back in the other Canterlot were far too stuffy and prudish for my liking.

Fluttershy Breeze: Head Medic and Nurse of MIST’s Canterlot branch.

Meek is the first word I think of to describe Fluttershy. Then quiet, caring, warm and trusting. In other words: she’s the type that’s easily exploitable. Eager to please but adverse to any praise from it. She neither demands nor desires attention. Honestly, I’m not sure how she and Dash are so close. Clearly growing up together is a large factor, but they have practically opposite personalities. I could understand if a kind of codependent support structure was at play but that codependency isn’t present; they just legitimately enjoy spending time with each other despite their radically different interests and mannerisms. I’ve of course heard the expression that opposites attract but this is the first real example I’ve come across. It’s a bit bewildering.

Bonavire Drops and Lyra Heartstrings: MIST field hunters, specialising in investigation, often assigned out of state.

I’ve only had a few days interaction with “The Odd Couple”, so my full assessment is still pending. While their personalities seem fairly obvious upon first impressions, Ms. Drops has surprised me with her candidness more than once, so I hesitate to make too many more assumptions. I can say that she is exceptionally competent and appears to value at least an outward appearance of professionalism a great deal; in herself at least. Once again her partner (in both of the most common uses of the word) is a stark contrast; loud, brash and almost sloppy in her casualness. Even Bonnie herself has admitted the stark difference between them. Again, a bit bewildering.

Pinkamena Diane Pie: Assistant Armory Attendant and Rangemaster.

[...]

Pinkie is [...]

[...]

[...........................................................................................] difficult to assess.

[Sunset unconsciously rolls her neck and shoulders, trying not to think too hard about the aftermath of her few attempts to observe the method behind some of Pinkie’s more... unique talents.]

Overall, there seems to be a strong sense of camaraderie within MIST. It would be very difficult to break those connections to weaken the whole. The relationship between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash in particular is essentially unassailable. At one point it may have been possible for an outsider to cause a rift between them but they’ve grown past the point of such insecurities. To gain the ire of one would gain it from the other as a simple matter of fact.

However, that same rationale also works in reverse: Gaining the trust of one gains you the trust of both. A trait that should follow for the rest of MIST to a degree as well. I hadn’t considered the divide and conquer path viable for MIST anyway: the stronger they become, the more they can teach me after all. Whereas their bonds would only cause them to close ranks to even an attack from within (As that very thing has already happened so it’s something they’re quite vigilant about), anyone that actually manages to truly earn their confidence enjoys the support of the whole.

And if there’s anything I know for sure, it’s confidence.

Day 33

I received my first real paycheck today, so Dash took me to set up a bank account and do some shopping. I can’t afford a motor vehicle yet and even after getting my gold converted I was told I shouldn’t jump into a purchase. Rainbow said she would start ‘putting out some feelers’ for something that would be good for me at a decent price. While I would normally be wary of trusting such a large purchase to someone with such a reckless nature, I will defer to her judgement as MIST's mechanic.

I did purchase a bicycle though, so I am not completely bereft of personal transportation anymore. I will still probably be riding with the others for a while but I can get around on my own now. Thankfully human bicycles aren’t too terribly different to Equestrian designs and riding was fairly easy to pick back up. It’s also fortunate in that most everywhere I would need to go is within biking distance.

In fact, I just returned from picking up an order Fluttershy had placed at the butcher. I’m still a little surprised the animal lover isn’t a vegetarian, but I suppose her NMH diet would make meat a much simpler, not to mention affordable, option for her necessary proteins. (Good Vegan food is expensive!) The butcher is strictly cruelty-free though, and owned by one of Applejack’s cousins so we can trust that. Dash warned me to be mindful of just what I eat and where it came from when meat is involved. I did manage to push the subject slightly: it seems she tries to comfort herself with the fact carnivores are a thing and humans are no exception to it. She did sigh pretty heavily when she said it though. [...]

I personally have adjusted to eating meat better than I thought. I remember having it as a pony on the few occasions Gryphon dignitaries hosted the princess: I certainly hadn’t enjoyed it at the time. Neither did my digestion. It did introduce the concept of sapient carnivores to me at a young age though, so perhaps that’s why I lack any significant moral objection to the basic concept now. The fact our butcher being cruelty-free is considered an exception did give me pause, but Fluttershy told me not to follow that thought to the end if I didn’t want to cry. So far I’ve followed her advice; I’ve already got enough to research.

But yes, I don’t mind the taste anymore. I’ve even developed a particular fondness for hamburgers. It’s a good thing my new condition comes with a high metabolism, considering.

I also purchased a phone. It’s not activated yet; the salesman tried exceptionally hard to get me to sign up but MIST has its own company plan I fully intend to take advantage of. It was far from the most expensive model but will do most of the things I’ve seen from the others: More than a simple communication device, it can also access the internet and take pictures, among a dizzying number of other features. It’ll be interesting discovering them all.

More importantly, I won’t be forced to rely on everyone to deliver my messages second hand anymore. It’s probably still going to happen but hopefully not as much. I’ll have to be careful not to abuse it though: I still remember going overboard after Celestia first taught me how to send her notes with magic. I got quite the talking to that night. The last thing I want is to annoy Rupert just as I’m starting to earn his confidence.

I just made the pleasant discovery that I got an email. Two in fact.

I only set up the account at Rupert’s direction, so that I would be able to receive memos and the like. Everyone I know in this world so far works in the same building, and a third of them live in the same house as me. It would appear more people know me though.

The first letter was from Aya herself. It had gotten back to her that I was inclined towards the fire branch of mitochondrial abilities so she took the time to write me a brief bit of advice pertaining to its use. As well as precautions I should take while learning how to control it. I’ll share the information a little later, after having a better opportunity to put said advice to the test.

The second letter came from an NMH at the Manhattan branch, a hunter named Pyrrha. She’s taken on the challenge of developing her pyrokinesis despite not being naturally inclined to it. She suggested that a correspondence to share what we learn during our own attempts could be beneficial to us both. She also offered to share her experience with the 'Earth' branch and Neo-Mitochondria in general as well: She’s been a hunter for a year and a half herself and claims to be quite adept with manipulating magnetism.

I’ve decided to take her up on the offer and, while I’m sure she’s already learned it from Aya in person, sent a copy of the veteran hunter’s advice as a gesture. While she herself admitted my progress will most likely be more rapid than her own, I agree there could still be something to gain in the exchange. The head start on earth aligned abilities will be nice if nothing else.

That’s it for now. I’m back to training tomorrow, as well as my attempts to convince them I really am fine with what’s happened to me. I doubt they’ll listen and still make me have full appointments with Cadence everyday but whatever I guess.

Will write more when I have something worth commenting on.

Author's Notes:

For anyone that caught the inspiration for Sunny’s new pen-pal and grew worried, don’t: it’s not actually her: she’s just an homage. This is still just a two property crossover. I’m not even planning on her being a major character; just a contact for Sunset to have outside of the main group. Which is, yknow, a healthy thing to have. Plus I just like the character and was sad when she died so yeah, an homage.

Also for anyone that noticed, yes; I am planning on having these log chapters released together with a story chapter when I can. I realize they’re shorter and not everything is plot relevant so I’m trying to do that. So far they’ve proved to be a little easier to write too. That being said though, I can’t promise it will always be the case. I may write one to buy time to finish another story chapter after all. You’ve probably deduced they won’t be coming after every story chapter either. I think they might be a little too much if that were the case.

But with that said, as always: Thanks for reading and I hope to see you for the next chapter. Have a good one!

Chapter 5: Infected

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Sunset sat in the breakroom, fussing with her phone. They had just activated it for her and she was trying to figure out how to get back to her email. She might have the chance to practice her pyrokinesis later and wanted to look over Aya’s email again.

“Ha-HA!” she cried as she managed to open her account.

Hey kid, got word you’re a firestarter so I figured it’d be a good idea to let you know the basics before the station ends up burned down. That’s not me saying you’re gonna, it’s just that fire is easily one of the more unpredictable sets of powers you could have ended up with.
One of the simplest concepts to grasp but the hardest to get a grip on is that pyrokinesis works in peaks and valleys, with little room to change that.
Earth is steady and predictable; You get out what you put in.
Water is like a valve; You can make it a trickle or a torrent as long as you're paying attention.
Wind is honestly kind of all over the place, but that’s just because you can do a lot of things with it.
Fire though? The trickiest thing with fire is the tipping points.
Twilight says you can already throw fireballs, which may seem pretty powerful but you’ll soon learn it might be difficult to build up from there. Think of it like a campfire. Sure you can build it up into a bonfire but once a spark lands in the brush, you got yourself a whole forest fire you didn’t want. That’s the tipping point: building a big bonfire in a clearing is one thing, but trying to burn down just one tree in a forest is a lot tricker.
Setting a whole tree on fire is also pretty hard without building up enough of a fire for it to actually have it catch first. You can toss matches at the trunk but nothing’s going to happen, except maybe something you didn’t intend to; like the fallen leaves you’re standing on turning into a barbeque.
There’s also the times when you just don’t have the kindling. (Sorry this is all in metaphors, that’s just the best way I can think of saying it without actually being there to help you.) You won’t always be in a forest, you can’t start a fire in the rain and you don’t want to build one on a raft; you’ll just burn it up and fall in the water, even colder than before. Those ones are a lot less clear I know, but you’ll figure out what I mean when you hit those walls.
It also doesn’t like to stay at a stable level, especially as it gets bigger. Whether it wants to grow or shrink is a complete toss up but it’s easier to deal with if you know about that particular trait before it happens.
Also, buy more fire extinguishers. As in one for every room and even your car more.
I’m not kidding.
The last thing is kind of a weird tidbit but soda is our friend. Strange, I know, but soda is actually good for you now. Neo-Mitochondria go nuts for the stuff for some reason. You ever feel yourself flagging too much after using your powers, I can almost guarantee a can or two of coke will at least make you feel better, if not let you go another round. The girls have probably already told you this but in case they haven’t, there you go. There are other options, including things that do work better, like certain pricey mineral waters, but soda’s cheaper and a lot easier to find.
Just don’t forget to keep brushing. It’s still not great for our teeth unfortunately, and I’ve got the fillings to prove it.
Other than that I don't have much more to tell you, not until we can actually talk in person. Glad you’re back on your feet. Sucks about your memory but I’m sure Twi and Cady are doing everything they can to figure out how to help.
See you when I get back,
Aya
P.S.- A girl here named Pyrrha said she was thinking of contacting you. She’s trying to learn this fire stuff too and thinks you might be able to help each other. I gave her your email and I’d take her up on it if she does. She’s doing better with it than I honestly thought she would. Plus she’s just pretty nice in general, if a bit overly formal. Not a bad friend to have.
P.P.S.- Seriously, buy more extinguishers.

“Sunny,” Sunset looked up from the phone so see Applejack poking her head in “Time ta headout.”

Her fiery hair bobbed as she sprang up and jogged to follow. AJ chuckled at her eagerness.

“Just goin’ on patrol Sunny, ain’t nuthin’ ta be so excited about” she tried to calm the girl.

“Sorry, just glad to get out of here after so much training.”

“Yer still in training, jus’ more hands on now is all” the cowgirl clarified as they reached her truck. Unsurprisingly, it was a large pickup. A very nice and clean pick up, with a covered bed that could even lock, but predictably a pick up nonetheless. She popped the hatch and pulled out their harnesses and sidearms. Their heavier gear was already loaded but they shouldn’t need it unless something big happened. Sunset finished adjusting the straps and put her dark jacket over it; she had been warned most people got nervous when anyone other than cops were visibly armed. AJ threw a flannel shirt on top of hers and they were on their way.

Sunset did her best to concentrate on her senses but still found herself distracted by the passing sights. Canterlot may not have been quite as big as a full metropolis but it was hardly a rural pitstop. Still, they had a job to do and Sunset would have plenty of time to get to know the city in time.

It might seem strange for MIST to have patrols given the nature of their work, let alone the more classified side of it; Canterlot was an NMC hotspot though. Why it was a hotspot was anyone’s guess, or many theories in Twilight’s case, but there was no doubt that they seemed attracted to the area. Hence the patrols. When nothing was going on, it was standard practice for any NMH on duty to patrol to see if they could sense anything out of the ordinary.

Thankfully, most patrols ended up being quite dull.

After an hour, Sunset was getting the impression this one would be as well. She had felt something after that thought, perking up suddenly, only to realize they just passed the house and all she was feeling was Fluttershy.

“Forget where you live there Sugarcube?” AJ smirked at her “Didn’t think you were forgotten’ stuff after yer big change.”

“You did that on purpose” the redhead narrowed her eyes at the hunter, who just laughed. Not a moment later Sunset got a text from the nurse, asking if it was them that just passed by.

“Yeah, AJ’s was just having some fun at my expense.” she replied.

“Okay just making sure…”

“Guessing that’s Flutters” Applejack quipped “And sorry, just hazin’ ya a little.”

“No worries.” Sunset mumbled and settled back in. She supposed she shouldn’t be hoping to feel anything, but she was getting rather bored. A little while later, while they were sitting at a red light, the senior hunter got a text of her own. She studied it a moment before a frown found her and she gave a perturbed hum.

“What’s up?”

“One of the local infected called the station. Says she can feel something wrong from one of her neighbors and heard some loud thumps. Rup’ wants us ta check it out.” she explained before sucking on her cheek.

“Okay, that doesn’t sound exactly good, but I’m picking up that it might be worse than I’m thinking.” the fiery haired teen tilted her head.

“It’s jus’ kinda weird. NMCs like ta ambush ya sure but they also don’t like being trapped somewhere; ‘Specially not some cramped apartment. She’d be hearn’ a lot more than some thumps if it ain’t able ta break out on its own.” she explained as she drove “Guess we’ll figure it out soon enough.”

Before long they were pulling into an apartment complex. AJ said they shouldn’t need more than their sidearms and led the way. The senior hunter seemed to know right where they were going as she started climbing a staircase without hesitation. They reached a third landing when they spotted a girl waiting anxiously outside her door. She had long green hair with more than a few split ends and loose, un-ironed clothes. She was also wearing a single mitten for some reason.

“Heya Blush...” AJ gave as they approached, more subdued than usual. They just about reached the girl when Applejack perked up and stared at the closed door opposite Blush’s “Wow, that is subtle as hell!”

“I know, right? I didn’t even notice until after I knocked.” the girl gave with a nervous edge before looking to Sunset and tilting her head “I haven’t met you…”

“Oh right. This is Sunset, our newest hunter. Sunset, this is Wallflower Blush, she helps Cadence out with the groups.” Sunset nodded and offered her hand. The girl tensed slightly, flexing her covered hand before taking the offered appendage. Sunset blinked at the odd shape beneath the fabric but tried not to let it show. The girl’s own hesitation dropped the moment they made contact however.

“You’re like Twilight,” she gasped softly and leaned in with eyes wide, “You’re what they call an Awakened, right?”

“Come on Blush, y’all know we can’t talk about that stuff” the girl shrugged awkwardly with an apology muted enough to give Fluttershy a challenge “How loud have the thumps been?”

“Anywhere from subtle to loud enough to hear over my head phones. There’s also been some breaking glass and-”

A piercing wail of a cat sounded beyond the wood.

“...That. Cats are supposed to be some of the most commonly infected, right?” the cowgirl shot her another look “Yeah yeah, I know, I know… stay here a second, I have a spare key she gave me.”

“What’s her name?”

“Lily… Valley, I think.” Wallflower returned and stepped past them to slide the key into the handle.

“Don’t we need a warrant?” Sunset interjected.

“Not if I open it without you asking me to” Blush smirked slightly.

“You really do pay too much attention Wall” AJ muttered, though with a small glint of humor this time around. The girl unlocked the door and retreated back behind the pair.

“Screw on yer suppressor Sugarcube, we don’t wanna scare the whole complex.” the cowgirl instructed as she did the same. She leaned against the door, pistol ready before slowly pushing it open.

They all jumped back as a sleek, furred form darted out and through their legs, preventing a clear shot before taking shelter behind the green haired girl. It hissed at the crack in the door but made no other aggressive moves. AJ held a hand out to halt Sunset, and closed the door as quietly as she could.

“Well it looks alright, if rather ornery” she said. Wallflower bent down and lifted the cat into her arms.

“I don’t feel anything. You alright there Rosie?” she mewed to the feline. It let out a distressed growl but let the girl try to comfort it “I think she’s alright. I don’t see any scratches or anything.”

“Something’s still in there though” Sunset pointed out, looking to the opposite apartment. The other hunter nodded and regarded the single mittened girl.

“Do us a favor there, Wall?”

“I’ll keep an eye on her” the girl answered and readjusted the feline in her arms. AJ nodded again and then to Sunset.

“Take two…”

Nothing else tried to escape as the pair made their way into the apartment, closing the door behind them to make sure nothing would. The room was dark, though a decently spacious studio from what she could see. Sunset tried the light switch only to make the pair jump from a loud pop that came from a fallen floor lamp. Applejack pulled a flashlight from her belt, reminding Sunset she had one attached to her gun. The twin beams swept over the space, the hunters advancing slowly until an unpleasant odor reached them.

“Smell that?” AJ whispered.

“Yeah, it’s almost like… vinegar?"

“Pickle brine” the older hunter stated, flashlight sweeping over a smashed jar of pickles. The beam pivoted over a small kitchenette, showing an open fridge with nearly all its contents spilling out onto the tiled floor. The redhead traced her light over the cabinets to see them in a similar state. A subtle click came from Applejack’s direction and light flooded the dark apartment.

And a sudden clatter sounded behind them as a bipedal form leapt out from behind the couch. Sunset’s aim snapped to the blur of flesh trying to dive behind a dividing screen at the other end of the space.

“Stranger!” the fiery haired teen shouted before pulling the trigger.

“Wait!” a hand knocked into her own, sending her shot into a large vase instead.

“AJ what the-”

“Hold yer fire!” the cowgirl snapped through clenched teeth. She then let out a heavy breath and regarded her more softly. “Hold yer fire, jus’ follow me.”

They crept around the room divider to find a small bedroom setup. A bouquet of flowers was scattered harshly across the space, the water of its broken vase soaking into the area rug. AJ’s light swept over the bed until landing on a shape shaking behind it...

Cowering behind it.

Sunset’s brow furrowed as she took in the sight. NMC’s didn’t cower as far as she knew. They would hide to ambush but this wasn’t that. If exposed, they would fight to the death but this one was actively avoiding them. They only did that if…

‘Oh Sweet Celestia, I almost shot her!’ Sunset stumbled back at the sickening realization ‘Like when Rupert almost shot me, when he almost… I almost…’

“Sunset, get yer suppressant ready…” AJ holstered her sidearm and hunched as she took a step forward. She glanced back when she didn’t hear anything, spotting the teen starting to lose herself to her own thoughts “Sunset!”

The sharp whisper snapped her out of the crushing notions, letting her see AJ giving her a stern stare before mouthing ‘suppressant’. The redhead nodded numbly and put away her pistol before fumbling at her pack. She managed to find the injector-pen and, after a deep and very shaky breath, nodded again to the senior hunter.

“Alright there Miss Valley, we ain’t gonna hurt’cha… but we gotta make sure yer not gonna hurt us neither…” Applejack crept along to the other side of the bed and Sunset felt a spike from her mitochondria. Not a moment later the same yellow and orange aura of sparkles she saw when she first laid eyes on the hunter flared into existence around Applejack just before she threw herself on top of the NMC. “SUNSET!”

“Right!” the teen clamored over the bed and dodged a flailed claw before the cowgirl wrestled it back into her grip. The redhead ripped the cap off the pen and lunged forward, slamming the needle into the first safe patch of flesh she could reach. Adding her weight to Applejack’s, she did her best to help restrain the flailing creature.

“Ya used the one with sedative right?!” the cowgirl shouted as the NMC thrashed beneath them.

“Yes!” Sunset gave before nearly being bucked off. Even transformed, the poor woman was no bigger than the teen, but Lily seemed intent on giving the pair a run for their money. After several moments that felt like forever though, the struggle grew easier until the NMC finally just passed out. The hunters slowly climbed to their feet and AJ retrieved her fallen hat and began fanning herself.

“Woo! I haven’t had a ride like that since we had ta break in Ol’ Whiskey! And that old horse was a might bigger than this little lady…” she took a few moments to catch her breath before looking to her partner “Y’alright there Sugarcube?”

The still heavily panting girl’s eyes only met hers for an instant returning to the unconscious NMC. They then moved to the shattered vase with a small hole behind it before growing distant and searching.

“Yeah okay, figured as much…” Applejack muttered before sucking the inside of her cheek. She put a hand on the teens shoulder and gave a slight shake “Just try not to completely freak out until we can talk. Alright?”

She didn’t respond but did manage to blink and lose the glaze over her eyes. AJ gave the shoulder another pat before digging out her phone.

Sunset sat in the truck, watching Applejack talking with Rupert and Twilight in front of the complex. Lily had been loaded up into an ambulance, conterveted to not demand quite so much attention. That didn’t stop a few residents still coming out to rubberneck. None of them had seen what had been on the covered stretcher they had loaded, fortunately.

She saw Rupert nod in her direction, a concerned frown on his face. AJ waved it off, though Sunset couldn’t tell what she was saying. A clear set of farewells were exchanged and Applejack made her way over.

“How you hold’n up there Sugarcube?” she asked as she climbed in. Sunset’s mouth worked but failed “Time for that talk then.”

“I almost shot her” Sunset managed “She was still in there and I almost shot her.”

“But ya didn’t”

“But she was still in there!” the redhead cried “And if she was still in there then the one in the basement-”

“Stop.” Jacquelyn cut her off “Ya can’t be think’n like that Sunset.”

“But-”

“Stop… and jus’ listen” the older hunter interrupted again more softly “What happened here? This is one in a million. Ya did nuthin’ wrong defend’n yourselves down below that school. It charged ya, and had ya not thrown yer gun at it, had Rup’ not blown its head off, it wouldn’t have thought twice about tearin’ yer throat out. Yea, Ms. Valley had enough in’er ta run away, ta not immediately attack, but ninety nine point nine with that little line over it percent of the time, a fully transformed NMC is gonna try ta kill ya. Hell, even most half transformed ones will.”

“So, when Ah say ya can’t think like that, Ah mean you can’t let yerself… it’ll destoy ya. Worse, it’ll get ya killed.” the woman reiterated “You start hesitating, start waitn’ ta see if every once human NMC has a speck left, then you’ll just be a liability. Maybe some day Twi’ll come up with somethin’ ta fix ‘em even that far gone, but for now? Still monsters, unfortunately…”

“Then how’d you know with Lily?” Sunset asked quietly.

“Ah didn’t.” AJ surprised the girl “But we were lucky enough to have enough time fer me to see the hints and Ah just got a feel’n.”

“I didn’t…” Sunset looked back to her feet.

“Not that kinda feel Darl’n” she waved away “Like how the wrecked fridge told us she was try’n ta eat actual food and not her cat. How her rest apartment wasn’t completely wrecked. Mixed with the runnin’ and hidin’ from us, it just clicked.”

The teen let out a sigh, prompting another encouraging hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry there none. Like Ah said, this is pretty dang rare, and you’ll learn the hints when yer lucky enough ta see em.” she craned her head to look past the teen’s hanging hair “And even tha best of us can still miss it. Even Rupert didn’t see it in you, Aya had ta stop him, and he’s one o’ the best there is.”

“Oh, yeah…” Sunset shook her head. She had even less control that Lily seemed to, and was apparently a heck of a lot scarier looking. “What did make her stop him?”

“You were cryin’” AJ gave her a lopsided smile “NMCs don’t do that, even tha ones that can think fer themselves.”

“There’s ones that can still think for themselves?!” The fiery haired girl paled a little.

“Yea, and they’re total assholes too… you’ve only just dipped yer toes in Darl’n.” AJ gave a sigh of her of her own. She then however perked up again “But we ain’t deal’n with any o’ that today! And saints alive, am I starvin’! Let’s go get us somethin’ ta eat and get back ta the station. Whattaya say?”

Sunset’s stomach gave a lurch, earning a chuckle from the pair. She still had second thoughts but understood Applejack’s point. Besides, she had wanted this; she wasn’t going to let herself fall to pieces because it wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought. She honestly didn’t have much choice if she wanted to keep her new abilities.

‘I just hope it really is that uncommon… hitting a lot of surprises this last month, haven’t I?’

“Know what ya want?”

“Huh? Oh!” They were already in a drive-thru. “Um… a number 4?”

“Jus’ one?”

“...Maybe two.”

“Thatagirl! Get some meat on them bones!” AJ cheered, shooting the teen a grin. The blonde proceeded to the speaker and began ordering a significant amount of food. When the list finally petered off and they were waiting at the window, Sunset finally had to say:

“That can’t all be for you,” AJ laughed again.

“Nah! Just figured I’d grab somethin’ fer my brother and the crew.” she gave before the girl at the window piled the food out to them. “Do me a favor there, Sunny. Separate ours out?”

Sunset dug through the bags as AJ drove, eventually managing to find hers and AJ’s meals. Task done, she started on her own food as they came to a stretch of construction. Her brow furrowed as they pulled in between the cones and past a man waving cars along. He motioned to stop them, but then seemed to recognize the cowgirl and waved them through. They stopped right near a very well muscled man working a jackhammer.

“Mac! HEY MAC!” the man lifted his hard hat and blinked at the sight of them. He switched off the rock breaker and ambled over “Gett’n hungry?”

“Eeyup” he smiled before leaning on the window sill. He the cocked an eyebrow at the passenger “New girl?”

“Yep, Mac this is Sunset. Sunset, this is my big brother Macintosh.” The redhead offered a polite smile as the blonde man tilted his hard hat to her. A wolf whistle sounded from behind the elder sibling.

“Look’n good AJ!” one of the workers called, earning a glare back from the brother as he took the bags of food.

“Y’all behave now!” Applejack called back with good humor “Little somethin’ in there for all of ya if yer good!”

“Beautiful AND brings the bacon? Mac, are all the Apple girls so perfect?”

“Damn straight,” he gave subtly before turning back “Thanks Jackie.”

“No worries. Ya gonna be home fer diner?”

“Should be…” he returned simply. Sunset was getting the distinct impression that the elder Apple wasn’t much for conversation.

“Then we’ll keep a plate warm for ya. See ya later.”

“Jackie. Sunset.” He nodded before walking away, quickly set upon by hungry co-workers. Applejack wove her way back to the cones, hitting a bump just as they left the sectioned off area.

“Aw Damnit!” the senior hunter cursed and dove after a glint of gold that fell from the rearview mirror. She came back up with what looked like a pet tag, scowling hard as she found a place to pull over. “Fuck’n chain broke… Can you look in the glove box for me Sunset? Should be a bracelet in there.”

“Sure” she popped the small compartment and only a brief search was needed to find the wrist wear. It was a well loved charm bracelet, the kind she might have made when she was a filly.

“Thanks” the cowgirl returned and threaded the tag onto the middle of the band. She returned it to its rightful place with a considering gaze “Yeah, that should work. Might be more fitt’n, actually.”

Satisfied, she pulled back into traffic without another word. The redhead leaned in to study the tag, curious to how a simple bit of painted metal could have caused such a strong reaction in the hunter. It had been the first time she’d seen the normally jovial woman angry, let alone genuinely upset. For as brief as the outburst had been, it certainly hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“Winona?”

“Best dang dog you could ever ask for” the Apple declared without a hint of doubt, though a sadness touched her smile “Worked hard, loved harder and protected us no matter what… right up to the end…”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to bring up any bad memories” the teen gave. Genuinely too, considering she had just gained some bad memories of her own. One’s that may have been worse without the cowgirl’s words.

“No worries there Sugarcube. Just one of the more painful casualties of when we all got infected is all.”

“You were all infected at the same time?” Sunset blurted before she thought to stop herself.

“Dash and Flutters didn’t tell ya?” Sunset shook her head “Guess that makes sense. Flutters really doesn't like to talk about it and Dash prolly just didn’t think to.”

“You don’t have to tell me,” the former unicorn gave, despite the near insatiable curiosity now lit within her.

“Naw, it’s alright. Better ta hear it from me than let Dash talk herself up like some kind of action hero” AJ gave with a small smile.

“We were at the orchard, was first time we’d all been together fer a while. Dash had just gotten her pilot’s licence, so we got together ta celebrate...

Four Years Earlier

“To Dash!”

“To me!” Dash cried after the toast, earning some giggles from the group.

“So you can really fly now Dashie?” Pinkie asked as she started cutting out portions of cake.

“I’ve been able to fly for a while, now it’s just legal” she smirked, prompting another giggle from the bubbly girl.

“Any jobs lined up?” Sweetie Belle asked brightly.

“Not yet,” Rainbow gave before taking a sip “Not a whole lot of civilian openings out there…”

“It was their loss Dash” Fluttershy rubbed the new pilot’s back.

“I’m sure you’ll find something before you know it Darling” Rarity declared, helping bring the mechanic around.

“Yeah… I mean, Yeah! I will, ‘cause I’m awesome!” she brightened back up “I’ll show those recruiter chumps they made a mistake passing me up!”

“Darn toot’n!” AJ raised her cup, prompting another round of cheers. The party continued on the lighter note from there. The group split into pairs and trios before coming back together and splitting again. Dash eventually found herself to one side with Scootaloo.

“So where you headed after graduation Squirt?”

“Oh, I don’t know yet…” the teen shifted with a blush.

“Come on, you can tell me.”

“I don’t know yet, really!” She insisted “Think’n of maybe the extreme sports route if it doesn’t die down too much more. Or maybe I’ll be more responsible and get a normal job. Maybe even… y’know, the Air Force?”

“Really?” Rainbow blinked.

“Well, I know they turned you away for a stupid reason-” she started to ramble off before the older girl cut in.

“Hey Hey! Don’t worry about me kiddo! If you wanna fly, then trust me; I get it.” She gave the teen an encouraging side hug.

“Thanks Rainbow” Scoot smiled with another blush “I really haven’t made my decision yet. Flying would be cool but I hear serving can be a real pain. Maybe I’ll just wait till you can put in a good word for me wherever you end up.”

“Fair enough” Dash chuckled. The sound of more laughter reached them, bringing their attention to Rarity and Shy trying to contain themselves at whatever Pinkie was telling them.

“Good ta see her letting herself loose tonight” Applejack commented as she slid up beside the pair “How she been doing?”

“Better…” Dash sighed, watching her oldest friend “Still kind of distant though. Still won’t really talk about it either...”

“It’s been a year, hasn’t it?” the teen next to her asked. The older woman nodded.

“Yeah. I didn’t think it was so bad. Yeah, an outbreak of rabies is never a good thing, and she was in observation for a while but I still haven’t managed to pull her out of the funk” she frowned.

“Ain’t your fault Dash” AJ patted her on the back “At least she seems content with her nurse’n studies right?”

“Yeah but... I mean it’s Fluttershy!” she cried “She’s supposed to be a vet! Or at least something like that!”

“She’ll come around.” the cowgirl gave “And if she doesn’t, then that’s her choice. We just gotta support her.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s just...”

“I know Sugarcube,” AJ consoled. She would have gone further but she caught the sound of barking over the music. She frowned and made her way to the porch, it was awfully late for the collie to be going off like she was. She found the canine just down the steps, barking continuously into the night. “Hey girl, what’s got you all riled?”

The dog gave a whipper as the farm girl’s hand landed on her haunches. Something had her worried for sure.

“Wut’s she howl’n at down there, Jackie?” Granny’s voice called down from a window. Applebloom then came out a moment later, concern clear on the young woman’s face. AJ didn’t get to answer before a distressed whinny came from the stables, followed by several more and a terrible commotion.

AJ quickly climbed back up the steps and grabbed a baseball bat next to the door before stalking toward the stable with a scowl. Applebloom followed quickly after with a heavy rake. A strangled cry came from ahead of them half way to the building, urging the two to double their pace. They barreled through the doors to find a grisly sight.

Blackjack, one of their newest horses, had been dragged from its stable. He layed in the center of the space with his intestine spilling out, being chewed on by a pair of hunched over forms that the girl’s minds refused to put together.

They took an involuntary step back when the stable door next to Applebloom exploded into splinters. She screamed as one of their own horses clamped down onto her shoulder.

“BLOOM!” AJ swung the bat with all her might, knocking the equine off her sister and off its hooves. She dropped the bat and rushed to catch the teen, scooping her up into her arms. She only just righted when she spotted one of the smaller creatures charging at them. She blanched as it lunged.

It slammed into the pillar to the farm girls’ side, driven off target by the border collie that tackled it from the side. The creature struggled with the canine latched now onto its back, allowing the pair to escape the impossible beasts. Running as fast as she ever had, she only slowed to kick open the double doors and even then never stopped entirely.

A heartrending yelp sounded as she ran.

“WINONA!” Applebloom cried over Applejack’s shoulder, but even as tears started stinging her eyes, the elder sister didn’t dare slow down to look back. Big Mac stood on the porch, face paling as he saw them running up.

“Mac call 911! Blooms hurt! And fer the love of god Grab The Rifle!” she screamed, barreling in after the taller male.

“Applejack, whatever is th-OH MY GOODNESS!” Rarity blanched as she spotted the wounded teen in the blonde’s arms. Fluttershy rushed forward and guided her to lay the girl on the couch before looking over the injury. Mac was up the stairs before Fluttershy started giving out instructions to the others. The party goers jumped when a heavy china cabinet crashed to the ground in front of the kitchen door, spilling its contents across the floor as Applejack ran to start shoving a standing closet toward the front door.

“AJ what’s-” Pinkie’s question ended with a yelp as the shatter of breaking glass came from beyond the fallen cabinet.

“I don’t know!” the apple farmer cried, moving the closet into place as Mac returned, a first aid kit in one hand and a bolt action rifle in the other. “They’re monsters!”

A heavy bang came from the door, followed quickly by a second. The two Apple siblings quickly added more furniture to the barricade before stepping back, Mac holding the rifle at the ready. Everyone stood silent as they watched the door, praying for the barricade to hold.

A flaw in their defences became terrifyingly apparent when a window aburptly shattered. One of the smaller creatures from earlier lept in with the flying glass, landing on top of the pale, curly haired teen unfortunate enough to be the closest.

“SWEETIE!” Rarity screamed as she threw herself into the attackers side, rolling them both along the ground until hitting the wall. The designer’s vision swam, partially obstructed by a trickle of blood from her forehead. She could still see well enough to witness the beast rear up above her though, letting out a scream as it screeched.

An explosion of red erupted from the creature’s chest as a deafening boom filled the room, followed by another, and another, and then three more until only a repeated clicking filled the air. Rarity looked for her savoir, only to gape at the sight of her quietest friend holding a rather large, snub nose revolver. The group simply stared at the young nurse, now fumbling a handful of bullets out from her purse.

“Fluttershy!?” Dash was the first to find her voice "Why do you have a gun?!"

“IS THAT REALLY WHAT’S IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW?!” the woman snapped from behind a ragged curtain of pink, startling her friends into silence.

A silence broken by the failing of the kitchen barrier.

Mac’s first shot blew a hole right through the first monster’s face, instantly ending the smaller threat. He unfortunately hadn’t managed to cycle the bolt before another, far larger form slammed into him, knocking him off his feet. The former horse struggled to get through the comparatively smaller door frame, letting them see its now grotesquely torn skin and the jagged tusks now jutting from its jaw.

The frame gave way as the beast roared forward, impaling one of those tusks through the last standing Apple’s bicep before tossing her across the room. She dented the drywall on impact, hitting the ground before rolling over with a groan. Dash stepped protectively between the fallen Apple and the beast slowly turning to the huddled group.

*BOOM*

A thunderous shot rang louder than any of the others of the last few moments, tearing an entire leg out from under the former horse. No sooner had it hit the ground when another bang and flash liberated it of half its head.

“The Apple Family has lived here for four generations! And Ah’ll be damned if it’s gonna end here!” Gertrude Apple yelled from the stairs, smoke wafting from a double barrel shotgun in her hands.

A cacophony of snarls and inhuman cries sounded from beyond the house, signalling the agitation of countless more abominations.

“Get yer butts upstairs young’ns! Sounds like we stirred up a hornet’s nest.” the Apple matron ordered, reloading her shotgun and covering the rapidly complying group. They had just managed to get everyone upstairs and a fresh barricade of tipped over furniture onto the top of the flight when another crash came from the kitchen.

Gretrude crouched against a bed frame blocking the way up as Dash saddled up next to her with Mac’s rifle. Pinkie was dashing around grabbing anything else they could reinforce the obstacles on the stairs as Fluttershy attended to those hurt as best she could.

“You okay?” Rainbow asked, seeing a lightly bleeding gash on the elderly woman’s face.

“Ah’m fine Sugarcube, just some damn bird that flew in and tried ta peck my eyes out. Little bugger ain’t peck’n no more” she grimaced. Before another word could be exchanged, a giant rat lept into sight at the bottom of the stairs. It exploded into a cloud of blood with blast from the elder Apple’s scattergun.

“Here, take these” Fluttershy suddenly appeared between them, shoving a pair of pills into each of their hands.

“Shy what-”

“JUST TAKE THEM!” she snapped again before hurrying off back to the others to hand out more pills. She even went as far as to shove them down the protesting Applejack’s throat. Dash quickly popped them into her mouth as her friend shot her another glare after seeing them still in her hand. They were definitely going to have some questions for the nurse in training when they got through this.

Another mutated horse gave a twisted whinny as it crashed through the banister and met a hail of buckshot and .308.

‘If we make it through this’ Applejack thought darkly, starting to feel herself grow feverish and desperately hoped it wasn’t a sign of infection. She may not know much about medicine, but she knew that was a bad way to go ‘I didn’t think it hit this fast...'

After what felt like ages and their already small amount of ammo dwindling, a flash of hope found the terrified group.

“Do you hear that?” Pinkie jumped to her feet. A distant popping could be heard, one that slowly grew louder. Soon it was clear to be the rapid pounding of automatic rifles, mixed with a few other, notably deeper shots. The sounds soon closed in on the farmhouse and, after dying down, the sound of heavy wood scraping reached them from down the stairs.

“Is anyone in here?!” a deep male voice called out, causing the entrenched group to burst into tears.

“We’re up here!” Dash’s voice cracked as she shouted back with an exhausted smile.

Applejack smiled weakly through her panting. She looked over to the others, seeing many not looking too much better than she felt. She pulled absently at her sweat soaked shirt.

“We gonna make it… we’re gonna-” was all she managed before her eyes rolled back and she pitched forward.

“JACKIE!” she heard someone cry before she hit the floor...

And a far away growling welcomed her into the searing hot dark.

Sunset hadn’t said a word throughout the whole story, even as they arrived back at the station and the cowgirl moved story time to the break room.

“Can’t tell ya the details after that” the senior hunter shrugged casually, munching on a couple fries “pass’n out an all.”

“Scared the shit out of us is what you did” a new voice cut in, Rainbow Dash now leaning against the door. “You and everyone else that ended up infected.”

“It all turned out alright” AJ countered, noticing her friend’s troubled frown as she joined them at the table.

“Did it?”

“Well, maybe we all ended up with jobs we hadn’t planned on…”

“You lost the farm and got infected,” Dash pointed out “Not to mention losing Winona like that.”

“She died protectin’ us…” the hunter argued “And me and Bloom survived because if it. The Apples’ll bounce back eventually.”

There were a few moments of silence before Sunset felt comfortable that enough had passed.

“So… Fluttershy was already infected?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow answered “Not that we knew of course. Turns out what we had thought was a freak outbreak of rabies at the shelter she worked at was actually a bunch of the animals going NMC. She didn’t get hurt but she was bitten by an injured bat they had taken in.”

“Things could have ended a lot worse if she hadn’t had that gun… if she hadn’t made us take her suppressants,” Applejack added quietly. She then gave the redhead a halfhearted smile “Didn’t keep a few of us from starting to change, but they did help us keep enough of ourselves to come back from it.”

“We got damn lucky...” Dash said solemnly. Sunset let a few more moments pass before continuing.

“And then you guys joined MIST?”

“That we did!” AJ brightened “Took a little bit for us all to get there, and it wasn’t all o’ once. Fluttershy was the first, joining jus’ o’ couple weeks later after Twi pulled some strings to let her finish her training under her. I was still recovering at that point but then I got the news Granny was selling the farm. NMC bastards tore damn near half the orchard apart, and by the time we would be allowed back the rest would’ve rotted. That’s when I decided I wanted a piece of the critters that took it from us.”

“You wanted revenge?” the fiery haired teen quired, wondering if that was the whole extent of her motivation.

“Yeah ah know; can't get revenge on an animal and all the rest of Moby Dick's lessons, but that's how ah was think'n at first. That and ah didn’ wanna leave Fluttershy to deal with all this on her own.” she admitted, but then gave a more genuine smile “But then I got to know Twi and everyone. Then Rarity and Rainbow here joined up and things got ta be kind of like old times. Even if a fright more dangerous. Now I’m here for a bit more noble reasons.”

“I wasn’t just gonna leave my friends to deal with all this shit while I sat on the sidelines” the mechanic stated “Besides, Rup says we’ll eventually get our own ‘copter, so I’ll still get to fly someday.”

“And Pinkie?”

“Yes?” The poofy hair girl suddenly appeared from behind the fridge, startling the teen. The other two didn’t react in the slightest.

“You’ll get used to it” Dash smirked at the befuddled rookie before regarding the assistant range master “Just telling Sunny here why we all joined.”

“Oh! Well, once I learned all my best friends were working together, I just had to get in on it!” Pinkie bounced over and gave the two women a big hug “I’m not really cut out for fighting though. So I learned all about guns and asked Jodie to be her assistant! And now with Pierce staying in New York, I just found out I’m becoming our head range master!”

“Pierce isn’t coming back?!” Dash exclaimed “As in for sure? He decided?”

“Yeah…” Pinkie deflated a bit with the answer “I’ll miss him but he says he’s ready to move on.”

“Dang,” Applejack gave, crossing her arms with a furrowed brow “I heard he was think’n about it but it’s another thing to have it happen.”

“I think he’ll be happy there, and they’ll be lucky to have him. And he’s still in MIST, so it’s not like we’ll never hear from him again” Pinkie tried to comfort them as she took a seat herself “And it’s not like we could’ve expected him to chase after Aya forever.”

“Pierce is the tech guy, right?” Sunset asked, “One of the originals?”

“Yeah, sweet guy too” AJ answered “Who knows, maybe he’ll meet a girl now that he’ll be out of Aya’s shadow.”

“That’d be cool,” Dash agreed before scratching at her chin “Gonna be kinda a pain to find a new tech expert for here now.”

“Can’t Twilight do that?” the teen wondered. The rest shrugged, though it was Pinkie that answered.

“Twilight knows her way around tech stuff sure, but she’s already got enough on her plate. More than enough actually.”

“Eh, we’ll figure it out” Dash leaned back and kicked her feet up “Not like we run into that much anyway. Anything we do, we can just send off to him in Manhattan or to the Fed’s eggheads if nothing else.”

The other nodded in agreement. The conversation turned even more casual from there on, allowing Sunset to reflect on everything she just learned.

‘They pulled through their harrowing experience alright.’ she thought to herself ‘If someone like Fluttershy can bring herself to do this kind of work then *I* certainly can’t let myself fall apart from a single sudo-mistake and some questionable future circumstances.’

‘If they can do this, then I can do this.’

‘I can do this…’

...

‘I hope…’

Chapter 6: Homecoming

View Online

The wind gently tousled Sunset’s hair as she glided along the pavement. Dash had the day off and Fluttershy had to be in early so the teen was riding her bike today. She was still at least a little ways from getting a car, not to mention her licence, but she didn’t mind riding. She was actually coming to rather enjoy it, and it was fairly nice out today too. Before long she was outside the station, forced to dismount to walk her ride inside.

“Lovely day, isn’t it?” a woman loitering on the sidewalk gave as she passed.

“Yes, it is,” the teen returned politely.

“It’s Sunset, isn’t it?” the redhead halted at a stranger's words. She turned cautiously to see them smiling at her from behind a pair of large, round frame sunglasses tinted a dark green.

“...Can I help you?” Sunset returned in a guarded tone. The woman’s smile grew, exaggerated further by her dark lipstick. She was tall, wearing a nice pair of dark green slacks and a simple business shirt with the sleeves rolled up. The first couple buttons followed her undone collar and her dark cerulean hair hung almost messily down her back and across her face.

“Actually Ms. Shimmer, I believe you can,” the mysterious woman produced a manila envelope from behind her back, holding it out to the teen “Be a dear and see Rupert gets these for us?”

“Who is ‘us’?” Sunset looked away from the folder, not taking it as she regarded the woman.

“While I can certainly appreciate a healthy paranoia, I assure you Ms. Shimmer, we’re on the same side” the woman gave with only the smallest hint of impatience “And while we found no use for this, I have no doubt your boss will be very interested.”

Sunset frowned as the envelope was nudged toward her again. She slowly reached out and took it, to which the woman immediately straightened back up with a smile.

“Wonderful! No peeking now! Well, I really must be going. Thank you for your time Ms. Shimmer, I do hope you’ve been enjoying your stay on our admittedly less saturated little mudball. Ta-Ta!” she gave jovially, already walking away. Words failed the former pony, only finding herself sputtering as tall woman rounded the corner, only pausing a moment “Oh and tell Bon Bon that Chrissy says Hi!”

Finally catching up with herself, Sunset dropped her bike and sprinted to the corner. The alley way was completely deserted. Her gaze darted all across the space nevertheless, searching frantically until she had to accept the stranger was gone. Shoulders slumping, she looked down the envelope in her hands. She briefly considered opening it herself but knew she had no way of resealing it without Rupert knowing.

She shuffled back to her bike, thankfully still there, and dragged it inside only to be confronted by another pair of faces she didn’t recognize. Thankfully, the two unknown men were chatting cheerfully with the Odd Couple, who didn’t seem concerned at all.

“Oh hey, Sunny!” Lyra caught sight of the teen and waved her over “Sunset meet Jack Spearhead and Gallus Magnus, finally back from Manhattan. Try to remember the faces though, sometimes they get sent out even more than us! Guys, this is the new girl, Sunset.”

Sunset parked her bike behind the front desk and shook the men’s hands.

“Shimmer, right? Heard you’ve been up to quite a bit since you woke up” one quipped.

“Oh, y-yeah. It’s… it’s been a month alright…”

“You alright?” Bonnie asked, “You look kind of shaken.”

“Yeah, it's just… this woman outside gave me this” she held up the envelope “Told me to give it to Rupert and to tell you that... ‘Chrissy says Hi’?”

“Chri- Ah Fuck!” Bonnie immediately slammed through the door as she took off outside. Lyra stayed behind however, frowning at the redhead.

“Tall chick? Green-Blue hair? Black nails and lipstick?” the casual hunter sighed dejectedly at Sunset’s nod “Yeah that’s Bon’s old partner, back from when she was still a Fed.”

“Bonnie was an agent?” Sunset perked at the news. She hadn’t known that, and wouldn’t have figured with how relatively young the woman was either. Spearhead was the one who answered the quirey.

“Yeah, not for long though. Wouldn’t ask her about it personally, she really doesn’t like to talk about it.”

“No, I don’t” the group jumped as the hunter in question made her way back inside. She held her hand out to Sunset “Here, Ly and I will get that to Rupert. He’ll want to talk to me now anyway. Twilight wanted to see you though, she should be in her lab as usual.”

The group bid their adieus and Sunset made her way toward the prodigy’s sanctum. Still trying to shake off the shock and the worry it brought, she was just passing the clinic when a shill cry, followed by a bout of laughter drew her attention. She looked over to spot a very large man with even bigger muscles picking up Fluttershy in a bear hug before spinning her around. He then repeated the act with a suddenly appearing Pinkie Pie next. Not wanting to risk being subjected to the same, Sunset decided to carry on and find out whoever the enthusiastic man was later.

She saw the blinds to Twilight’s lab were closed so she knocked instead of just making her way in. Twilight’s work could be pretty gross sometimes, so while it could be something as simple as drawing blood, she learned the hard way not to take the closed blinds for granted. The next moment however, the door was opened by the scientist pulling a disposable tourniquet off her arm.

“Sunset! Good, you’re here. Now we’re just waiting for-”

“EVIE!” the pair looked to see Pinkie squealing as she glomped onto a blonde girl down the hall. She then latched onto the redheaded one beside her. “Applebloom!”

“Aw Pinkie, Ah haven’t been gone fer a month!” if the name and face hadn’t given away her lineage, then the accent certainly would have.

“So? Why should that keep you from getting a hug too?” Pinkie argued, giving the Apple girl another squeeze and earning a laugh from both the younger women. Sunset blinked as the pair approached and Pinkie skipped off to Celestia knew where; the blonde’s face was a virtual mirror of one of the most prominent in the former pony’s memory. The eyes were different though, less intense… softer. She had longer hair too.

“You must be Sunset!” the doppelganger smiled brightly, extending her hand to the fiery haired teen.

“Uh yeah, Sunset Shimmer…” she managed “And you’re not Aya.”

The gathered women giggled before the blonde answered.

“No, I just look like her. I’m Eve, and yeah I know, but don’t worry: only the first letter is capitalized.” the younger Brea quipped with a smirk before moving in for a hug from Twilight.

“Ah’m Applebloom,” the other girl, maybe only a year older than Sunset, offered her hand next “Betcha can’t guess who mah sister is!”

“Um, Fluttershy?” Sunset returned in mock confusion, prompting another chuckle. Twilight let the blonde go and stepped back to let them into the lab.

“Bloom will be interning with us this semester” the bespectacled woman explained as the girl in question retrieved a lab coat of her own “You two however, I would like to get some samples from. I do wish your sister was here too, but I hear that’ll have to wait.”

“Yeah, she and Rares got tied up with their last assignment up there.” Eve offered as the two youngest awakened took a seat. “Shouldn’t take too long to wrap it up though.”

“It’s nice to see this isn’t just old hat for me” the teen commented, seeing the other girl also already rolling up her sleeve.

“Oh I barely even feel it anymore, Twi’s poked me so many times.” she returned.

“I’m not that bad” Twilight sighed, handing the youngest Apple one of the prepped syringes.

“Just teasing Twilight” Eve winked at the doctor “I haven’t gotten to for over a month!”

“So you did miss us.” Twilight smirked, to which the blonde responded with a beaming smile. She saddled up next to the blue eyed awakened as Applebloom took the seat next to Sunset and wrapped the strip of plastic around the teen’s arm.

“So is Applebloom a nickname like your sisters?” the fiery haired girl asked the fellow redhead.

“Blooming Blossom” she answered with a small smile and slid the needle into Sunset’s arm with a surprising gentleness “No middle name, jus’ two first ones.”

It struck Sunset again how common middle names, let alone family names, were in this culture. They were so rare in Equestria. She wondered if it was because there were simply just so many people in the world. The ponderings were drawn off course as the former pony realized something while the pair finished up.

“Neither of you are on suppressants, are you?” she glanced back and forth between the two.

“Nope, I’m a control.” Bloom answered proudly. Twilight answered for the blonde however.

“I’m hesitant to put any of the awakened on suppressants. I worry they’ll adapt and possibly render all our progress with them moot” she explained. “That and the fact Eve here is more stable than any of us.”

“I’m also the only awakened that hasn’t learned to use any powers.” the blue eyed woman added.

“Really?” Sunset was frankly a little shocked. She might be able to understand why some of the infected had no desire to delve into it, if they even knew it was a thing they could do. She couldn’t wait to learn to use her powers though. Being an awakened just made it all the easier.

“I never had any interest in it,” she shrugged. “I had some… bad experiences growing up and it kind of just soured the whole idea for me. Plus, it also means I can offer another state of development for study. Helps figure all this out, right Twi?”

“It has offered some valuable data we might not have had otherwise.” the scientist acknowledged “I know your sister is glad you decided to live a normal life.”

“As normal as I can, at least” Eve gave a small sigh. She perked back up a moment later and smirked at the Apple “Bloom here on the other hand dove right into the deep end, didn’t you?”

“Oh Ah wanna learn as much as Ah can ‘bout us. The fact it means Ah won’t end up stuck workin’ on a farm is a bonus too” almost as soon as the words left her mouth her hands flew over it. The other two looked on with a sympathetic understanding but the redhead stared at Sunset with a pleading blush… and not a little bit of guilt, “Please don’t tell Jackie Ah said that.”

The teen simply made a zipper and locking gesture over her mouth. The youngest Apple visibly relaxed and returned to readying the samples. Sunset logged the information but doubted it would be of any use. All it would do is cause a rift in the family. She may not be looking for friends but she wasn’t looking to intentionally hurt anyone either.

The rest of the tests went by smoothly, the conversation mostly being Eve relating anecdotes of her stay in New York. She did mention some names Sunset recognized though, including reminding her of her new penpal.

‘I have to remember to follow up with her.’

“Shimmer, why’re you all geared up?” Rupert frowned as the teen ran up to the scene, decked out for battle.

“Dash said there were NMCs…” she responded hesitantly. The mechanic had grabbed her and rushed them out like lives depended on it, practically shoving her out of the car to the scene before driving off... driving off with a mischievous smile.

‘Oh damnit Rainbow, you dick…’

“Yes, there were” the bald man pinched the bridge of his nose. He shook his head “I know you were pranked but still for future reference; all you should need for cleanup watch is your sidearm. You can have your primary if you want though, so don’t worry about stowing it tonight.”

“Cleanup watch?” she echoed before her shoulders slumped “You mean I’m just babysitting?”

“Ensuring the safety of the clean up duty isn’t a responsibility to be taken lightly, Shimmer” the director shot her a stern look.

“Er, right. Of course sir. I’ll uh, go find a good spot.” she gave and slipped past the scowling man toward the building. She hurried inside to find three women waiting, the OC and who she recognized as one Indigo Zap, one of the bio-waste specialists she had only briefly met. Several large puddles of NMC slime were dotted throughout the warehouse behind them.

“Hey hey, new girl’s got her first baysitt’n job” Lyra grinned at the dejected teen “Hey, try to look on the bright side Shimmy, you finally got your first solo assignment.”

The casual hunter just giggled as she received an unamused glare back, passing the teen on her way to freedom.

“Don’t fall asleep” Bonnie offered simply before leaving herself. Sunset couldn’t entirely tell if she was joking or not.

“Settle in, new girl,” Zap gave from behind her mask and pulled down her goggles. “We got a bit of a night ahead of us.”

She hadn’t been lying. Sunset wasn’t sure how much time had passed but it was enough to grow tired of playing on her phone. She briefly considered trying to get a hold of Pyrrha but remembered it was even later in the night for her. She didn’t have much to say yet anyway.

“So why you all geared?” Zap asked, having noticed the girl now just staring off into space.

“Because Rainbow Dash is an asshole.” the teen grumbled.

“Yeah, that sounds like her,” Indigo laughed softly as she continued pushing the oversized squeegee through the goop. Sunset only then noticed the woman moved with a slight limp “You're the one that they found at the school, yeah? The one that turned out to be an awakened?”

“That’s me” the redhead responded with a bored tone, though she did brighten a little after “It did get me a fast track to being a hunter at least.”

“That would do it” the specialist mumbled.

“So what about you? How’d you end up cleaning monster goo for a living?” Sunset asked in return.

“I got attacked by some of the fuckers a few years ago, shredding up my leg. Hence the limp.” she answered with surprisingly little venom behind the words “But, since I wasn’t lucky enough to either end up mindless or an infected, it stayed fucked up. Lost my scholarship and had to find work.”

“Oh, uh… sorry” the teen winced at the cleaner’s casual account. She seemed to be noticing a depressing pattern of stories being told in a way that failed to convey the horror behind them.

“Eh…” Zap gave dully with a shrug “Anyway, I knew Dash back from these stupid games that our schools used to host and she told me about MIST’s openings. Couldn’t be a hunter with a bum leg, so I got certified in bio-waste disposal and became what you see before you. Pay is pretty good and the people are alright so y’know, it could be worse.”

“Could be...” Sunset repeated for lack of a better response. She watched the woman work just a few moments longer before a way to pass the time occurred to her “You guys get paid by the hour or by the job?”

“Salary, actually. But we do get a small commission for each job. Why?” She paused as she spotted the teen stand up and pull another squeegee out of her cart. “You know, you technically gotta be licenced to clean up viscera.”

“You gonna report me?” the fiery haired girl asked with a sly grin.

“Nope,” the former athlete smirked back.

The pair’s night moved by a bit faster after that.

The prismatically maned maiden awoke with a start, blinded by an accursed blaze of burning luminescence. She flailed her arms in defense against the rays, vain though the attempt may be. Roused further from her slumber, she strained to see the damnedable source of the sudden illumination.

A vision of red and gold flames took form within the nebulous fog that was her sight. Twin cyan orbs burned in her direction, from within a vexed glower set beneath the shimmering pyre. Finally, the dashing young woman found her voice.

“Sunset? What the hell-”

“You’re a dick.”

“Uhhh… oh. Oh yeah,” a small fit of tired laughter found the mechanic as the teen closed the door behind her. “Oh come on! You could at least turn the light back off!”

Sunset slouched in the armchair of Doctor Amore’s office. She didn’t want to be there. It had actually been a week since her last appointment; whether that meant she had finally convinced them she really was fine or that the counselor was just busier with almost the whole staff being back she wasn’t sure, but she wasn’t going to complain. She still didn’t want to be there though.

“So you had your first cleanup watch the other night,” Cadence started “How’d that go?”

“Uneventful. So, I suppose fairly well” the teen answered evenly.

“You were with…” the tri-colored haired woman glanced at her folder “Zap, huh? Learn any new swear words?”

Okay, that got a small snort from the young woman.

“She’s alright.”

“Did you help her clean?” Cadenza asked casually.

“I, er- uh, no.” Sunset straightened a little “I mean, we’re not supposed to.”

“Oh yes, of course” the counselor returned with only a hint of pandering. Sunset frowned as she watched the woman make an addition to her notes with a small smile. “Have you met everyone yet?”

“I think so.”

“...And?”

“They seem competent.” Sunset answered simply. She resisted the urge to sigh as the counselor continued to stare at her expectantly “They seem nice, I guess. I understand I may not be seeing much of some of them but the rest seem alright. Ms. Bouquet told me about her little bounty point system and that she’d look into upgrading me from the MP5. I’m glad Mr. Biceps didn’t pick me up and spin me.”

“Don’t worry, it’ll happen eventually” Cadence smirked, making another note “How are things going with your penpal.”

“My correspondence with Pyrrha only just started” the former pony stated “She has shared some curious visualization concepts though; they should be interesting to test if nothing else.”

“...Aaand?” the counselor repeated. Sunset didn't know what kind of elaboration she wanted this time though. The woman rolled her eyes, “What do you think of her as a person?”

“She seems exceptionally competent” unlike her charge, Cadence did not resist her own urge to sigh. She made another note before raising her head back up to the girl, concern dominating her features.

“Sunset, why are you so very dead set against making a real connection?”

“I’ve made plenty of connections” the teen argued “I’d say the fact I took the opportunity to make a contact at another branch proves I can make connections rather well.”

“I’m not talking about your ability to network, Sunset. I’m trying to get you be close to someone, anyone” the doctor elaborated “We need to be able to trust each other at MIST, especially the hunters.”

“People don’t need to be friends to trust each other.” the teen countered.

“No, but it makes it a whole lot easier” the doctor gave her own retort “I know opening up to people can be scary-”

“I’m not scared.” The fiery haired girl cut the woman off. “I just don’t see the need.”

“Everyone needs support eventually; Nobody can do everything alone, Sunset. Not even you.”

“I disagree.” the teen returned plainly.

‘Honestly, it’s like I’m right back with Celestia lecturing me about friendship.’

Cadence let another minute sigh escape her, the scratching of her pencil filling the silence as she added to her notes. Even after a month, trying to convince the girl that being so closed off was only going to make things harder for her in the long run still ended the same. She got along fine with everyone, and even her subtle manipulations were beginning to taper off, but she had yet to actually accept the people in her life as actually part of it.

She could only hope that she’d recognize there were people here trying to help her before everything caught up to her.

“Fluttershy says you’ve been having bad dreams…” she read next from the file, finally rousing the girl from her slouch.

“W-what?” Sunset stuttered, her confusion clear as she sat up “No I’m not.”

“You could have fooled her” Cadence riposted “I take it you’re not remembering them?”

“N-no.” she returned hesitantly “What did she say?”

“That you’re having fits of tossing and turning, even groaning loud enough to be heard from the hall. She also says your mitochondria get pretty agitated too.” the counselor informed her, seeing the worry grow on the girl’s face “She did say they don’t last very long; that you calm down before she feels the need to wake you.”

“She didn’t say anything to me,” the teen mumbled.

“She may not have been aware you’re not remembering them. I’m sure she just didn’t want to pry. You know how Fluttershy is.” The counselor studied her patient. The news was hitting her fairly hard, certainly harder than any mention of her lost memory usually would. The way she grew tense, subtly curling into herself spoke volumes louder than she was sure the girl realized. “You don’t seem to be suffering any fatigue, but I can prescribe you something that may help you sleep more soundly.”

“Um, n- I… I don’t know.” Sunset fumbled back quietly.

“You don’t have to decide right now. I’d even advise against it.” Cadence returned quickly “I don’t want to put you on medication if you don’t need it. I just want you to know it’s an option.”

“I… yeah, okay” the teen’s gaze danced into the distance as she hung her head “Okay…”

“You said there’s a summer camp out here?” Sunset grumbled. The sun was barely up and she and Applejack just spent the last hour, if not more, driving out to the middle of the forest to the east of the city.

“Yeah, but with school back in nobody should be out here. Already passed the turnoff anyway. Rangers closed off the trails for us too.” the cowgirl assured the hunter in training, pulling her truck into the final parking lot at the end of the road. She turned off the engine and looked off into the trees “Don’t suppose you felt somethin’ on the way up here an’ just didn’ mention it, did’ya?”

“Nope” Sunset frowned along with the blonde “Guess that means we’re walking.”

“Yep.” They climbed out of the pickup and grabbed their guns. They weren’t in their full combat armor but they were in lighter tactical garb. The heavier protection might have been nice against the size of the sighted NMCs but it would be too much to trek through the woods in. Sunset slung her new primary over her shoulder and took her position behind the senior hunter “Y’all get comfortable enough with that?”

“Don’t worry, I’m not the same rookie that fumbled at the sight of a starving stranger anymore” the teen assured, adjusting the new M4 hanging from her shoulder. It was still bereft of any bells or whistles but it was an unquestionable upgrade from the submachine gun. It didn’t ‘shoot itself’ but she felt confident she reached the point that she hardly needed it to. She did offer a relenting shrug though “That and I ran another thousand drills with Jodie when she picked it out for me.”

“Ah, so just nine thousand more ta go huh?” AJ smirked back before leading the way along a hiking trail, shouldering her own primary. The cowgirl preferred the single, more impactful shots of a shotgun to something automatic; Sunset wasn't sure the exact model but it was a semiauto with a few Bounty Point bought customizations and could put out a lot of hurt in short order. The Apple did gripe about the reloading sometimes though.

There had been sightings of aggressive animals in the area and MIST was called in when one hiker managed to get a shaky video of a deer as it charged him. It was blurry but a couple frames, as well as the man’s testimony, suggested it was indeed mutated. Granted, if they couldn’t find it themselves, the FBI would send in a larger force for a full sweep, but their NMH senses would give them a better chance of tracking it down before that was necessary. Even if they didn’t sense the creatures, they may act as a lure themselves.

Sunset didn’t much like the idea of essentially being bait but as she had been coming to learn, being a hunter was hardly a normal job. They’d been on the trail for a half hour before Applejack paused, looking at her phone.

“Ya gett’n a signal?” The teen pulled out her own phone. She was met with a no service warning as soon as she turned on the screen. AJ sucked the inside of her cheek at the rookie’s head shaking “Well, not like back up would’a gott’n here quick anyway. Shame we lost the gps but I reckon Ah can get us tha rest o’ the way.”

The fiery hair girl followed the blonde off the trail. She let AJ get a head a ways and began veering to the right while making sure to keep the other hunter in sight. Spreading out would give a slightly better chance of one of them sensing something and the area was just too big to run the redundant sweeps. Sunset wasn’t too sure how much time had passed but the sun was well and good filtering through the leaves before she felt something.

“Got something.” she called cautiously. She let AJ jog over before continuing. “Can’t tell the direction but that’s definitely something, right?”

“Yeah that’s something alright” she muttered and glanced back where she had been before gesturing to the teens right “Ah reckon that general direction, consider’n Ah couldn’t feel it back there.”

Sunset nodded and fell in behind the cowgirl again, closer now that the threat was near enough to sense. They kept course, the feeling getting stronger. Quite a bit stronger.

“It’s either a lot bigger than jus’ a deer or we got more than one. Stay on your toes Sugarcube, Ah’m guess’n the latter.” Applejack warned and quickened her pace. Not more than a couple minutes later Sunset caught a glimpse of a clearing through the trees. AJ hadn’t missed it either and gestured for her to stay low, creeping forward to the open area’s edge. “Damn, right on both counts…”

Sunset crouched behind a tree and saw what prompted the irritated whisper. Milling around the other end of the space was a quartet of oversized doe and an even larger stag. The females all had small tusks jutting from their jaws and their hooves now stretched halfway to their knees. The stag was the same while also having its far too long antlers curling back protectively along its form and ending in countless razor points at all angles.

Applejack was shifting her weight, readying herself and raising a hand to instruct her partner before she froze and her eyes flew wide. The teen followed her gaze and paled slightly as another four legged form stepped out from the trees, looming over even the oversized animals. It was also definitely not a deer. AJ pulled a pair of binoculars though she really hadn’t needed to. Sunset could make out enough with how big it was.

It stood easily taller than either of them and it’s front half was covered in long, gangly hair. As seemed to be a common trait among NMC, it’s four legs seemed overly long. The claws at the end of them didn’t seem terribly sharp though. It’s long neck swept over one of the doe that shuffled back to allow the clear alpha to pass. It turned its head and let its stretched, ape like face sweep over the clearing. Sunset had the sinking feeling it could sense they were near by as it grew agitated.

Most worrying of all though were the clearly artificial mechanisms implanted along its back. Sunset looked to the other hunter with concern.

‘A-NMC?!’ she mouthed, slumping at the nod she received back. The mutated deer were one thing, but the presence of an Artificial Neo-Mitochondrial Creature complicated things significantly. They weren’t necessarily more dangerous than other NMCs but, as the name suggested, it meant it wasn’t an accident. She took a deep breath and waited as she spotted AJ shuffling her way over as quietly as possible.

“Alright, so Ah know this looks bad but other than be’n a bit bigger than usual, it does look like a standard Chaser. An’ other than that stag, the deer shouldn’t be too much trouble if we’re careful” she gave in what was little more than a breath. Sunset nodded, forcing herself to relax further as the senoir hunter continued “Ah’m gonna get into a position ta crossfire. When I give ya the signal, toss as big a fireball as you can make before they spot ya and Ah’ll hit’em with an energy shot from the side as they close. Sound good?”

While the former pony still wasn’t anymore keen on being even more obvious bait than subtle bait, she did remember the kind of damage the cowgirl’s powered up shot could do from when she first saw her; And that had just been a bit of fun on the range. If anything could take down the chaser or stag quickly, that was it. She set her jaw and nodded back firmly.

“Good. Just stick to tha trees as we mop up, it’ll be harder for ‘em ta charge in here” the blonde finished and crept away. Sunset kept an eye on the pack as she waited, making sure not to lose Applejack but not trusting the wary creatures to cooperate with their plan. The hunter saddled up though and lifted her scattergun before nodding to the teen.

The gathered NMCs were roused into an anxious anger the moment she started building up energy, turning about spastically as they searched their surroundings. She let the flame reach the edge of its tipping point before she let it fly. Panic erupted as the mutations caught sight of the ball and scattered. One doe was too slow to react as it was engulfed in flames and the small explosion knocked another off its hooves.

Their disorientation was short lived as the remaining three spotted the fiery haired hunter and charged. She shouldered her rifle and unleashed a burst, only to see it shatter against the Stag’s wide horns. A moment later the boney appendage exploded as shimmering buckshot knocked the stag off course. The chaser and one of the remaining doe continued unimpeded however.

Sunset dove to the side, dodging the oversized Chaser that slammed right into a tree. She was tempted to spin back to take advantage of the downed NMC but was forced to continue her roll to avoid the doe’s jagged tusks. She did manage a quick, point blank burst into the twisted animal’s hide. It managed a couple small bounds before falling with a squeal, dying before it hit the ground.

A pair of deep booms sounded behind her, telling her AJ’s location and freeing her from worrying about overpenetration. She readjusted her aim to the raising NMC, zeroing in on the implants along it’s back.

Her shots flew wide as a heavy weight slammed into her side, lifting her up and tossing her several feet into the clearing.

“Sunset!” she heard Applejack cry before another heavy boom echoed across the open area. The teen rolled along the dirt as the second, unseen chaser's head snapped aside in a shower of blood and stumbled enough to miss her. She quickly pushed up into a crouch and snapped her rifle back up to the first camel-esq NMC now charging the blonde.

Her first burst went wide but the second managed to score a lucky shot through the beast’s ankle, sending it tumbling as the limb crumpled beneath it. She rose to her feet but blanched at the sound of heavy hooves closing from behind. Hand once more a flame she tossed another ball of fire out as she spun, despite knowing it wouldn't be enough. She couldn't build it large enough fast enough.

She didn't have the tinder.

Just before it reached her, another, far larger flash slammed into the mutated buck. The force launched it clear across the clearing and knocked Sunset on her ass. She blinked through the dust to see a blur of black, blonde and denim dash in front of her, followed by the the rapid pops of a machine pistol firing in bursts.

A cacophony of enraged squeals and angry snorts came from all around, rousing Sunset to dive for her fallen M4. She snatched the rifle in her grip but before she could raise it against the closest doe and great sphere of crackling green lightning washed over her. While feeling like no more than a warm static to her, every NMC caught in the wave fell to the ground in convulsions.

A rapid series of heavy shots echoed from beyond the trees. She blinked as the spasms of every downed NMC ended with fist sized holes erupting with each boom. Then, as quickly as the battle had turned south, it was over.

The former pony rolled herself over onto her plot, looking around numbly at the fallen beasts. A shadow then fell over her.

“You alright there kiddo?” Sunset looked up to a pair of sparkling blue eyes under a short bob of blonde hair. A bemused smile graced a strikingly attractive face as the figure bent down and offered a hand.

“Aya Brea. Good to finally meet you, Sunset.”

Chapter 7: Aya

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Sunset reached up and accepted the offered limb, letting the veteran hunter help her back to her feet. The teen searched for something to say but just found herself staring dumbly at her savior.

“Sorry about knocking you down too like that, but I figured you’d prefer a sore butt over that thing’s horns” she offered. She waited a beat for the girl to respond before arching a brow “Still a little shell shocked there?”

“You’re Aya” Sunset kicked herself mentally for the obvious statement. Aya, to her credit, just suppressed a snort and smiled.

“I am, but trust me, I don’t live up to the hype.” she quipped before another blonde spoke up from behind her.

“Woo-WEE do y’all have some good time’n!” Applejack exclaimed, fanning herself with her hat “That second bugger sure got the drop on us. Thanks fer the save.”

“No problem AJ” Aya smirked back.

“Rares with ya?”

“Right here, Darling!” Another voice called out happily and a well dressed woman strode out from the trees with a heavy looking rifle slung across her back. She had an exceptionally well-coiffed mane of purple hair cascading past her shoulders and a pair of styligh shooting glasses perched on a delicate nose. Her long sleeved, silk blouse was tucked into a crisp pair of black slacks with a pair of heeled boots poking out from beneath. She adjusted a pair of dark shooting gloves as she made her way toward the trio. It was hardly the most practical outfit for traipsing through the woods but Sunset couldn’t deny; the woman wore it very well.

The cowgirl met the woman with a hug. She then lifted her up in the embrace, earning a sharp and rather loud laugh of surprise. ‘Rares’ playfully swatted at the blonde as she set her down before turning to the redhead.

“And you would be Sunset. Wonderful to finally make your acquaintance. I’m Rarity, Rarity Belle.” she offered her hand with a sweet smile.

“Uh yeah, that’s me. Nice to meet you” the teen returned without too much awkwardness. Aya meanwhile had moved to check the fallen NMCs, looking back after the introduction.

“We clear?” she called back to Rarity.

“There’s a Stalker scuttling about the branches over there, but yes, that would be all of them” she returned before making her way toward the trees she pointed to, pulling a revolver as large as Rupert’s from her holster “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”

Sunset watched the stylish hunter make her way into the trees, noting the complete lack of worry on her partner’s face. Shrugging mentaly, she tried to take a step towards her fellow awakened when her leg gave out and a sharp pain lanced up her side. Applejack managed to catch her before she hit the ground, thankfully.

“Whoa, Sunny ya shoulda said you were hurt” she supported the girl as they looked down to a large gash across her leg. The arm around her also made her aware of her now rather tender ribs.

“I… I didn’t even notice.” she panted. She then squinted and almost stumbled out of the cowgirl’s grip when a severe migraine flared into existence. She forced her eyes open when a hand was set upon on her chest, seeing the veteran hunter now only the arm’s length away. “What are you-”

“Shush shush” Aya gave softly, eyes closed. She looked almost serene as a subtle glow flared around her. Sunset gasped as the woman’s mitochondria called out to her own. While not terribly different in sensation to when Applejack’s had, the sheer presence of Aya’s left her astonished. A moment later, a burst of blue, shimmering light washed over them and, while not gone completely, the pain had been all but washed away.

She stepped away from Applejack, looking down to the tear in her jeans. The wound had stopped bleeding and completely scabbed over. She’d still be stuck with it a while but Aya had not only just let her move on her own again, but probably just cut her recovery time in half too. Granted she had seen Fluttershy use some similar abilities, but nothing so rapid in effect.

“Whoa…”

“Pretty cool, huh?” the awakened shot with an easy grin. She then shook her head with a wrinkled brow, taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly “Still, after all that I could use a soda.”

“We got some back at the truck.” AJ chuckled.

“That’s good” Sunset tried not to teetter in place, feeling completely drained after the fight and what she assumed even more demand on her mitochondria from the healing “Actually feeling pretty light headed myself.”

A loud bang echoed from the tree line, drawing her from her stupor some.

“Goooot iiiiiit~” they heard Rarity literally sing a second later. The freckled woman’s regular partner rejoined them and asked “Did I hear something about refreshments?”

“Yeah, and some dry mop fer all these buggers too” she answered, prompting a pout from the woman.

“Oh… yes… the clean up, lovely” the well coiffed woman said with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. Despite the cleaners usually handling the aftermath, it was usually too difficult for them to get their equipment out so far into the wilds and the dirt and natural debris made a complete clean near impossible. So instead the hunters would use a specialized dry mop to render the slime inert and dispose of the majority as best they could. Usually by burying it.

AJ chuckled again and gestured for her returned partner to take the lead. From what Sunset had gathered, Rarity’s senses extended beyond simply detecting mitochondria, making her the logical choice to find their way back.

“...You doing alright there Darling?”

“Huh?” Sunset’s head shot up. She blinked absently before processing the question “Oh. Yeah, yeah I’m fine just kind of…”

“Spent?” Aya finished for her “Those were some pretty big flares we were feeling from you. I’m not surprised you’re a little out of it.”

“Yeah, my powers still… aren’t that efficient yet.” She mumbled with a blush.

“Yer doing fine Sunny,” AJ countered consolingly “Yer a might further along than any of us expected of ya. And now with Aya back, yer prolly gonna race righ’ past us before ya know it.”

“I’ll do what I can…” the ranking hunter mumbled before shrugging out of her black leather jacket and slinging it over her shoulder. With the action, Sunset realized that it had gotten a good bit warmer since they set out and followed suit.

“Ah, here we are.” the most well coiffed gave just a few moments later. That hadn’t taken nearly as long as Sunset had expected, even traveling in a straight line.

‘I suppose we did end up sort of circling back, didn’t we?’ she reasoned. AJ popped the bed’s cover and slid a cooler to the hatch, passing cans of sugary goodness around before anything else. Sunset took a long, slow sip of the cold syrup water and could feel her mitochondria dance almost happily in response.

“Love the jacket by the way” the ranking hunter shot with a small smirk as she settled in next to her against the vehicle.

“Of course you would think so,” Rarity teased playfully “Although yes, it certainly suits you dear.”

“Thanks” the former pony gave “I’ve had it as long as I can remember.”

“Still no luck with the whole memory thing then?” Aya asked with a sympathetic frown. Sunset returned a shrug.

“Nope. But it’s not as bad as everyone seems to think. There’s always the consolation that I don’t know what I’m missing” she returned with a practiced casualness. She had actually been a little proud of herself when thought of the notion when contemplating ways of keeping up the cover.

“At least you’re comfortable enough to joke about it, I suppose” Rarity commented with just a touch of dourness. “I’m not sure I would have jumped right into wanting to be a hunter under the same circumstances, but I won’t look the gift horse of another stable NMH in the mouth.”

The three found themselves jostled lightly as the truck shifted. They looked back to see AJ hefting some sacks to the end of the bed.

“Oh, let us at least finish our cans Jacqueline” Rarity protested gently.

“Ah’m just gett’n ready. Ah know better than ta get between angry mitos an’ their soda.” Applejack defended before shooting the hunter a smirk “Ah remember a time soda was only one o’ yer cheat day treats, wut with ya always fuss’n over yer figure.”

“Oh I still fuss over my figure; it just has different maintenance requirements now” Rarity countered slyly. A few minutes later the group had stowed their gear and were heading back to the clearing with a sack each. Sunset lagged toward the back of the group to just listen to the chatter, mostly led by the excitable former designer. She did note Aya seemed just as content to do the same, following with only the occasional small comment and a subtle smile.

Rarity’s anecdote tailed off as they reached the clearing however. Sunset looked around at the lack of obvious cause, only seeing the already mostly melted puddles of the NMCs. She then spotted what prompted the hesitation: The still very solid corpse of one of the Chasers lying along the tree line.

There was a sudden heavy thump as the sack Aya was carrying hit the dirt, the veteran hunter striding quickly up to the fallen NMC with a focused scowl. The remaining trio approached as Aya continued to keep her weapon trained on the creature. No one spoke as they studied the corpse, though other than the dried blood at its shedded ankle and the sizable hole in its side from Rarity’s rifle, it was indeed very much not liquid. Aya relaxed her stance.

“Shouldn’t it be at least somewhat melted?” Sunset spoke the shared concern.

“Hmmm” Aya hummed and tapped her pistol lightly against her thigh. Sunset jumped as the blonde suddenly fired a burst into the fallen creature’s head with surprising casualness. Other than a slight flinch caused by the shots, the body didn’t react. Another couple more seconds passed before the veteran hunter gave it a swift kick and stepped back “It’s definitely dead, so yeah; it should be melting…”

“Maybe ‘cause it’s an artificial?” Applejack offered.

“The other one’s melted,” Sunset gestured to a puddle in the clearing with the creature's implants floating within before offering “Twilight told me there are the occasional few that don’t melt, not right away at least.”

“Yeah, but they’re rare.” Aya argued, head tilted as she continued to frown at the body.

“Well there’s no denying that it seems to be the case here,” Rarity concluded before shooting the fiery haired girl to her side a smirk “First a stabilization after a full transformation and now an actual specimen for Twilight? I’m starting to think our newest hunter just might have come with a hint of luck.”

“Ah certainly wouldn’ be against that bein’ true.” the former farmgirl admitted “Little extra luck ain’t ever a bad thing, especially in this business.”

“Either way we don’t have to clean up now, not with all the sampling Twilight will want to take when collecting our ugly friend here” Rarity chirped brightly “That’s good enough luck for me!”

“Yes but it also means some of us will have to stay out here,” Aya pointed out and frowned sympathetically at the stylish woman “I’d hate to make you wait out here after we just got back but with Sunset hurt-”

“Oh now, none of that Darling. I had my vacation, a working one or not; I think I can handle a small bit of babysitting.” Rarity tutted before giving her own partner a side hug and even an affectionate nuzzle “It’ll give Jackie and I time to catch up. Besides, I’m certain Rupert will want to talk with you more after this anyway.”

“Need anythin’ from the truck?” Applejack asked the teen, who shook her head.

“Not that I can’t grab later” she shrugged.

“Well then off you go you two. The sooner you get Twilight out here, the fewer bugs we’ll have to endure.” the stylish woman shooed them off playfully. Aya rolled her eyes with a smile and gestured for the rookie to follow. Rarity called just as they reached the edge of the clearing “And it was lovely meeting you Sunset!”

“Would never know I have seniority over her, would you?” the veteran hunter quipped as they left the pair behind. Sunset returned an amused scoff, not knowing the women well enough to gauge any attempt of her own at ribbing “Not that MIST really has ranks anymore.”

“We do seem pretty casual” Sunset acknowledged “Though I thought the OC were the only partner partners.”

“Hm?” the blonde blinked and stared at her a moment. The moment passed when a chuckle found the woman “Right, the nuzzles and stuff. No, that’s just Rarity. You’ll learn pretty quickly she’s the affectionate type.”

“She doesn’t pop out of fridges does she?” that earned a more earnest laugh from the veteran hunter.

“No, and she eases into it with new people. Don’t worry; there’s still just one Pinkie to get used to.” she assured her with a grin.

The pair swiftly arrived back at the lot. While she noticed the vehicle before, she now studied the yellow ‘muscle car’ as she understood it to be called. For the way Rainbow praised Aya’s car, it looked rather simple, even a little boxy to the former pony. Still, she wasn’t going to mention that out loud.

“So this is… ‘Claire’ is it?” she resisted the urge to smirk as the blonde shot her another surprised look “Dash really likes your car.”

“Ah, yes she does. We put a lot of work into restoring her, even more than I put into Carrie...” she ran her finger tips along the hood affectionately before climbing behind the wheel. She noted the teen’s questioning look as she climbed in the passenger seat “My old car, before those damn gremlins got to her.”

“Gremlins?” the redhead blinked. Gremlins were a rather obscure race in Equestria, most ponies weren’t even sure if there were any left in modern times. They tried to start a ‘war’ after the invention of airships somehow left them slighted. It was a small and frankly pathetic effort that didn’t end well for them.

“Scavengers, the little two legged ones with big ears and bigger mouths. I think they look like gremlins, but the data from the Ark called them Scavengers, so we use that for consistency's sake in case we ever run across any more of their files.” the hunter explained as she typed out a text on her phone, most likely to Rupert.

“Oh, so that was at Dryfield then?” Sunset followed up as the car rumbled to life.

“You do like studying up, don’t you?” Aya muttered and started their way back to town.

“What I’m able to,” the teen shrugged. “Knowledge is power, but there’s some irritatingly vague information about the events, even discounting the sheer amount of redactions in the reports. Particularly the Blockade and Neo-Ark.”

“Well there’s some pretty good reasons for some of that” Aya returned tightly. Tightly enough to Sunset to pick up on the dramatic shift in the veteran hunter’s demeanor this time. The teen struggled internally; Aya was there first hand for the events, playing a key role in both, and could easily provide the best insight into the mysteries but she clearly bucked at the topic. A vibrating from her pocket saved the teen from either choice.

“It’s Rupert” she frowned at the ID. The director rarely called her, usually relaying messages through whoever she was working with that had seniority. She thumbed the accept and unconsciously sat up straighter “Yes Sir?”

“At ease Shimmer” she heard a light scoff from the other side “I assume Aya’s driving, so I called you. How’re your injuries?”

“Oh um, I’m alright Sir. Nothing to worry about.” She answered as convincingly as she could while trying to ignore the soreness in her side and the throbbing from her leg. The man on the other end gave a non-committal hum.

“I still want you in the clinic as soon as you're back. Your report can wait” he returned in a firm tone “For now though; Aya’s text says we have an actual corpse?”

“Yes Sir” before she even finished the second word, an excited squeal rang from the other end, followed by the sound of a slamming door and what sounded like Cadance laughing in the background.

“Twilight’s already on her way” Rupert sighed, though not without a hint of affection “Belle and Apple are waiting for her?”

“Yes Sir.”

“Good. Tell Aya to come to my office as soon as you get back. Fluttershy will be in by the time you return.” He finished and ended the call without another word.

“Rupert said-”

“To see him right away. I heard” she finished for the girl, a slight amusement dancing behind her eyes. “You really don’t have to be so formal with him.”

“It doesn’t seem to hurt” the redhead shrugged. “He seems to appreciate a professional distance.”

“Too much sometimes...” Aya muttered somberly. Sunset fought off a wince as she managed to bring her future mentor’s mood down twice in as many moments. While she hadn’t put much stock in some of Celestia’s ‘friendship proddings’, she understood the importance of having a positive rapport with one’s teacher.

At least until they began to stand in the way.

“Soooo,” she began casually “Rainbow helped you restore this?”

“Not only that, she’s the one who found her. After Carrie I didn’t have much hope of finding another like her. Not one I could afford at least” Aya’s mood flipped like a light switch “Count your stars there, Shimmer. Your first car may not be the Charger, but that girl won’t quit until she finds you something as dependable as her. No idea how she does it, but she has a magic touch for finding cars.”

“The Charger?” Sunset repeated with an incredulous smirk “You mean that heap she keeps in the garage?”

“That heap, Miss Shimmer, is a work of art.” the blonde began very matter-of-factly “One that just needs us to help break it out of its cocoon…”

While it certainly wasn’t the first lesson from the younger awakened would have asked for, the teen found she didn’t mind spending the rest of the ride back listening to the veteran hunter sharing with her the finer points of classic muscle cars.

Sunset was sitting on a bed in the clinic as Fluttershy gently massaged her leg with a subtle blue glow emitting from her hands. It was in fact the same basic technique Aya had used to heal her more rapidly a few days before, just more tailored toward treatment than triage. Sunset’s brow furrowed at the thought.

“That didn’t hurt, did it?” the nurse quickly asked at the expression.

“No. No sorry,” the teen apologized before letting go of a small huff “Just… thinking.”

“You’ll get to learn from Aya soon enough Sunset” Fluttershy returned soothingly. The teen hadn’t been exactly subtle about having to wait while Twilight continued her studies of the Chaser’s corpse. Even if Aya hadn’t been given her first few days back off, they would have had to wait to avoid the unavoidable fluctuations of their mitochondria possibly affecting the remains.

“She learn anything yet?” Sunset asked.

“She’s learned a lot. I don’t understand most of it but she seems very excited.” Fluttershy answered, a tickled smile finding her at Sunset’s amused snort “Applebloom assures me it’ll help.”

“Cool,” The teen returned idly before the nurse had her lay down and began work on her side. Turns out the hit she took from the Chaser not only bruised a couple of her ribs but actually cracked one. “You’d think it was her first one with how excited she’s stayed.”

“It’s the first one we’ve seen in a couple years.” the quiet woman explained “The last one was only a mangled stranger too. We haven’t gotten lucky enough to have anything like a Chaser stick around before, let alone anything artificial.”

“It’s our first artificial?” Sunset hadn’t picked up on that “That would explain the excitement then.”

She thought about the implication as Fluttershy continued on her side, though it made it a little hard to focus. Not because of any pain, but the mixture of the healing’s soothing effects while also having her mitochondria stimulated left her a little disoriented. The nurse paused briefly at a message on her phone, informing the teen Twilight wanted her to swing by the lab when they were done. Before long she found herself knocking on the door, blinds being closed and all.

“Ah Sunset, excellent.” Twilight greeted her with a genuine if notably melancholy smile before stepping aside to let her in. The teen immediately found the cause of the somber tone on the lab’s large operation table.

The clearly half melted remains of the recovered Chaser.

“Aw damn…” she gave in a low breath. Applebloom sighed and nodded in agreement to the quiet curse.

“Yeah, started right after we removed the implants” she frowned. Though she did brighten a little with a shrug “We Did manage to get ‘em off without any of them self-destruct'n though!”

“Self-destruct?” Sunset parroted “The implants blow up?”

A small chuckle escaped pair in lab coats. Twilight stepped up to her side.

“Not like that. At least not in so grandiose a phrase. No, they just brick themselves with small thermite safeties melting the most vital and informative components.” the elder awakened explained “Since the Chaser hadn’t melted though, it didn’t trigger the safety.”

“Seems like it might have been the other way around too, if it melted as soon as they were removed.” the teen concluded.

“Yes that’s what we expected as well…” Twilight started at the slowly melting remains with a thoughtful look. It still wasn’t nearly as rapid as the typical NMC’s reaction to death, but it was quick enough to see in real time “But we do have one small hope that’s not the case, given the other still decayed at a predictable rate despite what we’re theorizing were identical implants.”

“That’s why yer here!” Applebloom gave cheerfully from behind her fellow redhead.

“Me?”

“Your unique signature,” Twilight smirked at her “That ‘extra layer’ we’ve yet to identify. There’s a chance it may have been a key variable in the cadaver’s longevity.”

‘My magic?’ Sunset thankfully internalized. She had been conscious to maintain a separation between her mitochondrial abilities and her arcane energies until she had a much better understanding of the former. Considering what she turned into when first awakened, right after exhausting her magic… To say it left her with concerns when it came to mixing them yet would be an understatement. ‘Someday, but not until I have equal control over both…’

“Don’t worry” Twilight smiled soothingly at the teen’s concerned frown “All we need is for you to feed it a pulse of your bioelectricity. No guiding or anything you haven’t done before.”

“Okay, if you think it will help…” the fiery haired girl’s frown remained. She didn’t dare feed this thing a pulse of magic, but she could at least give it a burst from her mitochondria. ‘Who knows? Maybe it’ll still work. I hadn’t used any magic in the clearing, so maybe this really was it in the first place.’

…

‘I could have used my magic in the clearing...’ the realization irked her. The fact she hadn’t even considered it against the mutated buck was worrisome. Honestly, she would have expected it to be her instinctual response. ‘I guess I’ve been a little too vigilant in suppressing it. In fact I should work on my magic more. I can’t afford to let it atrophy, especially in this body.’

“Here ya go,” Applebloom snapped her out of her thoughts by handing her a bundle of something. She’d have to work on getting so easily distracted too. She looked down to the pile, seeing a face shield sitting atop a pair of long rubber gloves and an apron. She glanced up to see the pair donning their own sets of protective gear.

“We expecting this thing to pop?” she asked nervously. A chuckle from the youngest Apple answered her as she saddled behind a monitor.

“Expect’n? Naw, but it can happen!” she beamed mischievously at the hunter. Twilight shot her an amused but assuring smile.

“It’s very unlikely. But just in case.” She guided the now geared teen to stand in front of the now half slime NMC and maneuvered her gloved hand a couple millimeters into the goo. “Unpleasant, I know. I do assure you though, it’s perfectly safe. Especially for you.”

She stepped away behind a clear plastic screen and stood over a console connected to various monitoring pieces around and throughout the remains. She looked to her intern, receiving a nod before giving one of her own to Sunset. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and forced on her mitochondria. Mindful not to summon any accidental flames, she channeled a pulse of raw bio-electric energy into the remains.

Which immediately began to rapidly dissolve.

“Oh shit! I didn’t mean-” She began before Twilight threw up a halting hand.

“Don’t worry Sunset. Frankly, that’s what we were expecting most to happen.” she sighed as she frowned down at her console’s monitor, fingers typing swiftly “You didn’t do anything wrong. It was a long shot anyway.”

“Still sucks” Sunset offered, earning a nodding shrug from the scientists “Fluttershy said you still managed to learn a lot though, right?”

“Oh, we’ve learned a ton!” Applebloom exclaimed “Not sure how useful it’ll all be yet but even if we can only actually use like, 10% of it, it’ll still be a pretty decent step forward!”

“Yes, this was quite the stroke of good fortune and the data will undoubtedly keep us busy for some time.” Twilight relented, cocking her head as she watched the goop drain into a collection basin beneath the table “And I suppose if nothing else we can now allow focus on the implants as well. If our luck continues, we might even pull a lead on Ark Shadow. While it may be a bit ethically sketchy to use data from their live experiments, we could at least make sure the victims' suffering wasn’t in vain by using Ark’s own knowledge to undo the damage they caused…”

The doctor blinked repeatedly before chuckling with a blush.

“Oh I’m sorry! Afraid I’m getting quite ahead of myself again, aren’t I?” she scratched the back of her head. Bloom returned a warm smile.

“Nice sentiment though.”

“Yeah…” Sunset added absently, mind focused on the next question though. “Though not to change the topic or downplay the loss of the Chaser but-”

“Yes Sunset~” Twilight giggled out the interruption “You can finally train with Aya now.”

“YES!” The teen literally pumped her fist and the lab filled with laughter.

“Hmmmm” Aya hummed after the small explosion erupted against the target opposite the pair. She had her hand on Sunset’s shoulder, eyes closed as she tried to follow the internal processes of the teen’s mitochondria.

“That a good Hmmm or a bad hmmm?” The redhead asked, looking back over said shoulder. The blonde opened her eyes and looked ahead to the burning cutout with a furrowed brow and contemplative frown.

“You’re overthinking it.” She stated plainly, moving her hands to her hips as she continued studying the dwindling flames at the other end of the range “I think your focus is misplaced too.”

“Can you be a little more specific?” Sunset returned a frown of her own, trying to keep any frustration out of her voice.

“You’re trying to shape the fire yourself instead of having your Mitochondria do it” Aya elaborated before gesturing to the dying embers “You’re too preoccupied with making the results you want over telling your mitochondria how to produce them.”

“Sooo…” she processed for a moment “Don’t think about the fire, think about how… it’s being made?”

“Er, not exactly. You still have to think about the fire, or it will get away from you… Hmmm,” The veteran hunter repeated with a hand to her chin “It feels like you’re just using your mitochondria as a battery, when you should be making them do most of the work as you guide it. These aren’t some kind of magic spells; there’s no rituals involved. It’s more like making a blueprint than...”

“Actually building a campfire?” Sunset offered with a sly smirk.

“Yeah, I guess that wasn’t the best metaphor to start with.” Aya admitted “Your mitochondria build the fire, you control it.”

“You make it sound like they’re more than instinct,” the redhead started “Which I thought was a bad thing.”

“You can have more than instinct without reaching Sapience” her instructor countered “They can be trained, even taught to a degree. And they’re also a part of you, so it’s a matter of balancing both and making sure they’re doing their own parts.”

“I’m the brains and they’re the brawn?”

“Sort of, yeah.” Aya returned before gesturing to the next target “Here, we’ll do it again while I’ll guide your mitochondria. I warn you, it’ll be pretty weird, and your mitochondria will buck at the intrusion. Don’t try to give over control as much as just try to keep them calm. I’ll handle the rest.”

“Okaaaay…” Sunset returned hesitantly.

“Don’t worry,” Aya gave her a small smile “You’ll catch on what I mean pretty quick.”

The pair shifted to regard the next target as Aya’s hand returned to the teen’s shoulder. The familiar sensation of their energies making a connection soon found them again. Sunset stiffened as she felt Aya push further this time. True to the elder hunter’s word, Sunset felt her mitochondria heat up with the intrusion. Aya’s presence was winning out but it was an uncomfortable ordeal to say the least. Sweat began to bead on her forehead.

“Pyrrha mention those visualization tricks of hers?” the blonde’s voice came out a bit strained.

“Oh, yeah. Hang on.” Sunset refocused. Half of Pyrrha’s techniques had bordered on meditation and reflection rather than actual use of her abilities. She tried to calm her mind and relax, adding in a simple breathing technique she learned under Celestia. It took a moment but the heat slowly ebbed and her mitochondria grew less agitated. They were still notably active, as if wary of the stronger NMH, but didn’t feel quite so… threatened as she calmed down. “They follow my lead…”

“There you go, that’s a better way of thinking of it” Aya confirmed “They might be holding the power, but you have to be the one in charge. Even if that means letting me be in charge.”

‘More leader, less ruler’ she concluded. A frown found her at the notion that it wasn’t entirely her power, that she may not have the complete control she hoped to achieve over the new magic. ‘Magic… Well maybe that’s the answer after all.’

“Focus Shimmer” Aya’s firm tone ordered. Sunset shook the distraction off and repeated the visualization. “Good, now let’s start.”

The heat flared but with a more comfortable familiarity; Directed and with purpose. She raised her hand with the flow, letting the far more experienced Awakened lay the blueprint as she put it. A smile found her lips as fed the energy they’d need into the mix. She tried not to react as she felt more than half of it pushed back down to disperse before her mitochondria seized upon the rest. She felt a small surge from the hunter behind her.

A blaze of fire rocketed straight from her palm, taking shape instantly as it soared free. More flare than ball, the wild flames crashed into the target and almost tore it apart more than it burned. It was less ‘pretty’ than her spheres of wound up flames, but she couldn’t deny the increased effectiveness.

“See?” Aya returned encouragingly, giving the held shoulder a slight squeeze.

“Quick and dirty, huh?” Sunset grinned back “I really was overthinking it.”

“If it hurts, it works.” Aya threw her arms up in an amused shrug “Not that your kind of focus isn’t useful sometimes: Slow healing like Fluttershy’s abilities or more precise senses like Rares can make use of it, but-”

“But I’m starting with fire.” Sunset finished for her “Transferable skills come with practice.”

“Exactly,” the blonde returned her smirk “Now…”

A playful sparkle reached her eyes.

“You wanna learn how to shoot more than one?”

Log 003

View Online

Day 35

We had a non-hostile NMC today. I also learned how a good number of my fellow hunters were infected today as well.

[A factual account of the encounter with Lily and a less passionate retelling of Applejacks tale follow]

It’s apparently quite uncommon for anyone fully transformed to retain a piece of themselves, so Miss Valley certainly seems to be fortunate. [...] At least in that sense. I suppose she was pretty unlucky to be infected in the first place. For her sake I hope the positive karma extends to her recovery as well.

I’ll admit the whole thing left me shaken. More than ever expected. Applejack's words afterward helped but I won’t lie and claim that I don't still have some misgivings. Though as I thought at the time: It’s a little late for second thoughts now that I'm so far into it. I’ll just have to do better next time: Pay more attention and hone my instincts over my fear. I won’t miss the signs again. That way I won’t have to hope I’ll miss the shot that follows.

I’ll also have to be sure to look into those NMCs that can apparently still think for themselves yet still want to eat people. That seems like a far more important thing to be prepared for than not knowing how big rats were. If it can think tactically, then I can’t afford to have something like that to surprise me again.

Now as far as the story of the attack on the Apple’s orchard, it was far more traumatic than I had been expecting. It does explain how so many friends, not to mention people with such varying interests, ended up under MIST’s banner though. Still, after my own first experience, I can empathise with the fear they must have felt.

Applejack herself seems to have mostly moved past the trauma, with only some slight signs of latent anger remaining. I personally never had a pet but I do remember crying the first time I saw Philomena “die”, granted I was still just a filly but I suppose I can understand wanting to preserve some kind of memento.

Rainbow Dash on the other hand still holds some of the event’s weight, despite not having been infected herself. Though she seemed more upset about almost losing her friends than the event itself. Going so far as to actually argue with AJ over her casual response to it. Another reason I’d rather not have friends: who wants to always worry like that?

Again though, I can relate to feeling like you’re about to die. What it’s like to almost lose yourself to those monstrosities. To despair at the notion of becoming one of them.

[...]

So no, I won’t judge their reactions to what happened.

Still, for what questions it answered, it brought up even more. Like did the infections from the different types have an effect on the resulting NMH’s branch inclinations? Was there a cause all of them stabilized beyond Fluttershy’s quick thinking or are they just a lucky group? Where did such a large group of mixed NMCs even come from and why did they attack the orchard itself? NMC’s don’t usually care about causing collateral damage.

I’ve still got a lot to learn. Will write more when I do.

Day 40

A lot happened today, despite being fairly ‘uneventful’, relatively speaking that is.

Perhaps the most concerning thing was the first: A strange woman stopped me outside the station and gave me an envelope to deliver to Rupert. While certainly sketchy in it’s own right, it was one of the woman’s final comments that left me worried.

“I do hope you’ve been enjoying your stay on our admittedly less saturated little mudball.”

Now I’ve been trying to convince myself it was just a quirk, an odd sense of humor turning a phrase. But I can’t shake the fear she might know what I am, that she somehow knows about Equestria. I don’t know how she could but the way she said it. [...] Pony folklore does have a few stories about visitors from beyond our world but I never took them seriously. Never read too many either, not seeing the value in such foalish fairy tales.

[...]

Kind of wishing I had now.

Even worse, I have no idea what was in the envelope! Bonnie took it from me when she suspected the woman to be her old partner and delivered it to Rupert herself. It could be everything proving I’m not what they think and could ruin all the work I’ve put into all this.

I do take some comfort in the fact I wasn’t called into Rupert’s office to be interrogated. All he did was briefly stop me in the hall to confirm Bonnie’s relayed account. He seemed upset but not at me directly, so I’m hoping I’m still in the clear. Still hard not to worry though.

On a more encouraging note though, most of the staff returned today! Aya and Rarity are still on an assignment but I did get to meet most of those that were gone, if only briefly. The most interesting though was one of the world’s few Awakened and Aya’s younger sister: Eve.

I was mildly startled at first, almost mistaking the girl for her sister. But she had a completely different aire about her. Admittedly I only consciously experienced Aya’s ‘aire’ for a moment [...], and okay, under rather trying circumstances, but even just their eyes give a significantly different impression. Aya’s were intense and unrelenting. Eve’s were considerably softer, even innocent.

Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, though it is a shame she’s chosen not to develop her powers. Regardless of the supposive point of data her lack of ability may give Twilight, to have her level of potential and not want anything to do with it is disappointing. I’m sure we could learn a lot more if she developed her abilities to even half the level of her sister, myself most of all!

Still, she did admit to some ‘bad experiences’ as a cause for her hesitancy. So like Applejack and the rest, while I don’t know her story, I can’t bring myself to begrudge her too much for the choice. The fact she’s quite nice and rather personable doesn’t help much either. There's still always Aya to learn from at least.

But yes, other than finally meeting my absent coworkers and the encounter with “Chrissy” not much actually happened today. I sat through some tests and talked to Miss Bouquet about her somewhat curious if unnecessary bounty point system and the possibility of upgrading my gear soon. It was in fact kind of a boring day. Unfortunate, as I certainly could have used a distraction from how it started.

Day 43

Dash pranked me last night. Got me all prepared to fight a horde before dumping me out of the car for nothing more than babysitting duty.

Dick.

Still, I got her back for the embarrassment, if the bags under eyes when she left were any indication. Serves her right. Still, it wasn’t that bad, so I don’t feel the need for further retribution.

Lucky her.

But yes, I had my first baby sitting duty and it honestly wasn’t quite as bad as I made it out to be in my mind. Boring yes, but at least not life threatening in any way. It let me get more acquainted with Miss Zap as well. She was surprisingly interesting to talk to, if not too stimulating intellectually.

Though I will have to amend a previous claim: Dash is now far from the most crass individual I’ve met now.

Afraid I’ll have to stop there, as I have to get ready to head in myself. While my appointments have been cut back I do still have to regularly go to counseling, with today being one of those days. Dr. Amore seems to be getting a little impatient with me, so while I do still have some time before my shift, I feel it would be better to leave any more writing until later and use the time to prepare for her digging.

Wish me luck.

Day 44

I finally met Aya today!

In fact she showed up in style and saved my ass.

[An objective recounting of the assignment, including Sunset’s own failings, follows]

[...]

So yeah, might be a lot worse off if she didn’t show up when she did. Not that she’s solely to thank for our condition. Rarity played a big role in finding us after Rupert asked them to provide back up when they got back into town.

Still, hell of a way to make an entrance. I can see why she’s touted as the best, and not just because of her powers either. She’s calm, collected, focused and practically projects competence. The only one that doesn’t seem to believe the hype is Aya herself.

[...]

[“Hmmm”]

Now that I think about it, she actually seemed to down play her reputation. I hope that modesty doesn’t interfere with my lessons. I had enough of Celestia’s “humility” excuse against teaching me “before I was ready” to last me a lifetime. But I shouldn’t get ahead of myself and make too many assumptions. Maybe she just doesn’t care for boasting and lets her ability speak for itself.

One assumption that led me astray already was expecting her to be more serious. She was surprisingly easy to talk to actually. While perhaps not so much as her sister, she’s quite personable and open. I stumbled a few times and stupidly killed her mood but thankfully managed to land on a topic to break the ice properly. Turns out Ms. Brea has a love for classic cars, muscle cars in particular.

While I wouldn’t have asked for that to be the first topic she taught me about, I’m glad we were able to have a decent rapport. It hopefully suggests we’ll be able to build an efficient understanding of one another and make my progress smoother. While it may have grown sour in the end, I didn’t fail to notice my closeness with the princess made my lessons with her more effective than those of some of my other tutors, not to mention more enjoyable.

Unfortunately my lessons will have to wait a little longer. As mentioned, Twilight was Very excited about the Chaser corpse and was already well underway with her studies of it before my shift was even over. She however doesn’t want to risk any strong fluctuations of mitochondrial energy possibly schewing the data or worse, triggering the decomposition of the remains. I understand of course, but it’s irritating nonetheless.

Oh well. Not like I wouldn’t have had to wait for Aya’s next shift anyway. Rupert gave her and Rarity their first few days back off to let them settle back in. It’ll give me more time to recover anyway, so maybe it’s for the best.

Still frustrating though.

Day 47

The Chaser melted! I know I shouldn’t be so happy about it but I finally got to train with Aya!

Plus Twilight said they learned a lot and managed to remove the implants properly, which was the only- okay, may have been the reason it melted anyway, so it’s still all good, right? And I did help try to keep it from melting further so it’s not like I’m to blame. I tried to help, so I’m allowed to be happy.

Because yes! I had a lesson with one of the original Awakened themselves! And did it ever make the difference. Not to dismiss the other’s efforts; they did still help me get to where I am, but they weren’t kidding when they said Aya was on a whole different level. We didn’t have a full lesson and I still learned so much!

Bluntly put, I’ve been doing it wrong. While I was certain my magical skill would at least somewhat translate, turns out the whole thing is just a bit simpler than that. Still not a skill for the braindead but it requires a different mindset to do properly, or at least efficiently. I will give myself some credit in deducing that emotions do still play a significant part in the process, though again it’s a bit different than how they affect Equestrian magic.

I’ll write proper analysis when I’ve-

[“Sooooo-”]

[“SWEET CEL-]

Sunset braced against the desk with one hand as the other clutched her chest, feeling the heavy pounding of her heart as she struggled to catch her breath.

“Damn it Dash, you scared the hell out of me…”

“Sorry” the mechanic giggled softly from the doorway, before cocking an eyebrow “You did leave the door open though.”

“Fair enough, I guess” the teen gave as her adrenaline began to wane, leaving the tingling behind.

“So what were you doing?” she gestured to, what was from her perspective, the completely blank journal “Some kind of disappearing ink or something?”

Sunset opened her mouth to respond when a naughty thought crossed her mind. It may have been unintentional, but she felt the need to screw with the prismatically haired woman a little for scaring her.

“It’s magic.” She said smugly “Truth is, I don’t have amnesia. I remember exactly who and what I am.”

“What you are?” Rainbow smiled back incredulously.

“I’m a pony.”

“Wat.”

Sunset resisted the urge to snicker at the mechanic's befuddled look; she hadn’t been expecting that! Instead, she simply let her smile grow that much more smug.

“Yep. A Unicorn pony, from the magical land of Equestria. This journal is a gift from the kingdom’s princess, enchanted so only I can read-”

“Yeah, yeah, alright smartass. You’re just killing the joke now.” Dash interrupted “Look, if you don’t want to tell me-”

“It’s a memory exercise.” Sunset answered in an ironically much more honest tone “I pretend to write out an entire entry and then try to remember it word for word later.”

“Oh, that’s kind of cool” Dash answered, leaning against the doorway “It helping at all?”

“Nah,” the redhead shrugged. “It’s really for helping train your brain to retain new information opposed to recovering old memories. Still, I figured it couldn’t hurt.”

“Eh, You’ll figure it out someday” Dash returned with surprising earnest.

“You don’t know that…” the teen feigned melancholy.

“Yeah, but you’re too smart to not figure it out eventually” she waved off with ease before giving the girl a sly smirk “And too damn stubborn to not want to.”

“Fair enough” the former pony chuckled. A moment of comfortable silence passed. While it may have been unknowingly unnecessary, she couldn’t help appreciate the sentiment “...Thanks.”

“No problem.” the mechanic shrugged again.

“Rainbow, what’s taking you?” Fluttershy’s voice echoed from the kitchen.

“Oh yeah, why I'm here; come on.” Dash jerked a thumb over her shoulder “Dinner’s ready.”

Sunset chuckled again and closed the book, following after her housemate.

Chapter 8: Stinging Sensations

View Online

Sunset stood in the range, studying the target at the other end. She wasn’t with Aya today. In fact it was the first time she was in the range by herself since… ever now that she thought about it. One of the others was always with her; either Pinkie or Jodie watching over target practice, someone else was practicing with her too or, more recently over the last couple weeks, being taught by Aya. But since Aya had the day off and she was only practicing her powers, she was allowed to be in the reinforced room alone.

It was kind of weird honestly. Not to mention a little eerily quiet.

Shaking off the errant thought, she stared at the simple bullseye ahead. She’d made a lot of progress with Aya; she could make fireballs almost as easily as the veteran hunter now, and even managed to make a solid stream of flame briefly. So with the basics now properly down, it was time to knock it up a notch.

It was time to get magic involved.

She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t still a bit apprehensive. She’d been shoring her magic back up after letting it slide for a couple months, testing its own limits in this world during her off hours. Her control was still fairly acute even without her horn, now that she’d grown used to her new body and her arcane energies could better accumate. The power was the real bottleneck: Earth just didn’t have nearly as much ambient magic to make use of. Her personal reserves were still replenishing thankfully, so it was just a matter of seeing if they and her mitochondrial energy could help supplement one another.

Aya was right, her mitochondrial abilities weren’t spells. Even the methods of shaping wild magic didn’t quite sync up. They were similar though, and while the techniques didn’t need any ritual or spell matrix, she wasn’t convinced they couldn’t still be used as part of one. So with that in mind she closed her eyes and began preparing a matrix for a simple magic fireball; shaping the magic like she tried to with her NMH affinity, only without the igniting component. She then added a lensing effect and accepting weave to allow it to accept outside energy and magnify it.

Spell done and hand raised, Sunset opened her eyes smirked as she instructed her mitochondria.

Rupert was sifting through a filing cabinet in his office after something about the surprise package from Drop's old partner had occurred to him. He hoped the cross reference he was looking for was still there. Otherwise he’d have to go digging through the archives. A small, satisfied smile graced his lips as the file that may give some direction for the info they hadn’t been able to do much with for weeks was right where he thought.

The smile faltered however as a muffled explosion reached his ears and a small tremor vibrated the floor.

Sunset stumbled out of the range’s outer door, coughing from the thick black smoke wafting out with her. How she made so much smoke she had no idea but she looked back to see it had indeed filled the whole range. There thankfully wasn’t any actual fire, not that it was that much of a concern in an almost pure concrete and metal room, but it would take a while to air it all out.

She however didn’t have to worry about that long before a wave of dizziness overtook her and forced her to lean against the wall. She slid down and held her head. The sound of rapid steps echoed from the direction of the stairway, followed by Twilight’s voice.

“Sunset! Sunset are you okay?” the doctor knelt in front of the teen. Not a moment later more footsteps followed with murmured questions. Finally Rupert’s bartone cut into her head.

“She alright?” he asked calmly, Twilight taking a moment to finish looking her over before answering.

“She seems to be. Other than some obvious disorientation and minor respiratory irritation, she’s not even singed.” the bespectacled woman returned. The words echoed through Sunset’s head, distorted by a near constant murmuring and hissing. The scientist’s tone grew firmer. “Sunset, you’re not supposed to be experimenting with anything high level without Aya.”

“It wasn’t-”

“You were using that extra layer, I could feel it” Twilight cut her off “Aya-”

“Can’t help me with it.” Sunset interrupted back, managing to shoot a wincing, momentary glare before closing her eyes again to fight the dizziness “She doesn’t have it, only I do.”

“Still doesn’t warrant blowing up the range” Rupert’s disapproving tone cut in.

“It was just a normal fireball!” the teen argued before squinting at the hazy range “Or… it was supposed to be...”

“And that left you drained like this?” she heard Dash’s voice amid the white noise.

“She’s not drained” Twilight answered “Quite the opposite actually. Her mitochondria are hyperstimulated. You hearing anything?”

“Echos and hissing” Sunset answered, the back of her head thumping against the wall behind her.

“Not surprised. Come on, let’s get you to the lab” Twilight slid in under her arm and helped her to her feet and, surprisingly, guided her away from the stairway. The teens eyes snapped open at a soft ping before a space opened in front of her.

“Wait. How long have we had an elevator?!”

“Always” Rupert answered as he followed them in and pressed G on the panel. “You’re about to see why we never use it.”

Sunset leaned against Twilight and waited… and waited… and waited until the chime finally sounded again and let them out into a rarely used hall the one floor up.

“Seriously?”

“I know, right?” the doctor quipped “We keep meaning to get it looked at but it just hasn’t been enough a priority to remember.”

The pair helped her to the lab, Rupert even staying through the tests. Sunset wasn't sure why at first until Twilight started explaining why she was disorientated. As she declared downstairs, the redhead’s mitochondria were overstimulated, practically overloaded and trying to adapt. This was overwhelming her senses and what left her in her current state. In other words: Her mitochondria were more in charge of her inputs at the moment than she was.

‘He’s worried I could change,’ she tried not to grimace at the thought, understanding the need. Still, it was a cold comfort ‘At least he’s not armed… I think.’

Eventually though, Twilight cleared her to leave and Rupert gave her the rest of the day off. It surprised her that he didn’t seem upset, not any more than usual anyway. He had Dash drive her home, where Fluttershy was waiting for them in the garage. She was already starting to feel better but was still hurried off to bed, taking the pills Twilight gave her. They were thankfully just something to put her to sleep and not suppressants; she’d been told while those could calm her mitochondria and help knock her out, it would be in a far less pleasant way.

She was asleep before she knew it.

She was running, pulse pounding in her ears.

Her perspective tilted and the screeching from behind grew distorted as the world briefly spun. The teen steadied herself and looked back, the skull faced monstrosity suddenly gone.

Until a maw of sharp teeth clamped down on her shoulder from behind.

She gasped and was leaning against a door, hand against a bloody gash in her side. She began to stand only to fall back to the floor, slumping forward as her body grew unresponsive as her life fluids poured out of her.

She couldn’t even respond to the sound of shattering glass as the stalker leapt through the shop class window.

Glass rained around her as she crumpled to the ground, a stinging in her side and a burn in her chest from the ball of light that hurled her into the trophy case. She pushed to rise when a massive hand clamped down on her neck, lifting her off the ground easily. Her feet kicked as she stared into the golems mask, the woman in her control helmet standing behind it.

Her vision began to darken and she began to heat up. The red slits of the woman’s control helmet burned into her as echos of whispers began singing in her mind, clouding her sense of self.

“Sunset…”

The fiery haired teen shot up in her bed, gasping for breath. Her skin was flushed and sweat beaded her brow.

“Sunset?”

She jumped at the quiet call accompanied by an exceptionally subtle knock at the door. A moment of silence later, it cautiously opened to reveal Fluttershy peaking in.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to just walk in but-”

“No, it’s okay…” Sunset interrupted, rubbing her forehead. “That bad, huh?”

“You’ve had worse,” the nurse offered with a small shrug “Don’t worry, no actual raises in temperature. Rainbow hasn’t mentioned any hot flashes at least.”

“Still, after blowing up the range, you felt the need to check on me.”

The pink haired girl shuffled in and sat on the edge of the bed.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mention your fits,” she began “I thought you knew and just didn’t want to talk about it. I still remember how bad mine were…”

“You had nightmares?” Sunset asked, trying not to sound too relieved. The nurse nodded.

“I was afraid of changing, of turning into something like all the animals did. And then after what happened at the orchard… well, we all had nightmares after that…” Fluttershy answered with a heavy sigh “I thought maybe they wouldn’t be as bad the second time around…”

“Do…” the teen began hesitantly “Do you still have them?”

“Sometimes” she returned somberly “I wish I could tell you they get better… but they really don’t. You’ll have them less often though, and will learn to deal with them better, one way or another.”

“How do you deal with it?”

“Different things. Reminding myself it’s not real, trying to focus on the good things that came from it and how we’re helping people not have to go through what we did.” she shrugged before a small smirk found her “Petting Angel helps too. He’s very fluffy.”

A snort escaped the redhead. She then sighed.

“You think it’s safe for me to take another one of the pills Twilight gave me?”

“Hmmm, it’s usually best not to take it consecutively like that but it’s been long enough that it should be fine. Especially with our metabolism.” she hummed thoughtfully “Speaking of, I could make you something quick if you’re hungry.”

“No. No, I’m alright” the girl shook her head “I think I’d like to just get back to sleep.”

“Well okay. There’s always leftovers in the fridge if you get hungry later.” the curtains of pink swayed as she tilted her head with a warm smile.

“Yeah…” was all Sunset mumbled in response as the nurse rose to leave. She did add just before the door closed “And um- …y’know, Thanks.”

Fluttershy simply gave her another smile and closed the door. The redhead sighed again and, with another pill, fell back into a thankfully dreamless sleep.

Sunset was sitting in the lab petting Angel while Twilight tried to get an excited Spike to sit still on the table. Since she was going to be running a bunch of tests and observations on Sunset after the previous day’s incident, she figured she could get the pets’ regular examinations out of the way too. They were two of only four stable infected animals, or NMAs, on the planet.

‘And I thought the awakened were unique’ she thought, absently scritching at the rabbit’s fur. Rainbow said he could be a real jerk sometimes but he always seemed fine around the former pony ‘And he is pretty fluffy.’

“So what’re the other two?” Sunset asked.

“The first was a cat Doctor Maeda took in and now lives at the Manhattan branch. They apparently made her their office mascot. Then Spike was infected…” the doctor’s expression dropped slightly “Then Angel and finally, at least that we know about, is a crow Fluttershy just recently met.”

“You mean Brandon?” the teen arched an amused brow “That one that lives in our tree and lets us hand feed him sometimes? He’s smart.”

“Yeah, a little too smart” Twilight grumbled “We haven’t been able to catch him to run any tests. I keep telling Fluttershy we won’t hurt him but even she can’t seem to get him to cooperate. You never noticed he’s infected?”

“Nope, though he only gets close when Shy’s around. I wouldn't be able to tell with her there.”

“I wish we could at least tag him, in case he becomes infectious himself or turns” she frowned. That is until Spike looked up and gave her chin a quick lick. With the canine finally calmed, she cooed soothingly and took a blood sample “There we go boy, that’s all the needles for today. But yes, it’s a risk leaving him unaccounted for too long, especially considering the range crows have.”

Sunset nodded along with the scientist’s explanation. Infected birds were a high priority to neutralize for that very reason. They were less likely to be infected but they could spread an infectious strain just as easily. AJ’s grandmother was proof enough of that. Fluttershy didn’t seem at all concerned though so maybe she was just waiting for him to grow up a little. She had said he was pretty young.

“But!” Twilight announced happily as she set Spike back on the floor “On to why you’re here. I consulted with the others, even had a little correspondence with the other offices and you’re right; Aya doesn’t have whatever this extra layer is. She still may be able to help you but for now we won’t be mixing it with your natural mitochondrial inclination.”

Sunset opened her mouth to argue but the doctor cut her off with a raised hand.

“But this is something to still test, before it catches us off guard again. We just won’t be using fire.” she elaborated “Starlight mentioned Pyrrha’s been sharing her early experiences with magnetism with you, yes?”

“Um, yeah but what does…” the teen started until Twilight pulled out a handful of different sized ball bearings and a set of small plates stuck together from her drawers. "Oh."

“I can actually manipulate magnetism some myself, so between the two of us you should pick it up pretty fast. It’ll be significantly safer too.” she beamed at the teen, not failing to notice the still somewhat dejected look on her face “Don’t worry, it’ll be fun! Especially with this!”

The scientist pulled a pair of small plastic containers from the same drawer and set them on the table between them. Popping one open, she poured a thick black slime onto the surface. Sunset made a face but Twilight merely smirked and held her hand over the goop. A moment later it slowly started to rise toward her palm. If that wasn’t enough, she then wiggled her fingers, sending little ripples through the fluid.

‘Alright, maybe this will be fun’

Sunset was riding through a warehouse district, and a fairly worn down one at that. Not for any particular reason other than it was were she ended up. She’d taken up the habit of going for bike rides a couple times a week to better learn the city and just to get outside. Not that her job was very sedentary but it came in bursts and tended to keep her cooped up for stretches.

The last week, for example, had been little more than uneventful patrols and ‘earth’ training. Between Twilight, Pyrrha and later Aya and Applejack, she felt she was making fairly good progress. At least as far as moving small magnets and ball bearings around was concerned. She had to accept it was a very predictable, and thus slow progressing branch. As Aya told her in that first email that now seemed so long ago, you got out what you put in. She was also learning it followed the same concept when altered with magic too.

Still she was learning something new and making progress. Her current challenge was to separate a bearing from the magnetic slime without any clinging to it. It was proving a challenge and after a couple hours of her day off trying, she decided it was time for a break. Nevertheless, the precision would help once she scaled things up, which was all that was needed once she got it down. While the different techniques would need honing and practice of their own, it was just a matter of putting in more energy once you did. Equivalent exchange; It actually reminded her of alchemy almost more than magic.

She was drawn out of her thoughts by a sudden pang at the edge of her senses. It was brief but she definitely hadn’t imagined it. She got off the bike and walked it back, paying more attention. She frowned as she couldn’t find it again. She ventured a little further into the warehouses proper and still nothing. She sent a quick text to Rupert, telling him about the feeling and asking if they had anyone registered that would be in the area. She’d hate to get herself in trouble by making things awkward for some infected just trying to do their job out here.

Suddenly a burst of mitochondrial energy lit up her senses like a signal flare. It was strong enough for her to even feel the direction before fading beyond her range again. That could only mean one thing:

Someone was using powers.

She sent another text and quickened her pace. Following the flares, she eventually felt whoever it was proper. She grew more concerned at the sight of an empty patrol car parked further in and what she could faintly hear after she passed it: a faint popping sound, muffled by whichever warehouse they were coming from.

She dropped her ride and sprinted toward the shots. She slowed as she closed on the building, acutely aware she wasn’t armed. While her powers were getting stronger and quicker, she couldn’t afford to get sloppy. Not when the cost was her life. What sounded like a small explosion, followed by a quick pair of shots, urged her to hurry though.

She crept to the thankfully heavy metal door slightly ajar and peaked in. She spotted a uniformed officer sweeping the area with his aim turned upward. She could see towering shelves of rusted industrial piping and their support beams deeper into the sizable building. There were also several scorch marks dotting what she could see.

Another flare of energy came from beyond her view, from directly opposite to where the cop was facing.

She burst through the door, hand aflame before launching it to intercept a ball of sickly colored light flying at the uniform. She followed it to the source and paused.

It stood at least half again taller than her, if not more. A long, overstretched head sat atop an even more gangly body with long, thin limbs and arms ending in paddle-like flippers. It’s menacing gaze turned curiously to her, it’s mouth stuck in a silent, broken toothed scream while the metal bands binding it’s brain gleamed under the fluorescent lights.

She quickly forced the moment of shock aside and reignited and swept a lance of fire at the NMC. She blinked as the monstrosity leaped away with a grace defying its clumsy appearance and to a distance that didn’t match its build. It landed amongst the stacks of beams before slithering into their depths and out of sight.

What couldn’t have been mistaken for anything but a twisted, gurgling laugh followed in it’s wake.

“There’s ones that can still think for themselves?!”

“Yea, and they’re total assholes too…”

“Aw fuck.”

“Sunset?” the officer asked in a familiar voice. She backed up to be able to look at him without completely taking her eyes off the stacks. She blinked again as her eyes landed on the familiar features of Officer Sentry.

“Oh, hey Flash.” she gave awkwardly. He didn't seem to notice as he was staring at the redhead’s hands.

“You just threw fire.” he stated bluntly, face lost in confusion.

“Oh um, yeah, about that-” she started with an uneasy chuckle. A loud clang quickly quashed the reaction and brought them back to the moment. “Later, yeah?”

“Right” Flashes expression hardened and returned to his sweeps. His eyes not leaving the shelves, he quickly asked “You armed?”

“Not technically” she returned disheartened. The cop didn’t seem put out as he just nodded and took a knee. Still focused on the pipes, he lifted a pant leg and pulled a small revolver from a hidden holster, glancing her way for just a moment to hand off the weapon. As soon as her aim joined his, he looked away again to dig into a small pouch on his belt. Seconds later she was dropping a handful of extra rounds into her jean pockets.

“Best I got, sorry.” He offered, flinching at another clang and more mutated laughter rang through the warehouse.

“Better than the nothing I had.” she quipped with her voice only somewhat shaking. She blanched when a third voice came from the stacks.

“LiTiLe hUntER” the thing gargled with yet another of its horrible chuckles.

“So you MIST guys deal with kind of thing all the time, right?” Flash swallowed hard, keeping his sweeps wherever hers weren’t.

“Not exactly” she admitted “I've never seen one like this before.”

“Great…” the office bemoaned before a shadow peaked from its cover, promoting a flurry of shots its way. It ducked back without a single round hitting home.

“YouUUUUuuU CAnT cATch mEeeEhEHEehee…” it taunted from the protective shelter. They tried to follow the path of its noisy movement through the shelves only to dodge another blast exploding at their feet. The game of cat and mouse repeated several more times, their ammo and wits dwindling with each cycle.

A shriek suddenly escaped the redhead when a powerful shock ripped through her. Flash sprinted to catch her fall, dragging her back with aim frantically snapping about in search of the unseen threat.

“GoTtA wAThC ThoSE RAiLs” it gurgle growled with a twisted mirth. Sunset grimaced and pushed past the pain to crack open her watery eyes. She saw a metal track along the floor used to help move the shelves right were she had been standing and snarled. Struggling out of the officer's grip, she willed her body to stand and felt her mitochondria heat as they combated the numbing effects of the NMC’s attack.

“Easy Sunset-” the uniform tried but was ignored by the teen now whipping her head about the space, obviously looking for something besides their adversary. Her scowl deepened and he frowned as he tried to follow her stomping towards a far wall without risking his back to the creature. His expression grew more befuddled when the girl broke the ‘In Case of Fire’ glass and pulled out an axe “Sunset I know we’re low on ammo but I don’t think close combat’s a… good… idea?”

If Flash was confused before, the sight of Sunset using the axe to break the lock off the emergency kit next to the case and pulling out a large silver sheet left him baffled.

“What-” he began before she threw the sheet over his head. Frantically pulling at the shiny covering to see again, he gulped as he witnessed the furious woman stalking toward the shelves abruptly ignite, fire quickly covering her head to toe.

“SO YOU THINK YOU'RE HOT SHIT HUH?!” she bellowed, her flames growing in intensity by the second. He dove back under the protective sheet as the temperature within the warehouse skyrocketed and only a single, icy cold sentence could be heard over the roaring blaze.

“I’ll show you HOT…”

Rupert and Aya jogged through the paths between the rundown warehouses, following the constant flares of energy as best Aya could pinpoint them.

“You sure it’s this way?” the director asked, revolver already in hand.

“There’s sure as hell something this way.” the blonde panted back without breaking pace, 93R also ready and bobbing with every step. They spotted the teen’s bike laying next to the patrol car ahead of them, unfortunately it was laying at a crossroads of pathways leading to any number of different warehouses. “Damn it… I can’t tell which way, there's too much scattered through the air.”

“Shit!” Rupert cursed with a grimace. Not a moment later they stumbled back as an explosion rocked the area. They righted to see smoke billowing out the shattered windows boarding the top of the storage facility ahead of them. Their weapons snapped up as a twisted, burning lump of an NMC struggled to stand among the falling embers.

The door of the warehouse slammed open not a moment later and a very pissed off looking Sunset strode out with a small revolver raised before emptying all six shots into the burning creature.

She let out an irritated huff and looked back to the not quite on fire building, spotting another figure draped in a silver fire blanket covered in soot shuffling out in daze.

“You good?” she called out, eventually receiving a slow, shaky thumbs up back. The teen was smiling triumphantly as she turned back around, at least until she spotted the pair of MIST veterans. She opened her mouth but froze, pupils shrinking to pinpricks and smile trembling as she glanced back at the thick smoke still pouring from the building and then back to the pair.

“I… can explain?”

Sunset sat in Rupert’s office, trying not to pass out while she waited for the director. Her pyrotechnics may have been impressive but it swiftly caught up to her once the adrenaline faded. It cost basically all of both her reserves to make that big a blast while still maintaining enough of a focus matrix to keep it from killing her and Flash too. Nevertheless, her head drooped to her chest as she let out a heavy sigh.

“AH!” she yelped with a jolt as an intense cold met her cheek. Head snapping around, she saw an amused Aya holding a can of soda in each hand, one offered to the teen. “Oh, thanks.”

“Figured you would need it after that kind of light show” she chuckled and took the seat next to her “You managed to saturate the whole area with basically mitochondrial chaff; I’m not sure whether to be impressed or terrified.”

“I didn't know back up was so close...” her dejected mumble was almost drowned out by the hissing of her can “How mad is he?”

“Well, we’re lucky it was in an area without much traffic and that those warehouses haven’t been used in a while. We can write it off as a chemical fire or something. Saving Flash will win us some brownie points with the force and the fact it was actually a damn Stinger- seriously Sunset, what is with your luck? But yeah, that bought you some leeway…” she listed off “Buuuut that still wasn’t a great play at the end Shimmer.”

“No, it wasn’t.” the redhead jumped at the deep tones of the director rumbling right behind her. She shrunk in her seat as he closed the door and took his seat. She tried not to cringe at the flat, irritated look cast her way.

‘Aw fuck…’

Officer Sentry was just down the hall from the trio, seated opposite Shining Armor as he tried to come to terms with everything he was now being debriefed on.

“So, we understood?” the federal lesion concluded with all the seriousness and authority of his position.

“Yes sir” he answered stiffly. Not only had he just learned what was really going on in MIST, or at least some of what was, but he was now going to have to keep the secrets himself. That wasn’t going to make him any friends back at the station, especially with his supervisor. Before he could fall further into those uncomfortable thoughts however, the agent rose from his seat with an extended stretch.

“Well then, with all the official nonsense out of the way!” he said happily as his joints popped and rounded to the side of his desk, propping himself up to sit casually on its edge “How are you doing, really? Off the record.”

A relieved sigh escaped the patrolman as he closed his eyes and shook his head. The rivalry between cops and feds wasn’t nearly as exaggerated as it was in the movies, something Flash was very thankful for right now. Yeah, there was still a little bit of one, but it was friendly far more often than not. Truthfully, he was even occasionally grateful when he had to hand his cases off sometimes; If nothing else it cut down on the paperwork. He opened his eyes and gave the agent a tired smile.

“It’s… a lot to take in. I mean I’d heard the rumors of course, and even seen a few of the messed up rats and such but…” his smile faded as his gaze fell with another heavy breath “But to learn just how deep it actually goes. Monsters, people with powers, infections…”

“It’s a total shit show, huh?” Armor smirked, Sentry nodding along slowly. “Still, all that considered, you’ve seemed to have handled yourself pretty well, both in the warehouse and after.”

“I think I might still be a little overwhelmed to freak out yet” he admitted.

“Still works. Most people definitely would have by now.” Shining shrugged. A few silent moments passed, the agent waiting by as Sentry continued to simply process what he learned. It wasn’t even the worst of it all but he hadn't been lying that he was holding it together better than most. He took the opportunity to study the young man. He had of course looked into his background given how often her was assigned to secure the perimeter for MIST. Even if he hadn’t though, he knew better than to ignore the feeling he was getting in his gut.

“Tell me Mr. Sentry, have you ever thought about joining the bureau?”

The officer snapped out of his stupor, only able to stare dumbly in response.

“Wait, W-what?”

Rupert sat back in his chair, a couple fingers of whiskey in the glass in his hand. He took a sip followed by a deep breath, eyes on the report laying in front of him.

"You should have been home an hour ago" a voice drew his attention to the door, to Aya leaning against the frame. She sauntered in and took a seat, frowning at his drink "Too many of those and you'll have to take a cab there, 'cause I'm not going to be the one driving you home."

He didn't respond right away. She'd never liked the fact he drank, even though he only did off duty. She knew better than to argue with him about it anymore though. She only took solace in the fact he was almost always responsible about it. Almost.

"Could you have done that?" he asked. The blonde tilted her head at the query. "The blast, could you make one that big?"

"Maybe, though I'd probably want some of Maeda's special solution ready" she returned before frowning "But as fast as she did while also saturating the area like that? Probably not without ascending again at least."

A heavy sigh escaped the director as he brought a hand up to massage his forehead. He leaned forward and tapped the computer's space bar, replaying the footage from Flash's body cam. He paused it at the clearest shot of the Artificial NMC.

"A fucking Stinger..." he grumbled before taking another sip "Two artificial Chasers in the woods, a Greater Stranger transformation triggered in Reno, that whole mess in Missouri, a massive cult gathering in a damn high school and now an actual fucking Brain Stinger, still self-aware and everything. And that's just what our branch has been dealing with."

"They're moving again" Aya returned grimly "That's way too many occurrences to mean anything else. Honestly I'm a little surprised it took them this long."

"Maybe it didn't. Maybe they're just strong enough again to stop hiding as much." he countered "All around the same time we find an awakened that could end up more powerful than you... god I hoped to never see another EVE."

"She's not an EVE Rupert" the blonde scowled at him "No more than any of the rest of us."

"Your sister included?" he blurted out before he could think better of it. A regretful sigh escaped him as his friend glared daggers at him. He managed to speak first "I'm sorry. I'm... sorry, that was uncalled for. I know Evie didn't have a choice, and the most stable of any of you now. It's just all this, all at once..."

Aya's glare continued to seer into her old partner for a moment, but the burning of her gaze gradually softened.

"I know we've been hit with some troubling signs lately, but I really don't think Sunset's one of them" she gave "I know she's a little isolated but she's a good kid."

"Is she?" he offered "She's lying about her amnesia-"

"Some of it-" Aya interjected but the director continued undeterred.

"She keeps trying to advance on her own, refuses to make any connections-"

"She's made connections, even if she won't admit it-"

"And we still have no idea who or even entirely what she is. We had a girl who may not even be as young as she claims and that transformed into what looked like a fucking demon at a cult gathering orchestrated by a damn golem and a woman in a control helmet. And now she's managed to make herself a hunter right in our ranks and growing more powerful and reckless by the day and it all 'Just happens' to align with the return of Ark."

"It can't all be a coincidence."

A still silence followed the director's rant. He brought the glass up for another pull only to find it empty. Frowning at the tumbler he reach across his desk to the half empty bottle. A gentle hand landed on his as he gripped it. He looked up to see his old partners staring back, her expression one of sorrow.

"Melissa was a coincidence." the man blinked back at her, mildly stunned. Aya never liked talking about EVE, and avoided speaking of the poor woman she had been before the pair unknowingly awoke the others mitochondria like the plague. The blonde swung around the desk and propped herself up to sit right next to the man, looking down sadly "The fact she ended up with with Maya's kidney, that I ended up with her cornea, and that we both inherited her mitochondria as a result was a coincidence. The fact she was preforming at Carnegie Hall that night, the same night I finally gave into that pretty boy Chet, who 'just happened' to take me to her performance, was all coincidence. EVE was a coincidence Rupert."

"...You're saying that's a good thing?"

"I'm Saying... that just because bad things happen by coincidence doesn't mean they're the only things that can. It also doesn't mean no good can come from them even when they are." she clarified "Fluttershy was coincidently infected a year before the orchard was infested, coincidently saving her friends lives with her suppressants. Who then all coincidently wanted to join and gave us one of the best damn teams we could have hoped for."

"I don't know what Sunset is, but I know she's not out to hurt us. Use us, maybe. But I'm pretty sure she's a better than person than even she expects" she finished before taking Rupert's other hand and hefting him out of the chair. "Now come on, let's get you home."

"I thought you weren't going to be the one driving me" he smirked. Aya rolled her eyes.

"Please, you know that's not how we do things here" she smiled and lead the way to the garage. Rupert just shook his head, smirk still in place.

"How'd Pinkie put it? One big, messed up family of mutants?

"That's MIST."

Author's Notes:

Sorry about the wait again lovies, been having trouble getting the momentum back after letting slip last month. But here we are! Still not Entirely satisfied with how it turned out, but it's a lot better than the first draft of it. I think it may just be because it need a few points that didn't transition too well and needed to set some stuff up for the future. Some obvious, some not so much, I'll leave it to you to see if you can figure them all out

Fun fact: the whole last bit with Rupert and Aya wasn't even a thing until I did my pass through after transferring the story here. Just kind of came to me, so I hope you liked it.

But yes, I will endeavor to ramp up the momentum back up at least some. Until then, as always, thanks for reading and hope to see you for the next chapter. Have a good one

Chapter 9: Breakdown

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The red and golden haired teen sat in the passenger seat of a nice yet surprisingly low profile sedan. Surprising by the fact it belonged to the very attention grabbing fashionista currently driving. If she expected anything… 'grander' among MIST, she would have guessed it’d be from the most appearance minded hunter. Fluttershy’s van honestly felt more overt than what they were currently seated in.

It was Sunset’s first time properly working with Rarity despite how long she’d been back now. Though she did realize that was probably because she was Applejack’s partner and thus was typically paired as such. There were still the occasions like today however, where she was working while her partner wasn’t, which was how the pair were now on patrol together.

“So,” Sunset gave after a while with a bright smirk “Should I even bother trying to sense anything with you around.”

“Yes, I fear you still must” Rarity rolled her eyes, shooting back a sly smile of her own before returning her focus to the road “While I probably will detect anything before you do I have been known to miss things yet, particularly when my attention is divided. Such as when I’m driving.”

“Still, it must be pretty nice, having such powerful senses.”

“Actually Darling, it’s a massive pain in the ass…” the well coiffed hunter returned bluntly, if still in her whimsical accent. Sunset was honestly taken aback, even more so then she’d been by Bonbon’s candidness. “I don’t mean to mislead you. In our line of work, it is an exceptionally useful boon of course. For everything else though? Everyday life? I often wonder if it was worth it.”

“Really?”

“To put it simply: Imagine trying to fall asleep when you can tell what everyone, not only in your house, but all the surrounding homes is doing. How many are asleep, how many are eating, how many are having sex, who’s going to the bathroom, or whether or not your now teenage baby sister is masturbating.” Rarity listed off, noting the disturbed look of realization dawn the younger hunter “Doesn’t sound so great when you look at it like that, does it?”

“Yeah, that doesn’t sound fun” the teen concurred “But can’t you like, turn it down? I mean I can sort of turn mine on and off.”

“Oh yes, to a degree. I fear the catch twenty-two of it all though is that it can also be quite hard to resist, be it from instinct or simple curiosity. I unfortunately often feel rather uncomfortably vulnerable if I mute it too much.” she admitted. She took on a softer tone and placed a comforting hand on the girl’s shoulder “Oh don’t worry Dear. While your senses will undoubtedly grow more acute, you don’t have to worry about ending up so far as I without intentionally pursuing it. I’m well aware that I am far too overspecialized. I fear the Stanger’s surprise attack against my sister left me a bit… obsessive about making sure I wouldn’t be caught so unawares again.”

Sunset simply hummed, still a bit disquieted by the truth. She also found herself feeling kind of bad for the fashionista. Still, the woman appeared to bounce back from the evaluation of her own double edged power without a second thought, already softly singing along to the radio. The redhead decided to just follow suit.

About an hour had gone by when she caught the senior huntress stiffening suddenly. The fashionable woman didn’t say anything however, merely shooting the redhead a side glance with a poorly hidden smile accompanying the slightly raised, expectant eyebrow. Sunset’s own brow furrowed. She was about to say something when it hit her and she straightened herself.

“Well now, you have a fair range yourself Miss Shimmer” Rarity complimented “I don’t suppose you can tell which way?”

“...No.” the teen returned. The fashionista giggled.

“Don’t worry, even Aya can rarely tell direction.” She pulled the car onto a side street on their right.

“I can tell it’s not hiding, whatever it is.” Sunset continued in a low tone.

“Yes… that is a fairly strong signature.” the huntress concurred. They reached the end of the block, dead ending at a small cul de sac. Rarity pulled the car along the curb before cutting the engine and closing her eyes in concentration. A moment later her shoulders slumped and she gave an annoyed pout. “Make that signatures. It's a bunch of Flans, lovely…”

“Flans?” the younger woman parroted.

“Amoebas.” Rarity clarified “I’m afraid you’ll be doing most of the work Darling, bullets don’t do a whole lot against them.”

Sunset nodded. While not familiar with the ‘flan’ designation, she had read up on amoebas, also known as Bacterium. Resembling massive (relatively) single celled organisms, they were basically NMCs that skipped the monster stage and went straight to the slime part. The files also noted they could also use a limited form of pyrokinesis and leech bio-electric energy if they got close.

“You sure? I thought they were kind of particular about their environment” she asked, letting the senior hunter lead the way.

“Fairly certain dear, but yes, I wouldn’t expect them around here.” Rarity confirmed. They slipped between the houses and made their way to a neglected field of patchy grass and dirt. A single wire loosely strung along short fence posts marked a division between it and the neighborhood. A dirty ‘No Trespassing’ sign dangled from a portion by one corner. Looking around cautiously, Rarity gave it a swift kick and knocked it loose to fall face down in the dirt. “Such a terrible shame we didn’t see it, isn’t it Sunset?”

“Terrible shame” she smirked and stepped over the wire. Just a bit further on, a shallow ditch in the clearing revealed itself. Their noses wrinkled as they approached. At the muddy bottom they could see a broken pipe lazily leaking foul smelling brown water. “That would explain it.”

As the words left her mouth, several small, translucent globs slowly expanded. While many were little more than shapeless blobs of goop in colors of green and bluish, a few took a more distinct shape with a single orb floating within their mass. It wasn’t hard to figure out the flan nickname after that. Once expanded, the clumps of slime slowly began edging their way in the pair’s direction.

“You’re up Darling,” Rarity gestured and stepped back. “Do try not to be too loud. No one’s out here but that may change if they hear any explosions.”

“No worries” the teen returned breezily, stepping to the edge of the ditch as her finger tips ignited. She’d been working on a new trick that seemed rather appropriate for the task. She clenched her hand halfway before flinging the phalanges out like she was flicking off water, the small flames blasting out like a fiery shotgun. She admitted it wasn’t terribly powerful but it was quick and easy, and in this case did the job. The first blob took the whole spread and literally popped.

“Well now that’s a curious use I haven’t seen” the well coiffed woman cooed behind her.

“Yeah, I was actually trying to make something rapid fire. That… still hasn’t panned out but I did stumble upon this.” Sunset explained, continuing to pop the living puddles “I figured something a little lighter might be a good idea after the whole warehouse thing.”

“A lower profile can certainly make things easier for us but don’t feel too bad about the Stinger Darling; we all have our stories.” Rarity consoled her “Back when Jackie and I were just starting out on our own, we came across a Greater Stranger trapped in an apartment building’s basement. It had broken the stairs and while it couldn’t get through the door, it was still able to jump up to claw and bite at us, making it rather difficult to get a proper shot at. So, without consulting with Rupert, we figured the best way to handle it was to just toss a few grenades down there.”

“That-” Sunset began but quickly shifted her focus as one of the larger blobs began to glow. It took a few spreads but she managed to pop it before it could finish its attack. Threat eliminated, she continued “That sounds like it would do it to me.”

“Oh it certainly killed the Stranger. What we didn’t consider was just how much damage it would do to the rest of... well, everything. The shrapnel tore all the way up to the second floor, ripped some pretty big holes in the first and completely shredded the basement, including the plumbing.” She smiled as Sunset failed to suppress a snort “As you can imagine, The higher ups were not happy with our solution. Honestly, we were just lucky no one got hurt, and that the basement door was as sturdy as it was.”

“Oh… Yeah. I didn’t think that far” Sunset returned as she popped another amoeba.

“Cleary neither did we,” the woman shrugged and stepped up next to the girl to look into the ditch. “That would appear to be all of them. Dreadful little things aren’t they? Quite fortunate you were here, as I don’t have any proper counter-measures with me.”

“How would you normally deal with them?”

“Firefly rounds typically. Normal buckshot can do it too if you have enough shells. You can also just smash them apart, though getting close is risky business.” she explained as they made their way back to the car “Pretty much anything that can break them apart enough. We’re fortunate we encountered them out here in the open and I could tell what they were. They can be quite dangerous if they surprise you in a tight space.”

Sunset nodded. She had read what they were capable of, but found them almost disturbingly easy to dispatch this time. But at the more experienced hunter’s words, she could see how things could go wrong in different circumstances. As they climbed back into the sedan she tilted her head curiously.

“Don’t we need to go toss some dry mop on them?”

“Thankfully no! It’s incredibly rare for amoebas to be infectious and even then it’s only the red ones.” she informed brightly while keying a brief report into her phone “No such foul labor for us today! Now, let us see about something to eat, shall we?”

“Sounds good to me.”

Sunset glided along the pavement as she pulled out of the bike lane and onto the sidewalk, letting her momentum peter out as she closed on the station main doors. She couldn’t help but notice the abundance of cars parked up and down the block, far more than she’d normally see. She recognized some that belonged to other members of the staff, prompting the question of why they would pay to park at a meter when they had access to the garage.

She dismounted and walked her ride inside. Part of the answer to her question was answered by a gathering of people milling about the rarely used waiting area within. She could also see Jack and Gallus chatting jovially down the hall though, completely unconcerned, so she just shrugged it off and moved to deposit her bike in its usual spot behind the welcome counter. She did notice some of the chatter die off as she came back around, seeing more than a few gazes had now turned in her direction.

Another pair of non-MIST employees came through the door, their eyes also immediately landing on Sunset. This time however, she recognized one of them.

“Agent Shimmer!” Wallflower perked up at seeing her standing near the waiting area, giving a small wave with her still mitten bound hand “Will you be joining the group today?”

“Wait, Shimmer?” the woman accompanying Wallflower blurted, head swiveling between her companion and the girl. She was fairly young based on what Sunset could see around the wide pair of reflective sunglasses she wore. She had a short crop of blonde hair in an only somewhat successful pixie cut and a flower tucked behind one ear. She took a quick step forward and asked with a shocked stutter “S-Sunset Shimmer?”

“Um… yyyyeah?” The girl returned hesitantly and was promptly caught up in a hug by the stranger.

“Thank you!” the woman gasped, tightening her hold.

“W-what?” the befuddled redhead stammered. The woman seemed to realize what she was doing finally and promptly dropped the embrace and stepped back. Blushing profusely, the blonde straightened her clothes in an attempt to regather herself.

“I’m sorry. I just- Of course you wouldn’t recognise me” she panted, trying to hide her face from the onlookers before shaking it off and lifting her glasses to reveal a pair of starkly mismatched eyes. Sunset tried not to react to the sight: While one was a simple pale gold, the other was a muted red floating in a scalera of dull grey. The woman offered her hand in a more proper greeting, “I’m Lily Valley.”

Comprehension flooded through the former pony as she absently took the woman’s hand.

“Y-you got better.” she smiled awkwardly for lack of anything else coming to mind. Lily chuckled, blush still in place.

“Um yeah, mostly. Y’know ‘cept for… y’know.” She gestured toward her face. The redhead shifted in place, trying not to be too obvious in averting her eyes. Even if Lily brought it up herself, she had no idea what would and wouldn’t be offensive to ask. She knew not everyone recovered from transformations as cleanly as others, even before encountering Wallflower and her hand. While the green haired girl seemed fairly casual about her own condition, she assumed it was a sensitive subject for most others. Before she could continue failing to find any words however, Lily continued “I just wanted to thank you. Without you, Ms. Apple and MIST, I would still… I would still be that thing, or worse. But I hadn’t run across you ‘till now and yeah, it kind of just bubbled out. Sorry.”

“H-hey, no worries. You really don’t have to thank me.” she scratched the back of her head “I mean I almost shot you after all…”

“You did?” Lily blinked in surprise. Wallflower facepalmed from behind the blonde.

“Oh, you didn’t actually remember that part, huh?” the redhead chuckled nervously “Um, yeah… I missed though! Er- I mean obviously… Sorry.”

“Oh no! No, no, no” Lily stepped forward and cupped the girl’s hands in her own with a warm smile “Miss Shimmer you never have to apologize to me. You helped give me my life back.”

“Oh um- really, Twilight and everybody are who fixed you-”

“And you helped subdue me so they actually could. You helped keep me from hurting anyone else.” she countered. Sunset’s lips tightened as she struggled to respond to the genuinely grateful woman claiming she was a reason she was still alive. The moment broke a few seconds later when Cadence loudly hurried in through the door, speaking quickly.

“So sorry I’m late everyone. You may have noticed parking's a little sparse today” she panted with a laugh, readjusting her bag before unlocking the door to the stairway. She stepped aside to allow everyone to pass as she caught her breath.

“So glad to finally meet you Miss Shimmer. And thank you again.” Lily gave as she let go of her hands and she and Wallflower followed the rest of the group upstairs. Sunset stared after her, still lost for how to react.

“Sunset, are you okay?” Cadence asked, snapping the redhead out of her funk enough to move again as she approached.

“Oh um, yeah! Totally!” she said a little too enthusiastically and tried to turn away. The counselor caught her shoulder though and kept her in place. “Really, I’m fine. You shouldn’t keep your group waiting any longer.”

“Wallflower can stall for me a few moments” she retorted in what Sunset would have thought was a condescending tone if she didn’t know better. It irked her that she actually knew better. Cadence tilted her head to look at her down turned face “I see you met Lily.”

“...She hugged me” Sunset eventually muttered.

“Oh my. She did, did she?” the doctor’s finger scratched at her cheek with a mild wince “Sorry about that. She’s been wanting to meet you for a while now.”

“She thanked me for saving her life…” the former pony continued mutedly “She thanked me even though it was the medical team that fixed her.”

“You helped. You and AJ are who caught she could be fixed.” the older woman argued.

“AJ was the one who caught it. I tried to shoot her.” Cadence frowned as the girl stated this with a clear scowl. She sighed lightly, regarding the woman. For as much as Sunset enjoyed praise for her accomplishments, she was remarkably bad at dealing with anything that suggested she cared. Especially if that was also something she considered a personal failure.

“Would you like to join us?” she offered. “The group always appreciates it when a hunter joins us. Even if they don’t quite understand the full extent for your responsibilities.”

“No.” Sunset unsurprisingly shook her head without hesitation “No, I got my shift. I’m probably already late.”

“I can excuse you for an hour Sunset. Rupert would probably encourage it when I tell him it was for a group session.”

“No. I… I don’t want to.” Cadence sighed again. Curse the day the girl discovered that was all she had to say to make her stop. Yes, she could keep pushing but she knew it wouldn’t do any good; That was Sunset’s shutdown phrase. She’d do more harm than good in the group at this point.

“Well if you’re sure. I’ll still let Rupert know I held you back so you don't have a tardy on your record” she tried to lighten the mood.

“Yeah thanks” the girl mumbled and walked away. Cadence sucked the inside of her cheek a moment as she watched her go before shaking it off for the sake of her other patients and climbed the stairs.

The former pony continued to her regular check-in computer. She could technically clock in at any of the computers but she was on auto-pilot, still in a haze from the encounter. Clocked in with a note to talk with Cadence about the time, she ambled toward the staircase in pursuit of the locker room. The rapid thumping echoing up to her finally gave her something else to ponder. Heading down she grew curious at the unusually high number of shots she could hear at once, every burst coming in a regular pattern every few seconds.

She soon came upon the rest of the answer to the parking mystery as she reached the range’s hallway. Nearly the whole of MIST's non-combatant staff was down there. Every lane of the range was occupied and more waited outside, each carrying a folder of paperwork. She spotted Applejack and Rainbow leaning against the wall opposite the range’s reinforced window, watching the those currently within.

“What’s up?” she queried as she joined them. She could now see Pinkie standing with an unfamiliar woman at the controls, both marking on clipboards between calling instructions. She was impeccably dressed in a manner that screamed ‘Professional’ and held a rather bored expression as she observed the shooters, some of them surprising Sunset to see herself. A lot of the cleaning crew she had become familiar with were there, along with both Fluttershy and Twilight.

“Qualification time” AJ answered “Feds gotta make sure the the staff ain’t so bad of shots that they’re more liability than they wanna deal with.”

“Oh, didn’t even know that was thing” she frowned “Do I have to-?”

“Nah,” the cowgirl waved off. “We do regular practice under Jodie and Pinks, not ta mention actually usin’ our guns as part o’ our job. The non-cons don’t got that requirement though, so they gotta get tested every year if they wanna carry.”

The rookie hunter nodded her understanding. She watched with the others, taking in how skilled each of the shooters were. The current part of the testing, what Sunset recognized as ‘failure drills’, ended and the test takers were allowed to rest for a moment. Most studied their targets, though she saw Derpy’s shoulders slump before glancing back toward the window.

“You got this Derp!” Dash called with a pair of thumbs up. She couldn’t hear it but she seemed to get the gist and returned a thankful smile. While supposedly terrifying with a stun baton, the girl’s condition did make her aim suffer. She had admitted to Sunset she was sometimes worried about it when cleaning once. It wasn’t terrible, from what she could see of the blonde’s target, she was still miles better than Sunset was starting out. What did surprise her though was a couple of the other targets she could see.

“Huh. Shy and Twilight are actually pretty good shots” she commented.

“Oh yeah, Flutter’s been practicing since she was infected” Dash smirked. She then shot the girl an incredulous look “You’ve seen her down here before.”

“I guess I never really paid attention,” she shrugged. “What about Twi? Just another prodigious skill?”

“Think it’s ‘cause her brother.” the mechanic hummed thoughtfully “I think I remember her saying she started learning about guns when he joined the military.”

“Somehow learning Shiny is ex-military doesn’t surprise me” Sunset quipped, earning grins from the pair. She tilted her head as the group started shooting again “What’s she using?”

The answer came from a new voice approaching from the stairs. They turned to see Jodie walking up with a duffle.

“That is a Beretta Px4 Storm Compact” she grunted as she set down the heavy bag; Ammo if Sunset had to guess “Pretty nice gun. A bit goofy looking maybe, but a real fun shoot. Especially with all of Sparky’s modifications.”

The brunette smiled and gave the redhead a nudge.

“Speaking of fancy parts, you got some BP saved up girl” she informed her “Enough for a couple shanzy bits for that M4, if you’re still feeling it.”

“Cool, I’ll swing by later” she returned simply. A cacophony of steps and chatter kept her from saying more as the range emptied out. She raised her voice before continuing “Maybe when you’re not so busy.”

“Yeah, tomorrow would probably be better” Jodie grimaced as hefted the duffle back on her shoulder and sighed before making her way through the throng “You girls take care of yourselves.”

A flurry of movement on the other side of the glass caught the trio’s eye. They returned acknowledgements of varying enthusiasm to the rangemaster giving them an exaggerated wave and beaming smile. Her cotton candy curls bobbed as she then leapt to sweeping up the cartridges before the next group came in.

“Hey guys” Derpy said dejectedly as the finished group approached.

“You will cheer the fuck up Hooves?” Zap draped an arm around her fellow clearer “You did fine.”

“You really did” Fluttershy offered “You were still all inside the requirement ring.”

“Barely” the blonde grumbled.

“Still counts Derp” Dash gave her a mock punch on the arm “And if she could see ya with your stick, she’d shit her pants.”

The walleyed cleaner snorted and finally gave in with a relenting grin.

“Thanks guys…” she mumbled with a slight blush. “Well, I’d like to chat but I’m on call tonight, so I should try to get some rest.”

“And I’m off today! So fuck y’all bitches!” Indigo announced shamelessly with a shit eating grin. Some laughed as others just rolled their eyes affectionately as the pair made their exit. The small group returned back up stairs, with the station so busy and Aya and Rarity already out on patrol, they all ended up in the lab chatting aimlessly.

“Y’alright there sugarcube?” Applejack suddenly asked her “Ya been a little off since ya showed up.”

“Oh um yeah, just had a bit of an weird encounter.” she recounted her awkwardness of meeting Lily and how she just kind of failed her way through it “I mean, I didn’t even know what to say.”

“Just say you’re welcome,” Dash put it simply “Whether you think you deserve it or not.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it” AJ confirmed. Twilight nodded and spoke next.

“In a sense, it’s more about them having the closure of thanking you than actually thanking you.”

“Not that they're not grateful that is” Fluttershy cut in a little hurriedly “But yes, it is a part of the healing process and can offer some peace of mind.”

“I don’t know… it’s still weird” Sunset hugged herself unconsciously.

“Well, if yer lucky there won't be people that need saving too often.”

“That’s the dream” Twilight agreed with a content smile, one the brightened some as she looked to the redhead again “You’ll get used to it.”

‘I think I’d prefer I just didn’t Have to get used to it…’

“Wait a minute…” Rainbow’s eyes narrowed at her “You were in kind of a funk yesterday too. Something else is bugg’n ya.”

“Oh, that!” she jumped at the chance to change the subject “Yeah no, it wasn’t important. I just… remembered something.”

“Sunset!” Twilight cried as she stormed up the girl with a well meaning sternness “If you’re remembering things of your former life that’s very important! And a wonderful sign you may be recovering! What was it?”

“It’s just…” she began. She of course hadn't actually remembered it but after a little calculating, something did occur to her “I’m pretty sure yesterday was my birthday.”

“Seriously?!” the no-longer-teen girl reeled back on the stool when they all shouted in unison.

“Um, yeah?” she returned hesitantly. Her brow furrowed as they all seemed to brace themselves, only to look around concerned after nothing happened. “...What?”

“Nothing…” Dash muttered “Forget about it.”

Instructor Harshwhinny sat behind the console to the admittedly rather impressive target control system, double checking her notes with earmuffs about her neck while the range was cleared. She was distracted however, when the rangemaster abruptly froze mid-sweep and shuddered with a muted whine.

“Is everything alright Ms.Pie?” she cocked a brow at the excitable woman.

“Yes! Fine! Everything’s fine!” The pink haired woman returned tightly and continued sweeping. “I just… realized something I have to do. Nothing to worry about!”

Shrugging, Harshwhinny returned to her papers, missing the bubbly woman’s eye twitching madly.

“Really guys, it’s not a big deal” Sunset insisted.

“Not a big deal!?” Twilight exclaimed “Sunset a date of birth could be the key to unlocking your identity! And it’s your Birthday!”

“So?”

“So it’s yer birthday, Sugarcube!” AJ cut back in “Ah know they get a little less special as ya get older but ain’t none of us that old yet! ‘Specially you!”

“Well, now we gotta do something” Dash declared without even letting her argue “Most of us got tonight off, what with the testing and all. Where can we go on such short notice?”

“Movies?” Twilight offered before pouting “No, we can do better than that…”

“Here,” Dash closed on the former pony and ushered her out of the room “Go find something to do, we gotta plan your surprise.”

“It’s not a surprise if I know it’s coming” she gave in retort but found herself in the hall nonetheless.

She had celebrated her birthday before of course, but typically only having a quiet evening with her mentor. Celestia had learned better after the first few tries to throw her a party that she didn’t do well at them. Even then she hated making any kind of big deal about it. When you had a possibly immortal teacher, birthday’s just tended to remind her she was going to die someday.

With a huff she slumped her shoulders and shuffled off to find something to take her mind off what was sure to be a trying evening.

She found herself slumped over a table in the breakroom, rolling a quarter back and forth under her finger. Rupert turned down her request to go out on patrol when Aya and Rarity returned. The test had also wrapped up a little while ago, so she couldn’t watch that anymore. She could play on her phone, or do more research, but it just didn’t seem that enticing at the moment.

She sighed, watching the light dancing as it reflected off the coin.

A sudden crash ripped into the room, scaring the ever living shit out of her and sending her sprawling from the chair. She rolled over onto her butt, panting as she took in the force of nature that had exploded from the cabinets.

“IT WAS YOUR BIRTHDAY?!” Pinkie screeched, straws and utensils sticking to her form.

“Y-yes?” she shook as the furious orbs glared at her. She gulped as they narrowed dangerously and the woman stood.

“Ohhhh you… you, you, you. You just had to wait until I was stuck in the range” the rangemaster wagged her finger, gliding toward the door as she passed the fallen redhead. Literally. Sunset had no idea how she was moving without using her legs and was frankly too afraid to break eye contact with the angry Pie to find out. Reaching the door, she kept pointing and rambling quietly “Oh youuuu. You better believe we’re gonna celebrate. You’re gonna celebrate and you’re gonna like it. Oh you, you, you keeping this from Pinkie. You, you, you…”

Staring wide-eyed at the empty door frame as the insane mutters trailed off, it was quite some time before Sunset managed to pull herself up off the floor.

Somewhat to the Awakened’s relief, the celebration ended up being just a small gathering of MIST employees at a local bar. Rupert even let the girls leave a little early when he learned the news. He declined to join them however, making Sunset worry it was almost certainly to check on her now estimated birth date. She looked up at the sign, ‘Spot’s Watering Bowl’ blazing in neon letters as a cartoon bulldog nodded next to it.

“Charming…” she muttered. She teetered as Dash slammed against her, beaming mischievously as her arm landed across the former-teen’s shoulders.

“Oh come on Sunny! It’s tradition to get hammered once you’re old enough to drink!” she squeezed her into a tight side hug.

“I’m not old enough to drink.” she returned bluntly.

“Hey, if you’re old enough to fight monsters, then you’re damn well old enough to have some booze!” Rainbow poked her chest with a confident glare “And don’t sweat it, it’s nicer on the inside. AJ and I come here all the time, it’s almost a MIST institution at this point!”

Without another word she was rushed toward the door, hearing Fluttershy giggling softly behind her. It was quickly downed out by the din of rock music and loud conversations as soon as they passed the threshold. They rounded a dividing wall to the bar proper to reveal nearly half the MIST staff waiting for for them.

“SURPRISE!” the gathered coworkers shouted, followed by a blatantly awful, off key rendition of happy birthday. The former pony’s face turned beet red and laughter erupted as she tried to flee, held fast by the mechanic until the end. The last verse petered out and all she wanted now was a quick and painless death.

“See?!” Rainbow gave her a shake “Now you wanna drink, huh?”

“Yes please…” she mumbled defeated though the hands she was currently hiding her face in. She heard her housemates chuckle before leading her toward the group. Another voice cried out over the rest and a second person slammed into the hug too.

“Heya Sunny Bunny!” Sunset’s head snapped up when it turned out to be Zap instead of Pinkie. The cleaner smirked evilly at her, beer already in hand “Happy Birthdaaaay.”

“Thanks” the former teen grumbled back “Thought you were in ‘Fuck y’all bitches’ mode today.”

“I was! But then the girls showed up saying it was your birthday so I knew I had’ta stick around.” she grinned “Now come on! Let’s get some fucking Shots!”

“Easy there Zap,” Applejack gave as she joined them “It can’t just throw’er right in the deep end.”

Indigo stuck her tongue out at cowgirl, earning a hearty chuckle.

“Any idea what ya want Sugarcube? It’s our treat tonight.”

“Uhhhh…” she grimaced, trying to think of something, anything she might actually enjoy “...Cider?”

It was subtle but she could have sworn she felt Dash stiffen as the request. The hunter’s green eyes narrowed at her suspiciously.

“...You tryin to get on mah’ good side Shimmer?” a smug smirk broke out across the blonde’s face “Takes more than that ta butter me up, but it’s not a first drink I can argue with. I’ll go get ya somethin’ spicy.”

As the hunter turned her back she felt Dash slump far less subtly. A heavy huff sounded as she watched her friend saunter up to the bar, brow wrinkled with worry. Fluttershy stepped up next to her, also openly concerned.

“That could have gone poorly” the nurse commented.

“She gonna be okay tonight?” Zap asked a bit irritated “Spot said if she fucks up again he’s gonna ban the whole Station. I like this place, Dash.”

“She’ll be fine.” the mechanic reassured her, though once Indigo walked away she added under her breath, “I hope…”

“Did I mess up?” Sunset asked, confused. She did see an opportunity however “I mean we could always cut the night short-”

“NO!” She leapt back when Pinkie was just suddenly There. While she seemed significantly more friendly, not to mention stable than she had been in the breakroom, the redhead swallowed hard at just the sight of her “You, you, you aren’t getting out of this that easily! Now come on, Let’s PARTY!”

And just like that, Sunset was forced into the first ‘surprise’ party she’d had since she was nine.

A couple hours later, Sunset was nursing her third hard cider with a pleasant buzz. Honestly it hadn’t been that bad. Pinkie seemed completely over her little freak-out earlier, no longer frightening the freshly turned twenty year old. It helped that the others explained she wasn't mad at Sunset, just that she couldn’t respond right away to calm her ‘Pinkie sense’. Fortunately she’d long learned better than to question whatever the heck that was.

Aya and Eve even showed up for a little while, which Sunset found she appreciated more than she expected. They did have to leave when Indigo passed out and they offered to take her home though. The ‘party’ had mostly died down, though it wasn’t really a ruckus to begin with; mostly just co-workers hanging out with frequent ‘Happy Birthdays!’ mixed in and free drinks. For her at least.

As if reacting to her thoughts, Dash came back with a handful of shots not a moment later.

“Oh Dash noooo…” She groaned.

“You promised Zap.” the mechanic shot back.

“She’s not even here!”

“Still!” she cried as she set one in front of all of them. “Come on, even Flutters is joining us, so it’s extra special.”

“Ugh, fine” she relented. She glanced at the others; Pinkie and AJ seemed more than ready, Rarity looked rather indifferent while Twilight and Shy didn’t appear any more enthusiastic about this than she was. She rolled her shoulders and tried to steel herself. The sooner she got this over with the better. She gripped the shooter and braced.

“Drink!” Dash yelled and the Seven pounded the thick, dark liquid together at once.

“BLeH!” a tight grimace stretched Sunset’s face as the syrupy liquor hit her like a punch to the gut. Pinkie, Rainbow, and Applejack cheered and Rarity looked to her glass with a mild, and strangely unimpressed distaste. Shy and Twi looked slightly sick. She knocked her glass across the table when the cowgirl’s hand slapped into her back, knocking her forward.

“Kicks like a mule, huh?!” she laughed loudly. Sunset cleared her throat lightly while returning an uneasy smile, trying to ignore the soreness now blooming between her shoulder blades. The cowgirl didn’t seem to notice with continued chuckles. A second later the blonde snatched her half finished cider and took a swig. She swished it around her mouth a moment before swallowing “Eh, not bad. Can’t hold a candle ta our old brand though.”

An air of uneasiness descended on the group like a fog. Worried looks were exchanged all around as the former farmer continued unabated.

“Now that was some damn good cider!” she bragged “Even if it wasn’ the hard stuff, ya couldn’ find a soul that didn’t love it! You couldn’ get enough of it, could ya Dashie?”

“It sure was something AJ” the prismatic haired woman said with a nervous smile.

“Well I think this party is wrapping up” Pinkie piped up with a tired smile “Think it’s time to call those cabs.”

“Awwwww!” the blonde moaned “We can keep going, can’ we girls?”

“Will you shut fuck tha fuck up?!” a drunken patron called from the bar.

“Oh no.” Fluttershy whispered.

“Goin’ on about cider and shout’n like a bitch!” the man continued.

“OH I’M SORRY!” AJ yelled back, attitude taking a hard one-eighty “Does mah family’s shattered legacy offend you?!”

“Let it go Jackie" Dash leapt up with the intoxicated blonde, placing herself between the two.

“I had that Apple farm cider!” the drunkard rambled on “Tasted like SHIT!”

“Oh y’all done it now!” She tried to step past her friend. Rarity leapt up next, trying to take hold of her partner’s shoulder.

“Jacquelyn, let it go.” the well-coiffed hunter ordered deathly serious. She glared daggers at the offensive man next “You Sir are a brute, unworthy of our offense. Right, Darling?”

The cowgirl seemed to catch on, glancing around to her distressed friends. The fear on their faces managed to break through the anger. She rolled her shoulders and straightened herself.

“Yeah…” she mumbled, shaking it off. “Yeah, ya ain’t worth a sack manure.”

Relief swept through the group. They all stood and surrounded their friend and brushed brusquely past the thug of a man. He gave a ‘TCH'.

“Accident nothin!” he sneered “Failure like you for a daughter, your parents must’a died of shame!”

Sunset swore he could literally hear the last straw break. Face twisting in rage, the blonde wheeled around, fist drawn back. The loud smack of flesh hitting flesh filled the bar. The man fell back into the stools, knocking them over with a loud enough clatter to finally draw the attention of the bouncer outside. Sunset stood confused as she saw Dash also on her back between the two. The mechanic pushed herself up onto her side, holding herself on her elbow while wiping a stream blood from her nose.

“Dash w-what-” the cowgirl stammered, pieces coming together as she struggled to comprehend “What’dya- Why'd ya jump in front of-”

“Go home AJ.” Rainbow said quietly, not making eye contact. Fluttershy kneeled next to her, trying to fuss over her until she waved her off.

“I didn’t mean- ya didn’t have ta-”

“JACKIE!” the bleeding woman snapped, eyes locking onto the blonde’s. “Go. Home.”

She didn’t say anything in response, mouth fumbling without a sound. Slowly she let Rarity and Twilight pull her away and guide her outside. They checked on the loudmouthed asshole; He wasn’t hurt. While he seemed to be having trouble getting back on his feet, it had nothing to do with anything Applejack did. Sunset looked up to the bartender who did nothing to intervene, seeing him scowling at the group with a phone to his ear. Probably talking to the police.

“Come on Sunny” she Pinkie laid a hand on her back, causing a slight tinge with her touch “Let’s go wait outside.”

Sunset laid back at the top of a small set of maybe four steps. Hands behind her head, a propped up foot swung back and forth as she listened to the tunes singing from her phone laying next to her. She was watching over Indigo cleaning the lower landing of an abandoned farmhouse a pack of infected cats had taken up residence in.

It had been just short of a few days since the incident at the bar. No one had been arrested, though it had cost all the brownie points she had earned helping Flash and then some. Not that any of that was official or anything, but she distinctly heard one of the cops mutter they were lucky they were on good terms. Still, things could have turned out a lot worse if Dash hadn’t thrown herself in front of the punch. Since she hadn’t actually hit the guy, all he could try pressing charges with was a shaky attempted assault claim, which really wouldn’t be worth it for him to pursue. An idea the PD helped impart to him.

AJ hadn’t been to work since. She hadn’t been suspended, but she had been given ‘recovery time off’ by Cadence. Dash was still sporting a pretty nasty black eye and an air of delicate tension had claimed the station. Which is why she was so content to enjoy her time outside of it.

Zap had insisted she take it easy while babysitting tonight, a belated birthday gift as she put it. Sunset wasn’t going to argue. While she usually liked to help to hurry the shift along, the tension had extended a little to the house even, so she wasn’t really in a hurry this time.

“So are you really 21 or was that just something we were telling Spot so you could drink?” Zap called over the music.

“No, I’m only 20.” she admitted with a smirk.

“Heh, nice.” the cleaner snickered. “Too bad we all got banned. Next one may not take it on faith.”

“Eh, Whatever. It was kind of fun sure, but I don’t see myself being much of a drinker” the redhead shrugged “Besides, seems like you lot could use another designated driver.”

“Pfft, if you ever get your license” the waste specialist snarked.

“Hey, I’m not gonna pay car insurance until I actually get a car!” she smiled “Dash says I’m getting pretty good though. Says I should ace the test no-”

Her eyes shot wide as dinner plates as her senses went off like a bomb.

“ZAP HEADS UP!” she shouted, leaping to her feet just in time to see the door behind Zap shatter. A large twisted shadow crashed into the cleaner, lifting her up and launching her across the landing before she could even turn. Sunset sprinted to the downed Indigo, sidearm raised against the stealthy NMC.

It was once a dog, or possibly three. A trio of canine heads writhed around a central maw of razor sharp teeth as a pair of insect like claws sprouted from it’s back in front of long, almost crustacean like feelers running the mutant's length. Bright, crab-like eyes pivoted between the heads, glowing as they locked onto the fiery haired girl. Standing the height of a full grown mastiff, it took a single step forward before its prey opened fire.

It roared as the rounds hammered into it. Unfortunately, infuriating the creature seemed to be the only thing the small caliber managed to accomplish. A spark arced between the tassel like feelers and the NMC charged. Sunset’s hand ignited and a ball of flame soared to meet their enemy.

Sunset blanched as the fire only halted the mutated Cerberus's advance. It’s already red, blistered skin shuddered as it shook off the cinders. The redhead dropped her mag and reloaded while the creature howled. A second set of deeper shots joined hers, Zap opening fire against her attacker from her prone position.

With the barrage of fire, and the heavier hits from the cleaner’s .45, the beast finally appeared to register the pain and fled down the foyer's adjoining halls. Sunset quickly helped Indigo to her feet. The young woman swayed uneasy, lifting a hand to her forehead before hissing in pain. Fingers sticky with blood, she pulled the limb away to reveal a nasty gash just over her temple.

A snarling growl echoed through the house, preventing any further examination. Zap clumsily fished her phone from her pocket, seeing the screen shattered.

“Shit…” she breathed. Sunset reached for her own to find it missing. Mentally kicking herself, she jogged over to the steps, snatching up the device still playing music. Draping the cleaner’s arm over her shoulder, she thumbed out a sloppy text as they hobbled to the door. ‘Site not clear advancd nmc zap injure send backup’. With Indigo disoriented and the NMC still up, she couldn’t afford to divide her attention calling it in and retreat was the best tactical option until help arrived.

An option quickly rendered moot by the multiple howls that sounded from beyond the heavy double doors. They didn’t sound nearly as twisted as the triple headed monstrosity’s, suggesting only the alpha was the only one so advanced, but it cut off their escape none the less. A fact only compounded by said alpha singing in response.

“Fucking seriously?!” Zap growled, cringing as Sunset turned them toward the main stairs, pistol sweeping between the darkened hallways as they made their way “Cleared my ass! The OC’s gonna get a boot up their cunts when we get out of this!”

‘IF we get out of this’ the redhead failed to resist thinking. Her heart sank further when something slammed against the main door as they reached the second floor. She set the dazed cleaner against a wall and looked around. They were in a narrow hallway, doors leading to side rooms and ending at a small window overlooking the long dead fields.

She ran over to a heavy bookcase, a loud squeal accompanied the wood scraping wood as she dragged it from the wall. A burst of shots made her jump as Zap opened fire when one of the Alpha’s glowing eyes peaked around the bottom banister. Spurned to move faster, she practically caber tossed the shelf to the top of the stairs. It filled most of the space at an angle, even lying lengthwise it didn't fall flat. Grabbing more furniture, she filled the gaps as best she could and with as much weight as she could move quickly enough.

‘all you should need for cleanup watch is your sidearm’ the remembrance sent a wave of bitterness through the rookie hunter, a deep scowl forming on her face as she lodged a nightstand into place ‘Like fucking hell it is!”

She wasn’t allowed to dwell when a claw crashed through a small opening still in the barricade’s corner. She fell back, scuttling away from the Alpha testing the strength of the barrier of dilapidated wood. Another crash of a shattered door sounded from behind the creature, the yips and growls of its pack mates pouring into the abandoned farmhouse signaling their arrival.

Their own protection managed to hold however, the Cerberus finally relented to allow its smaller brethren to try their fangs against the barricade. More individual portions shook at their attempts but their position fighting along the narrow stairs left them too disadvantaged to make much progress. One managed to fit itself in the gap but couldn’t scramble along the wood length before a single shot to the head ended it.

It was ripped free, quickly replaced by another pack member trying more frantically to breach the opening only to meet the same fate. This one was left to rot as the remainder had now learned better. The wood continued to rattle and groan, the occasional crack and snap indicating the loss of a piece but it continued to hold. MIST would be bringing the cavalry, even at how muddled the text she managed to get out was, if not because of it. They’d have no problem taking down even the Alpha, they’d just have to hold out until then. She desperately wanted to check her phone for a response, or even just know how long they were waiting but didn’t dare take her eyes off the barrier.

Her blood ran cold when one of the doors behind her flew off its hinges, followed by a blood curdling scream. She rounded to see the triple headed hound land on the cleaner and one set of its many jaws clamp down along her side. She ran forward, emptying her pistol into its side as the other heads tried to gain purchase against the struggling woman.

One of the NMC’s strange feelers lashed out across the hunter's chest, throwing her back and sending a agonizing current throughout her body. Landing hard against her shoulder, she forced herself to roll and struggle to her feet to retaliate. Unfortunately, her mind was failing to think of something, of Anything she could do.

Her fireballs hadn’t done it so her little shotgun trick definitely couldn’t. She couldn’t enhance anything with magic, not without risking the possibly, if not certainty of killing Zap too. Likewise she was blanking on a spell without the same problems. The only hope she had was the stream technique she barely had a grip on in controlled circumstances.

A louder scream ripped from Zap’s throat and she was out of time. Her mind blank in panic, Sunset swept her hand across the hall, a pure gold burning in its wake.

The moment skipped, the former pony blinked with a hand extended to her side, not remembering bringing it there. Deep gouges smoldered along the walls either side of the perfectly still hound standing over the cleaner. A glowing line of burning goo stretched from between its gnawing maw of heads to its flank. In what felt like slow motion, the beast fell off the woman to the side, the top half falling free from the cauterized base.

Zap groaned as the jaws of the now completely severed lower head fell slack and blood poured from the wound.

A more fevered thrashing came from the barricade. Clearly distressed snarls and whimpers rang from the fallen Alpha’s packmates in response to its death. Sunset quickly closed the distance to the fallen cleaner, dragging her into one of the unmolested side rooms. She slid the bed against the door before ripping the dusty sheets from the mattress. She began tearing before the blood drained from her face. Zap wasn’t moving.

“Zap! Come on Zap! ZAP!” she slapped at the woman’s face, a cold relief heaving out in a sigh as the injured cleaner moaned weakly with a frown. She continued ripping the sheets and pressed the cleanest part against the wound. A troublingly weak whimper escaped Indigo at the contact, head falling to the side, eyes shut tight.

“Stay alive Zap. You have to stay alive” the redhead whispered, barely audible over the woman’s labored breathing. “Please don’t die. Please. You’re my…”

“I don’t want you to die.”

Tears ran down the hunter’s cheeks,

“Please…”

Twilight sat next to the red and gold haired girl, examining the flash burns along her side. They were minor and, given an NMH’s ability to heal, wouldn’t even scar. Even the more severe burn at the contact point against the girl’s chest probably wouldn’t leave a mark, or at least much of one for too long. Still, the MIST doctor worked with as much gentleness as she could manage; such an injury was incredibly painful to experience and she had little doubt the girl was still quite tender.

Not that she could have guessed from Sunset’s mile long gaze. If it weren’t for the redhead's single syllable responses, she might have feared she’d gone full catatonic on them. She didn’t even flinch at the scientist’s own inspection after already receiving one from the hospital’s own doctors.

With the extent of Indigo’s injures being beyond MIST's own facilities, she was rushed to the nearest ER. Since she wasn’t infected they couldn't utilize any mitochondrial healing either. That was something she tried explaining to Sunset, hearing second hand that the young hunter had beaten herself over not knowing how to on the way over. By the time the MIST doctor arrived though, Sunset had already fallen into her current state.

A light knock came from the exam room door, followed by the entrance of her sister-in-law.

“Zap?” Sunset’s head snapped up to the counselor.

“Still in surgery,” Cadence answered calmly. The hunter’s cyan eyes fell back to the floor, no change in expression to be found. Twilight exchanged a worried look with the woman before returning to her patient, hand taking on a subtle blue glow. The counselor moved to sit next to her charge on the bed. “How are you?”

“Fine.” The response came dully.

“Clearly you’re not” Cadence countered “What happened wasn’t your fault.”

“Then whose fault is it?!” the hunter snapped “The OC’s?! They can't sense shit, how could they know?! That’s if the pack was even there to begin with and didn’t just wander towards us! Fuck! They may not even come if I wasn't there to lure them!”

“Sunset Stop.” Cadence tried to intervene, only for the girl to jump up from the bed.

“WHY?! Rupert sent you in to find out how I fucked up right?!” She yelled before grimacing at the lance of pain shooting up her side. Rubbing her bruised shoulder and holding her arm against her burns she continued nonetheless “I was lounging on the stairs as Zap was cleaning, barely paying attention and completely forgetting my senses. So because I couldn’t be bothered to do my job, a damn Cerberus was able to sneak up on Zap and toss her more than halfway across the damn house!”

“Sunset you saved Zap!” Twilight pleaded back, trying to get closer to the injured redhead. She recoiled from the scientist however.

“Like shit I did! Not only did I corner us but then let the same fucking thing happen again!” she fell against the door, head in her hand trying to fight away tears “I didn't even think of the rooms, that it could… And now one of my… she’s going to die because I couldn’t…”

“She’s not dead Sunset!” Cadence tried “You kept her alive!”

The words fell on deaf ears as the girl began to hyperventilate.

“I can’t… I can’t do this” she panted before running out the door, nearly head first into the MIST director waiting outside.

“ALL I SHOULD NEED IS MY SIDEARM HUH?!” she bellowed at the man before shoving past him, whimpering at the fresh pain the action caused.

“Sunset!” Cadence called when the pair left the room right after the girl, shoulders slumping as she continued fleeing. She set on hand on Twilight’s shoulder, keeping the girl from giving chase.

“We can’t leave her on her own, Cady!”

“We’re not,” Rupert sighed, sadly watching the girl round the corner “Dash and Fluttershy are just ahead of her in the waiting room. They’ll stop her.”

Sure enough, a few moments later they could hear more shouting, eventually followed by the mentioned pair leading their charge back to them. Rupert sighed again as they waited.

“I didn’t think a Cerberus was even possible without an EVE.”

“That was our hypothesis” Twilight returned “But only because we haven’t had any reports of fully formed Kerberos since the Manhattan blockade. Most dogs only end up like the few stragglers that were left when backup arrived.”

“Does it matter what kind it was?” Cadence cut in with an angry frown, bringing the pair back to the moment. She let out a huff but then gave the director a sympathetic smile “This wasn’t your fault either Rupert. Still, it might be best if you stayed out here, if Sunset’s reaction to you was anything to go by.”

The director nodded and stepped a small distance away as the three approached.

“Feel better?” the counselor asked lightly. The scowling hunter didn’t respond. “Can we talk?”

“I don’t want to” she answered evenly, still refusing to make eye contact.

‘Damnit Sunset’ Cadenza resisted the urge to groan. “Sunset, we’re just trying to help you.”

“I don’t need your help.” she practically whispered. Rainbow didn’t resist her urge to groan, giving a massive roll of her eyes before opening her mouth. She stopped at a raised hand from Cadence, refraining from giving whatever piece of her mind she was about to share.

“At least let us treat you Sunset. We can’t leave you in this condition” Twilight nearly begged. A small sneer tugged at the redhead’s lip as she remembered the pain, now only exacerbated by her little escape attempt.

“...Whatever” she finally relented and followed the doctor back into the room. Cadence followed, trying to break through to the former pony, though had even less luck then expected. Sunset shut down completely. She wouldn’t even answer Twilight’s queries anymore. Eventually Twilight had done all she could and had to clear her patient to leave.

She didn’t say anything on the way home. She refused to eat and just locked herself in her room without a word. Even when Fluttershy managed to get her to open the door to tell her Zap was out of surgery with a good prognosis, all she did was nod before closing it again.

The only sound from the room came well into the night, consisting entirely of the light scratching of a fountain pen on parchment.

[Messy script appears upon the pages, occasionally marred further by a drop of moisture]

Day [...] who the fuck cares

I can’t do this.

I was a fool for ever thinking I could.

I was a fool for ever running from home.

Celestia was right. I don’t have what it takes to be a princess.

How could I ever be responsible for an entire kingdom of ponies when I can't protect a f-

[...]

When I can’t even protect the life of one person?

I don’t have what it takes.

I can’t watch these people die.

I don’t think I could stand watching anyone die but when I think about these peo-

[a fresh wave of blots bloom across the parchment]

[...]

I can’t keep pretending I’m strong enough to do this.

I can’t keep lying to myself. I can’t keep deluding myself that I won’t get anyone killed, even if I somehow keep myself alive long enough to fail them.

All these things that are supposed to be so rare always seem to happen around me.

And why shouldn’t it? My parents dying, everyone only tolerating me as the princess's pupil, being turned into a mutant mere hours after being stupid enough to flee to an entirely unknown world…

So many bad things happening all around me, with this most recent one finally being the last straw that I just have to face the only common factor in it all.

Me.

[...]

I’m leaving tomorrow.

I don’t where but I can’t stay here. I just

[The hand writing grows more shaky, barely legible as more drops stain the paper]

I can’t do this

Chapter 10: Choice

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Sunset walked through the garage, staying along the wall instead of weaving through the lanes as she normally would. She also didn't bother with the main entrance since she didn’t want to run the risk of Fluttershy spotting her as she passed the clinic. She was unsure of her capacity to suppress her signature and was already fortunate that Rarity was out today as it was. Dash hadn’t seemed to have noticed when she slipped out her window, not even taking her bike to make her way down the side streets to the station. Gallus and Jack sat chatting in the break room but didn’t even notice her rush by.

She neared the stairway junction when she was tempted to just hit the locker room and bail, but she shook off the notion and definitely strode past and quietly made her way up the stairs. If she was going to get caught then she was going to get caught. She knew she couldn’t leave without a contingency for the worst.

Well… another contingency at least.

She kept as quick a pace as she dared to while trying to also not draw any suspicion. She closed on her goal, slowing to almost a crawl as she approached the door. Placing a hand upon the wood, she closed her eyes to focus. She could feel something but it wasn’t strong enough to be the room’s most frequent occupant. Nevertheless she gave a quick peek through the window, confirming the space to be unoccupied.

She stepped into the lab, making her way toward a cabinet against the far wall. She tried not to look anywhere else but found herself startled at the sudden sound of scurrying feet to her side. She let go of a held breath as eyes landed on a row of cages lining the back wall. An entire mischief of rats scampered about inside their confines, several standing up along the bars to study the new arrival curiously.

It was a new addition to the lab, one that now reminded Sunset that Fluttershy had finally managed to get a blood sample from Brandon, even tagging the wild crow before he had enough. Twilight was very excited about the findings, enough to finally begin live testing of infections again. While a vaccine or safe methods of making NMHs were still a long time away, she stated being able to study infections in a controlled setting again would still be a massive leap forward.

‘A shame I’ll never see how it turns out’ the redhead tore her eyes away and returned to her task, standing in front of the storage cabinet a moment later. She was almost surprised to find it unlocked. ‘Of course it’s unlocked. Who would steal anything from here, let alone from Twilight?’

She would, it turned out. Just another regret to add to a rapidly growing list. She grabbed a slim, rectangular orange case and stuffed it in her backpack. She was just closing the door when the last voice she wanted to hear spoke behind her.

“Shimmer?” Rupert’s baritone questioned. Sunset turned with her best poker smile “What are you doing here?”

His tone wasn’t accusing. If anything it hurt Sunset’s heart how much genuine concern she could make out. While perhaps not as easily picked up by others, she’d been around him enough to finally pick up on at least some of his subtleties. Perhaps even to sort of understand why everyone treated him like he was so much warmer than his cold exterior implied.

Simply put: he was.

“Sorry sir, I just forgot something in the locker room” she returned in a half truth “I was poking my head in to see if Twilight was here when I heard a noise. Turned out to only be the new lab rats.”

The director nodded understandingly, trusting her excuse. Too trusting in her opinion. She wished she hadn’t managed to deceive him so well. She didn’t deserve that trust. Another beat went by before the man shifted uncomfortably.

“Listen, Shimmer, I… I didn’t mean to lead you astray.” He began awkwardly, earnest regret behind his eyes “I know I said you only needed your side arm for cleaning watch. Most the hunters-”

“Stop. That… That’s really not necessary sir” she interrupted, head down as she felt her eyes beginning to water “You told me I could bring my primary, I was the one who didn’t. It’s not your fault. I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

“You’re not at fault either Sunset” he declared quietly. It was one of the few times he’d used her first name. He put a hand on her shoulder, sending even greater waves of guilt through her with the simple touch “These things can get the drop on any of us. Even Rarity can’t always sense everything. You didn’t do anything wrong last night.”

“Thank you, Sir.” It took everything she had to keep her voice from cracking, from breaking down right there. But she didn’t. She was Sunset Shimmer. She might be a coward who ran from all her failures, but she could still manipulate with the best of them. So she lied. Head down, she would continue this charade to its end. She could cry later. “I uh, really should, um…”

“Of course” Rupert returned, stepping back to let the young woman pass. She hurried to the locker room, both immensely grateful and disappointed no one was there. Other than the sound of one of the shower stalls running, no one else was present to see her to load her bag and abscond.

She left the garage and retrieved the stashed shoulder bag with her clothes and paused, looking down the various alleyways. A small gust fluttered through as she pondered which direction to take now.

‘I suppose I could be poetic’ she sighed and walked with the gentle breeze at her back.

Wondering where the wind was going to lead her.

Twilight hummed happily as she entered her lab. She was just coming back from the hospital with some happy news: Indigo had regained consciousness. She managed to let Fluttershy know just as the nurse was leaving, glad her friend could let Sunset and Rainbow know in person. A much relieved Rupert said he’d inform the team and let Twilight get back to her work. She grabbed a bag of pet food from the low security storage cabinet and began portioning it out to the rats. While there was a good chance most of them wouldn’t be surviving the upcoming tests, an unfortunate truth of her work, she was going to be sure they were as comfortable as she could make them in the meantime.

She finished topping off their water bottles and returned the food to its proper place, just stepping away when something tugged at the back of her mind. Opening the door back up, she studied the contents, feeling something off. Her focus landed on a stack of four slender orange cases made of plastic. She plucked the inventory list off its hook, flipping through the numbers and then double checking the check out notes on the last pages. She frowned and immediately made her way to the director’s office.

“Rupert? Did any of the teams need new suppressant pens? I’m missing a case.” she poked her head through the office’s already open door. The dark skinned man flipped through a few pages on his desk for a moment before answering.

“Not that they reported. I didn’t see anyone in the lab except…” the scientist saw him set his jaw before casting her a dark look “Except Shimmer.”

“Sunset was here?”

“Yeah, she said she forgot something in her locker.” he returned slowly, gazed darting around in thought “I caught her just coming out. She said she heard a noise that turned out to be the rats…”

“I don’t understand. What would Sunset want with a case of suppressants?” almost as soon as she asked, the director’s phone rang.

“Broderick” he answered before a nervous voice Twilight could hear from the door rambled from the other end “Flut- Fluttershy, slow down. What’s happened? …Okay. …Right. Calm down. You and Dash keep looking, I’ll call in some support.”

“What’s wrong?” Twilight muttered quietly as he hung up. She hadn’t managed to make out much, but she caught the gist of what was causing the nurse’s worry. Still, she needed to make sure.

“They can’t find Sunset. Her room was tossed with a number of her drawers turned out. There was no sign of foul play, not that it could have escaped Dash’s notice. She left her phone behind too.” he answered, typing out a succinct text before sending it to a decent number of the team. Not a second later he was standing and grabbing his coat “Shy said Sunset's bike was still in the garage, and it was only a couple hours ago I saw her. She couldn't have gotten too far.”

“Rupert-” she called as he made his way toward the garage.

“Stay here in case she comes back.” he turned back with a glance, though double took at the doctor’s expression.

“She’s just scared, Rupert. She’s not-”

“I know” he cut her off, giving her a determined look of his own “Don’t worry, we’ll find her.”

The moon hung high in the sky, bathing the quiet courtyard in a brilliant silver light. The lamp posts dotted around the area were hardly needed on a night like tonight. Sitting upon the cool cement, she leaned against the stone base of the statue in the center of the space.

“This was stupid…” she whispered to herself. The odds of the portal being open were slim at best, and that was assuming it was even still working after that surge that hit it when she jumped through. It simply hadn’t been long enough, she knew that. And yet, despite not having much of a direction to begin with, she somehow found her way back to it anyway.

She sighed as she stared at the moon. She could see the ‘face’, though honestly never really thought much of it. Sure it was kind of there, but it didn’t hold a candle to the mare in the moon. Even half full on a cloudy night, she could still be seen clearly as… Well, not day, but nopony could miss her.

A shadow fell across her vision before someone landed next to her with a soft grunt. Her head snapped right to a pair of intense blue eyes beneath locks of gold.

“Hey kiddo.”

The redhead tried to scrabble to her feet only to have a hand grip her jacket and tug her back down. The blonde glared at her incredulously.

“Seriously?!” Aya snapped, letting out a huff at the girl's sheepish wince. She pinched the bridge of her nose “Look, if you really want to, we can do the whole chasing thing later. But for now, just… listen for a bit, alright?”

Sunset didn’t say anything but let the tension ebb from her, gradually relaxing against the stone. The veteran hunter looked her up and down before starting in a soft tone.

“Look, you had a hell of a close call last night. I don’t blame you for freaking out a little. But running away isn’t the answer, Sunny.” she told the troubled redhead “Honestly, it’s kind of amazing it took this long for everything to catch up to you. With all you’ve been against, with the couple of other close calls you had, you should have realized your mortality a while back.”

“I just… I couldn’t… she almost…” Sunset curled into herself, hiding her head behind her knees as her voice began to crack “Zap almost died. I almost let her… I didn’t…”

Aya blinked, the girl next to her petering off as she realized the real problem.

“Huh,” she scoffed lightly, followed by a small chuckle as a small smile came to her “I don’t know whether to be concerned or impressed.”

Curiosity finally won out, dragging the cyan eyed girl's head out of its protective depths. Her watery gaze found the blonde looking at her with a new found respect.

“You don’t care that you almost died. This is all about almost losing Zap, isn't it?”

“Well, I mean… I was scared for me too…” she began.

“Yeah, but you’ve been scared for you before,” Aya countered “The last time you really freaked out was when you almost shot Lily. Blush also said you were left pretty shaken by her just thanking you...”

The awakened reasoned before regarding her with a sad expression and it all fell into place.

“You’re afraid you’re going to get someone killed. That you’re going to have to watch someone die and won’t be able to stop it.”

The redhead’s face twisted in shame before retreating back into her lap. She could hear the blonde sigh, letting a few moments of silence pass before speaking again. In a surprisingly casual tone as well.

“There was this guy, back when I was still a cop, Chet. Real pretty boy type, and rich to boot.” she relayed. The girl’s cyan eyes emerged again, befuddled to say the least “There’s a point, I promise.”

“Anyway, we met at a ball the chief threw to try and woo some donations out of some of the city’s elite. Now, despite being a spoiled rich kid, Chet was actually a pretty decent guy. Not my type but a better person than most would expect from the cliché. It turned out that *I*, however, was his type” she told, a reminiscent smile on her lips “And boy was he persistent. I can’t tell you how many times I turned him down. Even with the subtle suggestion from my chief that humoring the kid couldn’t hurt butter up his parents, I really wasn’t interested. Eventually though, I caved. If nothing else just to get him to finally give it a break for a while.”

A ghost of a smile tugged at the redhead’s lips, but she still had no idea where the veteran was heading with this.

“He went all out too. Fancy diner, a limo and even tickets to a sold out show…” Aya’s smile fell and her brilliant blue eyes grew distant.

“On Christmas Eve at Carnegie Hall…”

Sunset’s eyes grew wide as realization flooded through her.

“I watched an entire theater of people burst into flames,” Aya delivered evenly before turning her attention back to the young woman next to her “And there was absolutely nothing that I was able to do about it.”

“People are going to die, Sunny. Worse, there are going to be times that’ll be your fault.” Aya told her bluntly “And even worse than that, there are going to be a lot more times where it won’t be your fault at all, when you do everything right and people will still die. That’s something normal emergency responders have to deal with and we fight monsters for a living, Sunset. You can’t tell me you didn’t at least consider that. I know you’re too smart for that kind of ignorance.”

“...I did. But I tried to ignore it. To convince myself I was too talented to let it happen.” Sunset admitted with a croak. The quiet stretched on after the confession, lasting longer than it probably should have. Aya just waited patiently though, watching her contemplate “I don’t think I can do it. I mean, how does anyone cope with something like this?”

“Different ways, with varying effectiveness.” Aya answered after a moment “AJ drinks, as you’ve witnessed… So does Rupert. I wouldn’t suggest it, but it’s how they manage for now. Rarity has her little side business to keep her busy. Dash distracts herself any way she can, not letting herself dwell on things. Twilight, I believe can truly see the light at the end of the tunnel, giving her something to make it all worth it. And Fluttershy, she just… does. I’d never met anyone that strong…”

“And you?” Sunset asked in little more than a whisper. Aya sighed again, looking out over the courtyard.

“Frankly, I don’t know sometimes,” she admitted “I really fear I’ve simply grown jaded to it all… that I’ve lost just that much more of my humanity…”

The blonde's gaze dropped, a list of regrets that Sunset’s could only pale in comparison to flashed across her face, just for an instant. However, she raised her head back up a moment later and took a deep breath. Sunset could literally see as the resolve within her reignited.

“But in the end, it all comes down to the question of what happens to those we are able to help if we’re not there.”

“You don’t need me” Sunset argued “I can’t save anyone…”

“You saved Zap.” Aya stated simply. The redhead opened her mouth but the blonde didn’t allow it “No. It doesn’t matter if any of the rest of us could have too. It doesn’t matter if she wouldn’t have been hurt if that were the case either. ‘IF’ doesn’t matter because it’s not what happens. You keeping her alive did happen. Zap’s only alive because of you. And yeah, that kind of thing is fucking terrifying to know. Believe me, I get it.”

She finished, slightly short of breath as she continued looking at the teen.

“Running isn’t the answer, Shimmer. You can’t deal with this stuff on your own… none of us can.” she sat back against the statue's base, the look of shame on her own face startling the former pony “I can’t tell you how happy I was when I f- …when Eve awoke. How happy I was when Twilight showed up at our doorstep. As messed up as it is, part of me was even happy when the first stable infection happened.”

Aya’s gaze turned upward, letting Sunset see her own eyes were now shimmering, no longer so intense.

“It… is so damn hard to live with shit when you’re the only one.” She took another breath. Blinking rapidly, the veteran hunter rolled her shoulders and regathered herself before standing. Looking down at the young woman, she gave in conclusion “You’ve made friends at MIST Sunset, and some damn good ones at that. You don’t want to leave all that behind… I know I wouldn’t be strong enough to.”

Without another word, the older woman began walking away.

“We’re not doing the chasing thing?” the girl called after her.

“My feet hurt.” she said without looking back “Besides, this’ll all catch up with you in the end. It's just a matter of how you want it to.”

She watched the hunter walk away, until she rounded the corner to the parking lot and out of sight. She slowly rolled back against the statue's base, eyes finding their way back up to the moon…

“You found her” Rupert commented from the office's door, to the woman cleaning her gun at her desk. “Your text said you found her.”

“I did find her.” she answered simply.

“And yet she’s not here” he pointed out “You even called everyone off the search.”

“They don’t need to search anymore.” she returned “Because I found her.”

“You didn’t bring her back.”

“What did you want me to do Rupert? Cuff her and drag her back here kicking and screaming?”

“Better than leaving her in the wind.” He growled “If she turns-”

“She’s not going to turn. She stole the suppressants for just that reason.” she explained nonchalantly.

“If they work, and only until she runs out.” he countered “She’s-”

“A good kid” Aya swiftly interrupted “Emphasis on kid. I know a lot of us look like we’re only 20 but she actually is. But she’s also technically an adult too. One with a lot of growing up to do still sure, but legally it’s a damn wasp’s nest on whether we could actually force her to stay; awakened or not. This isn’t a choice we can make for her. She has to come back on her own.”

“And how can you be so certain she will?” he asked skeptically. The veteran hunter opened her mouth to respond but abruptly hesitated. Her eyes flicked, slightly distant for a moment before a grin broke out across her face.

“Because she’s a good kid” she repeated smugly “and because she already has.”

Before he could say another word, he heard Twilight stomp past down the hall. Taking a step back, he could see the red and gold haired young woman standing sheepishly at the entrance. She shrunk back abashedly from the approaching scientist, who held her hand out expectantly as she stopped in front of her. A moment later the young hunter caught on and dug the case of suppressants from one of her bags. Twilight snatched the box away and kept her irritated glare on the girl before her.

It only remained a few seconds longer however, Twilight's face growing much softer as she then looked to the girl with sympathy. Rupert saw her ask something he couldn’t make out, to which Shimmer shook her head. Stepping back, the doctor then gestured to her to follow. The redhead jumped as she spotted the director looking on, though only hesitated a moment before dejectedly continuing to follow.

“I swear you’re fired if you say it” he warned the blonde with an unamused glower.

“Say what?” she returned innocently. He gave a small harrumph before leaving to meet the pair.

Sunset glanced into the office for the brief moment they passed. Aya simply gave a knowing smile before returning to her maintenance.

‘Welcome to the family kid.’

Journal Entries, One

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Log
Day-

[...]

Dear Diary-

[“No, I haven’t gone that soft.”]

[...]

Journal Entry
XX/XX/XX

I couldn’t do it.

Well, I could have: Aya found me but didn’t force me to come back.

I could have left, but I didn’t.

I still have no idea how I’m going to deal with all this but Aya was right: I can’t leave behind my

[...]

[A heavy sigh sounds before writing continues]

I can’t leave my friends behind.

Who’d have ever thought? Sunset Shimmer actually has friends. If Celestia could see me now…

I guess I’ve had them for quite a while, and just didn’t want to accept it. I didn’t want friends. Honestly part of me still wishes I didn’t. But [...] I can’t deny the comfort just thinking that I won’t have to figure all this crap out alone brings me. Like a warmth I haven’t felt since before things soured between the princess and I.

[...]

I don’t know how to be a friend. I’ve never really had any. I was close to Celestia but that was [...] different. More. Well, at least that's how I remember it. It’s not like I would really know though, is it?

Still, I am Sunset Shimmer. All my failings aside, I’ve nev- [...] almost never backed away from a challenge. If I’m going to have friends then I’m damn well going to figure out how to

[...]

friend good.

[“No, that’s fucking stupid.”]

-do it right. Like they say; admitting you have a problem is the first step to success.

[...]

I should probably stop thinking of it as a problem first, shouldn’t I?

Well, I’ll have plenty of time to think about it. I’ve been suspended for two weeks for stealing from the lab. On top of that I have twice as many appointments with Cadence as usual now too. I’m pretty sure Rainbow and Shy are checking in with reports regularly as well. Not that I blame Rupert. Honestly, I’m surprised he didn’t just fire me and stick me somewhere and pump me full of suppressants.

[...]

Actually, I’m not that surprised. Rupert’s a good man. He’s been burned before but still hasn’t given up on the world. He still hasn’t given up on me. The fact Aya has yet to may be influencing that some, but I’m not going to complain.

I owe Aya a lot. I owe everyone at MIST a lot. I’m not going to forget that debt. I may never be able to tell them the truth, but I’m not going to let them down. I refuse to.

I am going to continue my research. The knowledge and technology of Earth can still do a lot of good for Equestria. While I am beginning to reevaluate my motives and planned methods of introducing those discoveries, I’ll be damned if I’m not going to get the credit for at least bringing them back. I may have a lot to learn before I’m ready to be a princess but I’ll still deserve recognition for that damnit!

[A light huff sounds, followed by the sound of someone cracking their neck]

For now though, while I’d like to write more while it’s all fresh, I do have a prior engagement. Dash and Shy are taking me to a movie to try to get my mind off things and it’s time to get ready.

Will write more later.

She set the pen into its base, making sure the flow was firmly off. She didn’t want it leaking all over again. The desk was still stained.

She paused in closing the journal, frowning at the twisted bottom half of the previous page. Looking like someone tore off the page’s bottom half, crumpled it up and then chewed on the ball for a while before slapping it back into the book, it was not a pretty sight. Magic was an emotional force, and reacted strongly to emotions in kind. So the page being as messed up as it was told of just how out of sorts she had been the previous night.

‘Still…’ that kind of response took time if it was caused by emotions. It wouldn’t happen all at once. The only thing she could think of that could affect it so quickly, without just destroying the parchment outright, was arcane overcharge.

‘But there’s no mana burn… ’ she frowned. Maybe she was overthinking it. The journal was damaged after all. While stabilized, she still wouldn’t call the remaining enchantments entirely sturdy anymore either.

“Sunset! Ya gettin’ ready? Flutters likes to see the previews!” Rainbow called down the hall. She jumped up from her seat and gathered her things, quickly moving to the door. She paused as she was stepping out however. The afternoon light reflected off the still open journal, catching her eye. Frowning, she turned back slowly. She leaned in, tilting her head at the chaos of crinkles and folds embedded into the page. She narrowed her eyes.

“Sunset?” she straightened to the sight of Fluttershy, peering down the hall concerned “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, sorry!” the redhead laughed off, pretending to snatch something beyond the frame. “Just took a second for me to find my sunglasses.”

She left the room, closing the door behind her. Fluttershy smiled warmly and turned back to the living room, not seeing the girl glance back hesitantly.

‘Nahhhh’ she shook away the silly thought and joined her housema- joined her friends.

By the time they arrived at the theater, she had already forgotten about the page still sitting back in her room. And why wouldn’t she? It was nothing more than a trick of the light, casting dancing shadows along a marred page and nothing more.

Anything else wasn’t possible.

Not anymore.

…Right?

Chapter 11: Manifested

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Aya was sitting in the break room listening to Rarity regale her on her latest commission; the ‘interesting challenge’ of a full denim ensemble. Fluttershy was humming softly to herself in front of the toaster oven ticking away and AJ was flipping through channels on the new TV. Technically two of the three hunters should have gone out on patrol at this point but it was Sunset’s first day back and with Rupert off for the day, that left Aya the boss at the moment, and she wasn’t in any particular rush.

With Dash also teasing that they’d be arriving with a small surprise, she felt the probably uneventful drive could wait another hour. Fluttershy was mum on the details, only saying that Sunset wanted everyone to see it. Soon enough the nurse’s phone chimed, signaling their arrival. Making sure her food wasn’t about to burn, she led the way to the garage entrance. They could hear the gate opening as they approached, expecting to see Dash’s old civic roll down the ramp any moment.

The pleasant surprise of an unfamiliar, compact suv making its way to the garage’s maintenance bay met them instead. Rainbow’s colorful mane could be seen in the passenger seat next to Sunset’s, the mechanic rolling a finger as her lips read ‘a little more’ before the tires landed in position on the lift. With a thumbs up from her passenger, Sunset cut the engine and hopped out with a beaming smile.

“TA-DA!” she cried and threw her hands up. She then wrapped her arms around the vehicle's black painted frame “Isn’t she beautiful?!”

“It’s your first car, of course she’s beautiful” Aya smiled back, chuckling softly at the redhead’s excitement. She glanced at Rainbow pulling her bag out of the back “Cherokee, huh?”

“Yeah, figured something reliable over fancy would be best for Sunny’s first ride.” she smirked “Though I honestly hadn’t thought of a Cherokee until we kind of just lucked out with this. Friend of my Dad’s had to get rid of a couple of his cars when his wife complained he had too many. When I heard this was one of them, I knew I had to scoop it up.”

“What’s her name?” the blonde asked.

“JILL!” Sunset announced happily “Dash says she’ll last forever so long as I take good care of her; That she’s like a little tank.”

“Well, mine certainly took quite the beating before finally giving out on me” Rarity commented, a slight blush creeping to her cheeks. A melancholy reached her smile with a sigh “Trust me dear, if yours is anything like mine was, you’ll rarely if ever just be let down out of the blue. It was such a sad day when I finally had to retire the old girl.”

“You didn’t take care of her,” Dash pointed out.

“Yes, though not for any lack of desire to.” the fashionista countered somberly “I simply couldn’t afford the maintenance. Funds were not in abundance in those days…”

“Yeah I know,” Dash shot with a grin and winked “I’m just giving ya a hard time.”

“Well,” Aya looked at the redhead. “Do you think she’s up to her first patrol?”

“Up for it, sure. Available for it?” Sunset jerked her head toward the maintenance bay “Not today.”

“Yeah I gotta install the gps, sync it up with the MIST systems and then put in a safe storage for gear since it’s an open trunk” Dash rattled off before turning on the lift to expose the suv’s underside “And while my dad’s buddy took good care of her, I still think a full tune up would be for the best. Then we gotta do all the paperwork to get it registered as a MIST vehicle, although that can wait ‘till you guys get back.”

“Busy day for you then” she smirked at the mechanic, who to her credit took it in stride with a shrug. The veteran hunter looked back to Sunset with an exaggerated sigh “Guess we’ll have to settle for Claire again.”

“Oh however will you manage?” Rarity quipped, earning a laugh before the pair started toward the locker room and left Rainbow to her work. However, as they neared the hall they spotted Applejack, who had so far not said a word.

“Hey AJ! Long time no see.” the redhead smiled at the cowgirl. She tilted her head “How you been holding up?”

“Oh, well uh… pretty good, consider’n that was a might friendlier reaction than Ah thought Ah’d get… or deserve.” the hunter shuffled awkwardly. They hadn’t seen each other since the incident at the bar. The younger hunter furrowed her brow “Well either way, Ah gotta apologize fer the way Ah acted at yer party.”

“You really don’t have-”

“Yes Ah do. Ah made a right ass out of mahself and ended up hurt’n a friend cause Ah couldn’t check my temper.” the cowgirl insisted before offering her a grocery bag she was holding. Sunset took it, noting what felt like wine. She pulled the plastic away to see it was a bottle of ‘Sweet Apple Acres Hard Cider’ “So y’know, here. Belated birthday gift.”

“You already bought me drinks that night, and that was after I didn’t want to celebrate.”

“Well then an apology gift. Just take it will’ya? Ah ain’t good with this kinda stuff'' she argued “Now that is tha hard stuff, so be mindful not to get as off yer ass as Ah was.”

“Thanks AJ” she returned, looking the bottle over “Gonna have to find something worth having it to celebrate with now, huh?.”

“Yer’s now Sugarcube. Ya can drink it whenever ya want.” the Apple shrugged “Heck, I’d say you could down it now if we weren’t at work.”

During the exchange, Aya had continued on to gather the gear, the veteran hunter now reappearing with Sunset’s equipment in tow. The other set of gear wasn’t hers however. In fact it looked a lot like Jacquelyn’s typical set.

“Here, you two got more catching up to do” she handed the pair their equipment with a wink “Don’t worry, you’re checked in.”

“Been a bit since we’ve patrolled together” Sunset gave as they made their way to the Apple’s truck.

“Like old times” the blonde grinned back.

As the pair made their way back to the station, they received a text telling them to ‘not worry about the crane’. Sure enough, when they turned the corner, they were met with the sight of a large crane sitting in the half cordoned off street in front of the building. Thankfully they could still get to the garage, the whole bottom floor filled with the sounds of construction as they exited the vehicle.

“Hey guess what!?” They heard Dash shout over the commotion and her own ear protection from the maintenance bay “We’re finally getting the elevator fixed!”

Flashing the mechanic a thumbs up, they began their way through the noise. The break room was empty, not shocking considering the ruckus. It was thankfully not so loud on the ground floor and the two soon found the rest of the girls had gathered in Twilight’s lab instead. They opened the door to find a thoroughly amused Fluttershy with a pair of rats on her shoulders, giggling as their whiskers tickled her cheeks. A third sat in Rarity’s hands, sniffing curiously at the fashionista making kissy faces at it.

“And here I thought you were trying not to get attached to them” Sunset smiled at the encumbered nurse.

“Well now I have to if I want to find them the best homes,” she nuzzled the rodents at her cheeks and cooed “Don’t I?”

“The tests are already done?” the redhead blinked and looked to Twilight and Applebloom.

“The first round yeah,” The youngest Apple returned “We’ll be start’n another series in a week or so, after gett’n through all the data.”

“Hopefully more than just the control will survive this time…” the bespectacled scientist added glumly.

“You still learned a lot. More will survive in time” Fluttershy of all people consoled her, only a mild melancholy behind the sentiment “And until then, well… greater good, right?”

“Right” Twilight smiled gratefully back at the nurse. Regathering herself, she brightened and looked at the returned pair “I don’t suppose either of you would like a new pet?”

“Can we even have uninfected pets?” Sunset arched an eyebrow.

“I’ve had Opal since I was a teenager” Rarity answered simply “And while the old dear would probably love to return to her prime, she won’t be getting infected by either Sweetie or I.”

“While they carry infectious mitochondria, it’s very rare for an NMH to actually be infectious themselves” Twilight explained “As an Awakened, it would even less likely for you. It can happen, but it usually needs some fairly exceptional circumstances. Thankfully the… two examples we have are also stable.”

The scientist’s somber mood returned at the end, her friends looking at her sympathetically. While the former pony had yet to hear the story and have her suspicions confirmed, she thought she knew who the two examples were. Twilight didn’t seem ready to share though and while she may not know much about friendship yet, she still knew the social fopa it would be to push. Especially in front of everyone. So instead she returned to the original question.

“I’m… not sure I’m ready for a pet” she pressed her lips with an apologetic look. Applejack however, appeared to be genuinely considering it.

“We haven’t had a proper pet in the family since Winona…” She gave and looked to her sister “What D'ya think? We ready fer another critter?”

“Ah’d reckon it’s been long enough” Applebloom smiled back and then shrugged “Rats are pretty low maintenance too. Ah think it’d be a good first step back inta it.”

“Ah guess that settles it” the cowgirl concluded. She turned to Fluttershy and couldn’t resist a hearty chuckle at what she saw. The animal lover looked like Pinkie trying to contain herself at a party; a beaming grin was plastered across her face as she bounced excitedly on her stool, waiting for the pair's decision “Reckon ya can get us started?”

Laughter found the rest as a loud Squee escaped the nurse.

The rest of the week went by smoothly with Sunset falling back into the routine easily enough. It was a little weird getting used to thinking of most of her co-workers as friends now, mostly because life really wasn't all that different after the revelation. The biggest change was simply how she viewed things, not in how all her interactions went. Nevertheless, she found her mental state significantly more stable. Cadence was proud of her progress if nothing else.

The Apples ended up taking in all three of the surviving rats, with Granny Gertrude positively loving the idea of new pets the moment she heard it. Fluttershy was also quite happy, as they’d do better if kept together. The nurse even donated an extra large cage with plenty of stimulating toys from her own collection. Sunset knew because she had been the one ‘volunteered’ by said Nurse to help deliver it. Not that she minded much. It taught her that she could fit a lot more in Jill’s trunk than she thought she could.

They had just finished setting it all up at the Apple home when the three MIST employees received simultaneous texts. The trio had the day off but it seemed they were needed at the station right away. Even more concerning was that when they arrived at the station, they were promptly called to the group briefing room. They practically never used the room as they very rarely needed to be briefed all at once. They entered to find nearly the entirety of the branch’s hunters and medics present, as well as a number of people Sunset didn’t recognize. Though if she had to guess, she was figuring Feds.

“Alright, now that we’re all here, we can begin.” Rupert started as they found their seats. “We’ve just received word of a large gathering of cultists this evening, the largest since Canterlot High.”

Sunset shifted unconsciously as one of the agents spoke up.

“Received word from who?”

“Our informant within the cult’s communications network contacted us just a few hours ago.” Rupert returned.

“Which was confirmed by one of our moles shortly after” Shining added from his place next to the director.

‘We have an informant? We have moles?’ Sunset blinked, though after a second’s more thought, she supposed it shouldn’t have surprised her. She was still relatively new and just a hunter, still in only the written phase of study for investigation work and not likely to take on the role anytime soon. The two men upfront continued before her mind could wander further.

“The gathering will be in this warehouse district” Rupert stated after the lights dimmed and the screen behind the two men flicked over to a map “Just recently, this same district was where one of our hunters discovered and eliminated a Brain Stinger with the aid of a local officer.”

Sunset shrank into her seat slightly, grateful Rupert hadn’t gone into any further detail of how the Stinger had been dealt with. That still didn’t stop her spotting a few smirks on her co-worker’s faces though.

“So this is a location of frequent activity?” one of the agents asked.

“No, actually. In fact our records don’t show there being any other incidents in the area, not even low level infestations.” Shining returned. BonBon spoke up next.

“Are we thinking someone’s been keeping the area clean themselves to avoid suspicion?”

“We can’t confirm it but that does seem to be a strong possibility” the director explained “The original cause of the officer’s presence was a call of suspicious persons in the area. We never found anything concerning in the area after the incident, let alone said persons, but it’s possible someone could have been preparing the area for this gathering.”

“So the stinger could have been an accident?” Sunset looked to see it was Gallus that asked the question.

“Possibly” Rupert nodded “Though whether intentional or accidental, the mere possibility of an NMC as advanced as a stinger being connected to the cult raises a myriad of concerns.”

“Which is why both teams have been assembled” Shining cut back in before clicking his remote, changing the screen to a more detailed overhead view of the familiar warehouses. “The bureau’s strike team, led by myself and Agent Marini, will take point in the initial breach.”

“So we’re just the backup?” Lyra’s voice emerged from the darkness.

“Marini’s team is trained in breaching maneuvers and anti-personnel tactics” The MIST leader countered “We fight NMCs Heartstrings, rarely people.”

“That’s fair, I guess” Sunset suppressed a snort at Lyra’s response. MIST hunters actually were trained in more conventional combat and conflict resolution but like Rupert said, it wasn’t something they had a lot of experience in and was best left to the specialists.

“MIST will be present to deal with any unexpected NMC presence or NMH’s that offer resistance.” Shining added.

“Are we expecting NMHs?” One young man asked with a hint of concern, and Sunset didn’t blame him; she was now a touch more concerned herself. Rogue NMHs were rare, even moreso were any willing to risk exposing themselves by developing their powers, but they existed.

“It’s a possibility” A man sitting up front, who Sunset suspected to be Marini, looked over his shoulder to the man “Most unregistered find themselves in the cults.”

“Cultests, monsters and now freaks with powers? Might as well fight some aliens too while we’re at it” a murmur escaped someone Sunset couldn’t see, certainly louder than they intended.

“Watch your tongue Vickers, unless you want one of the ‘freaks’ present to take it from you” the strike team leader snapped at the offending agent. A muted apology came as one of the silhouettes jumped at the rebuke. Marini continued “Don’t worry boys, any infected or creepy crawlies show up and the hunters will be right behind us.”

Rupert gave a nod to the man now flashing a bright smile to the pair up front before he and Shining dove into the finer details of the assault. Sunset did her best to listen but found her attention divided, her eyes regularly darting to the dim figure of the agent who grumbled the complaint. She’d never actually been insulted for being an NMH before. Sure some of the others have referred to themselves as ‘freaks’, but it had always been in a self-deprecating, humorous kind of way. This was the first time she heard it from someone who, even if he intended no offense, actually meant it.

‘I guess I really am lucky I ended up here…’ she thought somberly, now even more glad she chose to stay. The thought brought her gaze to Aya sitting next to Marini. She’d yet to say a word with her focus unwavering from the plan being laid out before them. Sunset did her best to shake off the distraction and follow her example.

She did her best to.

Soon enough, the briefing was concluded and Sunset found herself sitting in the back of AJ’s truck on the way to the forward rendezvous, fidgeting at the unfamiliar bulk of the heavy gear she’d been loaned. She normally just wore what most the team affectionately referred to as a ‘Chicken Plate’ when in the field, sometimes with arm and shin guards if needed. But for the amped up risk of this particular mission, even with her just being back up for the back up, it was deemed everyone was better safe than sorry and assigned extra protection.

‘Still, it's probably a damn sight more comfortable than the full combat armor some of the others are stuck wearing.’ she reasoned ‘Maybe I’ll save up my BP for something special fitted like Aya’s…’

“Ohhh!” Rarity abruptly wavered in her seat, bringing a hand up to her head with a wince. The moment only lasted a few seconds but the fashionable woman had to take a few more to shake off the disorientation “That was certainly unpleasant…”

“Y’alright there Sugarcube?” AJ asked, even pulling over to make sure her partner was okay. Rarity returned an only slightly off smile.

“Oh yes dear; while not entirely sure why it hit so hard, I’m fine” she then pressed her lips together though “We do seem to have a few NMCs with some rather unfortunate timing however.”

“Haven’t seen any NMC hit you like that” Sunset commented.

“Perhaps I just wasn’t expecting it.” the fashionista shrugged, “Sometimes it can surprise me.”

Applejack opened her mouth to argue but was cut off by Rupert’s voice cut in from the radio.

“Apple, what’s wrong?” his deep tone asked as they spotted the director’s own car pull up behind them.

“Rare’s felt some NMCs, got her all distorted” Jackie returned, earning a huff from the woman now rolling her eyes “That kinda reaction, don’t think we can just leave it.”

“No. We can’t” The director murmured. A moment of silence passed before he spoke again “Belle, mark the gps with a search zone and transfer your gear over here. Apple, you and Shimmer take care of it and head to the rendezvous as soon as you’re finished.”

“Yes Sir” AJ returned and waited as Rarity did her best to pinpoint the faint sense as best she could on the truck's gps. With her closest estimate in, she bid the pair adieu and stepped out of the truck “She’s on her way boss.”

“Sorry to separate you two but-”

“But y’all need her senses a lot more than we do.” the cowgirl interrupted cheerfully “Don’t worry, we’ll be fine. Y’all just watch yerselves out there. Apple out.”

“And here I thought we’d be anxious and bored waiting by the cars.” Sunset quipped as she transferred to the front seat, returning the fashionable hunter’s wave as she and Rupert drove past. “I really haven’t seen it ever hit her that hard before though…”

“If it catches her off guard it can really throw ‘er. Doesn’t happen often but Ah’ve seen it a few times. She’ll be alright.'' The senior hunter tried to ease the redhead’s concern. They turned off from the previous route toward their new destination “Prolly just somethin’ more energetic than most, like some flans or tha like.”

“Hopefully” the fiery haired girl muttered “Hate to find out the mole got the meeting place wrong and we’re about to stir up a hornet’s nest without backup.”

“Nah, our girl knows her stuff too good fer that” she returned confidently, though failed to elaborate. Sunset didn't take it personally. Despite the fairly casual environment MIST cultivated, there were still levels of clearance and things she just didn't need to know. She would be lying if she said she wasn't curious who their informant or informants were, but it wasn't as if she didn't have enough on her plate as it was.

They had reached Rarity's search zone and began their sweeps. They were circling an old factory district, not actually that far from where they had been headed originally; the factories could have easily been part of the warehouse's supply for all she knew. Nearly an hour had past with Applejack shifting in her seat more and more, double checking they were in search zone every few minutes.

“Y’all feel anything yet?” she asked with a huff.

“No…” Sunset frowned as looked around. “I actually don’t feel… anything.”

“That’s wut Ah was afraid of…” the blonde pulled the truck over, checking the gps once more just in case but it still showed them having completed a least three circles of the area. She pulled out her phone, sending a quick text to Rupert before resting her lips against her knuckles, looking out over the maze of long factory buildings and dilapidated storehouses of the gradually darkening district. It wouldn’t be much longer until night rolled in completely.

“What’re you thinking?” Sunset eventually broke the silence as they waited for a response.

“Ah’m think’n something is definitely off here. Rare rarely gets false reactions, and certainly not like that. There’s noth’n that could be here that would have set her off like that we wouldn’t be able ta feel in the middle of it.” she took a breath and shook her head “But here we are right in tha middle and not only do Ah not feel any NMC’s but even yer feeling fuzzy right next ta me!”

It was true, the pair were only a stick shift’s width away from each other yet the blonde’s presence felt… muted to Sunset. It’s true there were things that could impede their senses of course, distance and landscape being the biggest factors. Buildings of certain designs and materials could also interfere with what were already fairly vague senses for most of them but they required sufficient knowledge about neo-mitochondria to construct already. Also, while she was sure Twilight could build a room even Rarity couldn’t sense a thing in, Sunset couldn’t remember learning about anything that could dull their senses outside to a degree this strong. Not that wouldn’t draw the attention of all their other senses at least.

“Aaaand now Ah don’t got a signal” AJ announced, looking down at her phone. Sunset quickly pulled her own out to see she also had no bars. The senior hunter huffed “Yep, I’m calling it then. Even something that could cloak or suppress itself wouldn’t have tripped her that far away, not without there being more than we wanna face just the two of-”

The blonde’s words were cut short when, as she turned the truck’s headlights back on, a tall-headed mutation materialized just ahead of them. Screeching at the sudden, blinding light, the NMC leapt back between two more letting themselves stubble into the viewable spectrum as well. The first gave one final hiss before the trio scuttled off toward an arch between two of the factories, more blurred movement scurrying inside as they arrived.

“Or it’s just a mess o’ stalkers…” Applejack’s palm met her face “If the buggers kept stealthing all asynchronous like, that could definitely mess with us and Rares.”

“I… haven’t fought a lot of stalkers…” The younger hunter announced apprehensively “And didn’t you say if it was enough to mess with Rarity that far that we shouldn’t handle it alone?”

“Noth’n to worry about if we just take it slow. Got a couple flash bangs in the back too,” She explained as they climbed out of the truck and started gearing up “Knocks them out Hard. We’ll be fine. Prolly won’t make it back ta the others in time though.”

Sunset just nodded quietly, following suit behind AJ now taking point. She gave a casual gesture over her shoulder, signaling them to set up around the corner to the arch the stalkers fled to. The older hunter hefted the cylindrical explosive and pulled the pin before tossing it around the corner, quickly turning back to join Sunset covering her ears. Even so, the blast rattled their teeth in their heads and forced them to flinch away from the flash. Still, as mildly unpleasant as it was for them, it hit the waiting NMCs a hell of a lot worse.

With a distant ringing in their ears, they saddled around the corner to see four of the crawling mutations screeching as they flailed helplessly on their backs. They seemed a lot less scary now, she almost felt bad for them. AJ’s first shot made the redhead jump, reminding her of their purpose there. She shouldered her rifle and walked up to one of the now more panicked creatures and put a round into its elongated head, then a couple more before it finally stopped thrashing.

“Pretty tough for such scrawny things, huh? Twi told me it’s got to do with them being all stretched out, something about bones and tendons. That’s what I gathered ‘fore she fell into that science talk of hers at least.” she smirked at the redhead before finishing the last two with her shotgun’s more powerful shots. Sunset returned the smile and they took position next to the door to the factory. Applejack reached down to flick on the flashlight under the barrel, nodding for the younger hunter to follow suit.

A muted yet rapid thumping sounded from the wall, before settling just on the other side of the door. Sunset’s breath grew short suddenly, hitching as the door rattled under the steps of the NMC rotating along it. She teetered slightly before sagging against the wall, forehead slick with sweat.

A hand landed on her shoulder, snapping her out of the episode. She shook her head and straightened, pushing off the wall to see a very concerned pair of green eyes locked on hers. She didn’t say anything until the thumping continued past them and down the wall until they couldn’t hear it anymore.

“Y’alright there, Sugarcube? Didn’t think ya’d be as sensitive as Rare with this…” she mumbled after asking, looking the girl over.

“Yeah. Yeah, sorry. Just…” she shook her head again, taking a deep breath before righting herself. Her eyes darted away as a blush raised to her cheeks before muttering more of an answer “It was just... a flashback to the school…”

“Ahh, now THAT Ah get. Real kick in the teeth, ain’t they? Ah’d love ta tell ya they go away but even now they still occasionally catch me off guard. They will get better though” she smiled sympathetically, the hand still on Sunset’s shoulder giving a small squeeze “Listen if you wanna just head back ta the truck, Ah don’t mind waiting for the others-”

“No.” the younger hunter quickly cut in. She took another breath and rolled her shoulders “No. I’m good.”

“Ya sure?”

“Yeah.” she only somewhat lied. Her gut was screaming at her something was off but she pushed on. If nothing else, she wanted the catharsis of killing that thing for affecting her so much “I’m good.”

That seemed to be good enough for Applejack, who just nodded and moved back into position. The door was unlocked, sending another uneasy feeling down her spine, but they still pushed in. A wall lay just in front of them, a long entrance hallway opened to their left. AJ tossed in another flashbang, the sound and flash not hitting them nearly as hard from outside this time.

They breached to only find one stalker flailing this time. Sunset stepped forward to finish it before Applejack could. A chuckle sounded behind her.

“Feel better?”

“Not as much as I hoped.” she admitted. The blonde patted her on the shoulder and took the lead again. They reached the door to the factory proper, the windows set in the double doors practically pitch black. She gently cracked one open, peering inside.

“Damn, really feel’n like I wasted that second grenade. Remember the night sweep protocol?”

Sunset gave a quiet affirmative. AJ returned a nod and gestured to move in slow. It was just as dark as it had looked through the window; she could tell it was a much wider and taller space, not surprising considering it was a factory. Her flashlight swept across the floor, eventually landing on equipment to her side. A surprisingly ramshackle bundle of wires and cables hung along a fenced off area, hooked up to a massive, concave circle.

‘Is that a speaker?’ her face twisted in confusion. The beam of light turned upward to a catwalk above them.

A clearly human figure flinched away from the light.

“FBI! Show us some hands!” AJ shouted before every light blazed to life, sending the hunters stumbling at the abrupt blindness.

“BROTHERS AND SISTERS! REJOICE!” a masculine voice boomed across the space. Sunset struggled to open her eyes, only able to make out the blurry silhouette of a robed man, his hands raised high. “WE SOUGHT TO ENTRAP THE SEER BUT THE GODDESS HAS INSTEAD DELIVERED ONTO US ONE OF HER CHOSEN!”

Cheers erupted from the catwalks at the declaration. The redhead felt Applejack meet her back and squared up to cover her side. Vision finally clearing, she could see at least two dozen people among the catwalks and behind makeshift fences surrounding them. Most were armed, a quick glance back to where they entered showing another pair behind an almost certainly now locked door. A chill ran down her spine as she realized they were all wearing robes. The very same kind of robes of the gathering at the school.

Fresh dread filled the former pony as she recognized the same smell as well.

“ONE OF HER ARCH-ANGELS, BLESSED WITH THE POTENTIAL TO BRING ABOUT HER RETURN,” the leader continued his shouted sermon. His head turned down to the pair, showing his face coated in dried blood, painted in a crude mockery of a stranger. “TONIGHT WE CLAIM THE BLOOD OF AN AWAKENED!”

“AJ?” Sunset whispered shakily, aim snapping between too many targets now whooping like animals, banging their weapons on the rails and machinery.

“F-B-I!” the hunter shouted again “STAND DOWN IMMEDIATELY OR-”

Whatever consequence she was going to give was cut off by the sound of a heavy switch being thrown and the whine of rapidly building electricity. They flinched back as some of the cables leading to the massive speaker sparked. The hunters glanced at each other, clueless to what they hoped to accomplish with the emitter but they both knew in that moment they didn’t want it to happen. Both of their weapons snapped to the large bowl-

A moment too late to stop the first pulse sending a rattling wave of sound into the factory.

The effect was instantaneous. A sudden, massive disorientation sent them both reeling, struggling to simply stay on their feet. Another pulse of undefined noise slammed into them, a heavy nausea and fatigue brought with it. The third sent them to their knees, weapons falling to ground as their owners were rendered unable to even attempt to use them.

Sunset’s world spun, the jeers of the cultists surrounding them reaching her in uneven echoes. In a matter of seconds, every drop of strength was stripped from her. The sound felt a complete antithesis to her mitochondria, leaving her drained beyond anything she felt before. Even with nothing left, the pulses keep coming, crippling her senses and leaving her completely bereft of her new abilities.

‘But not my old ones!’ a rage flared in the redhead and her hand lashed out. A bolt of golden lightning crashed into the speaker, obliterating the dish within. Silence reigned as the cultists stood aghast at the unexpected show of power; some in shock, others in an almost reverent awe, but silent all the same. ‘That’s right fuckers, that’s real magic. Now I’ll… I’ll… aw crap…’

Despite the brief surge of arcane might and the destruction of the speaker, the energy her new physiology needed was still gone. The edges of her vision began to fade and exhaustion took her into the dreamless darkness.

A buzzing, hot darkness.

The pastor stood pensive as he watched the young woman finally fall limp. Several more tense moments passed before he finally released his held breath.

She shouldn’t have been able to do that.

Their patron informed him these kinds of speakers had been used to contain the goddess’s former host; these two shouldn’t have stood a chance! The blonde had passed out as quickly as they had expected and while the awakened having a greater reserve wasn’t unexpected, the use of any powers should have still been well beyond her.

A subtle din of shuffling and muttering reached him, his disciples growing restless.

“TRULY BLESSED ARE THE CHOSEN!” he quickly called out, bringing his followers some calm. “Such strength! She has delivered us a great gift indeed! EVE EMBRACE US!”

He smiled as his flock regained their vigor, repeating the chant again and again. He looked back down to the unconscious pair, reveling in the quality of their bounty. They had sought the seer, intending to use her senses to gather more of the lesser ascended, those the hunters called NMCs. Their blessed blood was a key to her light. They were not the only path but they were by far the simplest, also serving as a test of worthiness. But surely with the blood of an awakened, fewer would fall to the holy flame, and perhaps even more would gain her grace without losing themselves. Joy filled his heart.

“Bothers and sisters, be proud!” the chants grew quiet at his words “We have claimed a greater path to her glory than we dreamed! The sacrifices of our brothers and sisters deceiving the contemptuous hunters of MIST will not be in vain. REJOICE!”

The chants returned, washing over the preacher like a wave, filling him with so much warmth it was almost uncomfortable. Still, he embraced it as a sign, basking in their faith. At least, until something troubling caught his eye.

The girl was stirring again.

Concern wrinkled his features as he stepped forward, clutching the rail as he witnessed the slow, deliberate movements of the fiery haired girl pushing herself off the floor. His knuckles whitened as his grip grew tight around the metal, she wasn’t even teetering as her legs gradually found their place beneath her. He would definitely be having a word with their patron about these speakers.

By the time the awakened had managed to stand, he had already signaled those armed to take aim and stand ready. Yet she showed no reaction, continuing to simply stand there, a bit duck footed and slumped with the drape of her fiery hair obscuring her still down turned face. He waited, sweat beginning to build on his still hot skin. The silence began to grow stifling, ever warmer as they waited for any kind of reaction.

Then a scream erupted from his flock, a woman flinging herself away from the fence as her hands suddenly ignited. The others scattered as she flailed wildly but before they could even think to help her, the man to the pastor’s side burst into flames as well. And then another… and another. The cult leader scrambled to retrieve one of their fallen rifles, but froze as he turned back to the pit.

She was staring at him, features completely passive. Only her eyes standing out...

Cyan rings burning brightly from within pools of black.

A quiet curse escaped the rainbow haired mechanic's mouth as she found herself right back where she started, the last location the system pinged her friend's truck. She’d just finished her third circle and hadn’t managed to find any sign of the AWOL hunters, let alone any NMC activity.

It’d been over an hour since the pair split off and they still hadn’t reported in. Concerned at the silence, Rupert had sent Dash to check on them. Now it was dark and for all she knew the operation was already underway, if not over. She huffed angrily as her gaze darted through the maze of factory roads already too dark to see very far in.

‘THERE!’ her tires squeaked at the abrupt breaking. Reversing far faster than was safe, she swung back and turned toward the truck gleaming in the faint moonlight. Pulling behind where Applejack had parked, Rainbow snatched her MP5k from the passenger’s seat and hopped out, rushing to the quiet vehicle.

Nothing seemed amiss; no broken windows or shell casings, and the doors were still locked. She placed her hand on the hood, finding it still decently warm. Just looking around though, she couldn’t tell where they might have gone and the heavy shadows the factories cast weren’t helping. She thought she heard some loud bangs earlier, with some distant pops that could have been shots but she definitely wasn’t hearing anything now. The fact that some of these factories were still up and running made those sounds questionable too.

‘Speaking of though…’ she did see some lights on in the upper windows of one of the closer factories, making itself her first choice. If nothing else, she could ask whoever was inside if they heard anything.

Not a second after she had the thought, the sound of automatic fire rang from within. Several terrified screams followed. Sprinting toward the door, Dash skirted a growing puddle of NMC goo and crashed into the obstruction full force.

“Mother fucker!” she growled, rolling against the frame and clutching her shoulder. The door hadn’t even rattled; a solid weight held it firm on the other side. She backed up, looking the building over as more gunfire echoed from within. A loud clatter came from around the corner, Dash rounding just in time to see a side door fly open and a blood curdling scream filled the air.

A woman completely engulfed in flame stumbled out, flailing in agony until collapsing after only a few steps in the backup hunter’s direction.

Rainbow quickly sprinted to the fallen form but it was too late; she was already dead. She had little time to grieve when her face blanched at the next realization however; not only was the body already completely immolated, but they weren’t normal burns either. While she had never witnessed an example in person, she’d seen and studied the photos more times than she could count during training. This woman had burned from the inside out, from her mitochondria igniting inside her very cells.

“Meaning she either injected herself…” she mumbled with a frown, meaning she was a cultist or one of their experiments or… she looked back to the now open door from where the victim had immerged “Or we’re dealing with something a lot worse than Rare thought.”

She crouch-ran to the corner of the frame, peaking in just in time to catch a pair of men in the bloodstained robes of NMC cultists scramble into view at the end of a short hall. One suddenly burst into flames, prompting the other to spin around in a panic and blindly unloaded his knock off AK at whatever was following them.

Rainbow went stiff as he was wrenched into the air by an unseen force, held only a moment before his body wretched back, his spine folding way too far in the absolutely wrong direction. Her blood ran cold and she started shaking; there was only ONE thing she knew of with actual fucking Telekinesis…

EVE.

‘Oh fuck’ was all she could think, frozen in place as the body was lazy tossed aside. Her heart skipped as she heard steps in the oppressive silence, steps and the steady growl of fire growing slowly closer ‘ohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuck-’

A very familiar main of fiery red and gold hair stepped into view, the fiery aspect far more literal at the moment.

“Suns-?!” was all Dash could choke out before a crushing force slammed into her from every direction, the girl’s head snapping to her the instant of the utterance, hand flying up in a gripping motion. A desperate sweat almost immediately drenched the mechanic as her temperature skyrocketed and the pressure around her increased, locking her in place to only stare back at her friend’s cyan eyes now shining brightly out of the pure darkness beneath a single horn of golden light upon her head.

But then, Sunset blinked. Her head tilted almost imperceptibly as the heat and pressure, while not lessening, stopped growing. The glowing gaze subtly darted about the colorfully haired woman’s form, her features staying utterly passive as she studied her prey.

The forces abruptly vanished as quickly as they appeared, allowing Dash to collapse to the ground when the redhead’s hand dropped and she turned away to continue down the hall. Taking just a moment to catch her breath and wipe away whatever sweat she could, she collected her fallen weapon and forced herself to stand. Uneasy on her feet, she nonetheless moved in pursuit of the young hunter.

“S-Sunset!” She called at finding her just around the corner, moving at an almost casual pace through the factory. If she noticed the call, she didn’t care, ignoring the mechanic as if she wasn’t even there. Dash considered trying to grab her but rethought the idea at the flames dancing around her friend, blazing without burning as she walked with an almost unnatural grace. Now that she wasn’t seconds away from dying, she couldn’t help but notice they weren't perfectly aligned with their master, forming a familiar shape walking in sync with the girl.

‘Is that… a horse?’ she could only ponder for a moment before the glass of the window to Sunset’s side exploded in a hail of bullets, another pair of cultists opening fire from the office on the other side. The hunter’s head turned to them, expression still blank as the glass and lead simply dissolved against the Equine shaped aura. She made a rough yanking gesture and both were wrenched through the air, one crashing into the wall before falling in an unmoving heap. The other wasn’t so lucky.

Rainbow turned away, slamming her eyes shut as he was literally crumpled into a ball like a piece of paper. She flinched at the sound of wet meat hitting cement and only opened her eyes when she heard Sunset moving again. Skirting the mess she refused to properly look at, she followed as Sunset stepped into the factory's large, mostly empty loading bay. She hung back at the entrance as the flaming girl stepped into the center of the area and began looking around passively. She searched for a few seconds before flinging her hand upward, sending a flurry of fireballs to explode against the top of a series of shelves along the tall ceiling.

“OH HO HO!” A voice called over the flames and a tall figure dropped not far from the redhead. Dash resisted the curse that bubbled into her throat; it was a fucking Golem. “You ARE something special, aren’t you Shimmer?”

The hunter didn’t react beyond slowly turning to regard the masked, elongated soldier.

“Oh?” the Golem leaned forward curiously, hand brought to his chin “Oh I see! You’re not even awake, are you?”

‘Not awake?’ Dash’s brow furrowed as she skirted the space, trying to get around behind the super soldier. A normal Golem was bad enough, that was something she HAD unfortunately learned first hand; but a talking one? On top of whatever was happening to Sunset? ‘Yeah, we definitely fucking overlooked something tonight…’

More flames erupted at the Golem, prompting it to leap back to the shelves. At the second failure, Sunset’s face finally gained a semblance of expression. A small scowl creased her features as the horn of light upon her forehead blazed even brighter.

“Ah-Ah-Ah! Can’t just burn us up girly!” he mocked and wagged his finger before tapping a few buttons on his oversized gauntlet “But I think your mitochondria have had quite enough fun for one night. Don’t you?”

He hit one last switch and a horrid pulsing filled the space, the source unseen. It irked at Rainbow but other than a slight disorientation with each pulse, she shouldered off the effect. She saw Sunset wasn’t nearly as resistant though, her aura shuttering as she stumbled with every beat. Finally, the flaming equine dispersed and the redhead fell to the ground unconscious.

“Don’t worry girl,” the Golem dropped from the rafters and began walking toward the fallen hunter “You’ll be having plenty of testing your limits soon enough.”

A twisted laugh was as far as he got before Dash burst from her cover, fire erupting from her weapon. She actually managed to land a couple shots before her target leapt away with a shouted yelp. She ran out to stand protectively over her friend as her adversary landed a notable distance away with the single leap, reminding Dash of just what she was up against. The golem growled as he pulled a hand sticky with blood away from his mask.

“So the hunters’ have a friend, huh!? MIST actually deemed the silence enough to send another away from our little diversion?” he squatted, completely ignoring the mechanic's weapon aimed his way “Just a measly human though... and here I thought they cared about their people a little more.”

The movement was so abrupt, Dash barely had time to even think about pulling the trigger before he disappeared into a blur of twisted air and all but the safety lights snapped off. Gaze darting around darkness and the shadows cast by the shelves, her weapon snapped about with the beam of her flashlight sweeping erratically.

A shimmer in her peripheral was all the warning she got before a clawed gauntlet shot out an inch from her face. Feeling the tips of her hair grazing the metal she rolled back and raised her gun, only just missing her opening as her opponent fell back into his light bending camouflage. Laughter echoed through the space as she regained her footing.

“My, you’re actually pretty quick for an uninfected.” Dash returned to her place over Sunset as the voice seemed all around her “This might actually be fun.”

“Yeah? Good luck keeping up!” she shot back, head on a swivel. A clatter of tools sounded from the shelves, followed by a chuckle at her reaction. She could talk big and was no slouch herself, but she knew better than to think he was doing anything but toying with her. She had to think of something.

“Oh, and a spicy one too!” Dash smirked as his tone came back amused.

“I mean if a few Army grunts can wipe out a platoon of you guys when you have freaking Laser Swords, then I like my chances.”

“Mindless dregs with basic programming” he countered almost off-handedly “Certainly nothing close to my level.”

“So you’re like that one that bombed Akropolis Tower? The one that was at the Shelter? Number 9?”

“NINE?! That unauthorized tool?!” the voice called back, clearly offended. “He was obsolete before he was finished! To even compare me to the likes of-”

The rattle of Rainbow’s smg filled the darkness as it shredded the wood of the shelf before her. She blinked away the spots from the rapid flashes to see she had guessed wrong.

“Did you really think that’d work?” the Golem whispered through his helmet’s speaker, now hovering right next to her ear. The metal claw returned to the visible spectrum as it rose to the frozen mechanic’s neck, hovering menacingly as he pulled the gun from her hands “Don’t get me wrong. If you got Nine monologuing then that totally would have fooled him. But like I said; already obsolete.”

She held her breath and slowly closed her eyes, waiting. She fucked up and now all she could only hope for is that it'd be quick.

A few moments passed without any pain.

Then a few more.

She finally cracked open an eye and took a subtle breath before turning just enough to see his mask turned away out of the corner of her eye. She heard what sounded like a muffled ‘roger’ from beneath before he let his hand drop and stepped away. She turned slowly, eyes wide as he laughed softly.

“It’s your lucky day 'Crash.” he took another couple steps back before turning and leaping to the shelves. He turned back just as he reached one of the windows “Don’t bother trying to keep up.”

She stood there staring for at least a minute until the sound of sirens echoed through the district and the flashing of blue and red could be seen.

A heavy breath and a small number of tears escaped her as she collapsed to her knees.

Pain and exhaustion filled the darkness, the usual motes of light dim as they floated by, listless. One would occasionally flicker, though whether it was gold or red seemed to be up to chance.

…sun...et…

They were all red not long ago. Red, hot and angry. But that anger had cooled, extinguished with pounding force. Now they floated as gently as she had been, perhaps even more so.

Pro…ct…

She was so tired, even as she rested. She couldn’t reach out even if she wanted to, her magic practically gone.

…gic…

She hugged herself tighter, willing the wind to cease so she could sleep.

Only the faintest whisper of it unheard as she returned to her rest.

…more

“-nd you’re cert-... -e grabbed you like that?”

Voices slowly pulled Sunset from the dreamless dark. She couldn’t quite bring herself to open her eyes yet though, not with the pounding in head.

“I’m sure Twi, I couldn’t have imagined that.” she could hear Rainbow, along with a lot of commotion further beyond. It sounded like when they needed a clearing team before sending in the cleaners, only with a lot more people.

“But then she just… stopped?” she recognized Twilight, who continued after a brief pause “Well… well, that’s good! They actually still recognized you as a non-threat, so that’s good! …if also still a little troubling.”

“Who recognized her?” she asked with a rasp and made acutely aware of her dry throat. She tried opening her eyes only to slam them back shut at the light.

“Sunset!” she heard Twilight rush up to the side of whatever she was laying on. She tried to open her eyes again, more carefully this time, to see the scientist standing over her as a blur. She moved to sit up but didn’t even need Twilight’s hand on her shoulder to keep her down; the dizziness hitting her hard before she rose even an inch. “Yeah, that’s really not advised. Take a moment, get your bearings.”

She didn’t argue and took another deep breath. She screwed her eyes and blinked rapidly, vision thankfully clearing to actually see the purple maned woman giving her a concerned smile.

“Any better?”

“Not really.” she admitted. She brought a hand up to rub at her face only to find she had an IV in her arm. Frowning, she looked around to see she was lying in a stretcher next to an ambulance parked outside the factory. Dash was sitting in the open door at it's rear. Several other vehicles blocked her view but it looked like half the police force was there moving about, as well as at least half of the team sent to the main objective.

“Sunset?” Rupert’s voice reached her as both he and Aya jogged into her view “You still with us?”

“Uh, yeah, I’m still here” she returned confused, and not a little worried at the expression of concern on the director’s face. It hadn’t escaped her that he had actually used her first name either. It wasn’t surprising he was concerned, Sunset learned a while ago he felt more than he let on, but for him to actually show it so openly like this…

‘What the hell happened? The last thing I remember was AJ and- "AJ!” she shot up in the stretcher before nearly falling out of it when her head felt like it just exploded and the ground suddenly became the sky. The trio were thankfully quick enough to keep her from toppling to the pavement.

“It’s okay Sunny! It’s okay.” Aya quickly soothed as they set her right. Twilight huffed as her patient fought against them actually laying her back down, now that she was actually sitting up, but didn’t argue. Aya continued, “Jackie’s fine, just… tired.”

Now That Sunset could understand. Even with that spike of adrenaline, she felt absolutely wrecked. She honestly should have let them lay her back down but this isn’t something she could take like that. She still had some reputation left to keep up.

“What the hell happened?” she finally asked again. The group shared some uneasy glances before Twilight spoke first.

“How about you tell us what you remember first, yeah?” she offered.

“Ok… well, we searched the area Rarity marked for what felt like hours until we noticed our senses were dulled and we couldn’t get a signal. We were just about to turn back when we spooked a stalker out of its cloak and it retreated with a couple others. Figuring it was just them messing with us, went after them.”

“You didn’t think anymore of the lost signal?” Rupert interjected. The redhead blushed and fiddled with her hands.

“AJ didn’t seem worried anymore, and I can think of at least a few places in this city where I always lose my signal…” she shrugged and waited until he gestured for her to continue. She shook her head and rubbed her brow again “We took four out in front of the factory and then a fifth just inside the entry. When we entered the factory proper, the lights turned on and blinded us... They were cultists, all around us and blocking our way of retreat. The preacher started yelling about us being a gift from EVE, to ‘deliver them our blood’... he seemed especially pleased to catch me…”

She tried and failed to suppress a shudder before feeling Twilight’s hand on her shoulder. The rest waited patiently for her to regather herself and continue.

“They then turned on this giant speaker and…” she faltered. She didn’t even know how to put it, or rather she knew how to put it but it wouldn’t do any good to describe it as mana drain to the extreme “It… it felt…”

“It felt like being drained with every pulse.” Aya finished for her, her head down. The blonde turned her sight back up to her with a sad recognition “Like every wave of sound was exactly what your mitochondria aren’t. I’m right, aren’t I?”

Sunset nodded solemnly. Rupert cursed softly and the rest sighed heavily. Twilight spoke again.

“They were at the Shelter. They were used to help contain… certain test subjects. We don’t know exactly how they work but they seem to inhibit the production of bioelectricity. We thought they may have been too complex or expensive to field outside of any such facility, as they were only used in a single area but… it would seem that was a stupid thing to assume.” she finished quietly. Before anyone could say anything Aya cut back in.

“Applejack said she was knocked out in seconds. Did they hit you that hard too?” the redhead nodded, to which Aya gave a grimace “The ones in The Shelter weren’t nearly that potent. It wasn’t nothing but I was still able to function and destroy them.”

“I tried to fight it. I thought I even managed to destroy it but I guess it doesn’t matter since I passed out anyway.” her face fell even further than it had been. “The next thing I knew, I was waking up out here to Twilight talking to Dash.”

“You’re sure that’s it?” Twilight looked at her almost desperately as she asked. She nodded again, and again saw several worried looks between everyone else. Twilight took a deep breath and looked at her sadly “There's no way to sugar coat this so I'll just say it: Sunset your mitochondria manifested. If I had to guess, they were trying to protect themselves and took control when you lost consciousness.”

She didn’t even know how to respond to that. Manifestations were bad enough, but they took control? That meant they were aware, which meant they could… it meant they could have turned her into an EVE. Her lips fumbled slightly as she failed to make any kind of sound.

“To say the least, we’re all very glad it’s you that woke up…” the bespectacled scientist gave an uneasy smile. Despite the poor timing, it was enough to finally wrest a response from her.

“So… I fought back?”

“That's putting it lightly...” she heard Dash scoff under her breath, though not quite under it enough. When she realized she said it out loud, it was her turn to fumble with her words. Rupert shot her a look before explaining.

“We sent Dash after you two when we failed to receive any response. She found Apple’s truck and was soon drawn to the sound of gunfire within the factory. She witnessed the death of three cultists… just before encountering you ‘covered in fire and eyes glowing’. You took hold of her and nearly caused a mitochondrial combustion.”

“OH MY GOD DASH-”

“I’m fine!” she held up a hand to stop the girl snapping to her “I’m fine… you stopped. It wasn’t pleasant but you let me go.”

“It’s encouraging actually!” Twilight tried once again with forced cheer “The fact your mitochondria could recognize her as a friend suggests they were just neutralizing threats. That’s a good thing.”

“If also still troubling?” the doctor gulped as her words were parroted back to her. Sunset simply stared at her hands, eyes distant “I killed them?”

“Sunset look at me” Aya shouldered her way to her side, forcing herself into the girl’s field of view as she took her hands “Look at me.”

Slowly but surely, their eyes met.

“You aren’t your mitochondria. You don’t have a choice in what they do, but you do in what you do. You didn’t choose this. You can’t blame yourself for this kind of thing; it’ll destroy you. You can’t let it. Do you understand?” she asked, getting a small nod “I need you say it Sunny. You won’t let it.”

“...I won’t let it.” she repeated, even sort of feeling it too. Aya didn’t seem entirely convinced but stood back up.

“I think that’s enough for tonight, we can cover the rest later.” The veteran hunter declared and looked at Rupert, who simply nodded after a moment. After assuring she was fit enough to walk, they helped Sunset to Dash’s car. Aya hung back as the others returned to the scene, leaning against the frame as she studied the young hunter. “You sure you understand?”

“I’m sure I already have an appointment with Cadence tomorrow to make sure I do, but yeah, I understand. Or if nothing else, I’m sure I can last for at least one night.” she assured her, before looking away with blush “But uh, y’know… thanks.”

“Part of the deal kiddo” she smirked and leaned in further to look to Rainbow “And you?”

“I’m good Brea.” She gave a tired smile back. The blonde nodded and closed the door, patting the roof before stepping away to let them leave.

It was a quiet ride back, and not just in part to Sunset falling back asleep for most of it. Dash seemed especially pensive, though with everything that happened, what she must have seen, she couldn’t really blame her. They reached home and Dash helped her out of her seat and into the house.

“I’m sorry…” she muttered.

“Now don’t start that Sunny. Like Aya said, you’re not your mitochondria. And like Twi said, it’s actually kind of cool they don’t want to kill me. I accepted the threat of this shit when I learned Flutters was in for long haul, so don't worry about that.” she assured her as they moved inside and toward the hall. However Dash abruptly stopped as they reached the dining table and slipped out from under Sunset’s arm. “We do need to have a talk though...”

"Dash I'm wreaked, can this wait until-"

"No."

Sunset stiffened at the notably colder tone. Now braced against the chair, she watched as the mechanic took the seat opposite to her.

“Take a seat pony girl.”

It was delivered simply and without threat, but Sunset's heart skipped a beat nonetheless; only the sense of pure shock was keeping her standing. She stared into the red eyes beneath Dash's prismatic mane, but could only see a slight impatience growing.

“W-what?”

“I said: sit down, pony girl.” she reiterated, this time with a note of force. Sunset complied, numbly easing into the chair as she felt her already fragile sense of security begin to break. Dash gave a sigh, and rubbed at her eyes. She sucked at her cheek, looking around the room before finally turning back and simply asking:

“So… Magic?”

Author's Notes:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Wait no, it's My birthday...

But yes, I wanted to get another chapter out by at least today; not just for all of you but just the sense of some kind of accomplishment for putting out a chapter as a gift to myself. Bit of a tough one, this chapter. Getting things to have at least a semblance of flow without over explaining and having an even longer chapter. Pretty important event too, if you didn't catch that, so I hope I got it right. Sorry about the long wait, I'll try to not have as long of one for the next.

Also while I did do at least 3 passes in editing, I'm sure I still missed things so I any mistakes standout, please feel free to let me know and I'll get them fixed up right quick

But for now, as always; Thanks for reading and I hope to see you for the next chapter. Have a good one!

EDIT: Well slap my plot and call me Rarity, this story just got featured! Happy Birthday indeed! Guess I really will have to try harder to get that next chapter out quick now, huh? BUt seriously: Thanks for all your support guys; without you all, well there wouldn't be much point to this, so here's to all you and another year

Chapter 12: Revelations

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“So… Magic?”

The question echoed through Sunset’s mind as a spike of fear cut right through her exhaustion. She tried to hide it, knowing it probably wasn’t at all convincing, but she had to try.

“W-what are you talking about?”

“Don’t fuck with me Sunset,” Dash returned exasperated, squinting and rubbing her forehead. She then stared at the young hunter with a stern gaze that fell just past the line into a glare “You’ve been lying to us, we know that. But I need to know right fucking now just what your deal is because, don’t get me wrong Sunny, I like you but I’m not about to risk all the rest of my friends for you. I know what I saw and I need to understand it; or I start remembering the rest of what I saw next time I talk to Twi and Rup’.”

“...What did you see?” she asked quietly.

“I saw you using powers only an EVE has been known to use. I saw you covered in fire shaped like a horse. I saw you with a fucking horn of light sticking right out of your damn forehead!” Rainbow jabbed a finger at her own head and leaned forward. When Sunset's brow wrinkled at the answer, Dash rolled her eyes and fell back. Her voice then took on a note of impersonation, one of Sunset herself “Truth is, I don’t have amnesia!”

The former pony’s stomach dropped.

“I’m a Pony! A Unicorn Pony from the magic land of Equestrius or whatever!” Dash continued before her face fell back to an irritated glare “Yeah, I remember. Didn’t at first but then it hit me while we were waiting for you to wake up. Now I know compared to the likes of Twi or even just Aya, I’m pretty much a dumbass, but I’m not that stupid. I like to think I’m actually pretty good at catching shit like this and putting it together. And don’t you fucking dare try to tell me you were just joking, not after the shit that went down tonight.”

Sunset had shrunk into her seat as much as she could, trying to disappear under the mechanic’s accusation. It wasn’t working of course and the stare continued to bore into her intensely. A moment of silence before Dash took a breath and quietly asked:

“So… was that magic?”

“…”

“...Yes.”

Another moment passed.

“Can you prove that?” Dash asked next, tone unchanged. Sunset blinked at her, earning another sigh “Sunny you used powers only EVEs can. I need to know that's not what I’m talking to right now. Granted if it is, then I’m still right proper fucked. I know that but… well, can you prove it?”

Trying to think of how she could, her eyes grew distant and began darting about. At least, until they landed on the fruit bowl between them. She reached forward and plucked a small tangerine from the pile before pushing the bowl aside. Rainbow frowned, but didn’t act against whatever was happening.

Her magic protested. Her reserves had barely recovered enough for a simple light spell, let alone what she was about to do, but it was the best she could think of. Hand cupped over the citrus, obscuring the fruit, she closed her eyes and concentrated. It… wasn’t easy. Especially with how little life was left in her target to work with, but she gradually corralled enough to begin the shift. A glow flared under her palm, shimmering brightly if a bit unevenly. The light lingered a few moments before fading.

She lifted her hand, revealing a small and slightly sickly looking finch. It was alive though and it hopped to its feet, cocking its head curiously between the pair.

“Pretty sure even EVEs can’t do that.” Sunset panted, well and truly spent now. She just hoped it’d be enough.

“That…” Rainbow stared at the tiny bird.

“That’s…”

“...”

“THAT’S SO FUCKING COOL!”

The redhead jumped as the Dash leapt to her feet with the exclamation, scaring the finch into the pony girl’s lap. She stared at the now beaming mechanic, fumbling for a response.

“…Is it?”

“What do you mean ‘Is it’?” Rainbow shot back, still grinning ear to ear “It’s fucking magic! Real magic! You have Real Fucking Magic! Yes, that’s cool!”

“You’re not mad?” Sunset asked cautiously.

“No… No Sunset, I’m not mad” the mechanic finally returned to her seat with a chuckle “I’m actually really glad you’re not an EVE. I just…”

She gave a huff, eye searching the distance for a moment as the tension steadily ebbed away and Sunset felt she might have cause for some optimism again.

“I just… had to be sure.” Rainbow began to explain, far warmer than before “Sunny I’m sure you caught on, but EVEs are Real fucking bad news. The ‘Half a city is dead in less than a week’ kind of bad news. And well, like I said, everything just kind of clicked.”

“So you didn’t tell them everything you saw?” the younger woman queried.

“I thought… I hoped I could give you a chance. After coming back to us after your freakout, after not killing me even when all manifested, I hoped that meant you might have just been telling the truth; that you hadn’t just gone all EVE on us. That it really was magic.” she returned with a tired shug “If your little ‘joke’ hadn’t come back to me, then you bet your ass I would have told them about the horse and the horn and the telekinesis. I’m not gonna risk my friends against a fucking EVE…”

“But?” Sunset asked timidly after a moment too long past by.

“BUT… you’re my friend too. So when I saw the chance, when it just made sense when considering everything else with you, well… I don’t like hanging a friend out to dry. I didn’t bail on the others when all this shit fell on them, and I wasn’t about to just bail on you.” Rainbow answered candidly, no sense of doubt in her voice or eyes. Sunset felt another blush creep up.

“...I don’t deserve that kind of loyalty.”

“Oh shut up” Rainbow returned annoyed, leveling a flat look her way. Her face then broke into a cheeky grin “You’re not that bad.”

“I’ve been lying to you, to everyone.”

“Yeah, but it’s not like you’re a mole from fucking Ark Shadow or something” the mechanic shot back, though her expression tightened as a thought occurred to her “Unless you’re spying on us for… Equestius or whatever, are you?”

“No!” She answered quickly “No, no it’s nothing like that. It’s… well, I actually didn’t even know where I was going to end up, I was… just trying to leave.”

“So you are a runaway?” Dash asked and the redhead’s face fell into her arms with a tired sigh.

“I was so stupid” she mumbled into her sleeves “I was stupid and arrogant and trying to prove I was worthy…”

“Worthy of what?”

“Of becoming an Alicorn,” Sunset dropped her arms, sighing with an exhausted melancholy “Of becoming… something more.”

“Alicorn… So you really used to be a horse?”

“Pony” Sunset corrected “We differentiate the terms, unlike here. We’re actually pretty different from this world’s horses. There are similarities but… well, calling us horses is like saying Humans are just apes.”

“Well we really kinda are… But you’re not actually human? You’re a… Unicorn?” Sunset nodded “Is everyone in…?”

“Equestria. And no, there are also Pegasi and, funnily enough, Earth Ponies. Also quite a few other races most human’s think of as only myths.”

“What, like Dragons?”

“Among others.”

“Seriously? That’s awesome.”

“You’re taking all this surprisingly well,” Sunset admitted “I would have figured finding out I’m basically an alien would have been a bigger deal.”

“Like I said, right now I’m just glad you’re not an EVE” Rainbow shrugged “‘Sides, I’d like to think I’m pretty open minded. That and the fact I work with a bunch of super powered monster hunters probably helps too.”

“I suppose there is that.” A small chuckle escaped the redhead. Her sense of peace quickly faded however, as she knew she had to ask: “So what now?”

“Hmm?”

“I doubt everyone else is going to be as open minded,” she elaborated “As I understand, the FBI will be particularly interested to find out what I am.”

“Oh… yeah. I can get why you didn’t tell us. Well, other than the whole unbelievable parts and all.” the colorfully haired mechanic sucked the inside of her cheek “But, it’s not like any of them put it together.”

“But… aren’t you going to tell them?” Rainbow’s jaw shifted and she arched a bow at the question “Dash, I can’t ask you to keep this kind of secret.”

“Yeah well, you don’t have to.” the mechanic waved off “So long as you’re still you, still MIST, then that’s good enough for me.”

She didn’t know what to say. She wanted to say something, but nothing seemed adequate. Dash didn’t seem to expect her to though and just stood, giving a long groan as she stretched.

“Well, as much as I would love to hear more about you being a pony and all, I’m also just wrecked, so I think it’d be best if we figure out the rest in the morning. I’m sure Rup’ will be getting us in as early as Twi and Cady will allow.” she declared and moved to help Sunset to her feet. The action however reminded them of the finch in the former pony’s lap “Oh right, you’re a mom now.”

“If it survives” she frowned at the little bird “I didn’t really have much left. Not sure I properly transmoged the life force.”

“Oh I wouldn’t worry about that. Magic or not, Flutters isn't likely to let it just die on us” she assured. They pulled out a cage (Fluttershy had many), and made sure the miniature avian had seed and water before leaving a note for their housemate, explaining they had just found it by the street. With their new feathered friend as secured as they could manage, they headed to their rooms to finally put this day to an end. Sunset hesitated with her hand around the handle however.

“Rainbow?” she called timidly, the mechanic halting halfway through her door to lean back and arch a brow her way “I… I just… it really…”

“...”

“...Thank you.”

“Hey, don’t sweat it” she waved off again “It’s what friends do.”

Sunset smiled, a sense of true warmth filling her as Dash continued into her room. This friendship thing went a whole lot deeper than she expected. To invoke that kind of loyalty, something she thought only a princess could inspire…

‘I still have a lot to learn, don’t I?’ she sighed and turned back to her room. ‘Well, it's a good thing I’ve never been afraid of learning then, isn’t it?’

Promptly falling into bed, she was now determined to simply get whatever sleep she could. She wasn’t entirely successful and could have slept better.

But, she also could have slept a lot worse.

“You feel that?”

“Yes.”

“And this?”

“Yep.”

“And-”

“OW!”

Sunset snatched her hand away from the purple haired scientist. She stuck the now slightly bleeding finger in her mouth, glaring at Twilight and the needle in her hand.

“Sorry, we have to test your mitochondria’s response to pain too” Twilight explained, only somewhat distracted by the readout. “Looks encouragingly subtle.”

“So glad to hear it” the redhead grumbled around the bleeding obstruction between her teeth. Twilight frowned at her.

“If you knew to expect it then it would have clouded the data” she sighed before gently pulling the hand back to her, putting her own on top “And I am sorry. I wish this wasn’t necessary either, but you had a manifestation Sunset; we can’t just ignore that. Frankly, from purely scientific, medical, and security standpoints, we shouldn’t have even let you go home last night. We hoped it would help though. Did it?”

“...Some.” the young hunter admitted. “Thanks.”

“We do try.” The bespectacled woman smiled before they returned to the test. “How’d your appointment go?”

“It went.” Sunset returned somberly. A small snort came from the room’s other redhead.

“That good, huh?” Applebloom quipped as she peered around her own set of screens.

“It’s just… hard to deal with something I can’t even remember doing.” Sunset sighed. It hadn’t been a bad appointment, it actually felt good to talk about it but there was only so much to talk about. It didn’t help that she couldn’t talk about the cause for the other half of her anxiety, the fact she hadn’t really gotten to talk to Rainbow further yet. The mechanic in question was with Cadence at the moment herself, and Sunset very much doubted they’d get a proper chance until they were both back home.

“It helps to remember it’s not you who did it.” Twilight declared and brought the former pony back to the moment.

“Says you” Sunset let slip before she thought better of it.

“Yes, as one of the few others that have experienced a full manifestation, says me.” Twilight countered frostily. An uneasy air descended after the statement. It only somewhat eased when the doctor gave a sigh and set her equipment down. She regarded Sunset with a regretful frown “It was a little less than a year after I managed to make contact with MIST. We were still trying to square everything and… and I got impatient. I pushed too hard…”

“You don’t have to tell me” the hunter offered when the silence stretched a little too long, but the scientist shook her head.

“No, no I think it’s important you know” she took a deep breath and continued “I know it sometimes it seems like we’re moving at pace slower than baby steps and maybe we are but… but at least I know it won’t risk another incident.”

Twilight’s gaze drifted away from Sunset’s, panning over the lab. It settled on the recently arrived new test subjects, or more specifically, all the extra security precautions built into their confines.

“I thought I had made a breakthrough with the suppressants, but couldn’t properly test it. Back then we had yet to make Dr. Maeda’s anti-mitochondrial serum non-lethal beyond very specifically targeted formulas and doses in our attempts, as in for single individuals only and even that was subpar. I theorized my recent discovery would let us overcome just that though, and only needed to prove it for us to start using it. So, without another option and feeling it wasn’t worth the wait and frustration of wading through all the red tape to be able to actually test it, I rationalized it’d be much simpler to just test it on myself.”

“You used the lethal counter… On yourself?” Sunset gaped at the woman. Twilight nodded with a reluctant shrug.

“A now far less lethal version of it but… Well, even I’m not immune to bad ideas. Unfortunately, this was a far worse idea than I could have ever predicted. Not only did my formula fail to suppress my mitochondria, it triggered a rather… excited response. Or perhaps retaliation is a better word for it.” Twilight sighed and began blinking rapidly when her eyes began tearing up

“Twi…” Applebloom moved to stand but her mentor held up a hand, halting her as she regathered herself. She brought the hand to her chest and took a deep breath, a technique Sunset had long ago recognized as one of the many Cadance had imparted to her during their sessions. Composure reclaimed, the scientist continued.

“That was my manifestation. The last thing I remember before blacking out was Spike barking and Cadence calling my name as a bright light overwhelmed me. The next thing I knew, I was waking up a couple days later, my lab was essentially gone and I had infected both my dog and my brother's girlfriend.” She finished with a heavy breath. The room was quiet for almost a minute as Sunset took in the story, the silence only broken when she spoke up.

“I thought we were supposed to remember it wasn’t us doing it.” she gave with a half smile. Twilight looked up to her perplexed, that is until a small snort escaped her.

“I said it helps. I didn’t say it was always easy.” she smiled back. She then picked her equipment back up “It also helps to have friends to catch us when we slip. And for us to keep studying such things, so others might be spared them.”

“You really do see the light at the end of the tunnel, don’t you?” Sunset asked as Twilight returned them to their work.

“Of course. It’s not that far, even at our cautious pace.” she returned confidently, her typical cheer already returning. A cheer that was mercifully infectious, and the mood of the room quickly returned to normal, if not a little better than before. The tests were a little boring, if not plain tedious at times, but even without the revelation, Sunset understood the importance and took them in stride. The fact she was once more reminded how lucky she was to be taken in by these people helped too.

A little while later, they were preparing for the next series of tests when the door to the lab opened and a familiar mane of indigo hair walked in.

“Zap!” the redhead exclaimed and leapt to her feet. While she kept up with the cleaner’s progress and even exchanged a few messages, she hadn’t actually seen her since the hospital. She caught and calmed herself however as the woman continued into the room. “H-how are you?”

“Eh, you know; more scars, worse limp but still alive” Zap shrugged. Sunset’s chin dipped a bit.

“I’m sor-”

“Hey no. None of that.” Zap cut her off “I know ya freaked out on us but I’m not just gonna let you apologize for save’n my ass. You don’t say sorry and I won’t thank you, deal?”

The corner of Sunset’s mouth twitched before she lifted her head and nodded back.

“Deal. So what brings you to the station?” she asked, only for Twilight to answer from behind her.

“Zap’s been cleared to continue her physical therapy here with Bulk.”

“Yeah? That’s great!” the former pony beamed. Zap shrugged again.

“Sure beats the hell outta dragg’n my ass to the hospital so much. It’ll be a while before I’m back into it but it’ll be nice ta see everyone more regularly.” she admitted without too much embarrassment. Her brow furrowed as she spotted something behind Sunset however “Those Axolotls?”

“Oh, yes they are!” Twilight replied with a pleasant surprise, letting the cleaner pass to inspect the tank of curious creatures “You’re familiar with them?”

“My dad’s really into exotic fish and custom tanks” she explained “Even gave me a lavender one for my birthday once. Though these ones look like the standard lab breed.”

“Almost as common as lab rats these days” Applebloom chimed in.

“Why have both then?” Sunset asked, peering past the cleaner to study the funny looking lizards.

“They can regenerate” Zap answered this time “Even better than you lot. Even parts of their brains.”

“They’re also neotenous” Twilight continued “Though not quite the same as us. Their genome is also impressive. They’re basically perfect for testing in a wide variety of fields.”

“They infected yet?” Zap asked, a little quieter than before.

“Not yet” the scientist answered and gestured behind her to a rack of injectors in the labs windowed fridge “We had everything ready but with everything that's been happening, we felt it was best to postpone until things calmed down.”

“Huh, bummer” the cleaner mumbled, eyes lingering on the cold storage for a few more seconds longer. She then shrugged and turned back to the salamanders “Well if any of them survive, let me know. Sure my dad wouldn’t mind adding a few more to his collection.”

“It would save Flutters some trouble” Applebloom smiled back “About time to feed everyone. You can help if you want.”

“Sure” Zap returned before the conversation turned to other topics. Sunset tried to just enjoy the distraction from her tests but something nagged at her; she couldn’t help notice that Zap’s gaze kept finding its way back to the fridge and the injectors within.

“You alright?” she finally asked, catching the cleaner as she was staring.

“Huh? Oh yeah! Just y’know, thinking” she laughed a little uneasily “Someday something as simple as a shot like that could actually fix me. That’s pretty cool, don’t ya think?”

“Hopefully someday soon if we’re lucky” Twilight grinned brightly and Sunset relaxed. She was worried being near the infectious mitos, even secured as they were, was giving the cleaner flashbacks. After the few she’d had herself recently, she didn’t want to leave her dwelling. Shaking off the tension, she returned to the mischief waiting for their food.

She didn’t even notice the cleaner mutter under her breath.

“Yeah… someday soon…”

Aya’s boots clicked as she stepped out of her office and into the tiled hallway, adjusting her relatively short skirt as she went. While the hunter didn’t much enjoy dwelling on the fact she had no idea how long she could actually live now, she did have to admit there were a few things she didn’t mind about being a freak. Like the fact she could get away with wearing things the average woman her age never could wasn’t something she’d begrudge.

She was in a good mood. It had been almost a week since the cultist gatherings and the investigations suggested that they may not be able to recover from the losses. There would still be others but one less group of crazies trying to make NMCs was always a good thing. Twilight had also finally determined Sunset was mostly back to normal after her manifestation, not at any more risk of complications than any of them once again.

So yeah, good vibes.

The clacking of heels soon echoed over her own steps from around the corner. As she reached the T junction outside Twilight’s lab, she came upon both Cadence and Rupert headed the same way.

“Were you summoned by my husband too?” the counselor cocked an eyebrow in amusement. “Shiny must have found something juicy.”

“Guess so” The hunter smirked back. Rupert didn’t seem nearly so enthused. Then again, Rupert was rarely so enthused about anything, even before becoming the boss. The trio reached the liaison’s office to find the agent looking… not worried, but definitely troubled. He gestured for them to take a seat, barely taking his eyes off the folder on his desk.

“I found Sunset” he started with.

“Was it at the highschool?” Aya quipped. Her smirk faltered when he failed to react “Wait, you mean like, found her found her?”

“After all this time?” Cadence piped in as Rupert sat up straighter.

“In a sense…” he returned cryptically before opening the folder and laying out its contents. It wasn’t much; a few old photographs and what looked like a short dossier. Aya picked up one of the pictures to see a girl that was maybe all of ten years old, beaming brightly at the camera. She had Sunset’s eyes and hair, the red and gold shining brilliantly, even among the picture’s faded colors. Shining lifted the papers and began reading.

“Sunset Shimmer. Born just outside Vancouver, to parents Thomas Starfall and Sunrise Shimmer.”

“Sunny’s Canadian?” Cadence smiled with mild amusement “Wouldn’t have guessed that.”

“Different last names,” Rupert commented, looking over one of the photos himself “Divorced?”

“No, just never married” Shining answered “She lived happily with both until shortly after her fourteenth birthday, when they died in a car accident.”

“Oh…” the counselor's smile was gone in an instant. “I guess that might explain why they never came looking for her.”

“They don’t look particularly wealthy,” Rupert pointed out, holding another photo. The two women leaned in to see the girl’s parents holding an infant Sunset in front of a modest home, smiling over the ‘SOLD’ label on the house’s for sale sign.

“They weren’t,” Shining confirmed. “They weren’t hurting persae, but they certainly weren’t ‘literal bags of gold’ rich. And before you ask, no; Sunset wasn’t taken in by some rich uncle or loney aristocrat. She bounced around the system until she was 16.”

“She get adopted?” Cadence asked.

“No, emancipated actually.”

“Really?” Aya queried. The agent nodded, handing her a photo. A small snort escaped the blonde at the sight of a teenage Sunset holding up a stack of paperwork and flipping off the camera with her tongue out. “Tough kid.”

“Yeah, she was…” Shining sighed. The three shared uneasy, and more than a little confused glances between each other. Armor didn’t fail to notice “Yeah, that’s where things get weird.”

He handed the papers to Aya, letting her flip through them as he continued.

“After getting emancipated, she got a job and saved up to live a decent, if somewhat spartan life until she finally received her inheritance at 18.”

“Why didn’t she get it before?” his wife cut in.

“Legal double talk and technicalities in the wording.” He returned. Before he could continue though, Aya interrupted herself.

“Cause of Death: Immolation?!” she stared at the words in front of her. Rupert leaned in at the declaration, taking the sheet as the blonde’s eye snapped to the agent “What the hell is this?”

“Hold onto your butts because that’s not the craziest part” he warned “It seemed with turning eighteen and finally getting her inheritance, Ms. Shimmer decided to celebrate with a Christmas vacation. She went to New York to see the sights. She even managed to score some primo tickets to one of her favorite plays…”

“No…” Cadence gasped, blinking repeatedly as she tried to comprehend.

“Shining that’s not possible” Rupert argued, firm gaze locked onto the agent’s own.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. That’s why this took so long; I double and triple checked. Even called in a few favors to make sure, but it all points to the same thing.” he returned with a frown “Sunset Shimmer was at Carnegie Hall the night EVE awoke.”

“Aya?” The clear concern in Cadence’s tone cut through the sudden tension like butter. The veteran hunter had yet to say a word and her gaze was to the floor, her eyes a million miles away.

She had just stepped out of the limo; the sidewalk in front of the theater finally cleared enough of people for them to exit comfortably. She nodded to one of the door men waiting patiently for them to enter. They waited briefly in the foyer, the throng of more prompt theater goers still making their way into the hall proper. An usher had just collected their coats when a blaze of color caught her eye. A young woman was looking about the entrance hall with a mild sense of wonder and a goofy smile painted on her face.

‘Tourists’ she rolled her eyes with amusement. Some were annoying, sure, but she wouldn’t begrudge the girl for enjoying herself. The ushers soon wrangled up the teen as another led her and Chet into the performance hall. She suppressed a giggle as she heard a muted ‘wooow’ gasped from behind them.

“She was there…” she breathed out in barely a whisper, eyes wide under a furrowed brow. “Oh god she was there. How could I not remember that?”

Her hands ran through her hair before they found their way to the back of her neck. Blue eyes stared blankly at the floor, not seeing it as her mind began to race. One leg started to bounce and a distant singing began to echo from the voids.

Fire. Fire everywhere. People screaming and running. A yell rang from above and a man ablaze fell from the rafters. All the while, singing. Singing from without and within. The haunting voice heard throughout it all.

“Aya.” the blonde’s head snapped up when a gentle hand landed on her shoulder. Her eyes locked onto the purple ones of the woman crouched before her. “It’s okay. You’re safe.”

“I… I’m sorry, I don’t how I could of-” she stuttered before a finger landed on her lips. The counselor smiled at her soothingly.

“I think with everything that happened that night, let alone the rest of the week, forgetting about one random tourist can be forgiven.” She took the blonde’s hands in her own. She didn’t say anything else but a calming warmth spread through the hunter; one that, oddly enough, had nothing to do with their mitochondria.

“How are you not a Mom yet?” Aya quipped, earning a giggle from the woman. The multi-toned haired woman glanced over her shoulder to her husband.

“How indeed?” she smirked mischievously. Shiny stiffened with a fierce blush before clearing his throat, shifting uncomfortably. She gave a small chuckle before focusing on her patient again “You okay?”

“Yeah. Thanks, I’m fine now.”

“You sure?” Rupert asked next “Haven’t seen that kind of reaction from you in a long time.”

“Yeah. Yeah, that just… really caught me off guard.” she assured him as Cadence returned to her seat. She tried to clear her head with a shake before looking back to the agent “How did we miss this for so long?”

“You two would know better than anyone just how much of a mess the whole blockade was.” Shining gestured between the two MIST veterans “Turns out Ms. Shimmer’s body was one of the first identified, and the coroners were more than happy to pass her off to the Canadian authorities when she was. She was processed and sent out to make way for the avalanche of casualties that followed. Between the blockade that followed, the attack on the station and just general widespread panic; the records of her being there just got lost.”

“I still wouldn’t have expected it to take this long,” Rupert commented “Even being Canadian, I’d expect the Bureau to catch it sooner.”

“Again, Ms. Shimmer didn’t have a family and while she wasn’t completely without friends, there wasn’t much of a record of her. We actually found the name relatively early on but that girl was dead.” Armor explained “It took a good bit of following up to put all this together and then double check everything.”

“Are we sure she died?” Cadence looked at the picture of ten year old Sunset sadly “We don’t age much after all.”

“No one else survived that night” Aya delivered quietly “Besides, that was a decade ago. Twilight’s checked Sunset over more times than we can count at this point. Even with Sunny’s unique mitochondria, she would have been able to determine if she was that much older than she told us.”

“Soooo…” the counselor struggled to find the words “Even though this is Sunset Shimmer, it’s not our Sunset Shimmer?”

“This is Sunset.” Rupert gestured with the photo in his hand “She has the same name, the same face, even the same hair. How is this not Shimmer?”

“Now you know what I’ve been dealing with” the agent grumbled “But I traced everything back. I went so far as learning she was buried next to her parents. I called the grounds keeper to confirm the gravestone. They even used some fancy giant ultrasound machine or something to confirm there’s a body in the casket. Short of exhuming the body for testing, I’ve got nothing.”

“I’d say stolen identity but…” Rupert began, frowning at the pictures “You don’t steal a dead girl’s face only to get so many other details wrong.”

“She’s not a spy Rupert,” Cadence argued.

“That’s what I’m saying.” he agreed “This doesn’t make any sense… Do the higher ups know about this?”

“They know I found a dead girl with the same name” he answered “They’re waiting on confirmation on whether or not it’s her. The photos and everything else? No one outside of this room knows more than fragments. Fragments that’ll never be followed up on if I report to the negative.”

Rupert nodded his understanding, returning to his thoughts as the room grew quiet again. Cadence stiffened as something occurred to her however.

“Could she be a clone?” she offered.

“What, like Evie?” Shining asked, “But why? I can understand why they'd clone Aya but what use would they have for a random orphan from Vancouver?”

“She’s not a clone.” Aya declared “She’s too old for that. And again, Twilight’s tests would have shown it. They show that Eve isn’t technically as old as she is developmentally, among other discrepancies. Twi definitely would have caught if she was a clone.”

“So… what?” Cadence asked “This is all just some super insane coincidence?”

“Those can happen…” Aya muttered, though not sounding entirely confident herself “As improbable as they sometimes seem.”

“Whatever the case, it seems pretty clear this isn’t our Sunset,” Rupert concluded and gave Agent Armor a meaningful look “Right?”

“That’s what it says in my report” the liaison replied simply. The director returned a small nod and the room descended back into silence.

“Do we tell her?” Aya directed toward the other woman in the room.

“No.” Cadence answered easily “If we’re right that this can’t be her, then it’ll just confuse the situation even more. And even if it were somehow her, this definitely wouldn’t be the moment to drop it on her. She’s in a fragile enough state as it is right now.”

“Well, back to the search then” Shining huffed, gathering the folder’s contents back up “After all, this still leaves the question of who our Sunset really is.”

“She’s MIST” Rupert returned “That’ll have to be enough for now.”

With the matter settled, the group left the office to return to their own duties. The sounds of Aya’s boots clicking against the tile rang out once more as she headed back to her office, though this time they fell on deaf ears. While these revelations brought up so many more questions and essentially no answers, she did know one thing for sure after remembering the other Sunset’s death.

That she’d be damned if she was going to let it happen again.

MIST’s mechanic and newest hunter sat at the counter dividing the two sections of the armory room. Jodie and Pinkie sat on the other side as a line of 5 cards sat in in the open space between them. Each woman had a pair of cards and a small collection of empty pistol casings in front of them.

“And flush.” three of the women groaned as the youngest revealed her cards. The largest pile of cases grew even larger.

“You are way too good at this.” Jodie commented. The redhead smiled innocently back before chuckling.

“Honestly, I didn’t think I’d stand a chance with Miss 'Pinkie Sense' over here.” she admitted.

“Oh no, one does not trifle with the sense for such questionable things” the range master delivered dramatically “lest it trifle back.”

Subtle laughter found them as Dash took the deck and reshuffled. The pair had finally gotten the chance to discuss Sunset’s unique circumstances and it turned out the former pony had little to worry about. Dash seemed mostly fine keeping things to herself. She did seem a bit troubled about keeping things from Fluttershy but knew it would only load more onto the frankly already overburdened nurse’s plate. She also agreed that, at least for now, the fewer people that knew was for the better.

Beyond that, it was mostly curiosity on Dash’s part leading the questions. Although Sunset would be lying if she didn’t relish the chance to finally have some of her own questions answered. Like just what the hell was wrong with humanity in certain cases. The question hadn’t been entirely serious at the time, Sunset knew ponies were far from perfect, but Rainbow had earnestly tried to answer. At least she had after her laughing fit.

Basically no one really knew, and it was up to the good ones to keep things from going completely to shit. She took that for what it was. She certainly couldn’t argue that there weren't still good people, and at least in general more decent people than bad ones.

Other than that it was honestly just nice to finally be able to talk to someone about things with. Far more than she realized it would be. It was frankly the main thing that kept the ‘for now’ part of the not telling everyone.

She didn’t fail to notice Dash shooting her playfully suspicious glaces out the corner of her eye though. She pulled out her phone and sent a quick text and a moment later, Rainbow’s pocket buzzed.

‘I don’t need magic to read you like a book’

“Oh ho ho, well then challenge accepted Shimmer!” the mechanic grinned at her like at shark after reading. More laughter erupted from the quartet, only broken by the door nearly slamming open abruptly as a pair of blondes stormed in.

“-Can’t believe you’re actually considering going back into that hell hole!” Eve’s voice followed her sister now swiping her key card to enter the armory proper. As the siblings continued into the shelves, Rupert had appeared though the still open door next.

“Jodie, Pinkie, we need Code Amber loadouts for Apple, Belle, Breeze, and these two. We’ll also need a support loadout for Twilight.” He delivered quickly and handed the quartermaster a manifest “You two give them a hand.”

“Code Amber?” Pinkie parrotted with a hint of genuine worry before Aya’s voice echoed through the shelves.

“And I need to get into locker 8!”

“Eight?!” Jodie exclaimed this time “For serious girl?”

“Ladies.” the director said firmly.

“Uh right. Here, Pinkie you go open eight for Ay’ and gather up the armor-”

“Mobility or protection?” Pinkie asked as she took the key Jodie pulled off her ring.

“A balance would be best for Amber” Jodie answered before the poufy hair girl nodded and set out on her task. The armorer turned back to the pair and handed them each a sheet from the director’s stack “Sunny, you’re on ammo. Rainbow, you grab the attachments. I’ll meet you at the benches with everyone’s primaries so we can get to work.”

During the exchange, the Brea siblings continued their ‘impassioned’ discussion.

“MIST really is the safest place for you right now Evie”

“I’m not worried about my safety right now Ay’!” Eve shouted back “I’m worried about you! That anyone would even risk going in there! Just bomb the damn thing!”

“Hard to bomb something specifically built to resist it” Aya countered without looking away from her own gatherings.

“Not when there’s a giant damn hole already shot through it!” the younger sibling countered back “Put aside everything else fucked up in there, it’s probably not even stable enough to be safe!”

“Safe enough for whoever turned the power back on” Aya responded subtly.

“Aya-”

“YOU REALLY THINK I WANT TO GO BACK THERE?!” the older blonde abruptly snapped back, the entire space falling silent at the uncharacteristic outburst. A heavy sigh escaped the veteran hunter as she let herself fall into a lean against the shelves. She pinched the bridge of her nose “I’m sorry, that-”

“No. No, I’m sorry. It’s just…” the young woman began before her voice cracked. She tried to shake it off but her eyes began to water “That place…”

Aya pushed herself back up straight and gently warped her arms around her now crying sister.

“I know Evie, I know…” she cooed softly and tried to sooth the girl, rubbing her hand over her golden locks. Rupert subtly gestured the others back to their tasks after they hesitated a little too long.

Pinkie soon reappeared, her arms overloaded with protective gear. She deftly skirted past the embraced pair despite her embumbrance and deposited her load on the table before darting toward one of the armory’s larger lockers. She pulled out a rather large, rectangular case by a carrying handle, grunting as she hefted the weight onto a nearby counter.

“Oh holy shit” Dash whispered, craning to try and see past the range master “That what I think it is?”

“It is” Aya answered, pulling away to look at her sister “You okay?”

“No… but I will be” she sniffled, whipping away her tears. She took a deep breath and offered a forced smile “At least I know you’re taking this seriously, if you’re taking that.”

She squeezed the young woman’s shoulders before moving over to the case. She popped it open and, for a moment, just stared into its depths. Finally though, Sunset had her rather intense curiosity answered as she stepped up behind her mentor.

Her jaw fell completely slack at the contents. It took a moment to actually process what she was seeing, as the blending of two very different weapons left her more than a little shocked. Shocked and curious on just how well such a configuration could work.

“Oh fuck, this really is serious, isn’t it?” Dash practically gasped as she took in the weapon’s gleaming surface.

“Are we allowed to ask what’s happening yet?” Sunset asked hesitantly. Aya and Rupert exchanged a grim look. The director sighed.

“We just received word from Dryfield” he delivered tensely “Someone’s restored power in the Shelter.”

“The shelter?” Sunset repeated, eye widening “As in THE shelter? As in-”

“As in the Ark, yes.” Aya gave in a heavy exhale. “Get ready for some dry heat girls…”

She pulled the massive slab of metal from the case and turned, resting the literal Gunblade on her shoulder as she regarded them.

“We’re headed to the Mojave.”

Chapter 13: Dryfield

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The continuous thumping of the blades pounded through the copter’s frame, rattling the passengers crammed into the compartment. Even with their protective headphones, they couldn’t escape the roarous din of the flying contraption’s machinations.

‘Dash seriously wants to fly one of these things full time?’ Sunset grimaced at the headache steadily growing in her skull. She had thought the last minute plane ride had been tiresome, but this was easily worse. It was thankfully supposed to be only a short flight, though the Awakened already felt it was too long. Earth’s aircraft may be faster than Equestria’s airships or flying chariots, but they fell way behind in terms of comfort. ‘And to think how much I was looking forward to trying them out.’

“TOUCHDOWN IN TEN!” she heard one of the pilots shout over the comm. She looked to the rest of this copter’s half of the team, finding them looking almost as relieved as her. She glanced outside, though all she could really see was the dust storm kicked up by their passing. Soon enough she felt a harder shift as they descended toward the sands.

They were forced to wait a few moments longer after the final big thump however, as the pilots ensured their landing. They finally called they could unload and the hatch slid open. A trio of soldiers met them as they disembarked, unloading the crate of their gear for them before bringing it to a row of troop transport trucks parked along the nearby road.

The team moved to follow but were forced to hunch under the renewed assault from the winds of the Copters taking back off. Quickly enough though, the beat of the blades began to fade and the gale died enough for Sunset to reopen her eyes.

A small gathering of buildings lay beyond the small convoy of infantry, the most prominent being a worn down gas station and an adobe hotel that looked like half of it had been recently rebuilt while the other half looked rather worse for wear. In fact the whole town seemed to have this half new, half crappy vaneer. The abundance of large craters surrounding the area didn’t escape her notice though, giving at least some explanation to the contrast. She’d been briefed that what most the world thought was a ‘cultist nuclear attack’ was actually an orbital rail gun bombardment the US government launched in an attempt to remove the threat within the shelter.

It was also reiterated more than once that it was to stay that way. Not that she needed it; she had no intention of destabilizing world balance when she was still just adjusting to her current situation. Not to mention the whole friendship revelation thing.

She heard Shining shout their way and saw him waving them toward the station. Dashing through the last waves of kicked up dust, they reunited with the MIST leaders where a uniformed man in a flat cap waited.

“Agent Armor?” he asked at their approach.

“Lieutenant.” Shining returned professionally. The man offered his hand to the liaison, who took it in a firm shake.

“Walski” he stated concisely.

“Your men been briefed?”

“As much as they needed to be. Even if they hadn’t, I’m afraid we’ve already encountered a group of mutations.” Lt. Walski nodded “The area’s been secured though, with the site of the remains cordoned off.”

“Any civilians?” Rupert frowned as he looked toward the hotel.

“A few tourists. They’ve been rubbernecking but haven’t witnessed anything confidential, and are currently confined to the hotel grounds.” the officer explained “The few residents are also there, with your contact waiting at the diner.”

The Director nodded back and gestured for the Lieutenant to lead the way. Sunset fell in step with the group, keeping quiet as the Trio of men upfront continued talking. They just passed through an iron fence into the hotel’s courtyard when excited murmuring drew some of the group’s attention to the second floor landing. A small group of four people and a couple leaned over the banister, smiling excitedly as they tracked the group with their phones.

An distinct ‘tch’ sounded from Aya at the sight.

“Can’t they believe they turned it into a damn attraction” she growled, glaring into the small office as they passed “People died and all the owner could think was how to profit off the incident. ‘Come see the site of the US’s first Nuclear Terrorist Attack! See if you can find one of the radioactive beasts of Dryfield!’ ...Prick."

Sunset glanced at the rest of the team, seeing her own apprehension mirrored in their expressions. She’d never seen Aya so… mad before. Irritated sure, maybe even a bit aggressively ruthless against NMCs at times, but never really angry like this. The blonde’s face was twisted into a permanent scowl and her posture was subtly stooped in frustration. She debated on whether she should say something or not, though figured since no one else was, maybe she shouldn’t either.

A bell rang as the front of the group entered the diner. The redhead caught what sounded like a nervous whining just before a loud bark rang out and a large hound jumped at Aya.

“Whoa! Easy there-” she started with a laugh as the dog eagerly tried to lick her face. She managed to shift the canine off her chest before her words faltered as she got a good look at it “Flint?! But… you’d be- how?”

“Oh sure,” a gruff voice called. Sunset shimmied around the overexcited dog preventing the blonde from moving any further in and saw the speaker; an older man limping his way toward them, a light creek sounding with every other step and landing with a heavy thud. “I try ta get you out for a walk and you’re too old. Pretty girl shows up though and yer as spry as a puppy!”

The dog turned to his owner, tongue lolling before another happy whine sounded.

“Yes Flint, I see her” he quipped before smiling at the hunter “How you been Agent Brea?”

“Well, I’m confused right now…” she admitted, giving the man a befuddled stare, absently petting the hound pressing against her “Mr. Douglass, how is Flint still alive? I mean, he was already getting on in years when I was here more than half a decade ago!’

“Hell if I know. He’s just stuck around. I wasn't about ta complain” he shrugged. Twilight crouched down near the canine, offering a hand out.

“Heya boy,” she gave, the hound happily accepting the pets. His tail wagged vigorously as she scritched at his coat, studying him. Her brow furrowed and she looked to the blonde. “Aya, he’s infected.”

“Infected?” Mr. Douglas repeated “Whad’ya mean? He’s fine! Ain’t gotten sick in years!”

“I wouldn’t imagine he would with neo-mitochondria” the scientist stood, concern wrinkling her features as she continued “Mr. Douglas, has Flint encountered any NMCs since the incident?”

“Naw. Things been pretty quiet ‘round here since then. Occasionally one of them big scorpions’ll show up but none ever manage to make it close ta town before it meets a load of buckshot. I make sure of that. And other than that jackass that bought the hotel turning the place into a side show, nothing else worth note’n has really happened.” he explained, moving to one of the tables. Rupert gestured for the rest of them to take a seat. Flint found his way through the group, lavishing in the attention and blissfully oblivious to his condition “So what, now I gotta worry about him changing inta one of those things too?”

“Not if he’s stayed stable this long” Twilight answered “No, this just completely changes some of our variables. If Flint was infected during the incident, and if he never encountered any NMC's directly…”

“Is it possible he was infected more recently?” Aya proposed “There was an awful lot of activity in the area, not to mention being so close to the shelter.”

“I suppose it’s possible. I can’t be sure without running some tests first though…” the doctor brought a hand to her chin, humming as she thought. The not so subtle clearing of a throat brought the group’s attention to the Lieutenant.

“Not to dismiss the issue, but I do believe we have more immediate concerns” he delivered evenly. Shining nodded and spoke.

“He’s right. Whatever happened to the dog, it’s obvious he’s not in any danger for now. We however, still have a reactivated shelter to investigate.” he agreed and turned to the local “Was there anything we didn’t cover in our call? Any suspicious persons in the area recently?”

“Like I said, it’s been quiet. Tourists are damned annoying, take’n their pictures and pretend’n they lookin fer monsters but ain’t none of them come off as anything but suckers drawn in by the billboards.” he shrugged “And ‘fore ya ask, I ain’t see anyone up by the mine either. Ain’t been around the other side for a while but they’d have a hard time gett’n there without passing by town first. Damn craters everywhere now only made the trip harder too. Only ones been up there is you FBI folk, and even that was a while back.”

“Collins and Martinez?” Shining asked.

“Those do sound familiar, think it was them yeah” he nodded. Shining looked at the MIST director, who simply shook his head.

“Well then Mr. Douglass, that’s all we need from you. Thank you once again for your cooperation.” the one legged man waved off the compliment as the liaison looked to the Lieutenant “We ready to move out?”

“Ready and waiting” he confirmed.

“Then let’s head out” the officer gave a quick affirmative and led the way. Sunset rose with the rest, once more feeling her nerves creeping up on her again. She let the rest pass, heading toward the door just behind Aya when the blonde suddenly froze. Her head tilted slightly, her eyes losing focus with a distant look. Before Sunset could ask, the veteran’s hunter head swiveled about until landing on the diner’s jukebox. She strode quickly to the music player, peering into its window and taking out her phone.

“...Vagrants” she said under her breath as she took a quick picture. She stood back up and shook her head. She turned to find both Sunset and Mr. Douglass staring at her incredulously. “This damn song has been stuck in my head for years.”

Sunset failed to suppress a snort as the man simply threw his head back and laughed. With one final pet for Flint, the two women hurried to catch up with the others with Sunset feeling comfortably less tense.

The calm from the moment of levity hadn’t lasted as long as Aya hoped as she noticed Sunset’s leg begin to bounce, the girl’s gaze strained as she stared at their transport’s flooring. They were sitting in the back of one of the canvas covered truck beds with the rest of the team, trying not to get bounced around too much as the dirt road rumbled beneath them.

Rupert had explained the plan more in-depth while they were in route. A team of scouts were set to take point as they entered the facility through the mine; The rear entrance would have been a more direct route but the orbital railgun bombardment left that path a non-option. They were to move with the bulk of the forces as they laid a safe path ahead of them, ready to act against any possible threats they encountered. Beyond that, it was simply a matter of finding whoever turned the power back on.

It was the ‘possible threats’ part that left most of them worried. The fact the soldiers had already encountered NMCs suggested there would almost certainly be more. Twilight even theorized any in the area might be drawn to the reactivated Ark facilities. Why they would be attracted, she was less sure about, but it left some hope this might actually not be quite as unpleasant as Aya was expecting.

“We can’t discount the possibility there may also still be NMCs in the lower levels of the facility” Twilight announced, as if destined to shatter that meager hope.

“How could anything still be alive down there?” Dash sounded back, brow arched at the scientist.

“While the more exotic environments would have certainly withered away long ago, there was a section modeled after the very environment it was built under.” she explained “There’s also the natural cave system the ARK was built around. Add in the open access to the surface the railgun created, and it’s possible a limited ecosystem could have survived down there.”

“But didn’t the Army clear out the remaining NMCs after the bombardment?” Pinkie asked. Sunset had seemed a bit surprised she had been brought along, though had understood after they explained that they needed someone familiar with the specialized tools now attached to their primaries. Aya noticed the redhead glance down to the boxy emitter, dubbed the ‘hammer’ by Jodie at some point, secured under her rifle’s barrel. She knew Sunset wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with the short range stunning device, but it certainly wasn’t something she had a lot of practice with.

“What they could find.” the elder Awakened heard Rupert answer Pinkie’s query. He gave a disapproving hum before elaborating. “The reports say they couldn’t reach the deepest levels. Other than the areas with sensitive data to recover, most of the complex was left alone due to too much risk of further collapse or in fear of what else it could be hiding down there. Frankly, the fact anyone was just able to get inside is concerning. Both entrances were sealed and trying to get down through any of the craters wouldn’t be a simple matter, to put it lightly.”

“So the chances of this simply being some tourist trespassing is regrettably low then?” Rarity returned with a frown, letting go a sigh of her own at the look the director returned. “A girl can dream, can’t she?”

“Yeah, well whoever it is will have to answer to my spicy little friend here!” Rainbow beamed mischievously as she hefted the M4 assigned to her for the mission and flicked on the ignition flame of its attachment. “OW!”

“Don’t make us leave ya outside” Applejack scolded after slapping the reserve hunter’s hand away and turned the small flame back off. “Ya ain’t even supposed ta have that thing.”

She really wasn’t. She had been assigned a hammer like Sunset in Rupert’s instructions but by the time they realized she had appropriated the miniature flamethrower instead, it was already attached and they didn’t have time to switch it. She had argued that it was to give them more options but no one bought it. It was a flamethrower and this was Dash. One didn’t have to be Twilight to deduce the mechanic’s motives.

“We can’t dismiss the possibility that it’s Ark Shadow itself that’s reactivated it either” Aya pointed out. It seemed unlikely, as whatever the mysterious group would have wanted to retrieve would not only have been almost certainly lost after all this time, but probably obsolete even if it weren’t. “And even if they didn’t, they may be curious to who’s in their old facility themselves. If they are, we have to be ready for what they might send. Or already sent...”

She didn’t say it directly but everyone knew what the organization used for cleaning up, and that they usually sent a lot of them.

A burst of static preceded Walski’s voice sounding from their radios, informing them that they were nearing the mine shaft. Sure enough, Aya soon felt the truck decelerate and the engine cut off once they fully stopped. She stood and regarded the team. While Rupert and Shining had led the effort to this point, it was decided she was the lead once they arrived. She had the most experience with this place after all so, as much as she loathed the memories, it only made sense.

She took a breath and considered trying to think of something profound. Being alone for most of the last trek through the complex had let her ponder on quite a few insights. She wouldn’t be alone this time though, and she was just fine with keeping things as different from the last time as possible.

“Let’s get to it” she declared simply, shifting to what Eve affectionately referred to as her ‘hunter mode’ and moved to the back of the bed. The others followed suit, each doing their best to steel themselves. A slight grimace crossed her features as she looked up at the night that had fallen on their way out to the mine. She would have much preferred to do this during the day.

She paused a moment to glance back at the group, and more specifically at their newest hunter. She had long realized that Sunset now saw her as some kind of personal mentor figure and while not entirely comfortable with the thought, she also wasn't entirely sure it was a bad thing. The memory of her episode at the revelation of the girl’s Canadian doppelganger still lingered in her thoughts as well. Catching the redhead's eye, she arched her brow. Standing a little straighter, the girl squared her shoulders and returned a confident nod. She then panned her gaze across the rest, seeing similar resolve on most of the faces before nodding curtly and leading them toward the gathered soldiers.

“Stay safe!” Pinkie called from the truck bed, remaining safely behind with the forces assigned to protect the convoy.

“Miss Brea” the Lieutenant addressed as they approached “The drone’s already made it to the first checkpoint without issue, and the scouts just went in themselves. Once they finish securing the bridge and give us the all clear, we’ll move in.”

“So far so good then” she gave evenly, looking toward the lit up hole in the mountain side and shifting the weight of the sword slung across her back. She wondered again if it was wise to make it her primary on this mission and leave her M4 behind, but with the Gunblade, her M93r, and the Javelin Laser/grenade pistol hybrid Pinkie had jury rigged together a while back, not to mention the ammo for it all, she was technically overloaded already. She reasoned the concern away again. While it had been exceptionally reliable during her first time here, she found it flagging as the incident came to a head. With the others here to cover any needed versatility, she decided she would need the greater firepower.

‘I certainly needed some last time…’

They were still a fair distance away, not even at risk of slipping down the sharp incline to the left of the mine’s entrance. She could still picture Mr. Douglass’s truck parked just in front of the entrance. She could also still hear the groans of the chasers that ambushed her and Kyle not a moment after stopping.

‘Kyle…’ she closed her eyes a moment as she thought of the supposed PI. The last time she saw him was when he found her and Eve at the bottom of the crater, just before she passed back out. Ever since that day, he was just another mystery that vanished in the chaos that followed.

“Sir, we lost the feed.” Aya’s eyes snapped open at the technician’s announcement.

“Comms?” he quickly asked and another tech shook his head.

“I can’t raise them” his hands grew more busy across the equipment “It could just be some kind of interference. Possibly the same kind of field encountered last time, but I can’t pinpoint it.”

“They should have felt the effects of such a field before they got deep enough into it for it to cause an interruption in communications.” Twilight informed them, stepping up behind the tech team to examine the readouts. She then turned back to them “Rarity?”

The fashionista took a breath but the echo of automatic fire rang out from the mine shaft, cutting off whatever she was about to say.

‘Damnit!’ Aya cursed internally and drew her sidearm as the Lieutenant called out orders. The troops took up their position and readied their weapons, all aiming at the entrance to the tunnel. The hunters moved forward themselves but made sure to stay back far enough to not get in the soldiers’ way. The rear guard of the detachment waved them forward to their position though, allowing them better cover as they readied themselves.

“Belle!” Rupert called out to the pale woman. Aya Looked past him to see Rarity crouched behind an outcropping of stone with AJ, her eyes closed tight and features taught with concentration.

“One- I think…” she returned unevenly, her tone stressed. Aya and Rupert exchanged an uneasy glance; if Rarity was having trouble sensing whatever it was then this was even worse than they thought. The well coiffed woman’s eyes shot wide and snapped to the sky “Oh no.”

The screeching of birds rang through the night and countless shadows darted across the moon's glow as they took flight over the mountain. Both lines of troops lifted their aim skyward and opened fire against the avian swarm, breaking their formation and scattering the birds back into the night. Aya clenched her fist and tried to focus on a tipping point despite the cacophony of shots but faltered at the sight of Rarity trying fruitlessly to shout over the noise. She caught Aya looking and pointed to the cave, exaggerating her words as she called.

‘It’s Stealthed!’ Aya paled as she read the woman’s lips. She tried to break from cover, to get any kind of clear shot; but it was too late. A roar rang louder than all the screeches of the mutated flock put together and a distortion of twisted air clawed its way out of the tunnel. Rocks and debris fell as it struggled to free itself before its cloak finally fell.

A stalker the size of a city bus materialized, hanging halfway out of the opening. The front line shifted aim but not fast enough to prevent a globule of light being spat from the NMC’s oversized maw. A trail of noxious fumes followed the blob as it soared straight into the center of the forward formation and erupted into a dense cloud of gas.

The men gagged and began convulsing, weapons falling to the ground as their owners fell to their knees. Their clothes began to rip as their bodies twisted. The rear line stood aghast as what had been their fellow soldiers now rose and turned their skull like faces their way.

An inhuman screech rang from one, and then the rest, as they charged the line.

An explosion suddenly rocked the area, detonating against the charging horde. As the subtle rain of pebbles subsided, Sunset caught movement in her peripheral and turned just in time to see Aya leap over her cover and sprint toward the new opening amongst the NMCs. The strangers caught outside the blast veered toward the Awakened only to be thrown back by the wave of green electricity that erupted from the hunter. Sunset watched her continue unerring past the pack and toward the massive stalker until the rest of the NMCs blocked her sight.

‘Guess that leaves the smaller ones to us’ she processed and raised her rifle, taking aim at those recovering from Aya’s shock. Unfortunately, ‘smaller’ was only a relative term in this case; if the soldiers had only turned into normal strangers it’d be bad enough, but most had become full on Greater strangers that outweighed their lesser brethren by at least three times. To make matters worse, many of the rear line hesitated as they aimed their weapons, unwilling to open fire against their former comrades.

As grim as it was, she and her fellow hunters knew better and Sunset heard their shots join her own. Two fell quickly under the combined firepower and focused the rest of the horde back onto the rear line, their monstrous cries tearing through the night when they retook their charge. The sight seemed to finally cement the fact their allies were now truly lost and the rest of the troops joined the assault. Nearly half the NMCs had fallen when an oversight suddenly made itself known again.

The birds were back.

Chaos immediately erupted among the line as the mismatched flock descended upon them. Sunset fell back as a pair of twisted vultures zeroed in on her, batting away several smaller birds that sought to cut off her escape.

A set of talons tore into her shoulder, with only the leather of her jacket and reinforced padding of the armor beneath keeping the wound from disabling her. She spun on a heel and swung back against the attack, her arm ablaze. The vulture squaked as its feathers ignited and the force sent it soaring back into the second former scavenger.

The young hunter scowled as she kept the flame alight, disregarding the two carrion birds falling into a burning heap as she took the second of relief to regain her bearings. The rattle of gunfire and flashes filled the darkness, most of the lights having been knocked over in the panicked response. She could see the troopers struggling against the birds, untrained against such threats and leaving themselves open to the now unimpeded Strangers.

A flurry of miniature fire balls streaked into the air, detonating against the avian mutants above their heads. Sunset swept her arm back again, unleashing another salvo when a gout of flame pierced the night a ways to her right. It swept back and forth as bird after bird ignited in the path of the rainbow haired mechanic illuminated beneath.

‘And here we were mad at he-AHG!”

A battering ram of solid bone crashed into her chest, lifting her up and tossing her several feet away.

She rolled to her back, coughing and sputtering as she clutched the chicken plate weighing down on her. The protective armor had absorbed most of the impact itself, but she still struggled to breathe. Unfortunately, the Stranger that hurled her into her current state wasn’t about to let her recover.

Bounding out of the darkness, it stooped low and charged her prone form. She fumbled with her rifle, aim wavering as she tried to simply try to find purchase on the weapon. It leapt into the air and Sunset’s hands scrambled at the front grip.

*CRACK*

There was a flash of light and a shower of sparks erupted before her as what looked like a miniature storm of lightning slammed into the NMC and launched it back to where it had leapt from and then some. The former pony blinked as the subtle din of built up power faded and a smell of ozone filled her nostrils. The ‘Hammer’ had just very much lived up to its name.

‘More like Mjolnir’ she noted absently as she quickly clambered back to their feet and opened fire on the still recovering stranger. It took her entire magazine but it finally stopped moving. She quickly swapped out the empty and ran to return to the battle but paused.

A dense cloud cover had rolled over to eclipse the moon and left little to guide her save a scattering of knocked over lights, the sounds of gunfire and the scattered, frantically sweeping flashlights between her and the tunnel entrance. A pang of worry hit her as she realized Dash’s flamethrower no longer blazed either. Lighting a small layer of flame over her frayed jacket, she sprinted back toward the fight.

A steel grip suddenly lashed out and dragged her to the ground. She was just about to feed the flames when a familiar, panic filled voice doused them quicker than a mountain of retardant.

“Oh Sunset Thank God!” Fluttershy’s voice gasped as she pulled the redhead further behind a large boulder. The nurse’s head lamp wavered frantically as she fumbled with her medkit before her. Sunset resisted the urge to slap herself before clicking on her own flashlight attached to her holsters. It was almost ripped away however as the nurse started tugging at her jacket “Take it off, quick!”

“What? F-Flutters, what are- oh Celestia no…” her blood turned to ice as her light landed on the bloodied figure laying unconscious against the cover behind the nurse.

It was Dash. Her face was covered with countless cuts and gouges and her arms looked even worse. Her breathing came in heavy, uneven pants, her face slick with sweat and her clothes soaked.

“No… No-no-no-no-nono!” she crawled over to the woman in a panic, freezing as her hand landed on one of her legs. “She’s infected!”

“That’s why I need you to take your jacket off!”

“She doesn’t need my jacket Shy! She needs a suppressant!”

“I ALREADY GAVE HER ONE! IT’S NOT WORKING!” the nurse cried, sobbing as she clutched a set of medical tubing and needles in her grasp. Realization of why she needed her jacket off flooded through the redhead.

“Oh. Oh no, Shy I can’t. I never- it has to be one of the others!” she gave.

“THEY’RE NOT HERE!” Fluttershy snapped back “Aya’s fighting that thing and I have no idea where Twilight is! You’re the only one who can!”

“But I just had a Manifestation! Even if I didn’t, my mitochondria isn’t like theirs! It could just make things worse!” she argued. She wanted to help Dash, she desperately wanted to help but it was decided very early on using her mitochondria for suppressants and the like was far too risky with how many unknowns came with it. Her mitochondria could turn Dash into living goo for all they knew.

“Sunset please…” Fluttershy begged weakly, tears running down her face as her voice grew shaky. Sunset’s mouth worked wordlessly, glance shifting between Rainbow and Fluttershy. She gave one last grimace and shouldered off her jacket.

Fluttershy immediately snapped into motion, placing Sunset kneeled before their friend and started tying a tourniquet around her bicep. Threading the needles into their arms, she pushed the switch on the tubing connector and Sunset watched as the line of red made its way from her arm to Rainbow's. She waited several seconds but felt no change.

“Sunset you have to control them!” the medic cried next to her.

“I- What?!”

“You have… Dominate them or something! That’s what Aya says!” The nurse struggled to convey, hands clutching at the empty air as she looked to Sunset pleadingly. Frowning, Sunset edged closer, placed a hand on Rainbow’s chest and closed her eyes, reaching out to her now separated mitochondria.

A wild fury met her first, burning against her intrusion to its prey. She flinched but didn’t pull away, quickly finding a familiar warmth among the animalistic rage. Her face set as she pushed back against the heat with her own, finding it easily cowed beneath her presence. Unfortunately there was a lot of it that needed to be overcome, and it seemed to replenish itself almost as quickly as she subdued it.

Her eyes snapped open as a deafening scream and a foul smell shattered her focus before the beast that released them clawed over their cover. It lunged down, mouth open wide when a blur met it halfway and a skull rending crack filled the air.

The towering Stranger landed in a heap to her side, flailing in a daze as the dent now in the side of its head bled freely. It gave a startled yelp as a boot slammed down on its neck and pinned even its considerable weight to the ground.

“YOU WILL NOT TOUCH THEM!”

Dash’s rifle was unloaded point-blank into the NMC's face on full auto as the Opal eyes of the nurse now holding it Burned into the monstrosity with pure contempt. The eyes then snapped to the former pony staring in shock.

“Eep!” Sunset squeaked and quickly turned back to her task, struggling briefly against the rallied mitochondria. Fluttershy paced back and forth behind their boulder, covering the pair as Sunset did everything she could to keep Dash from turning. She could still hear fighting but tried to tune it out as best she could; she couldn’t afford not to.

Slowly though, gradually, she made headway. The infectious neo-mitochondria began to dwindle with their heat growing ever weaker until, finally, all that was left was her own and what she had forced into passiveness. She let herself fall back with a heavy sigh and Shy was crouched by her side in an instant.

“Did… Did it work?” she asked, the hope in her voice fragile as she looked to her surrogate sister.

“I think? Not like I’ve really done this before…” She returned and studied the mechanic herself. Her face was still distressed but her breathing had evened out. She didn’t seem to be sweating nearly as heavily either. If she was still at risk, Sunset felt she had at least bought them some time. Fluttershy nodded subtlety before glancing around anxiously. She then frowned as she removed Sunset’s IV.

“I’m sorry, I know that must have taken a lot out of you, but can you cover us? I need to treat Rainbow’s wounds.” Sunset nodded and let Fluttershy help her to her feet before moving to stand over the pair. The flashlight on her harness didn’t reach very far but it’d be enough to see anything else coming before it could get the drop on them again.

She could still hear shots, including a few that sounded like they flew a little too close for comfort. They were dwindling though, as were the snarls and cries of the NMCs. She looked to the shifting shadows by the cave entrance, the only point of substantial sound left.

She abruptly jumped as a flash strobed with an explosion like she had never heard before.

Aya streaked past the line of Strangers, sending out a pulse of Apobiosis against those that survived her grenade. She leapt over the twitching remains of those caught in the surge and continued toward the tunnel.

It was stupid move to rush ahead on her own, let alone while leaving NMCs at her back, but the giant stalker had proved itself FAR too dangerous to not make her immediate priority. Until now, nothing outside of an EVE had been encountered that could change this many people so quickly, and she couldn't risk it changing any more. God help them with what could happen if she let it slip away.

The stalker itself didn’t seem to have any plan to escape however, as it roared defiantly at her approach. She slid another grenade into her launcher and fired as she closed, blasting a sizable chunk out of the NMC’s shoulder. Bone and sinew could be seen beneath the charred flesh, along with the glint of metal.

‘Artificial then…’ she sighed internally. The sheer size of the creature left little doubt that it was, but the presence of implants confirmed that this thing wasn’t a fluke; someone made it. Loading another grenade, she slid to a stop and took more careful aim, mentally noting she’d only have one more shot after this.

The beast reared back and abruptly lunged forward, one of its sickle like claws slashing out at the blonde. She leapt back into a roll, feeling the wind rush past as the blade missed by mere inches. She snapped a bursts off from the Javelin laser, burning a red line into the NMC’s face and driving it back toward the entrance. She blinked as she caught the briefest glimpse of its rear half; a twisted mass of tumor-like growths formed a simile of a tail where its hind legs should have been.

‘That’s why it’s not leaving the tunnel’ she realized. She stood and fired another brief beam at the creature, which brought forth a limb to protect its face from more punishment, but it stayed its place in the hole. She smiled, ‘That makes things simpler.’

A burst of amber sparkles covered her form and she drew her sidearm. The rapid shots took on a heavy din in their bursts, slamming into the NMC with amplified force. It flailed out again but the Hunter was too far to threaten with its claws now, ticking away at it from range. A light trail of smoke followed behind another grenade soaring at the sudo-stalker, exploding against its protective elbow. It bellowed in pain as the explosion shredded the joint’s flesh and almost, though not quite, severed the appendage. Aya loaded her last 40mm round and leveled the launcher.

Another glowing glob of spit suddenly flew from the NMC's maw, exploding as it struck near the hunter and sent her aim awry. The round exploded against the rock above the mutation now dragging itself toward the blonde disoriented by the fumes. Bracing with its injured limb, it raised its uninjured claw as it closed.

A deafening blast rang from behind Aya and the shredded joint suddenly tore free, sending the stalker tumbling. It struggled to to raise when another shot rang from the blonde’s other side and one of its eyes erupted in a fountain of gore.

The veteran hunter shook off the last of the gas’s effects as Rarity and Applejack appeared at her sides with their weapons, the latter sharing her sparkling amber aura. Rarity adjusted her heavy rifle and removed the beast's other eye as AJ fired another round to knock away the stalker’s remaining limb before smirking at her.

“So ya gonna actually use that thing or did’ya just bring it ta make Evie feel better?” The freckled woman jerked her chin toward the blade on the Awaken’s back. Aya gave a scoff and pulled the sword free.

With a single, deep breath, she focused and sprinted toward the helpless NMC with the blade trailing at her side. She skid to halt just before it, aching the blade up and pulling the trigger just as it met the beast. The Stalker’s head erupted in an explosion that almost sang as it echoed and the chime of vibrating metal filled the air.

As the subtle ringing faded away, an almost disturbing silence descended in its place. She turned back to the pair of hunters, wiping away some viscera the stalker’s violent death left as she tried to see past them. The silence was soon broken by the shouts of soldiers, calling off to signal their condition. The battle was over.

“Oh!” Rarity exclaimed quietly as Aya abruptly fell into a squat, leaning against the side of her blade now stabbed into the dirt. The veteran hunter rubbed at her eyes, a wave of exhaustion hitting her as the adrenaline began to wane. The now slightly less well coiffed woman standing beside her sighed deeply as they waited for order to be restored “Not the most auspicious start to an operation...”

“Could be worse…” AJ offered solemnly. Aya looked out to the already dissolving bodies of the other NMCs, of what were once soldiers that had not only lost their lives, but themselves before they even got this mission properly started.

“How?” she asked quietly, though part of her already knew the answer.

“We could ALL be dead.” the former farm girl returned simply, before giving the remains of the stalker a swift kick of frustration “Ain’t never seen one that could do something like that before, even an artificial. Fuck’n Ark assholes…”

“Aya!” she heard Rupert’s voice call from the throng. She pushed herself up and led them back toward the trucks. The troops had set most of the lights back up and she could see maybe half of the rear line survived, along with most of the tech and support teams. She spotted the rest of MIST gathered around one of the medical tents looking tense. They quickened their pace, stepping past to see Dash laid out on one of the beds.

She stepped up next to Twilight inside the tent when it hit her. She reached out to the unconscious mechanic’s arm, closing her eyes as she made contact. She sighed as the feeling only got stronger, confirming the infection. Her brow furrowed as another familiar signature then became clear to her. Her eyes opened and landed on Twilight frowning at her and then turned to the fiery haired girl sitting on one of the crates outside, hands clenched in front of her and her gaze to the dirt as one knee bounced nervously. She then turned back to Twilight, who just nodded.

“Is she going to be okay?” Pinkie’s voice came from the tent's entrance. The pair shared an uneasy glance before Twilight answered.

“Her wounds themselves aren’t too threatening thankfully, but there’s no doubt she’s been infected. Sunset stabilized her for now, and I’ve put her on stronger suppressants but…” the doctor trailed off as she broke eye contact.

“Then she’ll be okay” Pinkie asserted “I know we’re worried about Sunny’s mitochondria but they recognized Dashie before, right? So she'll be okay again, you’ll see.”

“...I hope so, Pinkie.” Twilight returned after a pause. Any further discussion was stalled as Rupert appeared with a small box. Pinkie peaked into it and grimaced.

“We do have some soda in one of the trucks.”

“It wouldn’t work fast enough” Aya countered, frowning herself as she grabbed one of the plastic pouches of vaguely yellow liquid labeled NMES. It stood for Neo-Mitochondria Energizing Solution; It was a special mix of Ringers Dr. Maeda's team came up with a couple years ago.

“Artificial?” Rupert asked simply. It was a rhetorical question, but it needed to be said aloud.

“Yeah.” she returned with a solemn breath. The director cursed under his breath and she nodded before tossing the bag in her hand to the redhead outside “Drink up girls. We still have a job to do.”

“Wait, drink?!” Sunset gave her a befuddled stare.

“Don’t got time for the normal way, Sunny.” Applejack grumbled as she passed to grab a bag of her own. She tore off the plastic nub at the opening with her teeth and sucked down a mouthful. Her expression twisted into a disgusted grimace but she soldiered on to stubbornly force the rest of it down. Sunset cringed as she looked back down to the bag in hands but followed suit, not stopping until the bag was empty.

“Blehhh…” she moaned as quietly as she could before a hand patted her on the shoulder. She looked up see Aya giving her a grateful look as she moved past to start resupplying her gear. The actions didn’t go unnoticed by the lieutenant addressing his troops nearby. He cut away and stomped up to them.

“You can’t seriously be thinking we’re still going in there!” he growled before stopping and sweeping an arm out “This operation went beyond FUBAR before we even got inside! This mission’s over!”

“No, it’s not.” Shining announced as he rounded from behind one of the trucks, pulling his phone away from an ear as he approached “We can’t leave.”

“Agent Armor, almost half my men are dead and several more are injured; We’re not going in there!” he declared angrily as he set himself against the agent, though if Shining felt at all intimidated, he didn’t show it. Aya drew his furious gaze away as she called from over her shoulder.

“That’s right, You’re not.” she gave before slamming a fresh magazine into her pistol. “We are.”

“Not to belittle the MIST’s training regime Agent Brea, but you can’t handle this alone.”

“I did before.” the veteran hunter murmured as Rupert stepped up to address the officer.

“Lieutenant, you and your men couldn’t go in even if you wanted to. If there’s a mitochondrial field strong enough to disrupt communications, then it’s strong enough that any non-NMH would be rendered helpless before they even made it into the actual facility.“ He explained calmly “And considering that thing was an Artificial NMC, whatever’s going on in there is only going to get worse the longer it’s left alone. Not only is MIST the ones going to do this, we’re the only ones who can… With or without your support.”

The officer regarded the MIST director for several moments, gaze then panning over the group before returning to the dark skinned man. He then finally gave a huff before fixing his jaw.

“We can resupply you, lord knows we have enough not being used now. We’ll do our best to keep things secure up here, though there’s not much we can do about the other side.” he gave.

“That’s all we ask Lieutenant” Rupert returned, earning a nod from the man. He then turned to the team. “Alright ladies, I know you’ve been through the ringer already but the fact that thing was an ANMC means ARK Shadow may have beaten us here; and if they haven’t, then it means a lot more has survived down there than we thought. I need to know you’re all up for this. Are you ready?”

Rupert was asking all of them but Aya could see his glance meaningfully hold on Sunset a moment longer than the others. She responded as confidently as the rest though, including one voice none of them were expecting to sound off too.

“Breeze?” He turned to Fluttershy, still holding Rainbow’s rifle.

“They shouldn’t go in without a medic Sir, and I’m the only one that can go with them. And they’ll still need someone at least somewhat familiar with the science and we can’t risk Twilight.” her eyes darted to the tent briefly “She should stay with Dash anyway. At least one Awakened should be here… in case…”

She didn’t finish the thought, shaking it away before focusing on the director again. He held her gaze, seeing the unwavering conviction behind her slight scowl. He glanced at Aya, who simply arched her brow back. After another moment, he reached over and grabbed one of the IV bags and tossed it to the nurse.

“Thank you Sir” she gave, he simply nodded in return. The tech arrived a moment later with more supplies, helping them restock for their mission. Resupplied and as restored as they could be, they followed Aya to the tunnel.

The veteran hunter strode straight through the spreading puddle of goo that had been the giant stalker; there wasn’t any avoiding it anyway. Stepping over the oversized implants without a second glance, they had just reached the tunnel entrance when Aya found herself slowing, stopping just a step short of the threshold. She peered into the poorly lit depths, feeling a chill slowly rising up her spine.

She nearly jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder. She looked back to see the team’s other blonde grinning softly at her.

“We got yer back Sugarcube.” she said confidently. Aya saw the others nod in agreement behind her. She smiled back and turned once more to the cave and, without another moment of hesitation, led them in.

‘At least I’m not alone this time.’

Chapter 14: The Ark

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Sunset followed at the back of the group with Fluttershy, occasionally glancing behind to secure their six. AJ and Rarity were a little further spread apart, hugging closer to the tunnel walls to insure the squad wasn’t too bunched up against an attack. Aya kept them moving at a fair pace as she held point. A simple star formation, but it would have to do.

‘Five whole hunters…’ part of her lamented internally, causing her to scowl at the thought. ‘We’ll be fine. Aya did this all by herself last time, and without even half the experience or power… we can do this.’

“Rare” Aya’s voice echoing back drew the redhead out of her thoughts “There will be a short side passage coming up on our left and a deep chasm we’ll have to cross further on.”

“My senses are already tuned to max Darling” she assured her “Though I do fear I feel things are getting more muddled the deeper in I probe.”

“It’ll only get worse once we’re in the actual bunker.” Aya returned “I doubt even you’ll be able to sense past whatever room we’re in. I had to rely on the motion tracker a lot last time.”

“Well I can still feel the side passage,” the fashionista answered “There’s nothing but an old minecart full of rust down there.”

“And the chasm?”

“I'm afraid we’ll have to get closer for that.”

“It’s the only way through,” Aya muttered and the group fell back into silence. Eventually though, the string of lights led them to the precipice in question; And the bodies of the unfortunate scouts they had lost contact with. As Aya moved to the edge with Rarity, Sunset bent down to inspect one of the fallen soldiers.

“There's nothing we can do for them Sunset” Fluttershy told her sadly, frowning at the bodies.

“Yeah, figured it wouldn't hurt to check though,” she sighed and rose back to her feet. “At least they made the bridge crossable before… y’know…”

“There’s a residue but not any actual NMCs” Rarity declared “I’m guessing whatever was down there swarmed out to join the flock.”

Aya accepted the all clear, though Sunset noticed she still held her pistol a little more at the ready as she crossed. She waited until they had all made it over, watching the darkness below warily all the while. AJ did a quick scan of a small control room next to the gate before they moved on, saying all that was left in there was an old, empty ammo box and a phone with a dead line.

They entered into a long cavern with a small stretch of rusted out mining equipment in the center and the twisted remains of what looked like a small number of barrels scattered about. Sunset paused to study one as they passed, seeing that it must have been full of something combustible before ending up in its current state.

“I was lucky they were here” the former pony’s head snapped up the see Aya looking back at her “It was chaser. A damned big one. May not have been able to take it down if they hadn’t been here to give me some light.”

The blonde then blinked and then shook her head with a small chuckle. A subtle smile tugged at her lips as she then gestured to Sunset’s holster.

“It was actually right here I found that pistol you're so inclined to” she explained.

“You found it on the chaser?” Sunset asked.

“Well, technically under it. Why it had it in the first place though, I have no idea. For all I know it was already here and the chaser just fell on top of it.” she shrugged. “I thought it belonged to… someone else, but they still had theirs when I found them later.”

“Found the door!” They heard AJ call back and moved up to join the others, coming upon a crescent shaped opening in the stone next to a dilapidated motorcycle. “Got some light further in there too. Might not be stumblin’ as much as we feared. We movin’ in?”

“No point waiting to…” the team lead murmured and stepped up to take point again.

The corridor they entered was a stark contrast to the cavern they just left. The natural stone was replaced with manufactured steel and large pipes. Sunset glanced back to the entrance to see it wasn’t even real rock, just a façade over a vault-like door still barely open despite all of them fitting through comfortably.

Aya’s flashlight swept across the ceiling before she looked back at Rarity. The woman merely shook her head. The veteran hunter accepted it but once more Sunset noticed that her eyes would still occasionally glance upward as they turned at the bend and came upon an opening. The former pony was closest to the railing as the hallway opened before a lift. She peeked over to see an endless tangle of cables and pipes descending into the depths.

“Well, you were right.” Rarity gave before gingerly following Aya onto the lift “I fear the field is too dense for me to see what might be waiting for us below.”

“At least we were ready fer that bein’ the case” AJ offered. Also looking a bit worried about the elevator, she added “We sure this won’t just drop on us?”

“Nope” Aya returned simply before hitting the button, prompting the open platform to rumble. There was a bit of squealing metal but they didn’t immediately plummet as they descended “Now there will be a hallway with another elevator at the other end-”

The blonde’s words faltered as the lift came to a halt and revealed the hall in question, right up to the point where it ended in a wall of collapsed metal and stone.

“That we apparently won't be using” she slumped slightly a frown. Nevertheless she stepped off the lift and led them forward, stopping at a thankfully unblocked door on the left “Fortunately there’s another way down, assuming that hasn’t been blocked off either. It's just a little further than I was hoping.”

“Are we sure whoever we’re looking for is further down?” Sunset spoke up, earring another shrug from her mentor.

“Not much to find on this floor, but I guess we can see if we get lucky” she returned before readying her pistol and waiting for Rarity and Applejack to take up positions on either side of the door. She took a deep breath and hit the panel.

The loud hiss of a life support system sounded the instant the room was revealed and the towering, armored form of a Rook Golem rounded on the entry before igniting the beam of plasma along its arm.

The hunters responded as promptly, unleashing a hail of bullets and buckshot before the cyborg could even begin its charge. The gas masked figure struggled forward against the hail of lead thrown against it, holding the shield upon its other arm up in defense. It couldn't withstand the lethal gale for long though, falling back to reveal a second Rook further beyond, lifting a somewhat cumbersome looking launcher attached to its arm their way. AJ and Aya’s weapons didn’t quite meet the range but Rarity’s rifle not only overcame the distance, but its penetrating rounds proved a match for even its reinforced helmet. Two quick shots and it joined the first on the floor. There didn’t seem to be a third.

“Damnit” Aya huffed before stowing her pistol and unsheathing her blade “They did beat us here. At least I thought to bring slugs for this.”

“Ah didn’...” the team’s cowgirl lamented.

“Is 5.56 enough to take care of them?” Sunset asked as they moved into the long, rounded room. She saw they were limited to a raised walkway above the unlevel floor. There thankfully didn’t seem to be nearly as much damage here than there was in the hallway. The lighting could have been better, as only half the bulbs above them seemed to be on, with half of those flickering intermittently. It was still better than nothing though.

“If you use enough of them, aimed at the right spots. Between the five of us, we should be fine if they don’t get the drop on us. Speaking of, be sure to keep an eye out for any shimmering air; I don't need to remind you that some of these things can cloak better than stalkers. They do buzz pretty loud though, so that should help.” she gave and paused as they reached the first set of doors on either side of them. Her fingers drummed along her swords hilt as she considered a moment “Come on, the armory’s through here. We can see if there were any heavier munitions left behind, maybe some slugs for Jack.”

The narrow entryway proved a challenge for finding proper cover, but fortunately nothing more waited for them on the other side of the already half open doors. Sunset keep to the rear with Fluttershy again, watching the stuck open side of the entrance as the others made way toward an overlarge machine with a flickering, broken screen. AJ performed a bit of percussive maintenance on the contraption's reinforced surface as the other two pushed through into the fenced off area next to it.

“Dang, nothin’” the former farmer gave before following. The rear guard moved to join them, still keeping a wary eye towards the door.

“There’s a shotgun missing,” Aya announced. She laid her hand on an empty rack sticking out from a shelf “It was a Spas. I found it after discovering I had the keycard from Akropolis, but I was already a bit over encumbered, so I left it. I was going to come back but then got… side tracked on the way back and picked up an AS12 from Mr. Douglas shortly after.”

“The Army prolly just took it when they cleared tha place” Jacquelyn offered but the other blonde shook her head.

“They wouldn’t have left everything else if they came through here. The dust has also been disturbed more recently.” She explained before Fluttershy cut in.

“There’s a scattering of shells leading toward the door here too.” The medic picked up one of the unspent loads. “Slugs.”

“Looks like they came from here” Rarity stepped back from a cabinet to let them see some hastily emptied boxes, several looking to have been not only spilled but actually shot in the process. In fact it looked like whoever forced their way into the cabinet used the buckshot from another to blast it open “Thankfully there’s enough left here for Jackie, at least for a few tubes full.”

“Not much else through, from the look of it” Sunset gave, looking over the cramped space and its messy cabinets “Not that we don’t already have at least.”

“The slugs are still a good find, and the Shells give us a direction. Let's go.” Aya ordered and led the way again.

A faint, but still somewhat noxious odor hit the group as they entered the darkened room from the armory. Their flashlights swept over the spilled contents of a broken fridge. The food had long since spoiled and dried, but it seemed someone had accidentally walked through it recently to reignite the trapped smell. Once more, no threats revealed themselves.

“Someone’s been through these shelves too” Rarity stated, her light on some torn open twelve packs of soda and the discarded plastic wrap from at least a couple cases of bottled water. “It seems whoever is down here was here for a while. That or they were very thirsty.”

“Naw, they tore into the rations too” Applejack returned from the opposite side of the shelves.

“The emergency medkit has been ripped off the wall” Fluttershy informed them before moving to the medial storage at the back of the room “I don’t see any blood or used equipment… Though I wouldn’t think much of this would be any good anymore. Not with the power being off this whole time.”

“Let’s keep moving” Aya ordered before continuing on. Once more, the connected hall was empty, bringing a hint of concern with it. If there were Golems standing guard at the entrance then there had to be more, right? She was seriously starting to miss Rarity’s senses.

The next room opened into a series of lockers and a row of showers separated from a small barracks of some sort. The lights were thankfully on in this section of the room. Bunk beds lined the right and far wall, several of them still holding personal effects. Most noticeable however was the pair tucked back into the corner.

Empty bottles, soda cans and ration wrappers littered the floor and a large stack of books and magazines sat next to the bottom bunk. Unlike the other beds, the sheets were crumpled up and not anywhere as dusty, having clearly been used recently. There were even several sets of functional, if horribly drab clothing gathered as well; some folded on the top bunk as the rest had been discarded into the other beds in wads.

“Someone’s definitely been livin' here” AJ concluded with the rest.

“Or hiding here…” Aya added quietly, studying the appropriated living space. She picked up a small stack of papers, seeing they were covered in handwritten notes, lists and even a messily drawn map of the shelter. She looked around to the refuse, noting some of it was more notes that had been scattered across the floor “There isn’t enough here to account for all that was missing from the storeroom. I also don’t see the gun anywhere.”

“Maybe turning on the power was an accident” the squad's redhead noted absently, drawing the gazes of the rest. It took her a moment to realize they were waiting for her to elaborate “Oh. Well, I mean, I wouldn’t set up camp in a place like this unless I absolutely had to. Doubly so if I was by myself, which seems to be the case here.”

“Yeah, this ain’t a place to be lingerin’ in” AJ agreed “If this was jus’ someone hidin’, or even jus’ look’n fer a place stay with a lot of free food, then Ah can think of better places. Not ta mention a lot less likely to fall on top o’ me.”

“They were definitely looking for something” Aya announced, still reading the papers and gesturing toward a pile of large, portable batteries, like the kind you might put in a car “There are some passwords here, along with notes on what computers can still accept power and which ones have what files… They seem to have been getting frustrated toward the end here. It's possible they slipped up and tripped a security measure.”

“It does look like whoever this was left in a rush” Fluttershy offered, poking through the garbage “Some of these bottles are still full, and even in this place, I wouldn’t have just left this broken open soda next to where I was sleeping.”

“Hopefully the Golems haven’t beaten us to them” Rarity said quietly, though it was enough to spur them back into action. Aya didn’t even need to say anything, they just nodded to each other and moved to the last door.

Finding themselves back in the main room, they pulled a right and passed through a rusted over decontamination area. Aya made sure something was blocking at least one of the doors from closing before allowing any of them to pass through. Sunset doubted it was necessary; the system was eroded well since past functioning, but she didn’t argue. Whatever the reason was for the veteran hunter’s caution, she was sure it wasn’t unwarranted. Once they were through, the blue eyed Awakened briefly paused to check a radio on the wall.

“Worth a shot” she mumbled before placing the receiver back with a frown. They continued on into a windowed hallway, letting them see into an area completely devastated by the orbital attack. It was far enough away they didn’t have to worry where they were, but it was a grim reminder of their tenuous position nonetheless. They crammed themselves into a small elevator at the end of the hall, which also thankfully still worked, and spilled out into a similar looking hall with dirt piled halfway up the glass.

“AH!” Fluttershy abruptly screamed from next to the redhead, lifted in the air by no more than a slight distortion of air. Sunset lifted her weapon only to receive the back of a translucent fist in her face, throwing her into the wall. The gangly Golem finished materializing, holding the nurse aloft from behind by her neck as a heavy buzzing filled the hall.

A strangled croak escaped the medic as the grip tightened and her face began to turn red. Worse yet, the Golem had placed the woman directly between itself and the others, preventing any kind of retaliation. Even Sunset now had very little window for a shot.

Though with what she was considering, she didn’t really need one.

“Sorry Shy!” she swung the rifle to bear, aimed between the two and pulled the forward trigger. Another miniature storm exploded from the weapon’s attachment, crashing into the pair and forcing the Golem stumbling back into convulsions. Without another moment passing, Aya was leaping over the prone pair and bringing her blade against the Golems neck, cleaving down to its chest before the momentum was lost.

Sunset scrambled over to the fidgeting Fluttershy, seriously hoping she didn’t just make the wrong decision. Pulling her sword free, the blonde quickly turned and crouched next to the redhead and placed her hands on the nurse. With a few seconds concentration, a scattering of blue lights engulfed the two and Fluttershy’s spasms subsided. With a small coughing fit, the Medic slowly came around.

“Shy I’m so sorry-” Sunset began but was cut off by the pink haired woman.

“Is it dead?”

“Oh yeah.” AJ chortled out in response.

“Then it’s okay” the nurse returned and tried to push herself up. It took the help of Sunset and Aya but they managed to get her standing against the cold glass.

“I don’t suppose any of you grabbed one of those sodas while we were up there?” the medic asked with a glint of humor.

“Um, actually…” the youngest hunter pulled a lukewarm can from one of her pouches. The rest simply stared at her incredulously “I figured it couldn’t hurt!”

“Now I definitely forgive you” Shy gave with a weak laugh, taking the warm, almost certainly flat beverage. To their surprise, it actually gave a slight hiss as it opened. They all still gave her a moment to regather herself after draining the can along with a dose of painkillers, only moving on when Aya felt the medic had recovered enough.

“I should have felt that…” Rarity muttered darkly as they entered an empty septic tank, the water still and murky beneath the walkway under their feet.

“We’re right in the middle of it Rare” AJ consoled her “And like Ay’ said, those bastards cloak better than stalkers.”

“I don’t blame you” The nurse added, rifle sweeping over the unspeakable, though fortunately still liquid.

“Thank you dear, but I’m still feeling very useless down here.”

“You took off a Golem’s head” Sunset pointed out “That’s hardly useless.”

“Yet I couldn’t do a thing against one mere feet from me that should have been clear as day.”

“Then watch the motion tracker for us.” Aya said from up front “We’ll handle anything that gets close. We’ve still got a lot of open areas left too. We’ll need you for those.”

“Fiiiine” The fashionista gave dramatically “If Everyone insists on comforting me I suppose it’s the least I can do.”

While it didn’t earn much of a laugh, given the circumstances, the little display did prompt some smiles. Nerves somewhat eased, they took position at the door.

“Speaking of open spaces, we got another long one ahead.” Aya crouched in front of the door this time, opening another fire line over her head “Ready? Opening.”

The door slid apart with a hiss, revealing another rounded, dimly lit room nearly identical to the one above it, save the water flowed beneath these one's walkways. Two shapes stalked along the paths, not seeming to notice the opened door until one was already dead. The second charged straight into the wall of lead, actually making it within a few paces of them before finally falling at their feet.

“Jeez,” Sunset breathed out as she reloaded “How’d you deal with these things all on your own?”

“Power shot, an automatic shotgun loaded with slugs, and a lot of luck” the Awakened answered candidly. Accepting that reasoning, the former pony followed the rest deeper into the room. The veteran hunter grimaced as she looked to a small lift on the right before saying they should clear the floor, just in case. Once more the adjoining rooms and corridors seemed to have been ignored by the cybernetic NMC soldiers. At least the one they could actually get into: the area labeled ‘The Breeding Room” was so full of dirt it reached almost to their shoulders, limiting their options.

“Not here… damn…” she murmured as the next set of doors parted before them. Despite not finding anyone, the group spread out through the Lab the blue-eyed awakened led them to. Fluttershy was checking a metal crate Aya said she had left some supplies in before, seeing if anything was still usable, while AJ and Rarity checked the tables. Sunset followed her mentor up a short flight of steps to a row of large incubators. Wiping off a thick layer of dust, the blonde gave a heavy sigh as her gaze swept sadly over the dark tubes.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, just… A lot of messed up stuff happened down here. More than most anyone knows.” she returned with clear regret. She abruptly turned away and stepped past the redhead. The young hunter took one last glance at the incubators before following. The older woman called out to Fluttershy “Anything useful?”

“I found this” the pink haired woman held up an odd looking machine pistol. “There were a few more magazines with it too, all filled with Hydra.”

“M950” the blonde replied “I completely forgot Mr. Douglas had given that to me. Hold on to it; may not pack much of a punch but it can put out a lot of little ones in a hurry. It’ll be better than your snub nose at least.”

The nurse nodded and adjusted her load to accept the weapon while Aya turned to the others. They shook their heads and soon enough they all were back in the main room, standing in front of one of the small lifts. The faded letters on the metal floor grating simply reading ‘ARK.’

“So this is it then?” Sunset asked.

“This is it…” Aya answered darkly. Rolling her shoulders, she stepped forward and placed a hand on the console, waiting for the rest to file on. It was another tight fit, but they managed. A small beep sounded and they were headed down with another sigh escaping the Blue eyed Awakened “Alright girls, brace yourselves; I have no idea what this place is like now. We could be walking into a mutated rain forest or a flooded desert depending on what survived and where the rail rounds hit.”

“We’re ready Darling” the pale woman pressed against her declared “And we’ve got each other. We can do this.”

“Right” Aya forced a smile before they grew quiet again. After what felt like an eternity, the lift finally came to a stop, letting them out into an ugly orange and beige maintenance way. “Watch your step, the foyer was made of glass. You don’t want to fall through.”

Following the Awaken’s advice, they carefully made their way into a wide, dark area. A subtle crackling came with their steps but the floor held fast. They spread out to sweep the space while Sunset stayed toward the center to cover their backs. Her eyes panned out to the dark expanse, seeing silhouettes of what looked like a field of dead trees and a large column of faint moonlight in the distance, reflecting off a large underground lake. Smaller bright spots dotted a few areas in between.

They all jumped and whipped their aim to the ceiling as a smattering of lights snapped on with several pops and a distorted voice boomed at them.

“WeLComE tO NEo-ARRRrrrrrrrr….” the recording trailed off before dying completely with a final hiss of static. They took a collective breath and regrouped in front of a partially illuminated map. Aya stepped up to the railing, looking over the area herself as more lights snapped on.

“Guess I didn’t have to worry about the forest… or the desert” she admitted, looking over to the massive wall of fallen rocks to their left, with only a small line of sand peaking out from under them. She glanced back behind them to see that even the stairs leading to that side of the ARK had collapsed. She swept her gaze over the barren trees “That simplifies things, though there may still be something alive down here, Golem or otherwise.”

Fairly warned, they made their way down the remaining staircase. They had just reached a turn when a line of red shot out from the darkness and danced across Sunset’s chest.

“Get Down!” Aya tackled the cyan-eyed girl just before a trio of riot grenades soared over their heads.

“God you drones are terrible shots!” a deep baritone rang out with a slightly artificial edge. “Already bad enough none of you idiots can swim.”

The team scrambled behind whatever cover they could find before stealing looks toward their assailants. A trio of heavily armored Golems stood at the doorway at the end of the hall, the flanking pair sweeping over their cover with thankfully very obvious laser sights. The one in the middle however, the one that looked like it was wearing half a tank’s worth of protection, strode forward with his arms held wide.

“The intrepid hunters of MIST! Such a pleasure to finally meet you in the flesh!” he called jovially. A pair of loud pings rang out as a dense slug and high caliber rifle round sparked off his armor “Well now that’s just rude. Not even a hello back.”

The armor wasn’t even scratched. Aya popped out of cover next bathed the a shimmering amber aura of a powershot and a dull thump sounded as her launcher sent a grenade sailing straight into the cybernetic super soldier.

The smoke slowly cleared to show the Golem completely unscathed, hands on his hips with not a small amount of sass. Aya scowled and shifted her grip, the air crackling as her Javelin laser sprang to life.

“Oh stop, that tickles!” he chuckled with unrestrained mirth. Aya hesitated, her breathing coming a little more labored as she stared in disbelief. Her gaze was briefly broken as she glanced away, peering over her shoulder to her gunblade “Oh! Oh yes, please! Try closing distance.”

A plasma blade ignited along the Cyborg’s arm, bathing him and his fellows in a sickly blue light. The flanking pair zeroed their sights on Aya, forcing her back into cover as more miniature explosions rocked the low wall. Heavy steps soon began closing in their direction, slow and deliberate. The hunters took some small solace in the fact it seemed the walking tank couldn’t walk very quickly, but it remained a moot point when they couldn’t even put a dent in him.

“TAKE OUT THE SUPPORT!” Aya shouted, prompting a quick flurry of shots from the rest. The pair raised their shields but even those failed against the onslaught sent their way. The sapient Golem stopped for a moment to look back at the fallen drones, giving a sigh and shaking his head.

“You can’t swim, can’t take a shot. Barely even managed to corner our prey… Why do we still even use these things?“ he grumbled before turning back to his gradual trek. Free from the ranged threat, the whole of the team broke from cover and continued the assault. Slugs, bullets, lightning, fireballs; it all crashed uselessly against the living fortress steadily closing distance. He stopped again and threw his back and released a twisted laugh.

“You can’t touch me girls! I’M FUCKING INVINCIBLE!”

With the declaration he craned back down and a light blazed behind him. Rarity gave a short cry as the mass of metal suddenly launched forward in a blazing sprint, only just missing the hunter as she fell to the side. A tremor shook their surroundings as the rocket propelled Golem continued past and slammed into the wall. The sound of grinding rock echoed from the hole as the golem began turning back around within.

“MOVE!” The team lead shouted and led the way deeper into the ARK. They crawled over a fallen log, past one chest high gate and toward a second as Aya continued calling back “There’s an underwater bridge ahead! If we can lure him in, then maybe we can- DAMNIT!”

The blonde ground to a halt against the gate, the rest catching up just a second later to see what prompted the curse. The bridge was already destroyed, only a broken off tunnel of shattered safety glass leading into murky depths remained. Not another moment later, the whoosh of the Knight’s rockets sounded behind them.

“Scatter! Use the trees!” Aya ordered before the group split. The fallen log exploded into a shower of splinters as the Golem charged through and a series of vents opened across his front to help slow his advance.

A second explosion rang out with a metal chime as he began to turn again. The gunblade struck against the cyborg’s back, the colorful blast managing to finally have an effect on the super soldier as it stumbled forward.

A growl of frustration emerged from his helmet's speakers and he spun with surprising quickness, catching the blonde with the back of his hand and sending her crashing against the trunk of a nearby tree. She let out a light groan as she pushed herself off the ground, trying to clear her head as he stomped toward her. His blade hummed as it rose menacingly.

A blaze of flame crashed against the plodding battlement, exploding in a great cloud of black smoke and obscuring the open space. A second later the sound of running steps closed on the veteran hunter before she was scooped up by her fellow blonde. Another growl quickly turned into a roar accompanied by several dense thumps.

‘Did… did I knock him over?’ Sunset stood along the tree line, her hand still raised as the smoke cleared. She blinked and felt her jaw go slack as she caught sight of the Golem’s silhouette pushing itself back into a stand ‘Holy crap, I actually knocked him over!’

It had been the same procedure she used on the range so long ago. She was only intending to use it for the smoke it created, yet it somehow managed overcome the walking tank's mass. A smile slowly spread across her lips. One that soon transformed into a wicked, shark toothed grin. She prepared the spell again, feeding more magic into the mix.

The Golem didn’t let her expand on her achievement unfortunately. With a single swipe of his blade, he burned straight through a dense trunk and gripped the side. With another enraged howl, he shoved the falling tree in her direction. Forced to flee the mass of falling dead wood and the resulting rain of of debris that followed, she retreated deeper into the trees.

She dove to the side as the roar of exhaust closed behind her, sending in even more wooden shrapnel through the air as the Golem thundered past. She crawled backward along the dead underbrush, as fast as she could away from the cyborg turning toward her.

“You… You’re like them, aren’t you?” he rumbled grimly “I really should take you as a sample… but I’d rather just kill you.”

Shock and confusion shot through the redhead at his cryptic statement, halting her stumbling retreat. The Golem's rear vents opened again, and he stooped for another charge. He just shifted his legs when one of the ports exploded into a gout of flame and the ring of Rarity’s rifle echoed through the trees. The cyborg flailed as he tried to shut down the vent throwing him off balance. Seeing this as her only chance, Sunset leapt to her feet and prepared the spell matrix as quickly as she could.

She had just raised her hand when another arm wrapped around hers, it's hand extended and already glowing. She looked over to meet eyes with Aya now pressing against her, feeling the elder hunter's power join her own as they both caught ablaze. Matching her mentor’s scowl, the former pony poured everything she had left into the matrix and glared back at the armored menace. A with shout of anger, the pair thrust out and let loose the attack.

A massive beam of pure red lanced into the darkness, illuminating the whole of the cavern as it crashed straight into its target.

It only lasted a moment, but it was enough to launch both women off their feet and skidding across the brush. They tried to right themselves as quickly as possible and looked back to where their opponent had stood. Only a line of smoldering embers cut into the earth could be seen, the Golem nowhere to be found.

“Did you mean to make it a beam?” the blonde next to her asked in a bit of a daze.

“It was not my intent” the redhead returned simply, also staring wide eyed at their work. The others hastily regrouped around the pair, helping them to their feet and all holding a subtle expression of awe as they did.

“Dang. Ah know two are special an’ all, but that was still a hell of a thing.”

“Yes” Aya agreed quietly.

“That was certainly a thing” Sunset finished. She then teetered slightly however, having to lean on Fluttershy as the nurse stepped in to catch her. “Wow… really wishing I grabbed another coke now.”

“We can grab some on the way back. Small detour, but I could also use one.” Aya rose from having braced herself against her knees. “After this there’s pretty much only two places left our target can be, and one's on the way to the other.”

A small while later, the group was once more cramped into a not quite big enough elevator. More than one of them piped up to ask Aya if she was sure this was the only way down, as the ride was lasting notably longer than even the ARK’s ride had been. She kept assuring them it was, though she seemed exceptionally subdued. In fact, Sunset noted her mood seemed to drop as steadily as they did.

Eventually though, a chime rang out and the doors slid apart to let them out. Entering into a small hallway, Sunset immediately noticed there were more ruined speakers like those at the top of the lift. They moved to the next set of doors, which opened into a massive empty room. Empty save for another pair of destroyed emitters and a long dried pool of NMC goo. From the looks of it, it must have been a damned big one too.

“This is where the second Eve’s host was kept, isn’t it?” Sunset finally asked, earning a sad nod from her fellow awakened. She shared a solemn glance with Applejack and Rare before noticing Fluttershy also looked as downtrodden as Aya. Neither said anything though, and simply continued into the next room.

The worried trio gasped as they took it in. Reinforced walls surrounded them as they shuffled into the oppressive space, the faded colors not failing to convey the truth that a child was kept here. A very young child by the looks of it. They stumbled forward as Aya and Fluttershy stood aside, eyes cast down as they waited. Sunset took another step but froze at the sight of what laid upon the bed.

A control helmet.

“It was kid?” AJ finally found her voice, looking around as she felt an anger begin to rise within her “Those monsters did all this fucked up shit to a Little Girl!?”

“How could anyone live with themselves doing something like this?” Rarity tried to fight away the tears that now threatened her as she sat on the bed, picking up the dark headgear.

A low clatter came as Sunset climbed through the nursery’s broken window and into the observation room beyond. She walked to a row of incubators even larger than those she saw in the lab above. A light shone dimly from within one, revealing the still, unmoving form of a young girl. She was curled into a fetal position, and her skin was grey, but whatever nutrients she floated in had preserved her enough to see her face; to see that it was very familiar. She heard the others walk up behind her, stopping as they looked in themselves. Sunset frowned as she read the name on the tube.

“Don’t worry, only the first letter is capitalized…” she recalled in practically a whisper before casting her gaze to Aya “It was Evie, wasn’t it.”

The blonde returned another small nod.

“Evie’s a clone?” Jacquelyn asked mutely “So… she ain’t yer sister, she's yer…”

“She’s her sister.” Fluttershy insisted, distressed scowl unwavering “She became her sister as soon as she was rescued, and grew up that way. Evie’s Aya’s sister.”

“Uh, Oh. Oh yeah, I didn’t mean ta say-” The freckled hunter fumbled before regaining herself “Of course she is! This don’t matter none!”

“Evie’s Evie” Rarity added with a soft smile and placed a hand on the veteran hunter’s arm.

“No matter where she’s from” Sunset concluded with a strong nod of her own. A ghost of a smile tugged at the corner of the older woman’s mouth.

“Yeah… yeah, she is.” She straightened and looked at them “...Thanks girls.”

She took a deep breath and turned toward the large lift to their right.

“Let’s finish this.”

They boarded the elevator, comfortably spread apart as it took them up. After a thankfully shorter ride, it deposited them back into the ARK, into a small garden area outside a large generator building.

A dead Golem was laid out along their path, with another along a bridge leading back toward the destroyed underwater one. Quickening their pace, they closed on the building’s door, immediately hearing the sounds of sparking electricity and an occasional, heavy flopping when it opened.

A fair amount of debris littered the stairs ahead of them as they entered, matching a large hole in the wall to their left that opened out into the water. Ignoring the obstructed stairs for the moment, they moved toward the sounds, noting a painful whine could now be heard as well.

It was a diver. A very large diver, big enough that its long flippered appendages hung partially off the sides of a platform large enough to hold one of the troop trucks that brought them to the shelter above. A platform that it had apparently pulled itself up onto before being crudely jury-rigged into the machinery behind it. An errant jolt coursed through the NMC, triggering another spasm and pained grunt as the lights flickered.

“This is what restored power?” Rarity asked appalled.

“Bio-electricity” Aya sighed with clear melancholy “These used to power a barrier to Eve’s room, though they used unique ANMCs bred for the purpose. Using this might explain the field permeating the place, and why it’s so scattered in comparison.”

Finishing her explanation, the blonde walked up to the front of the machine and drew her side arm. The diver didn’t even react as she placed the barrel against its badly scorched head and fired a single burst. The already spent NMC fell limp and the lights flickered and dimmed around them until only safety lights where left.

“Uh, Ay’? Maybe shoulda waited ‘till we had a way back out first” AJ gave with a hint of worry. The elder hunter shook her head though.

“With the Diver dead, the field should begin to disperse and we’ll be able to get a signal out. Rupert and the rest will be able to use portable generators to power the lifts along the way and get us out. It's what the army supposedly did last time.” She just finished assuring them when a clatter sounded from the floor above. With a single shared look, they all readied their weapons and moved back to the stairs.

The fallen cement made it tricky but hardly impossible to ascend. They gathered at the top and started to spread out as they moved around the second mass of machinery. Aya had just started forward when a figure rolled out from their cover and leveled a Spas-12 their way.

“FREEZE!” they shouted in unison and the young woman stopped. She rose a hand and began to try blinking past their lights as the barrel of her gun slowly drooping toward the ground. Though from the expression that emerged on her face, it had nothing to do with the command.

“Brea” she dirty female released with a labored breath as she stared at the blonde. She was filthy, covered in dirt and dead leaf fragments and her short, crudely chopped hair was thickly matted. She reeked of sweat and… other fluids. Her drab shelter clothing sported several tears that revealed several cuts and bruises beneath. The only hint of color was a flash of red hidden beneath her top where it attached to a collar.

“Mist…” she whispered again, finally tearing her gaze from the veteran hunter to look over the rest of the team. The moment her eyes met Sunset’s however, she froze. An almost tangible spark shot through the pair as both their eyes widened with realization.

The moment didn't last though as those dazzling purple eyes rolled back in their sockets and their owner abruptly slumped forward into a heap.

Fluttershy rushed to the passed out girl’s side, digging out her medkit while the others relaxed their stance. Their expressions remained though. Staring at the fallen woman, slowly but surely, each turned back to the redhead with faces clouded in either bewilderment or shock.

The girl was an NMH, without a doubt. As if there could have been any doubt with where she was found. They could feel it now too though. They could feel she was different, that she possessed just a little more. And while the older hunters still didn’t know what it was yet, the youngest one did.

Because she felt just like Sunset did.

She felt like magic.

Chapter 15: Aftermath

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Sunset moved about the empty house at a hurried pace, heavy bags under eyes as she sought to finish her tasks and get back to the station. Dash and their mysterious new NMH were both still unconscious in the MIST infirmary and she wanted to be there when they awoke; The former in particular. She needed to know it worked. She needed to know she didn’t make things worse and left Rainbow…

She shook her head and returned to the food and water bowls in front of her, filling both before giving the rabbit at her side a quick pet before heading toward the bird cage still set up in the kitchen. She wouldn’t have come home at all if Fluttershy hadn’t asked her to take care of the animals. While she thought they would have survived a single day without, she still left with the promise from the nurse of letting her know the moment either woke up.

“Hey Rini” the former pony gave tiredly as she popped open the cage to retrieve the finch’s seed dish. The small bird chirped excitedly and squirmed out of the opening between the redhead’s arm and the cage door before promptly diving down the front of the girl’s shirt. “No- Rine, not today. Please?”

She fished the mischievous finch from her bosom and placed her on the counter as she refilled her water and seed. Fluttershy had warned against naming the little avian, saying it would only make it harder when the time came to release her ‘back’ into the wild. But seeing as Sunset sort of created the little finch, she felt the least she could do was give it a name. Tangerine not only felt appropriate but it also struck her as just a cute name for a bird. She also doubted not naming it would have kept it from getting as attached to her, or from developing its habit of trying to nest between her breasts.

She checked her phone and let out a sigh; no messages. She sat down with a heavy breath, letting the little bird hop about outside of its cage a bit. Angel quickly noticed her relaxed state and hopped up to stand against her leg, prompting her to pick him up into her lap. As she understood it, a lot of rabbits didn’t actually like being picked up, or to be the only one around for that matter either, but Angel had always been a little different. Tangerine must have decided it looked fun and fluttered up to her shoulder, though quickly got distracted with playing with her hair.

She glanced to the back door, half expecting to see Brandon sitting on the other side of the sliding glass. The crow had developed a practically insatiable interest in the new avian in the house and had already tried getting in a few times. To what end though, they weren’t sure yet. It could be anything from territory concerns to wanting to assert dominance to simple curiosity. Fluttershy wasn’t very concerned but even just considering the sheer size difference between the two, they were playing it safe for now. She didn’t seem to have to worry this morning though... or late afternoon rather; as not only was the crow not present but had quickly learned there was yet another door to get past in the garage, which is how they usually came and went.

“Alright, sorry guys but I gotta go” she placed Angel back down and returned Rini to her cage before heading to the garage. She paused with her hand on the Jeep’s door handle when a thought occurred to her and she walked back inside.

Ten minutes later she was behind the wheel with a carry crate in the back and an excited bunny in the passenger seat, perched on the passenger door as he watched the scenery pass by. Pulling into the garage, she gathered her things and the small pack of pet supplies before scooping the ball of fluff into her arms. The crate was mostly a just in case thing, so she felt comfortable leaving it in the car for now. She could hear the pops of someone in the range down the hall and began to hurry past to limit any hit to Angel’s sensitive ears.

At least she did until she spotted Aya leaning against the wall opposite the big window. A worried frown dominated her face as she watched whoever was inside. Placing a protective hand over the bunny’s ears, she changed course to see what had her mentor so concerned. The blonde didn’t fail to notice her approach.

“That…” the veteran hunter began after spotting the rabbit “Was a damn good idea Sunny. Even better than you probably realize…”

Aya tilted her chin to the range, Sunset turning to see none other than the bunny’s owner on the other side. Pinkie was standing tensely behind her as the nurse unleashed a flurry of lead from the bullet hose that was the M950 they recovered from the shelter. The seemingly endless stream of casings bounced off the lane dividing wall as the rounds shredded a wooden target and the NMC pictured on its surface. Another cylinder was already in Flutter’s hand not a moment after her current magazine ran dry, though a silent snarl twisted the medic’s already deep scowl as she saw it was empty.

Sunset shot Aya a nervous glance but was quickly drawn back by the muffled, though no less enraged scream from the other side of the glass. She turned back just in time to see Fluttershy rear back with the weapon itself, only stopped by Pinkie darting forward to grab her. The pair outside quickly rushed to the door as the nurse struggled weakly in the rangemaster’s grip. Fluttershy’s struggles faltered and she collapsed to her knees, falling into her friend’s arms and beginning to weep.

They crouched down near the pair, Aya bringing a hand up to rub the woman’s back as she cried. And so there they sat, waiting quietly as she just let it all out. None were sure how long they sat for but eventually, gradually, the medic’s sobs slowed and the tears didn’t flow quite so heavily.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen…” she whimpered out, head buried in Pinkie’s chest “She was supposed to have escaped it. You and her weren’t supposed to get infected. You were supposed to be the ones that stayed normal…”

“Oh Fluttershy, that’s just silly” Pinkie returned softly, pulling the ear muffs off the woman now looking at her confused “I mean really; Us? Normal? Come on now.”

Despite the nurse’s best efforts, a small snort escaped her. She pulled away from her friend and moved to wipe her eyes before Pinkie caught them again.

“GSR Shy” the rangemaster gently reminded her. Flutter’s nodded mutely, before turning to the two other women. She smiled thankfully at Aya and turned to give one to Sunset but gasped at the sight of her pet. She reached for the bunny though managed to catch herself this time, instead only bending down to place her forehead against the rabbit’s. Granted there was still undoubtedly some residue on her face too, especially considering the weapon she was using, and sure enough there were a few dark specks standing clear against Angel’s white coat after she pulled away, but not much. They could easily wipe it off.

“Thank you” She said quietly, giving Sunset a teary smile.

“I figured you could use something fluffy to pet” the redhead shrugged back, trying to keep hold of the rabbit now struggling for more attention. Shy gave the bunny a quick peck on the nose and moved to stand. The other two quickly made to help raise her to her feet.

“Come on” Aya offered, wiping away the nurse’s tears herself “Let’s get you cleaned up to give this little guy a proper hug, yeah?”

Fluttershy nodded again and let herself be led out of the range and to the locker room. Pinkie produced a small box of baby wipes from her voluminous curls and handed them to Sunset before moving to a wash station herself. Her and Aya had just finished wiping away the last of the residue when Fluttershy came back in a clean shirt, her face and hands freshly scrubbed. Taking the offered rabbit, she hugged him to her chest and curled around him, a strained smile finding her again as he licked her face with vigor.

“Thank you” she repeated.

“You said that already.”

“Still…” Sunset just rubbed her back like Aya did before in response. A moment later Pinkie came out, though didn’t join them on the bench, leaning down in front of her fellow pink-haired woman instead.

“Caddy brought Spike in to cheer up Twilight. Think they’d like to see each other too. Been a little while, yeah?” she offered her hands to help her up “Come on, let’s go to the lab.”

“But… the range” the nurse replied hesitantly.

“Don’t worry Shy, Sunny and I will get it” Aya quickly insisted. Accepting the offer without a fight, Flutters followed Pinkie to the elevator, leaving the two awakened behind.

“I hope this isn’t a sign I missed something between home and here” Sunset said as they returned to the range. She wanted to say something before, but didn’t want to risk upsetting Shy any further.

“No. No, don’t worry. Dash is… still the same. Not better but she hasn’t gotten any worse,” the blonde answered as she typed something into her phone. She stashed the device as they reentered the range. “Our new Awakened has yet to live up to the namesake yet either.”

“Wait, the woman we found in the Ark is an Awakened?!” Sunset literally stopped in her tracks.

“Well… sort of?” Aya tried to relay, putting her hands on her hips “I don’t really understand it either. Even Twilight seems stumped. She doesn’t show the same signs of being infected or naturally awakened. As Twi puts it; it’s almost like an induced awakening.”

“An Artificial Awakened?” the redhead stared at her, only jostled from her shock by the woman handing her one of the brooms. They began sweeping the copious amount of casings before she continued. “I didn’t think that was possible.”

“Neither did we.” Aya admitted over the rattling of brass “And yet that’s the best we’re able to determine. At least so far.”

“I didn’t see any implants or anything,” the former pony muttered.

“She doesn’t have any, not anymore at least” the elder hunter explained “Other than some possible surgical scarring, the only thing Twilight found was a small device near the base of her skull. It was completely fried but she believes it may have been a tracking device.”

“Do…” Sunset paused, trying to think of how to ask her question delicately “Do we have to worry that they may track her here?”

“MIST is in the phone book Sunset; it may not say what we do but the organization’s headquarters aren’t exactly Batcaves. And there’s not many other places we would have taken her” Aya gave her a look. Not a scathing one but Sunset still felt a little silly with it put like that “But no, like I said: it was burnt out. Girl must have given herself a hell of a shock to do it too, considering she actually still ended up with scars from it. She definitely didn’t want to be found…”

“But if they know she’s here-”

“It’s one thing to drop a dozen golems down a hole in an already restricted area. It’s another to assault the headquarters of their enemy in the middle of a populated city.” The blonde assured her “They’d have the cops, feds and national guard up their ass in moments while still dealing with us at their throats. Not that I doubt they still have connections in high places, but unless this girl is worth exposing what would probably be several of their stooges, I doubt we have to worry about a siege just yet.”

“Just yet?” Sunset repeated with a hint of worry.

“It is our job to screw up their plans…” she mumbled, looking over the range as they finished. She collected the machine pistol still sitting on the self and jerked her head for Sunset to follow “But one step at a time. Better to worry about Dash right now than some hypothetical we may haven’t even earned yet, right?”

“Right…” the redhead breathed out and followed Aya up the stairs. The veteran hunter told her to go on ahead, saying she’d catch up after returning the gun to the armory. So she split off and headed to the lab, opening it to find Pinkie trying to help a tired looking Applebloom and a very tired looking Twilight as best she could. One absence didn’t go unnoticed though, “Where’s Shy?”

“Caddy came and got her after Aya texted her” Pinkie answered before handing her a bag of pet food “Here, you can help me feed the animals.”

She took the bag and headed toward the back of the room. She looked to both the scientists, returning Bloom’s fatigued wave and smile, while Twilight had yet to look up from the microscope she was peering into. Deciding it best not to distract her, Sunset skirted past to the cages and tanks. It didn’t escape her notice that only about half as many of them still had specimens compared to the last time she was in the lab. She gave a small frown and moved to the first occupied one, smiling down sadly at the pair of rats standing against the reinforced glass of the container, eager for their meal.

She was just securing the lid back in place when a horrible squealing came from the next cage over. She took an unconscious step back as she saw one rat suddenly attacking the other, scattering small splashes of blood everywhere as it began tearing into its cage mate. Even as it began to eat, it was already growing in size with its skin and hair splitting to reveal the inflamed muscle beneath.

“Hit the blue button in front of the cage!” Applebloom shouted from behind. The redhead’s gaze searched for the button in question, finding it in a second next to a larger red one and slamming her finger down on top. Another squeal sounded as the metal floor of the cage sparked and the mutating rodent convulsed. It turned and hissed before hurling itself toward the young hunter, crashing against the safety glass hard enough to crack the surface. Seeming oblivious to the large gash across its face the action caused, it reared back to charge again.

A loud pop suddenly sounded and the back of the rats’ skulls exploded out, killing both instantly. Sunset stared at the pair of now very dead rats, the small holes in their heads smoking lightly. She turned back at the sound of steps coming up behind her, seeing Twilight scowling with a complicated remote in her hand. The doctor gave a heavy sigh and rubbed her forehead.

The next thing any of them knew, she was whipping around and hurling the remote at the far wall, shattering it into countless pieces. The scientist then fell back into her chair with a slump, head in her hands as she struggled to just breathe evenly. A moment of silence reigned, only broken by Pinkie stepping forward.

“Twi-”

“I’m fine!” she almost snapped as she straightened. Taking another deep breath, she propped her elbow against the table and rested her mouth against her fist, blinking away a watering in her eyes. “Sorry, it's just… sorry. I’m fine.”

The other three women shared a glance, clearly not convinced. But before any of them could say anything, the doctor rose back to her feet and turned to her fellow awakened.

“Sunset, I’m glad you’re here. I need you to test something-”

“No.” Twilight blinked at the redhead abruptly cutting her off. “You need to get some sleep.”

“I said I’m fine.”

“Twilight you haven’t slept since we got back” Pinkie stepped up next to Sunset “Please, you have to get some rest. You won’t do anyone any good like this.”

“I have rested.”

“Passing out on the counter for twenty minutes doesn’t count Doctor” Applebloom cut in from her side. She flinched at the glare sent her way at the well intentioned betrayal but the youngest Apple stood her ground nonetheless. The scientist bowed her head with an angry huff. One that petered out at the sound of a small whine from beneath the counter, followed by a frightened Spike cautiously emerging. Another heavy, but notably softer sigh escaped her.

“...Fine.” she crouched down to sooth the small canine “I’ll try to get some sleep. After this test.”

“Twilight-”

“It’s for Dash” the bespectacled woman continued evenly “I need to know if your mitochondria will still react to you. I’ll lay down in the bunk room after.”

“...Promise?”

“Yes, I promise.” She stood back up “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

“Uhhh…” was all Sunset could give in response to the seemingly random declaration and its odd ritual of gestures.

“It’s a Pinkie Promise” Applebloom offered.

“You don’t break those” Pinkie whispered to her with a wink. Knowing better than to question the machinations of Pink, Sunset just went with it and followed Twilight to the infirmary. She heard a familiar voice as they entered, bringing attention to Rarity seated next to Rainbow’s bed with what looked like a trashy novel in her hands, the kind Dash would have called ‘girl porn’ if she had been awake.

“Good evening Darling. I didn’t think the day off would keep you home either” the fashionable woman smiled warmly “Did you manage to get any sleep?”

“Some…” Sunset returned with a shrug. She hadn't expected to but her exhaustion had won out against her worry. She then gestured to the book with a smirk “Not exactly Rainbow’s typical fair, even when she does read.”

“No I daresay it’s not, but it still helps to hear a familiar voice” she gave with a touch of melancholy, though it didn’t last as a mischievous smile found her “And who knows? Maybe she’ll get so fed up she’ll wake up just to get me to stop.”

“Here’s hoping” Twilight returned with a chuckle before gesturing for the redhead to join her next to the bed. She placed her hand gently on Rainbow's bandaged arm and Sunset followed suit “Good, now try to reach out to your mitochondria.”

The redhead closed her eyes and focused her senses, quickly feeling what was left in Dash’s system respond immediately. It was a good bit stronger than she had been expecting, and still quite dominant in their control. Something else also caught her attention too, relayed to her through her mitochondria.

“There’s a third signature” she spoke aloud, looking to Twilight with concern. The doctor however didn’t seem worried.

“That would be Dash's own original mitochondria” she explained “With their effort to replace them halted by the suppressants and your intervention, the infection diverted to converting Rainbow’s already existing mitochondria. Good thing too, as her own are far more likely to remain symbiotic.”

“If she’s very lucky, they’ll become the majority” Rarity added “Mine are still trying to break the ratio.”

“So long as we all remain stable, that’s what matters for now” Twilight smiled at the well coiffed hunter.

“So an NMH can actually have multiple strains of mitos?” Sunset asked. “I didn’t realize that’s how it worked.”

“Oh yes. While it would certainly be a bit of an anomaly in anyone uninfected, our cells can house several different codes” the scientist returned “Awakened can be more ‘pure’ for lack of a better term, but even that’s not always the case. A small percentage of yours are from Aya after all.”

“Really?” the former pony blinked, unconsciously looking herself over “I can’t feel anything but mine.”

“That’s because they are yours” Rarity quipped with a smirk “As what you feel as also yours will be Rainbow’s here eventually. You and I will be probably still be able to feel them, but once they’re all under control, anyone else would be hard pressed to tell without a lab.”

“I don’t suppose either of you could tell a ratio?” Twilight posed.

“I’d say from that strong a response…” Rarity began, eyes sweeping over the mechanic’s prone form “At least a third are still Sunset’s, and that they’re not yet fully adapted, still just working under her directions to them. Rainbow’s own are a little less than the rest and are still at odds with the infection…”

“That’s not too surprising, considering it’s only been a day” Twilight commented, making notes on her tablet. Sunset merely studied her friend, noting her face in particular.

“Her cuts don’t seem as bad, like she’s already healing like one of us.” she pointed out, her tone holding a note of hopeful inquiry.

“She is” Twilight brightened slightly “Maybe not too efficiently yet but the health of the host is thankfully the natural priority of all Neo-Mitochondria, infectious or not. At this rate, Rainbow’s face shouldn’t scar too much, and I’d suspect those to fade before too long as well. Her arms on the other hand… those will probably be more severe, even with an accelerated regeneration.”

“I’m sure she’ll still find her way to bragging about them” a new voice came from the other side of the room as another of MIST’s nurses exited the office. She approached the group “Hey Sunny.”

“Hey ‘Red” Sunset returned. She didn’t know Nurse Redheart as well as she knew Fluttershy, and hadn’t interacted with her nearly as much since her own recovery, but they knew each other well enough to at least be on nickname terms. “Good to see Twi and Shy haven’t been dealing with all this alone.”

“Like I could trust these two to survive on no sleep without another medic here” the Nurse quipped. As if on cue, Twilight released a very large yawn that earned an eye roll from the medic “See what I mean?”

“I’ll have you know I was just going to the bunk room after this.” Twilight gave a bit indignantly, though swiftly relented “Even if I had to be coerced into it…”

“Well then don’t let me keep you. Go on, shoo” the woman began playfully ushering the two out. Twilight turned and opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by the Nurse “Yes, yes I know. Either wake up and you’ll be the very next one. Now get some sleep; you look like crap.”

With a last teasing smirk and the echo of Rariy’s laughter, the door closed on them. They collected Spike from the lab and retired to the bunk room as the doctor promised. Twilight was just climbing in one of the beds when the door opened, revealing a rabbit laden Fluttershy escorted by Cadence, who gave a surprised smile at the sight.

“Oh wow, you actually dragged her away!” she beamed at the flat glare her sister-in-law shot at her way. Unflapped, she merely turned back to the Sunset “How’d you manage that?”

“Something called a ‘Pinkie Promise’?” The redhead grinned back.

“Ah. That would do it” she nodded knowingly as Fluttershy gave a tired giggle of her own. The counselor winked at the redhead “You don’t break those.”

“So I’ve heard” she retorted before Cadence led the nurse to another bed, holding Angel as she climbed in. Wishing the pair a good night, they left with Sunset turning back toward the infirmary when a hand snagged her arm.

“Nuh-uh Shimmer,” the older woman said with good humor “Come on now, your turn.”

“Oh… yeah, ok.” She caught on and followed Cadence back to her office. She figured it would be coming but thought it’d be an actual appointment. Not that she particularly minded this time.

“So” Cadence began simply as they took their seats “How you feeling?”

“Tired, worried, scared… angry” Sunset listed off with a sigh.

“Reasonable…” the counselor returned simply “Depending on what you’re angry at that is.”

Sunset was quiet for a moment, eyes glazing slightly as they swept over the ceiling after she leaned her head back. Cadence waited patiently, knowing that since she opened up right away, that Sunset was just trying to figure out how to put her thoughts into words.

“Kind of at everything, sort of” she gave after another moment “Stuff I both should and shouldn’t be.”

“Well I can guess the stuff you should be mad at, but what do you feel you shouldn’t be mad at?”

“People that don’t deserve the blame. Rupert and Shiny for not bringing more support. The Army guys for not doing better and getting themselves killed. At myself for not doing better. At Dash for getting hurt in the first place and scaring us all like this” she admitted with a concerned look, eyes still at the ceiling “Like I said, people I shouldn’t be mad at.”

“But you are, and there’s nothing wrong with that because that’s just part of what it is to feel.” she smiled consolingly “It’s good you recognize they, and you, are not to blame though.”

“Doesn’t make me feel much better about it” the redhead grumbled.

“It will, with time” Cadence countered before returning to another point “You also said you were scared; of what exactly?”

“That Rainbow won’t wake up, or that she'll wake up but not be her anymore. That I did something wrong or that my weird Mitos will cause problems we’re not prepared for…” her red and gold locks fell around her face as her eyes turned to the floor “That she won’t be okay and that it’ll be my fault.”

“The whole medic staff says she’s recovering well, that she’s stabilizing even as we speak. I believe you were just confirming part of that with Twilight before this, weren’t you?”

“Yeah but that doesn’t mean I’m not still scared, or that something couldn’t still happen…” she continued “And even after she wakes up… I know an infected adjustment period can be pretty unpredictable, that they can’t all be as easy as mine was.”

“Well in fairness to you, your recovery only seemed simple because you were comatose through the worst of it. You did have an almost total metamorphosis…” the counselor pointed out “But yes, there can certainly be difficulties in the meantime. Rainbow’s fortunate she didn’t reach a state of structural mutation, so the odds of any deformities are very low, but she’ll still need time to adjust. Time and support… you’ll have to be up for that…”

“Hmmm?” Sunset’s eyes finally returned to hers, even if a little perplexed. She caught on quick enough though “Oh! Oh well yeah, I’ll do whatever I can but… I just don’t really know what I can do.”

“The most important thing is to just be there for her. Knowing Dash, she’ll probably try to wave it all off, maybe even be excited about the possibility of powers and all that. I’m sure you can imagine what that might be like.” A sly smile graced the woman’s lips as Sunset blushed slightly “But I’m also sure you remember it’s not all it’s cracked up to be, don’t you?”

The girl’s fiery mane bobbed as she nodded somberly.

“She’ll need people to lean on when it all gets too heavy for her, just like you did. Just like we all do.” Cadence continued “And there will be more tangible concerns; Twilight will most likely suggest suppressant pens be on hand at home for a while, and will undoubtedly ask you and Fluttershy to monitor her progress there. Even behind her back if need be, given Rainbow’s own pride.”

“Like she and Shy did for me?” Sunset offered a slight smile.

“Exactly.” She smiled back before taking a deep breath and refocusing “But that will all come in time. You’re here now, so back to your concerns. Let’s delve a little more into those feelings of anger, see if we can salve some of that heat…”

“And I’ll see you, in the next video. Buh-BYEEE!”

The young awakened tapped at her phone’s screen as the video ended, thumbing through the suggested options for what to play next. She was sitting in the clinic with the phone propped up on a serving table, a small plate of veggies she’d been snacking on next to it. After her session with Caddy, she had returned to relieve Rarity in watching over Dash. She had peeked her head into the bunk room for just a quick look on her way back and was happy to see the only ones that stirred were Spike and Angel, only peaking their heads up to see who it was before curling back up against their owners.

She didn’t have anything to read to the unconscious mechanic but, with the familiar voices thing in mind, she figured Rainbow might appreciate some of her more favorite tubers after that dose of ‘girl porn’. She hadn’t thought much of them herself when the prismatically maned woman introduced her to the videos but after the past couple hours of watching them, she was maybe thinking she judged them too quickly. Some of it was still very stupid but she found herself laughing nonetheless, Redheart too from the moments she’d pause to watch with her.

“Hey I’m Grump! I’m not so Gruuummmp!”

And so it went for another two hours, the sun dipping well past the horizon and bringing the night. Given they didn’t make it back until that morning, it only threw her off for a moment when she saw how dark it was through the front entrance when getting something from the vending machines. Rarity mentioned AJ would be by later, to ‘cover the late shift’ with Rainbow, making Sunset wonder if she’d be okay this late. Then again, she probably would have taken the day to rest up for it and it wasn’t as if MIST hunters weren’t used to graveyard shifts, even if fairly minor ones for those just in case moments. She was just turning back down the hall when she caught a happy sight.

“That wasn’t a full night’s sleep” she teased lightly as she approached the two women.

“It was still sleep” Twilight countered with a light yawn “Actual sleep.”

“More than I expected, considering the circumstances…” Fluttershy admitted, hugging the bunny in her arms a little tighter. “Thank you again.”

Sunset opened her mouth to refute when a remembrance hit her.

Just say you’re welcome. Whether you think you deserve it or not.

“You’re welcome.” she stated simply with a warm smile. Shy returned a smile of her own, with just a hint of knowing behind it.

‘I’ll friend good yet.’

Any further exchange was interrupted by a loud chime and a light over the infirmary door lighting up. The trio shared a wide-eyed look before rushing to the room. They hurried in, looking to Dash first.

“Doctor.” Redheart called from the other end of the row of beds, drawing attention to her. Her and their newest NMH sitting up in her bed, wide awake. While considerably cleaner than she had been when they found her, the woman still appeared rather sickly; her skin was pale and she carried heavy bags beneath her eyes. One of her hands kept gasping absently near her neck too. Yet even in such a state, she still managed to hold an almost otherworldly allure; the otherworldly part only enhanced when their eyes met and the spark of magical recognition shot up Sunset's spine again.

Those intense purple eyes stayed locked on the former pony even as Twilight moved up to examine her. They only broke away when Aya entered the room behind them, presumably lured by the sound of the clinic’s chime herself.

“Brea” she said in, even with the slight rasp of a dry throat, a sensuously smooth voice. Sunset had to consciously suppress a shudder as it rolled over her. She didn’t seem to be the only one affected either, as a slight blush crept onto Redheart’s cheeks next to the woman.

“That’s right” Aya stepped forward until she was just behind Twilight checking the woman’s vitals.

“This is MIST then…” she looked around the infirmary passively, expression not betraying a thing. She took a small cup of water Fluttershy had brought over, draining it in a single gulp before returning her attention back to Aya and looking her up and down before continuing “I’m guessing the Canterlot branch, if you’re here.”

“You’re informed” Aya returned evenly, her own expression unreadable.

“How many fingers?” Twilight drew attention away, holding up four digits and waiting. Poker face unwavering, the NMH merely looked to the hand, then briefly locked eyes with the doctor before returning to the MIST leader.

“Where’s my necklace?”

“How about you tell us your name first?” the blonde hunter countered, finally prompting a mildly irritated frown from the NMH. Instead of answering, she simply closed her eyes and leaned back against the raised mattress with a deep breath through her nose. Aya frowned in turn, scowling slightly as she regarded the girl. She nudged her head, gesturing for Twilight to come closer as she stepped away before speaking softly “Did you find anything when studying the necklace?”

“Nothing of concern. No bugs or hidden devices. Other than being a bit large for a gemstone, it seems like a normal crystal. Though admittedly, I’m hardly a petrologist.” the scientist offered with a shrug. Aya nodded and stood quiet for a moment, considering any possible risk.

“I think one of Pinkie’s sisters is a petrologist," Sunset offered "Though I’m not sure we’d get much of a response this time of night…”

“No, we need these answers” Aya concluded with a shake of her head and picked her head back up “Sunset go get the necklace, it should still be in the lab.”

The former pony nodded and quickly made way for the exit, feeling a stare boring into her back. She glanced back only briefly as she opened the door, seeing those purple eyes once more following her every movement. Continuing out before she hesitated any longer, she quickly walked to the lab and after just a moment of searching, found the box of the woman’s few effects. She opened it and picked up the jewel sitting right on top.

The effect was instantaneous. Her magic surged to the hand holding the gem, burning at the ready and almost begging to be cast.

"It a focus!" she let out in a gasp before she could stop herself. Her head quickly darted about the empty lab, very grateful that Applebloom seemed to have gone home for the night. She looked back down to the necklace in her hand; it was definitely some kind of magic focus, and a powerful one at that. Even with the series of cracks she could see through its structure, it almost felt like she was holding her own horn. ‘...almost.’

She shook away the sensation, trying to regather herself as she remembered the task at hand. Leaving as quickly as she arrived, she sped walked back to the infirmary. She entered to hear their newest magic user give an aggravated sigh.

“...Four.” she answered while giving the doctor a flat look.

“Thank you” Twilight returned with a note of tartness herself before tapping away on her tablet. Aya met her at the door, taking the gem before walking back to the patient. Sunset’s magic protested at its separation from the arcane conduit, even feeling her mitochondria stir with brief agitation, but she managed to repress the urge to keep hold of it. Her desire for answers thankfully outweighed the temptation the jewel held.

“So then,” Aya held the gem up, though had yet to offer it “What do we get in exchange for this pricey looking trinket, Miss…”

“...Dazzle” she returned after a moment of staring at the gem, her poker face beginning to slip some “And you get answers.”

“...First name?” Aya kept the necklace in place.

“Adagio” she answered, to which Aya finally held the fractured gem out. The girl quickly snatched it from her hand, the move just short of violent as her composed veneer waned just a moment to show her desperation.

“Pretty” Aya commented casually, having not missed the brief glimpse herself.

“You should see me healthy” the woman practically purred as she brought the strap to her neck with a smirk. She made a quick sweeping motion as if to lift hair she didn’t have out of the way before pausing, her smug look faltering before she continued to secure the jewelry.

The others didn’t seem to notice, or else they didn’t want to show it but the moment the gem was secured, Adagio’s magical signature became significantly more complete. Honestly Sunset hadn’t even noticed how scattered her mana had been until the stark difference of the change. It still wasn’t without some deviation, probably from the flaws within the crystal she saw earlier, but there was no doubt they just handed this girl the key to her abilities.

“Okay then. Maybe now we can finish your-” Twilight began before a raised finger shushed her as Ms. Dazzle seemed to focus on something with her eyes closed. The scientist gave a grunt of annoyance and tried to begin again, only to be shushed verbally as the woman shot her a glare before returning to her almost meditative state, head tilting slowly. Not a moment later her eyes shot back open and snapped to the opposite wall, to an electrical socket beneath the room’s window in particular.

Then silently mouthed something to Aya, who tilted her head with a frown. Adagio rolled her eyes and mouthed it again, exaggerating her lips.

[You have a Bug] she relayed, even mimicking an insect with her fingers at the last word. The group’s eyes grew wide as saucers before looking to one another with shock. The blonde hunter quickly made her way to the socket in question and pulled out the small multitool she kept as a keychain. Unscrewing the cover and holdings, she gingerly pulled the socket free from the wall, revealing a clearly foreign device along the wires. Aya pressed her lips together and, with a scowl, suppressed a curse at the sight of the contraption. A single clamp allowed the listening device’s easy removal, though she quickly had to drop the tiny device as it suddenly sparked with several small pops. She could only glare at the lightly smoking bug as it self-destructed on the tile.

“Son of a bitch!” Redheart was the first to exclaim “It was wired to the damn outlet! They could have been listening in for fucking years!”

“You could hear it…” Twilight gave in a disbelieving murmur, slowly turning back the NMH in the bed “How?”

“Microphones work pretty much like speakers in reverse. I can hear them buzzing if I concentrate.” She explained calmly, looking almost bored as she did so.

“Are there any more?” Aya asked in a low tone.

“None that I can hear,” she shrugged and gave another smug smile “Though I can’t say the same for any of the station’s other rooms. Not without going through them myself.”

Aya shifted her stance and pinched the bridge of her nose. She remained that way for a few moments before looking up to Twilight.

“Twi check your phone and call your brother; The bureau has him check his phone regularly so it should be secure. Tell him we’ve had a breach and he and Rupert need to get back here as soon as possible.”

“Right” Twilight stepped away as she pulled out her phone, studying the device before pulling it out of its case and popping open the back, even removing the battery to check underneath. Satisfied, she reassembled it and powered it back on. “I suggest you all do the same.”

Aya nodded back before turning her attention back to their guest. She waited as the others checked their own devices, making the mental note to check hers still back in her office when they were done. As soon as they confirmed they were good, she continued.

“I’m guessing your sharp hearing is a result of being an NMH?”

“Actually no, I’ve always had sharp hearing. Though I’d be lying if I didn’t have to… acclimate to it again after the change.” the orange haired girl returned. Twilight returned to the group, her short conversation already over.

“So you know you’ve been artificially Awakened” the scientist stated “Do you know how they accomplished that?”

“Not a clue. I wasn’t privy to the details of how they experimented on us.” she returned.

“Us?”

“My sisters. They were also taken by the organization you know as Ark Shadow. That’s why I was in the shelter. I knew it was a long shot, as our hunter extraordinaire here shut it down before we were even captured, but I was trying to find any leads I could on other facilities, no matter how remote the chance. I wasn’t very successful.” She volunteered the information easily and without further prompting, relating it to them with a smile and an almost business-like manner. “That’s why I was so concerned about my necklace. Family heirloom, and one of my last connections to our old lives.”

Her eyes flicked to Sunset for the briefest of instants, her smile growing ever so imperceptibly larger.

“You said you were taken, that they experimented on you” Aya pushed, not seeming to have noticed the look. Or she at least didn’t acknowledge it “I assume that means your time with them wasn’t voluntary then.”

“Not in the slightest” she answered simply, though the drop in her cadence was hard to miss “Bastards even fitted me with a control helmet. I’d love to give it to you for even the possibility you could shove your and the FBI’s ordnance right up their asses with what you could learn from it, but I’m afraid it was destroyed in my escape.”

“How did you escape?” Twilight queried next.

“I’m honestly not entirely sure. I was on a mission some months ago when there was a… flicker in the network. It caused a deviation in the helmet’s suppression that I was able to latch on to; A flaw I was eventually able to worry into a full system crash, finally letting me take the damn thing off.” she explained, back in her business tone “I was thankfully still in the field when it happened. Had I been in one of the facilities, I doubt I would have been able to escape. But with just a single golem chaperone; I was able to dispatch the drone, short out my tracker and slip away.”

“When did this happen?” Aya asked, to which the woman shrugged.

“Less than a year, more than a few months. I’m afraid I was more concerned with staying free and finding my sisters than keeping up with the date.” she gave with a faux melancholy and exaggerated sigh “I’m not even sure how long I’ve been asleep.”

“A little over a day.”

“A pleasant surprise...”

“You said you were in the field.” Aya ignored the shifting tone “What were they having you do?”

“I’m a hunter, like you.” She smiled more widely “And despite not being in control of my own faculties, I was still a damn good one.”

“Why would they need hunters when they have Golems?”

“Because most Golems are idiots?” Adagio shrugged “Because we draw less attention to help keep things calm so you lot don’t show up? Again, I was rarely told the why of matters.”

“But you do know the whats,” Aya reasoned, prompting the bedridden woman to open her mouth. She however hesitated, eyes darting to the side in an exaggerated contemplation. Her open maw turned into a shark toothed grin before she replied.

“I think that’s enough answers to whet your appetite for now” she purred, the smarm practical dripping off every syllable.

“Excuse me?”

“Quid-pro-quo Ms. Brea. I have something you need, and MIST can help me achieve what I need.” Adagio continued “And I assure you it’s more than simple information I can offer. I of course don’t expect an answer right away, certainly not until your other leads return. But I will say, it’ll be best for all involved if you earnestly consider my terms…”

“Is every new NMH we find going to want to be a hunter?”

The five leads of MIST were gathered in Rupert’s office, called in the moment he and Shining had returned. The bureau had thankfully already finished its sweep for any more bugs by the time they arrived so they knew they could talk. It was a little crowded, but the director had thankfully enough forethought to have enough seating for times like this. The man himself was sitting behind his desk and rubbing his temple at what Aya and Twilight just informed them.

“Technically Sir,” the scientist spoke up “She only offered to be a hunter in exchange for our help. She seemed almost intentionally avoiding saying that she wanted to be one.”

“Does it make a difference?”

“Quite a bit actually,” Cadence cut in “This isn’t like Sunset. Ms. Dazzle isn’t trying to learn how to use her powers or follow some vague ambition. She needs us if she has any hope of finding her sisters and knows whatever information she has will only get her so far. But her goal is parallel to ours and by becoming a hunter she can be involved in any effort first hand.”

“So you believe her?” Shining asked evenly “That she really is just interested in finding her sisters?”

“As much as we can believe anything she says.” the counselor tilted her head with a frown “But while she’s an exceptionally smooth talker, her mask does slip when certain matters are pushed. Her necklace for example; it obviously means a great deal to her and she’s very defensive about it despite her attempts at composure. I was able to put her off balance a few times while dancing around the subject.”

“And?” the director gestured for her to continue.

“She’s Pissed.” Cadence stated plainly “Whether Ark Shadow actually has her sisters or not, or if she even has sisters, there’s no doubt she wants to see them pay.”

“Still hardly a reason to trust her as a hunter,” Rupert set his jaw with a mild scowl “Especially when she’s basically trying to blackmail us into it.”

“But she is,” Aya countered bluntly. “And whatever information she has, we need it. This is the closest we’ve had to… well anyone who’s been a part of the organization’s actual system.”

“It would also be a lot easier to study her condition if she’s willing to cooperate” Twilight added “Is there any other way we could convince her to without making her a hunter?”

“I think this is already more than she wanted to compromise in the first place” Cadence answered somberly “She knows that now she’s been found, MIST is her best shot in staying out of their hands, but she’s not going to just give up. And unlike Sunset, she’s already proven she’s at least somewhat capable of surviving without us. She has a past, and an identity”

“Speaking of” Rupert turned to the counselor’s husband “You mentioned the bureau was able to find her?”

“Yes, I was looking it over on the way back” the agent answered as he opened the file in his hands “And this wasn’t the name of a dead girl.”

“Wait, what?” Twilight perked up at the comment.

“Oh, right… uh, later Twiliy” he fumbled with a blush. Technically there wasn’t a reason Twilight couldn’t know what they found on the other Sunset, but considering they had dismissed the possibility, no one felt it was necessary to burden her with the information. Trying to ignore his sister’s accusing gaze, he cleared his throat and read.

“Adagio Symphony Dazzle: supposedly born twenty nine years ago in Michigan, followed by her sisters, Aria Blaze Dazzle and Sonata Dusk Dazzle- so at least the records say she does have sisters,” He said as an aside to his wife “However, they only actually appeared in the database a little over eight years ago.”

“So her identity is fake,” Rupert concluded.

“Oh no, she and her sisters' records are very real, just not necessarily the truth. This wasn’t some back alley ID to let them drink. Whoever they got to put them in the system, they not only knew their stuff but had the official authority to make it legal” Shining explained with a worried grimace “There’s only so many organizations that can make that kind of thing happen without a paper trail. I’ll put out some more feelers, see what I can find but hell, for all I know this could have been us.”

“Why it was done would be the best thing you could learn” Rupert gave a heavy sigh “So they’ve only been on the radar for less than a decade?”

“Yeah, and then they fell right back off of it just a little more than 4 years later” Shining continued “There wasn’t much of a record as it was, further suggesting someone was watching them, but they still have a trail of bouncing from state to state until just… poof, gone.”

“She wasn’t able to give us a time table since her escape…” Aya began thoughtfully “But I would think if she can at least answer what year she was taken and where she was before-”

“Then it could lend credence to her story, yeah” Rupert grumbled. He rested his elbows upon the table, cupping a loose fist in his other hand before resting his lips against them. A short, warm huff escaped through his nose as he closed his eyes to think. The others waited as he considered. Eventually, his tired eyes reopened “You all mentioned that she felt like Sunset. Have we figured out why?”

“There’s nothing in the blood work to explain it.” Twilight returned quietly “Her mitochondria are a little different themselves but not in a way that suggests a correlation. There’s still more tests I can run but many will require her cooperation.”

“And she stopped talking before we reached that topic” Aya added, a hint of irritation crossed her features next “Though when we did ask why they feel similar she replied with an innocent ‘Do we?’, so she might actually have some idea.”

“Sunset’s been more on edge since she woke up too…” Cadence also offered “It could easily be she’s simply as anxious to find out as we are, but…”

“But she definitely has more control over it than she’s implied," Aya thought back to the armored golem and the massive beam they created to combat it. "Even if she can’t always predict how it’ll work out”

“In fairness, she has been practicing with it ever since that incident in the range” Twilight gave in the absent Sunset’s defense “Under our supervision most of the time no less.”

“She seems as thrown off by Ms. Dazzle as the rest of us, if not more so” Cadence stated “She clearly wants to talk to her but has acquiesced to our lead, which is encouraging.”

“I’m not worried about Sunset” Rupert assured the two women “Whatever she’s still hiding, this isn’t about her. I just wanted to know if there was another angle this Adagio could be working.”

“She was shocked to see us at all down there, and practically froze when she spotted Sunset” Aya told him “However cool she plays it, none of this was part of her plan. Like Cady said; she needs us. Even with all she knows, she needs us more than we need her. I really doubt this is some elaborate set up.”

“Even so, to add to what you said; we don’t exactly need another Hunter at the moment.” Rupert commented.

“Not like you’re at risk of having too many though” Shining countered with a shrug.

“Sunset doesn’t have an official partner yet,” Twilight offered “And if you’re not worried about her, then who better to keep an eye on this new variable?”

“She was supposed to be your partner,” the director looked pointedly at the blonde across from him. Aya simply stared back, nonplused. The small stalemate only lasted a moment before Rupert broke contact to rub his eyes. He was too tired for this right now, and besides; Aya always won. “I can’t decide this right now, assuming the bureau would even go along with whatever I do decide.”

“They’ll definitely have some questions for Ms. Dazzle themselves but I don’t see them causing a fuss” Shining gave before a smirk graced his lips “So long as you know it’ll be us hung out to dry if anything goes wrong.”

“So like always then” the older man rumbled. He then looked to Twilight “She still has to finish recovering, yes?”

“Oh yeah, she’ll be in the infirmary for at least a week yet” Twilight answered.

“Well then we’ll let this sit until then and see if we can get any more out of her in the meantime. If nothing else, I’m sure we can at least corroborate those dates if we impart the idea that anything she can do to give what she has told us some stock will be in her favor” he concluded, receiving nods from everyone. “Don’t give her anything though. If she’s going to withhold on us, then she can stay in the dark herself. The less she knows what we’re thinking, the better.”

Down the hall, the Siren laid flat in her bed with her eyes closed. The lights were dimmed and nurse on duty was currently reading at a small counter outside the office. Her back was turned, completely oblivious to the subtle glow hidden beneath the comforter pulled up to her patient’s neck. The glow ceased and the siren let out an exhausted, but mostly restrained breath. The nurse glanced back at the sound but didn’t see any further cause for distress and returned to her book.

‘Perfect’ a smirk crossed Adagio’s lips. It may have put a strain on her reserves and slightly risked exposure, but hearing her suggestions already start to take root was worth the extra exhaustion. While she didn’t much like the notion of being stuck in this room for a week, if not more, she felt that’d be more than enough time for the MIST director to ‘come around’ to the natural conclusion. ‘I’m already as good as in.’

Granted, she’d be more relaxed if it was already settled, but she didn’t dare try anything more than subtle manipulations. She had no idea how long she’d be working with these people and, with her gem damaged on top of her magic already being as limited as it was in this world, she couldn’t risk something that could be noticed if it wore off.

‘Assuming I’d be strong enough to dominate them at all’ the thought seared at her like a poker. Her transformation into an NMH was one thing, but the damage to her gem was simply unforgivable. She could repair it in time… probably. But the thought that she could have lost it… ‘Hopefully Aria and Sonata still have theirs. Even if they’re also damaged we should be able to restore them together. Then we’ll make Ark Shadow wish they killed us when they had the chance…’

She shifted in the bed, rolling onto her side as she tried to calm herself. There’d be time for that later. For now she had to keep it together and set a plan for what happens next.

‘Next, I need to find a way to talk with her. Alone.’ Adagio thought of the bacon haired girl. She harbored little doubt she was from Equis, but from where was harder to determine. Equestrian, if she was going by the taste of her magic; though there was a rather… notable shift in flavor to what she remembered of ponies.

Whatever she was before being turned into a human though, this Shimmer girl still posed an exciting development. Starswirl had merely torn a hole between the realms when he banished them, closing it behind them to leave them stranded. Since then they had yet to run into any other naturally magical beings, let alone another from their world. Then appeared Sunset Shimmer.

Brea had been right; Adagio had escaped before she received even a whiff of Shimmer’s existence, meaning she was a recent development. It was even possible she was the cause of the flicker Aria managed to send through the system, perhaps she triggered some kind of resonance with her arrival.

…

She was getting ahead of herself. She didn’t even know what Shimmer was. She has magic, yes, but even those boring Earth Ponies have magic. There was also the possibility she was banished herself and was in fact better considered as competition than an asset. Still, the mere possibility the girl knew of a way back to Equestria… While she and her sisters had accepted they may only have the opportunity to rule this painfully mundane little mudball, they had never completely given up the hope of returning home.

And ruling both.

‘I guess I better start thinking of what I’ll say’ she smirked again, only barely resisting the urge to laugh.

Chapter 16: Temporal Concerns

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Sunset sprinted past the range and took the steps up to the ground floor two at a time. She did pause at the top to catch her breath a moment, before marveling a little at how quickly she got it back. Six months ago just getting up and down was an ordeal and now she was up in seconds and only slightly winded. She was actually a little proud right now.

Self congratulations could wait though and she was late enough to respond as it was. She continued at a hurried pace, though not quite sprinting as before. Other than a few glances and chuckles, no one she passed begrudged her rushed pace. She all but burst through the door of her destination, feeling a massive weight beginning to lift at just the sight within.

“Hey! There she is!” The colorfully haired woman beamed at the sight of the redhead “And here I thought my savior would care enough to be the first to show up.”

“S-sorry I was-”

“Sleeping, yeah. Relax Sunny, I’m just screw'n with ya.” Rainbow grinned before popping a few fries from the notable pile of fast food on the tray in front of her “Not gonna complain about ya actually managing some sleep after the shit storm that landed me in this bed. Even if I’ve had more than enough of it myself at this point.”

The awakened let out a relieved sigh. It worked. It worked and Dash woke up still Dash. She moved over to one of the seats on the side of the bed opposite the one Fluttershy was seated, returning the nurse's own relieved smile.

“How’re you feeling?” Sunset asked tentatively.

“Well like I told everyone earlier, it’s kinda hard to tell what might be my new mitos squirming around or what might just be me high off all the meds Twi’s got me on” Dash rambled off, looking at her flexing hand “But pretty good, all things considered!”

“Already got your appetite back I see” the redhead smirked at the pile of burgers and small stack of pizza slices that the mechanic had apparently already put a good dent in. She then had to swallow however, blinking rapidly as she tried to contain herself “I’m so glad it worked…”

“Hey, stop that. I got enough water works from Rares and Shy already, so don’t you start now too” Dash gave playfully as she leaned over to nudge the redhead with her arm. Sunset saw Fluttershy look away bashfully with a slight blush, now noticing the nurse’s eyes did look a little red and puffy. “Seriously, I’m fine. You saw to that yourselves, so cheer up will ya?”

While she felt Rainbow may have been taking this too lightly, she straightened up and did her best to wipe away the tears before smiling back. Like Cadence said, it would catch up with her at whatever pace she took in confronting it. They just had to be ready for it. Fluttershy seemed to have already been doing the same, and was now looking to Sunset curiously.

“Did you eat already?” she asked to change the subject. Sunset shook her head, prompting the medic to tilt her own “And you still didn’t grab anything from the break room?”

“There’s food in the break room?” the redhead asked, earning a loud scoff from Dash.

“Yeah, a whole mountain of it from what I’m told” she chuckled “Twi sent Pinkie out with her card and told her get to enough for the whole station and then some. You didn’t see?”

“I uh… Kind of ran right past, being late and all.” Sunset winced with a blush of her own this time, earning a louder laugh from the mechanic.

“Well there’s plenty here if you don’t wanna head back down. With how I’m putting it away though you still might have to before long” she warned in good humor, though massaged at her jaw as she did “Guess I can’t really tease you guys about how much you all eat anymore, huh? Gotten a new appreciation for that part of the downsides already.”

“Does Twilight have a better idea what to expect now that you’re awake?” Sunset asked Dash, though notably looked to Fluttershy as well before taking one of the burgers.

“Some but not much.” the nurse answered calmly, “For now it’s just keeping an eye out for any of the known warning signs and being prepared.”

“Yeah, we gotta carry pens on us for a while” Rainbow shrugged with a somewhat dejected tone “And I’m gonna be stuck here for a while until she figures out my dosage. Told her if I’m still gonna be back up for you guys then it’d be better to not be on them-”

“All infected start on suppressants Rainbow, you know that.” Fluttershy gently interrupted. “It’s more important to make sure you’re stabilized first, especially if you’re going to be allowed to develop any abilities.”

“Yeah yeah, I know. Still a bummer. Now I know what you were going through” Dash nudged the redhead again “Although speaking of; what d’ya think my element will be?”

“There’s no way to tell until the practical tests” Fluttershy pointed out.

“Well sure, but everyone still sorta fits theirs. You got water to help heal our dumb asses better” she grinned as Shy rolled her eyes “Jackie got stable ol’ earth. Rares got airy wind and Sunny here practically screamed fire with her attitude, let alone that hair.”

“You better not hope it’s based on hair” the aforementioned fiery haired girl quipped “Else you’ll end up with some crazy collage.”

“Yeah, that could be a bit chaotic, huh?” Dash giggled “Well I might be fire. I do got a buncha you in me now, even if it happened in not nearly as fun a way as that makes it sound.”

Another eyeroll found the pair on either side of the mechanic, though Sunset still failed to suppress a snort in response to the woman’s dirty mind. She did have a point though; everyone’s inclination did seem to correlate to their personality, if not a matter of actual causation. She wondered if Twilight had considered the possibility, even with her typical dismissal of such… sentimental concepts when it came to her science.

“I can see you as a wind” she finally offered “Though as Aya put it, wind is sort of all over the place so I suppose it could fit most anyone.”

“Hey I wouldn’t mind throwing around some lightning bolts” the bed bound woman shrugged before grabbing another pinch of fries, or before they promptly slipped from her grasp at least “Stupid pecked up hands… I thought I was already supposed to be healing fast like you guys.”

“You are already healing faster,” Fluttershy assured her, picking the fries back up for her surrogate sister “It’s why you’re able to use your hands at all this early. You… your arms took a pretty bad hit Rainbow, even for one us…”

“Hmmm” was all Rainbow gave in response, looking over her hand again.

From there the conversation had turned more casual, and then they found themselves watching videos on Dash’s tablet, which Sunset had the forethought to bring with, along with some of the mechanic’s other effects. The redhead did have a small laugh when Rainbow kept saying it felt like she watched them already and she realized some of them were what she played for her while asleep. Quickly enough though, the food ran out and Fluttershy rose to get some more.

“Would you like some?” she glanced over to the infirmary’s other guest, almost seeming to surprise their newest Awakened. Sunset had frankly forgotten Adagio was there, as she had been simply sitting there, reading quietly the whole time. The short haired woman considered a moment before responding.

“Yes,” she answered simply, “I could use another meal.”

It wasn’t rude, it was delivered quite politely in fact, but Sunset didn’t fail to notice there wasn’t a genuine note of gratitude behind the words, let alone an actual thank you. If Fluttershy noticed though, she took it in stride and merely nodded before exiting, leaving the three alone. She continued studying the woman until Dash scooting in closer drew her attention back.

“Hey, so uh…” she started hesitantly in a hushed whisper. Clearly she had been waiting until Shy left to ask whatever was coming. Sunset secretly hoped she wasn’t about to thank her, well aware of the irony considering what she was just thinking. “Do I have magic now?”

The former pony blinked; that wasn’t what she was expecting. Though after the brief moment of surprise, she supposed she probably should have. She opened her mouth to tell the mechanic that magical implantation normally took a good deal more intent but then hesitated herself. Normally it would, but her magic hadn’t been exactly normal since the change. Before she could stall further however, the third voice in the room interrupted.

“She knows.” Adagio stated confidently, a smile slowly spreading across her lips. “That’s why you were so concerned it was her that was hurt. She’s the one that knows what our ‘Extra Layer’ really is, isn't she?”

“Wait, ‘our’?” Rainbow caught and gawked at the Siren. Her head shot back and forth between her and Sunset, who was currently cursing that she forgot about Adagio’s hearing “You’re from Equestria?!”

“Equestria!” Adagio repeated triumphantly as her smile grew wider. Turning her grin to Sunset, she squinted teasingly “So you are a pony.”

“She’s from Equis. We haven’t had the opportunity to talk even that far yet though.” Sunset said quietly, her tone low as she stared back at the woman with a subtle scowl “And that’s not why I was worried. She’s my friend; that’s all the reason I need.”

“Ah yes, you ponies and your ‘Friendship’” Adagio retorted dismissively, even making air quotes “Honestly, it’s like your whole race is made of nothing but sugar.”

“I’m guessing you’re not a pony then?” Rainbow asked, her own tone a little concerned as she realized she may have screwed up somehow.

“No.” Sunset actually answered, narrowing her eyes at the short haired woman “A pony wouldn’t need a focus like that necklace to even just access their magic.”

It was a subtle reaction; Adagio had a fair poker face, but the corner of her lips gave a twitch and brought a smirk to Sunset’s own.

‘Engarde Ms. Dazzle’

“With a keen enough sense to tell that, even with the… limitations of these human forms,” Adagio recovered quickly and mused “That would narrow it down to a unicorn then, yes?”

“Or an alicorn” Sunset deliberately smiled more triumphantly, despite the obvious bluff.

“Please. You’re not that powerful, bacon hair” She scoffed, a scoff quickly turned to a nefarious chortle when the girl notably bristled at the comment “Come now, you can’t say you never noticed.”

The former pony sneered at the woman. Her hair wasn’t bacon! It was fire! The glorious flame of the setting sun fighting against the end of its glory until the morn! She risked a glance to Dash…

Who could only press her lips tight and look away with a small blush.

‘...Touché, Ms. Dazzle’ she arched a brow at the apparently rival magic user, based on this attitude. She hadn’t refuted the bluff technically but threw the unicorn off all the same, with a simple quip no less. Still, she could keep pushing, maybe still get some actual slips.

“You said it yourself; This form can be awfully limiting.”

“Not that much. Your two new brats would still shine like a forest fire, even in this world.” Adagio stared at her flatly “You’re bright Shimmer, I won’t deny. But you’re still no beacon in the night.”

‘Two new brats?’ she wasn’t sure what knowledge Ms. Dazzle would unwittingly divulge at the push, but Sunset hadn’t expected it to actually confuse her further. The fact she knew of alicorns by their name and not just ‘one of those ponies with both’ meant she was at least that familiar with her species. If she had mentioned Celestia then she at least was cursory aware of their leadership. If she mentioned Cadence, the Princess one that is, then she'd actually be very familiar, as most outside Equestria didn’t care to learn there was a new Alicorn save perhaps dignitaries and the like.

But 'two new brats'? Sure, Princess Cadenza could easily fall into the realm of brat but there was still just one of her ('Thankfully'). Celestia certainly couldn’t be considered a brat though; Not unless this Adagio was much, much older than she appeared.

…

‘This Adagio could be much, much older than she appears…’ Sunset felt a chill run up her spine at the thought. For one of the few times she could remember, she sincerely hoped she was wrong.

Any further sparring was cut short by the return of Fluttershy with their food. While walking in with a pleasant smile, she didn’t fail to notice the tension that had developed between the two beds.

“Is everything alright?” She asked as she set the majority of the food down on the previously emptied tray before walking toward her other patient with the rest of it.

“Just letting Miss Dazzle know it’s impolite to eavesdrop” Sunset said evenly. “Exceptional hearing or not.”

“And then learning what you meant by ‘politely uncooperative’” Dash grumbled, still giving the woman the side eye.

“Oh good!” Adagio returned cheerfully, smiling at the nurse handing her her food “That’s what I was going for.”

Not entirely sure how to respond to that, Fluttershy simply set the food down and returned to the others. Sunset’s and Rainbow’s eyes lingered on Miss Dazzle a moment longer but if she noticed, she didn’t care and simply returned to her book without a second glance.

Another hour went by peacefully before Fluttershy’s shift was over. While they had all originally been given the week off after the Ark, with all of them coming in anyway, Rupert decided to offer some of them light duty shifts to stay busy. Sunset took the time off herself but wasn’t surprised Shy took the offer. With a little cajoling from the now awake Dash though, they managed to convince her it was okay to finally go home. Rainbow asked Sunset to go too to keep her company, saying she’d be fine on her own even if none of the others came back around, though they doubted that'd be the case. Then, as if too prove that very point:

“HAPPY HUGS!” The pair were just stepping out the door when Pinkie suddenly engulfed them in an embrace. The bubbly rangemaster however then gasped even more excited by the redhead’s response “You’re hugging back!”

“Well it’s a good day, right?” Sunset laughed as she squeezed the women in return, earning amused giggles from both.

“Yes indeedy!” The bouncy Pie let them go and recollected a half empty tray of cupcakes from a nearby table before holding it out to them. Knowing better than to turn down one of the woman’s legendary confectionaries, they each took a baked good and let her pass into the infirmary. She did give one last smile to the nurse as she did though “Sleep tight!”

And with just a brief mission of gathering all the things the medic had collected at the station over the past four days, Sunset escorted the tired Fluttershy home.

A few more days went by and Sunset was headed back to the station again, only now for her first working shift since the shelter mission. She was honestly up to coming back as soon as Dash woke up but wasn’t going to miss the chance at extra time off that wouldn’t cost her any vacation days. Being her first official shift back it was still light duty, meaning mostly catching up on paperwork and such, and she figured some range time wasn’t a bad idea either.

After clocking in at the currently empty break room computer, she soon heard that she may not even have to wait for the range to be set up. As she then closed on the turn to the range window, she could also hear the muted murmurs of a small group between the muffled pops. She rounded the corner and had a brief episode of dejavu, spotting pretty much a mirror image of those that had gathered outside the same window during the first test of her own mitochondrial abilities. The only difference was Dash was still in her patient gown and Applejack was with them instead of with her on the range.

“Shimmer, you clocked in?” Rupert asked as she spotted her. He continued at her nod “Good, we’ll need you in a bit. Twilight wants you to be the third comparison.”

“Okay…” she simply returned before finally getting a look at who was in the range. Aya stood with Adagio, who was currently popping away at a target with a small pistol Sunset didn’t recognize. She sucked at her cheek as she broke away to deposit what she needed to in the locker room. On one hand, it felt wrong to be testing her at all considering she was basically black mailing them for a position. It’d be difficult to trust anyone to watch your back in a life and death situation when they wouldn’t have even been humored otherwise.

Yet on the other hand, Sunset couldn’t deny her curiosity. Another Equestrian on Earth, even if they weren’t a pony, was a marvel all its own, but another that was an NMH too might just mean Sunset wouldn’t have to figure everything out the hard way after all. She had also learned that unlike herself, Adagio had an identity more than half a year old; Almost a decade if the records were to be believed. Though that in itself brought back those concerns again.

Ultimately though it wasn’t her call and she trusted Rupert and the rest of the leads, whatever their decision. She rejoined the group, still watching the woman firing at now moving targets. She was a pretty good shot but Sunset noticed she seemed rather irritated as she went about the test.

“You figured she’d be a little happier about us finally humoring her. I mean, I was.” the redhead admitted, earning some subtle chuckles. Even Rupert gave a small, but still amused hum.

“Nah, she’s been in a twist ‘bout wanting to leave” AJ answered “We figured maybe she’d give it a rest fer a while if we indulged her with at least this.”

“She spends all this time trying to blackmail us into giving her a job just to complain about us not letting her leave a week later?” Sunset gave incredulously.

“Not leave leave,” Twilight answered, her tone showing a bit of irritation itself. Based on the flat stare she was giving Adagio on the other side of the glass, Sunset felt Ms. Dazzle had been complaining a lot “Just leave the station, get outside for a bit.”

“Completely disregarding how big a target she’d be” Rupert grumbled next, though his gaze also didn’t leave the tests before them “And that we can’t spare her an escort every time she’s craving some fresh air.”

“Um, actually boss…” Rainbow spoke up with a hint of hope in her voice “I was thinking maybe me and Sunny could take her out. Like just to the park or something.”

“Rainbow-” Twilight began with an exasperated sigh, not making it any further before the mechanic kept talking.

“Yeah Doc, I know; Observation and all that” Dash returned begrudgingly and failing to hide her eyes rolling “But come on, I’m getting pretty stir crazy myself here. It’s just some baby-sitting duty, hardly stressful and it’s not like we won’t have pens on us.”

“The suppressants already failed once…” Fluttershy mumbled somberly.

“And that’s why I said me and Sunny! Her mitos are still listening to her so she can rally them again IF things really go that bad, which you said yourself isn’t likely.” the colorfully haired girl argued “Plus she’s on light duty and it’s Literally ‘a walk in the park’! Doesn’t get much lighter than that.”

Another sigh escaped the scientist before she looked almost pleadingly to Rupert.

“It’s your call if she’s up for any work Doctor” he answered simply “I have no problem with them getting her out of our hair for a little while personally.”

The rest of the girls shared looks of poorly suppressed amusement. Rupert was an extremely composed man but it was always fun to see that even he still had his limits, and it was certainly no secret Ms. Dazzle had been testing them more than most could since she woke up.

“Let’s see how the tests go first, okay?” Twilight relented in compromise. Though even without a clear yes, Sunset and Dash shared a quick knowing look; Unless something came way out of left field during the tests, they were as good as gone already.

Said tests turned out to be fairly mundane themselves. At least as mundane as using super powers could be that is. Twilight didn’t even have them test her ability to use her ‘extra layer’, only wanting Sunset as a similar point of reference for more basic abilities.

That’s not to say there were no surprises. While Adagio claimed to be inclined toward the ‘Water' branch of energies, she actually possessed a notably broad set of seemingly very specific skills. While she did have more control and power behind her water abilities, including a claim of being capable of the rather advanced ‘life-drain’ technique, she was also capable of Necrosis, Energy Shot and even a low level Energy Ball. It wasn’t as powerful as Aya’s and she could only summon one sphere at a time but even AJ hadn’t reached the point of being able to use the ability yet. To confuse the matter even further, she seemed only capable of those and a few other very specific abilities in those areas, as if Ark Shadow simply decided they were the most useful and drilled them into her head.

And the more Sunset thought about it, the more she feared that might was more than likely the case. Add to that the depths they had no problem sinking to, that last part could have been very literal itself. Whatever they might think about Ms. Dazzle’s personality, they still wouldn’t think she deserved anything like that, no matter how obnoxious.

With that uncomfortable thought now weighing on her mind, she found herself waiting with Dash in the breakroom as Twilight finished up Adagio’s after exams. It was just the two of them at the moment so the former pony felt safe enough to at least risk a little exposure.

“Thanks” the former pony gave.

“Hey I know it’s probably not anywhere near as much as you, but I’d still like some answers myself about this chick.” The mechanic replied with a shrug “That and I really am kind of losing my mind stuck in the station like this. All this empty downtime got me think’n about all the shit I try not to. It ain’t fun.”

Sunset gave a small scoff, though mostly just to humor Dash trying to make light of things. Like Aya said at the school; Avoidance was Rainbow’s primary coping mechanism and it wasn’t hard to see, even before the veteran hunter told her so. Sunset didn’t necessarily approve but hardly had a better alternative to offer, so she just gave her friend’s shoulder a gentle squeeze for lack of a better option.

After just a small wait and quick last minute exam for Rainbow though, Twilight tentatively approved the back-up hunter to light duty and they were on the road. Adagio lounged in the backseat of Sunset’s jeep as the former pony drove toward the city’s biggest park, casting frequent glances at the still quite mysterious woman seated in her rearview mirror. Dash however, was far less inclined to stay subtle.

“So we got you out. Start talking.” She delivered bluntly. Ms. Dazzle for her part merely stretched out on the seat with a suggestive hum, smug satisfaction radiating from her every pore.

“I’m hungry.” she announced happily, rightly earning the sneer Rainbow was now giving her. Sunset even glanced away from the road to shoot her a nasty look over her shoulder herself “Oh come now, I know you’re just as fed up with fast food and frozen meals as I am; Even with the soft one bringing you leftovers too.”

Dash was clearly about to give the woman a piece of her mind but was unfortunately betrayed by her own stomach, a loud growl filling the vehicle before she could get a word out. A blush crept onto her cheeks as she worked her jaw.

“Some real food does sound pretty good Sunny…” she admitted quietly.

“Not a lot of ‘real’ food in the park and I really doubt this’ll be a conversation we want to have without some privacy.” Sunset pointed out.

“Oh please, you can’t be THAT new here, pony girl.” Adagio shot back “Even most nice restaurants still allow some kind of to-go menu. Especially these days.”

Forced to relent at not only that logic but also Dash’s own pleading looks, they stopped on their way to the park. It was a chain restaurant but a still fairly nice one, enough to satisfy Rainbow at least. Adagio seemed to be hoping for more but Sunset would be damned if she was gonna break the bank for this snob. Ms. Dazzle did have the courtesy to not complain further at least.

“So,” the redhead began as they found a relatively secluded set of dining tables in the oh so cleverly named Canterlot Park. She did take a moment to zip up her jacket before continuing, not only to better hide her sidearm but also because it had simply been getting a lot colder lately. They were already well past the solstice and closing in on winter. “You got your real food, we’re outside and you know Dash knows. So start talking.”

Adagio shifted in her seat, studying the former pony girl as she took a bite of her steak.

“First year?” she asked with an arched brow.

“What?” Sunset blinked at the unexpected question.

“Your jacket’s a little light for this time of year, and far too light for the winter that's coming.” the orange haired woman pointed out “I know you lot like to change the seasons yourselves, and all at once at that. Not foreseeing the need for a medium coat tells me you hadn’t considered the time in-between. Vis-à-vis; First Year?”

“You guys can control your seasons?” Dash whispered at the Equestrian’s side, earning a pleading look from the girl “Er, right. Your questions now. Mine later.”

“The cold doesn’t seem to bother you” Sunset returned her attention to the artificially awakened.

“And what does that tell you Ms. Unicorn?” Adagio leaned forward, smile growing smug “Even without knowing for sure, I’m sure you've had to have come up with some ideas.”

“None of them particularly comforting…” she grumbled, lightly sucking on her check. Her fellow magic user didn’t seem put off by the statement, if anything she seemed all the more intrigued. That wasn’t particularly comforting either. “Not minding the cold might suggest one of the northern races. Possibly a griffon, or even a Yak.”

“A Yak?” the woman’s face fell to disgusted disbelief “Really?”

“No, not really.” Sunset returned eyes narrowing “While they’ve been known to dabble in magical artifacts, they rarely develop foci, considering they can’t access their unique magics with one like yours anyway. That's also not considering my own doubts of their ability to create one as… potent as yours.”

“Well at least you can recognize quality. Though to even consider I could be one of those mongrels…” Adagio leaned back in her chair, and returned to her meal less amused than before “You come dangerously close to insulting me pony.”

“And with an arrogance like that I could definitely see you being a dragon” Sunset continued unabashed “Yes, while they prefer the heat, they carry more than enough with them to ignore the cold. They’re also no strangers to the more overt magics of Equis; The Dragon Lord’s scepter is made with a bloodstone of notable potency itself, which could explain your gem… But Twilight didn't find anything odd about your tempature and, well…”

“And you’d be hard pressed to find a dragon that could hold onto such a precious gemstone for so long without Eating it” Ms. Dazzle's self-satisfaction returned. She even continued on at the sight of a confused Dash next to the former unicorn “Yes, Dragons eat gemstones. Though admittedly gems far more commonplace back home than they are here.”

“Which means…” Sunset let go with a heavy sigh.

“Which means?” Adagio leaned in again, a pompous smile growing almost malicious as they neared the truth.

“Which means either you could be a dark magic user of any race” she started, though based on the woman’s lack of reaction she grimaced and continued “Or you’re a Siren.”

“Ding Ding little unicorn” the Siren woman practically purred.

“Like the chicks that would make sailors sink their ships?” Rainbow arched her brow.

“Shall I sing you a few bars?” Adagio offered sensuously.

“They’re a little different from Earth’s myth,” Sunset explained, her stern but still concerned look leveled at the siren “For your reference they’d look like giant, draconic seahorses. Though to us they always looked kind of like Kelp-”

“If you value any future cooperation pony, then you will not finish that thought” The siren’s entire mannerism shifted to utter contempt in an instant.

“Still a touchy subject I see” the redhead regained a subtle smirk of her own “Though I suppose that means you’d be glad to hear no one’s heard from their kind in quite a while. Then again I could say the same thing about your kind too.”

“I suppose they may have felt less secure without my sisters and I around anymore and retreated to the lower depths” she took the news in surprising stride, literally waving off the disappearance of her entire species like it was expected “Still, with the ruckus we made, I would have expected us to be your first answer.”

“It’s been a while since any ruckus of particular note.” Sunset frowned, brow furrowing at the other awakened. Said NMH however just gave an indignant *TCH*.

“Figures that bell wearing jackass would try to hide our accomplishments.” She looked away with a sneer “Doesn’t want everyone to know he couldn’t beat us in a straight fight and had to banish us as a last resort. Pathetic.”

“...Bell wearin-!” Realization shot through the young hunter like a bolt of lightning. Eyes wide in a mix of shock and horror, it took a moment to just find her voice. Even then, it was little more than a quiet fumbling “You’re not just a siren. You’re one of THE Sirens. You, you’re… Dazzle… You're one of the Dazzlings.”

“Oh There it is!” The Dazzling turned human straightened, her malicious grin returning as she puffed herself up “Guess even Starswirl doesn’t have enough influence to hide our glory.”

“How have you survived this long?!” the redhead suddenly snapped, catching the Siren off guard.

“This long?” She parroted, perplexed “What do mean? It’s only been a decade.”

“You’ve only been here a decade…” she repeated in a whisper, further lost. At least until the far worse implication struck home “A Decade?! You're SURE?!”

“Y-Yes!” the Dazzling returned, well and full off balance by the pony’s sudden desperation.

“A decade, but then… for her a decade but for us…” Sunset began to hyperventilate, bringing her shaking hands to her head “That big a discrepancy, even just a few months… even just…”

“Sunset?” Dash's voice echoed amongst the swirling chaos now engulfing the redhead's mind, the concerned mechanic's hand landing on her back only barely felt.

'...Sweet Celestia, how long have I been gone?'

“THE FUCK ARE YOU GOING ON ABOUT PONY?!” Adagio’s abrupt shout cut through panic, though only barely. Sunset looked up to the siren now looming over her, propped against the table scowling down “WHAT DISCREPANCY?!”

“You…” Sunset tried, though failed before closing her eyes with a hard swallow “You’re one of the Dazzlings; the Sirens banished by Starswirl the bearded for trying to undermine the unification of the pony tribes.”

“Yes, And?!” Adagio snarled as she closed the distance more, promoting Dash to straighten herself and get in the Siren’s face.

“Hey back off Seahorse! Shit’s obviously bigger than just you anymore!” she stared down the Dazzling now glaring daggers back her way. Meanwhile it was all Sunset could do to just keep herself vertical, teetering in her seat as she tried to come to terms with just the mere possibility this news suggested.

“That was over eleven hundred years ago…” she gave in barely more than a breath.

“WHAT?!” Both women’s heads snapped to the distressed hunter.

“Bullshit!” Adagio spat a moment later “BULLSHIT!”

“I said back off.” Dash growled back, taking Sunset protectively into her arms “It's not bullshit. Why would she even lie about something like that?”

“To fuck with me?!” the siren proposed, turning away with an angry flourish “To gain the advantage in this little sparring match?!”

“Oh yeah, because this is us TOTALLY having the upper hand here!” Rainbow snarked with just the slightest bit of sarcasm as she held her friend now only barely keeping herself straight.

“So... What?!” the Dazzling yelled “Starswirl just hurled us into the future to make us someone else's problem even if we did find a way back?!”

“God I hope so…” Sunset whispered desperately.

“You HOPE so?!” the Siren glared at her indignantly “You HOPE my sisters and I have been thrown so far into the future our home isn’t even remotely the same one that was stolen from us?!”

“The alternative…” Sunset droned out, eyes beginning to water “The alternative is that the temporal dilation between our worlds… The different rates at which time passes in each… is at least a factor of one to a hundred…”

“Wait so…” Dash crouched down to better look at her friend “Every year here could be-”

“A hundred years in Equestria…” Sunset gave before the dam finally broke, falling fully into Rainbow’s grip as the tears began to flow. As cruel as it may have been to Ms. Dazzle, Sunset desperately hoped Starswirl was just far more of a dick than history portrayed and did indeed just launch them into the distant future. The idea that even just the few months she’d been on Earth, let alone the years before the portal reopened, IF it reopened…

“And either way we’re still fucked…” the siren interrupted the grim thought, tone no longer so smug or confident. She didn’t break into tears but did fall to the ground, sitting along the edge of the browning grass with her head in her hand “Fucking hell Starswirl, it’s not like we were eating you guys or something… mother fucker…”

And there they sat; lost, dejected and now quiet as a funeral in their small corner of the park. Their sudden outbursts hadn’t gone unnoticed though, as a pair of uniformed officers approached them after the multiple reports of shouting reached them. Dash was thankfully able to smooth it over quickly enough however, helped by the fact one of the cops actually recognized her even before she showed them her MIST badge. Granted it was technically only her hair they recognized but they weren’t about to argue against the small blessing, especially right now.

The event did manage to bring them back to the moment though, and prompt them to make their way back to the car. None of them said anything, both the Equis immigrants still too lost in the possible revelations and Dash knowing better than to even try talking with them in that state. Eventually though, when the sun began to shift a little bit further above them than they planned, she felt they couldn’t delay anymore.

“Alright so I get that was a pretty major thing for both of you, but we stall any longer and they’re gonna start getting worried back at the station” she laid it out simply but steadfast “And we can’t get back there with you two looking like you just learned what you just learned, not if you have any intention of keeping your masquerade up as long as you can.”

“Yeah, right…” Sunset responded first, wiping at her face and sniffling as she tried to regather herself. “Right. Outing ourselves would only make things that much more complicated. Right?”

The last was directed at the woman staring off into the voids in the back seat, failing to respond.

“Right, Adagio?” Sunset added an edge this time.

“Calm down pony. I’m a still Siren, manipulation is our… Was our forte” she returned in a tired monotone “It won’t be me blowing our cover anytime soon. Not when I still need MIST’s help.”

Seeing that was all the answer they were going to get, they just hoped it would be enough. Dash started the engine and drove the way back to the station as Sunset busied herself in the drop down visor’s mirror trying to fix her face. Unconcerned with her appearance Adagio continued to stare blankly out the window, not even seeing the passing scenery. Even if it seemed so much more pointless to bother keeping it up, she wouldn’t let this show. No, she wouldn’t, couldn’t risk losing MIST’s help in finding her sisters, not now.

‘Not when each other is apparently all we have left anymore…’

Author's Notes:

So pretty glad I managed to get this out relatively close to originally planned despite my recent difficulties. Super short version for those that missed the blog: I've been sick for the past couple weeks and am now also dealing with withdrawals from getting off my head meds on top of it. So yeah, while I still tried my best I do apologize if this chapter wasn't quite up to snuff compared to the others, but hopefully I still pulled it off well enough.

I may come back to this chapter before the next if I'm feeling better but any changes will probably just be for grammar and clarity and the like so don't feel pressured to keep track of it if you've already read it.

But enough of my excuses. For now, as always: Thanks for reading and I hope to see you for the next chapter! Have a good one!

Journal Entries, Two

View Online

XX/XX/XX

I got my car today! She’s a 1997 Jeep Cherokee 4 cylinder with optional 4 wheel drive and I actually know what all that means for the most part now! She has a few dings and scratches and some of her paint is a little worn off but she’s all mine!

Dash also took me out to help me learn how to drive a stick. I thought it wouldn’t be too hard with how easily I passed the tests for my license but it ended up being a bit more feeling it out than my studies of the mechanism suggested. Rainbow says every manual is different and will even change its quirks a little over time but that once I get the hang of it, I won’t even think about it anymore.

I just hope I stop pausing mid-sentence while changing gears, especially since I don’t even realize I’m doing it.

But yeah! I have a car! I’m leaning towards the name Jill. I’m not exactly sure why but I like it.

Other than that though, I’m still on suspension so not a lot else to report. Still trying to come to grips with thinking of these people as my friends. Mostly because it really doesn’t feel all that different than before. Maybe I should just go with it and just stop trying to control it so much. Kind of wishing I listened more to Celestia’s urgings now. Maybe I wouldn’t have to figure it all out on my own now.

[...]

I suppose I’ll have to try to work out how I feel about all that now too. I know how I left and how I acted back then was wrong but at the same time I’m not sure I can entirely regret it either, seeing how it was my choices back then that led me to this realization now. I’m also not sure if it would have actually landed the way the princess would have wanted it to if I just blindly accepted what she was saying without actually understanding the meaning for myself.

[...]

Well, either way I’ll have plenty of time to think about it. Not like I’m headed back to Equestria anytime soon anyway.

XX/XX/XX

I had a manifestation last night.

I know this would be the part where I’d give a more objective account of what happened before commenting but I’m not sure I even can this time. I can’t even remember it happening. [...]

We were called in to respond to a last minute gathering of Mitochondria cultists. After the briefing, Rarity was hit with a sudden assault on her senses that was enough to disorient her more than I had yet to see from her. With it being that bad, Rupert sent AJ and I to investigate what had caused it, since we weren’t critical to the mission at hand. It took us a while but we eventually discovered a pack of stalkers in a factory district. It was only after following their trail into a nearby warehouse did it become abundantly clear something major had been overlooked.

It was a trap. The gathering we were tipped off about was just a distraction while they really wanted to capture some of us. I think they were actually after Rarity but when I showed up it was like Hearth's Warming to them. They then used this giant speaker to disable us. I have no idea how but it basically disperses all Neo-Mitochondrial energy caught within the waves, like the noise is everything it isn’t, as Aya put it. Even Twilight doesn’t really understand the method behind it. To further the bad news, both of those used at the factory were destroyed, so there’s not much left to go on for her.

With my new abilities denied I had tried to use my magic, and while it was successful long enough for me to destroy the speaker, I still lost consciousness not a moment later. However, while I wasn’t able to make any further use of my magic, my mitochondria found it the perfect catalyst to reenergize themselves. So, piloting my body like a weapon, they retaliated against the perceived threat.

[...]

I killed them. I killed them and wasn’t even conscious while doing it.

Cadence and Twilight [...], and well everyone else too, keep reminding me to not think of it like that; that I should remember it was my mitochondria reacting and not me. That I didn’t have a choice in the matter since my consciousness was suppressed. But it was still my body, my mitochondria, my magic.

Even worse, I’m not sure how I’m even supposed to feel about it. I thought I would be more horrified but I also know I’d be dead or worse if I hadn’t. Applejack and I could be tied up somewhere as they slowly bled us. Or it could be her and Rarity and we wouldn’t even have known until it was far too late. When I consider that, I can’t help but feel grateful they’re dead.

Does that make me a bad person?

[............]

Anyway, Dash had been sent to check up on us when we failed to report after a while. She showed up in time to witness my manifestation, and even saved me from a Golem that used the second, hidden speaker to disable me, even in my manifested state. She uncharacteristically denied to take any credit for it, saying all she did was give it a diversion as it toyed with her, but it was enough to let the rest of reinforcements arrive. I’d say that counts, even if she’s not convinced herself.

Actually, that wasn’t the only thing she accomplished that night. Apparently my manifestation took the form of a unicorn horn on my forehead and a pony shaped aura of flames. See, a little while back she scared me during one of my earlier entries; one can probably find the streak I left across the page as a result.

In a bit of payback, I decided to use the truth to mess with her a bit. It was just a bit of harmless fun, as I knew she’d never believe me at the time. Turns out Dash pays a lot more attention than I’d given her credit for however. Not only did she remember, but put it all together too. And it ended up saving my ass in the end.

Yes, Dash now knows I’m a pony. Or that I used to be. And she took it all [...] rather astonishingly well. I suppose the relief that I hadn’t become a full blown EVE helped that some but even after we got a chance to talk more today, she was mostly just fascinated and curious. She didn’t even consider exposing me other than wanting to tell Fluttershy, as she really doesn’t like keeping secrets from her.

Even with just how little we got to talk before Flutters came home, I was actually amazed how nice it was to finally just talk to someone about it. I honestly hadn’t realized how much keeping the secret was weighing on me. And with how accepting Rainbow was [...]

I didn’t know friendship could cause the kind of loyalty she’s shown me. I’ve known her less than a year and she’s willing to keep my secret, even from a woman who’s basically a sister to her. I know not everyone would be the same; Rainbow’s pretty unique herself but [...] it left me speechless nonetheless. It's enough make me feel I'll tell Fluttershy eventually now too, and not simply out of fairness or practicality.

For now though, she has enough secrets in MIST to keep as it is, so probably not quite yet. Someday though, one certainly sooner than I had ever considered before. Maybe even with the rest. I’m still not sure about the risk of revealing the truth in any way the FBI could learn though. Even in my short time in this world, I’ve learned some of the rumors of what they may or may not be doing as far as extraterrestrials are involved, and few of them paint any kind of comforting picture.

Maybe someday though, when both our worlds are ready…

[Sunset chewed lightly at the end of her pen, pondering. Eventually, she simply shrugged and left the thought to speak for itself]

XX/XX/XX

Just a short one today I’m afraid. Wasn’t planning on writing anything until tomorrow actually but I just found out that Wallflower is actually one of MIST’s informants within the various cult communications networks, and the one that tipped us off about the gathering the other night. She actually came into the station in person to apologize to Applejack and I when she learned just how bad things went down, thinking she was to blame for not catching it. She was practically in tears when she walked in and well into them by the time she finished.

Admittedly I was rather mad at the time of the ambush at whoever missed it but with the time between then and now to think about things, not to mention Wallflower’s overwhelmingly genuine regret, I just couldn’t hold it against her. Especially considering no one but the leads are supposed to know she’s involved in that side of things. Yet despite potentially risking herself further, she felt she had to try and make it right by us. Though interestingly enough AJ already knew, managing to cut her off before she fell too far into her apologies.

She did however do it in front of nearly half the staff on duty at the moment, so more than just me found out. Thankfully MIST is pretty tight knit and, while perhaps a bit exasperated by the move, Rupert didn’t seem upset with her and turns out Wall hadn’t been exactly subtle about knowing more than she should already, so most really weren’t very surprised either. Thankfully it seems to be just around MIST personnel her lips grow a little looser though, so at least she’s not putting herself in any more unnecessary risk. At least I hope not. From what was later explained, she’s not an actual mole so she’s not in any Direct path of harm, but spying on the networks of crazy cultists still doesn’t seem particularly safe.

I’ve been assured she’s really very good at remaining unnoticed however, especially remotely. She even told me as much herself when she took AJ and I out to lunch, still insisting that she do something for us so she could at least “get it out of her head so much”. And well, we kind of hit it off. She’s not the kind of person I’d normally see myself relating to but I guess I wouldn't have much experience in being right when it comes to that kind of thinking, huh?

So yeah, all this was basically just a long way of getting around to saying I made a new friend, and sort of my first not directly part by MIST (Technically, she still gets paid but being off the roster helps keep her safer.) We might even be gaming this weekend, as it turns out she’s into a lot of the same games Rainbow introduced me to.

Is making friends always so [...] simple?

XX/XX/XX

Apologies to my future self for the disjointed, tired mess this entry may be. I’m sure I’ll forgive myself when I remember when this entry was made though. I very much doubt I’ll easily forget it anytime soon.

We found someone with magic.

The others don’t know she’s magic. All they know is that she feels like me; that she has the same “Extra Layer” that I have. It was as clear as day to me though, and I suspect to her as well, based on her reaction before passing out. She's still unconscious in the MIST infirmary, on the opposite side of the room to Dash.

Rainbow’s been infected. It was bad enough that the standard suppressants weren’t enough and I had to directly intervene with my own mitochondria. She's stable now but we’re all on edge, especially while she’s still injured and unconscious. She’s responsive to stimuli but it has grown more subdued. Twilight says it’s not uncommon during the initial adjustment phase and that her progressing to a deeper [...] something state may suggest a more symbiotic alteration of her cells is happening.

[...]

Sweet Celestia this entire day has been a total shitstorm. I should be there. I tried to be there but Rupert barred everyone but essential staff, practically throwing us out of the building with an order to get some rest. The only reason I didn’t just teleport back in and damn the consequences was Fluttershy. [...] Well that and I’m not actually sure I could still pull it off.

As the head medic, while Rupert could have still dismissed her too, she was allowed to stay. She asked me to take care of the animals, with the promise she’d let me know the moment Dash wake ups. [...] If she wakes up.

[...]

She has to wake up.

Please let her wake up.

XX/XX/XX

The magical NMH we found woke up. Dash is still unconscious but Twilight said her progress is promising. But yeah, the new girl is awake. She definitely did recognize my magic and while I didn’t talk with her directly, some of the things she said to Aya were clearly a nod to me.

Her name is Adagio Dazzle. While I’m not entirely sure she’s from Equis, given her subtle shots my direction it feels safe to say she probably is. Where from Equis though? That's proven a lot harder to extrapolate. She has a gemstone focus as a necklace, an exceptionally potent one at that. So that definitely narrows it down but not completely, and not to too many comforting options if I'm honest. She could be something I simply hadn’t heard of but without access to the proper reference materials back in Equestria, there's not much point following that path of speculation.

Will write more when I have more data.

XX/XX/XX

Rainbow woke up! She woke up and she’s stable and she’s still herself and [A Deep Breath sounds before the scratching of pen on parchment continues] she’s okay. It worked and she’s okay. Just writing those words feels like a world’s weight off my chest. She’s taking it all a little too lightly but, well like I said, she’s still herself. So I guess we’ll just have to be happy about that and stay that much more vigilant. But that’s fine, so long as she’s okay it’s fine.

Miss Dazzle also shared some information herself, though not as directly as I may have hoped. He is indeed from Equis, quickly recognizing me as a pony at just the mention of Equestria. She was also able to deduce I was a unicorn with just my own responses. Mostly from me letting her know that I know her necklace is the key to her magic. She also knew what the term alicorn meant so she’s at least that familiar with our race to not question the term. She did however throw me for a loop though; she countered my bluff with a quip about our “Two Brats”. Needless to say I’m not entirely sure how to interpret that. Yes we have two alicorns, but only one could ever be considered a brat, and that one is a fairly recent development herself and Adagio's records go back at least eight years, meaning she would have left before Cadence ascended.

Now it is entirely possible Miss Dazzle saw through my attempts for more data and just fed me some nonsense to maintain the advantage, but something tells me it’s not that complicated. She seems more than familiar with the art of manipulation but actual verbal dueling appears less her forte. That or she’s actually very, VERY good at it, to the point to convincingly loop back around to a false incompetence. I certainly hope not, as I also hope my brief fear that she may be Far older than she seems is unfounded.

Unfortunately that was all we were able to gleam before Fluttershy returned, after which she clammed up again…

Well on the note of Fluttershy, she’s finally come home after four straight days at the station watching over Dash. So before I fill up the whole rest of this journal with theories, I think I’ll go make sure she’s actually getting some rest. Will write more later.

XX/XX/XX

So [...]

[...]

I’ve received some potentially very bad news. It’s not a certainty, and I’m hoping that remains the case.

Adagio and I were finally able to have a proper conversion, without risk of exposure to speak more candidly about our status as outsiders to this world. Dash was able to work out the opportunity and was thankfully there to help set us back straight when I figured it all out.

Adagio is a siren. A Dazzling actually, one of the three banished by Starswirl himself after their efforts to undermine the unification of the tribes. Yeah, Adagio is from eleven hundred years ago. Yet for her, it’s only been just under ten, thus my concern.

I hadn’t considered there was any significant time dilation between Earth and Equestria. Given the regular intervals of the portal opening, I believed the time frames were essentially guaranteed be similar enough to maintain the pattern on both sides. I now realize that was working off the assumption I ended up where the portal normally connects to; an assumption I also now realize is mostly baseless considering that wave of magic that hit it as I entered.

I had thought some displacement was certainly possible, but not a significant differential in the rate of each world’s flow of time. But with this revelation of how much the sheer, potential magnitude of that differential could be,[...] I could already be half a century ahead of when I left, if not more.

As callous toward Adagio and her sisters as it may be, I sincerely hope Starswirl was simply less honorable than history depicts and did just banish them so far removed from their own time as to explain that long a period. That or he wasn’t quite the master of the craft as we’ve romanticized. I am acutely aware temporal magics can be quite temperamental, even in the best of circumstances, so that does give me some hope.

There is also the somewhat cold solace in that I didn’t leave much behind myself, so even if centuries have passed by the time I return through the portal (Assuming I’m even able to of course), I won’t have outlived all my loved ones. The only one I was truly close to was Celestia herself. So it's somewhat comforting to know, even if this worst case scenario is the truth, that she’ll probably still be around that far into the future. Who knows? Maybe the extra time will have softened the impact of [...] how things happened, making it easier for her to forgive me by then.

[...]

If she’d even still remember me by then of course.

I can’t imagine what Adagio must be going through though. No matter which possibility ends up being the truth, the practical result is the same for her. I’d still have Celestia but she has nothing left back home; a siren school hasn’t been seen for over two hundred years, and even that's only assuming that's what those ponies actually saw. Their old waters were usurped and have long since been divided amongst the nations. A thousand years of development and cultural progress has left them horribly out of time and behind the curve. As Adagio said herself; the world they knew is gone, replaced by ours in less than a decade.

I suppose it's a good thing that they’d be hard pressed to pose any kind of threat to the princess, let alone Equestria as a whole but [...] I can’t help but feel sorry for her. She might be an arrogant bitch if I’m allowed to be frank, but even with what I know of her and her sister’s crimes, I don’t think they deserved any kind of punishment this severe. She said it herself, it’s not like they were Eating us or anything. Granted, had they been successful in keeping the tribes divided, it could have prevented the future I know altogether but [...]

Ambivalent is a good word. Ambivalence and pity. She’d undoubtedly hate that second one but it’s hard not to have some sympathy in this case. Maybe she's right and we ponies really are made of nothing but sugar. It's not like I haven’t had similar thoughts myself occasionally. I’m still not sure how to feel about her watching my back out there if she succeeds in her efforts to force herself onto the team but I’m thinking I’d still like to help her find her sisters, and not just for the advantage they could give us in taking on Ark Shadow.

They’re pretty much all she has left now. So it feels like the least we can do to bring them back together. Hopefully they’ll be grateful enough to not just turn on us the moment they’re reunited.

[...]

But who knows? Maybe I won’t be the only one from Equis that comes around to the idea of friendship here on Earth. It might admittedly take a lot more than it did even me but [...]

Yeah, who knows?

Chapter 17: Vibes of All Kinds

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“Oh dear…”

“What?”

“Dwarf Down!”

“Ah.”

“No worries, I got ya.”

“Zippity!”

“I’m sorry...”

“Don’t sweat it, seriously.”

“But I keep going down”

“You’ve literally just started, we’re not expecting expert plays on your third ever game. I mean, you don’t even have any gear unlocked. The pressure is very low.”

“You remember what to press though, right?”

“Oh. Um…”

“Rock and Stone!”

“Rock and Stone!”“For Karl!”“By the Beard!”

Sunset’s smile widened as she heard Pyrrha’s almost musical titter come over her headphones. It turned out her pen pal’s new partner had been trying to get the girl to branch out in her hobbies, and when Sunset heard he gifted her a certain game, she felt it a perfect way to further her own connection with the distant hunter. Add in Rainbow now being back home for the rest of her recovery and Wallflower having most of her time free anyway, she was quite pleased to have this little session fall into place like this.

That and it was just nice to hear the woman laugh so openly. Not that she expected the hunter to be depressed or anything like that, but even after Sunset stopped trying to keep their exchanges purely professional, there was still a bit of a barrier between them. Sunset knew part of that was her fault, for intentionally maintaining that barrier for so long. She did however take some small solace in the fact her pen pal did just seem to be a very formal and somewhat isolated person in general. It also further helped salve her regret after getting the chance to briefly speak with Pyrrha’s new partner, who admitted a similar concern; hence his attempts to expand her hobbies.

She’d have to thank him later, as not only was the game a good starting point that she was already familiar with, but was just fun in general. Pyrrha seemed to be enjoying herself, so that was enough for her either way.

They played through another match before an abrupt groan doused her mood like a bucket of ice water.

“Dash?” She asked as the mechanic’s avatar suddenly stopped mid fight, allowing itself to be swarmed.

“Yeah sorry… I just…” Rainbow returned strained, her breathing growing heavy enough to be picked up by her mic. “I… Aw fuck-”

Sunset’s senses went off like a bomb and she was on her feet in an instant, ripping open her door and sprinting down the hall. The sense hadn’t gone unnoticed by Fluttershy either, as Sunset saw her tear out of her own room ahead of her before several loud thumps echoed through the house's walls.

“RAINBOW!” the medic cried as they barreled through the door. The mechanic's chair laid on the floor as the computer’s mouse and keyboard dangled over the desk’s edge. The sound of a shower reached them through the open door to the room’s connected bathroom. They closed the distance and squeezed in to find her laid out in the tub while a torrent of freezing water poured over her very pink skin and soaked her clothes through completely. “Rainbow!”

“I’m... I’m okay” she panted out, eyes closed tight as she weakly lifted up a spent suppression pen to them. She slumped back and let the arm fall as the water continued to drench her and soon Fluttershy as well as she leaned in to examine her. “I just need a minute.”

“Nice try Rainbow, but we’re still taking you to the station” Fluttershy returned bluntly, earning an aggravated murmur from the woman. Without looking back, the nurse continued gently “Sunset will you call Twilight and get one of the cars ready? It’ll be best to let the water keep lowering her temperature and I don’t want to leave her alone.”

“Yeah, yeah of course. No problem” the redhead fumbled out a bit breathless herself before returning to her room. She picked her phone off her desk, just about to open her contacts when she saw movement on her screen. They were back in the lobby and both Wallflower’s and Pyrrha’s characters were staring at Sunset's while concerned questions could now be seen in the chat. A somber, but still soothing warmth tugged at the corner of her lips. She quickly typed out Dash had a flash burn, but didn’t fully destabilize thankfully and that they were taking her into the station. She then refocused onto her phone, returning to the immediate task at hand.

Sunset waited in the hall, arms crossed as she swayed back and forth in place. Rainbow had already started recovering on the way in but Twilight had cleared the infirmary of all non-medical staff. She let out a distressed sigh and rubbed her head before giving a slight jump when a hand landed on her shoulder.

“Ease off the panic there Darl'n, she’ll be fine.” AJ gave her an encouraging pat and consoling smile “I know it’s damn scary ta see from the outside, but this is just kinda par the course fer us infected. ‘Specially when we're just start’n off.”

“I know but-” Sunset started before catching herself “Well okay, I don’t Know know but-”

“It’s fine Dear, we understand what you mean” Rarity stepped up and put an arm around the younger hunter “But like Jacquelyn said, this isn’t just common for infected but expected. Admittedly this was a bit of a bad one, but she was also allowed to go home sooner than most. Like Jackie told you though, she’ll be fine, if she’s not already.”

Sunset nodded mutely, still not feeling much better.

“So it hits all infected this bad?” she asked after a moment.

“Well technically it hit most folks a lot worse. What with most go’n NMC and all-OW!” AJ flinched away, holding her freshly flicked ear as the well coifed woman that delivered it leveled a mild glare her way. A small blush creeped up beneath the cowgirl’s freckles before she continued a bit more abashed “Er- but for us fully stabilized and all, it hits us all a different. Rare’s here weren’t as strong as most but tended ta last longer. Meanwhile mine knocked me on mah ass nearly every time, but then I was the worst off of all of us, have’n already been damn near half transformed ‘fore the team got my buggers ta finally calm the hell down.”

“Yes, it can vary quite a bit; even amongst those infected by the same strain. For example, while Fluttershy says her flashes were fairly minor, they came much more frequently than expected. Contrast that to the woman she was working with during the outbreak, who had a more balanced reaction, if that’s even an appropriate way to put it. Needless to say, this is all still a rather imprecise process” Rarity explained.

“But there are still times things end up going really bad, aren’t there?” Sunset gave darkly, eyes to the floor. The pair frowned, sharing a glance before responding.

“Yes, there are still those unfortunate times. Even worse they’re not all simply because they refused to take their suppressants or ran off to one of the cults” the fashionable woman admitted “But with every one we learn a little more, and that’s not including everything we hunters bring in for Twilight and the rest to poke and prod at. Rainbow will be fine Sunset.”

“Damn toot’n! Not only is she too damn stubborn to lose ta the buggers but she’s got all us right behind her, yerself included” Applejack declared before giving the redhead a playful bump “So cheer up. This just ain’t that serious, ‘kay?”

Before the young Awakened could respond, the door to the infirmary opened, revealing not only Twilight and Fluttershy emerging but an exhausted Rainbow as well.

“See? Told ya!” AJ bumped the girl again, earning an embarrassed chuckle.

“Don’t tell me you’ve been standing here freaking out this whole time” Dash shot her a look, and then rolled her eyes when Sunset scratched at the back of her head sheepishly “Aw come on Sunny…”

“Well I was worried, okay?” She practically whined “We didn’t even know how my mitos would affect you! And having that bad a flash when I’m all fire inclined and… I’m still new to this whole worrying about people thing.”

A small round of giggles filtered through the group as Sunset shrunk into herself. Twilight stepped forward and tilted her head around to find the girl’s eyes.

“It’s okay to be worried Sunset, but as I’m sure Cadence would remind you; you have to remember not to let it get the better of you too.” She offered warmly “We told you we expected this and while yes, this was a bit harsher than we were hoping, we can maybe do something about that right now!”

“Yeah?” the redhead looked back up hesitantly.

“Maybe, we’ll have to head to the lab first though” the doctor concluded and started back to her domain. AJ and Rarity gave her another pair of reassuring smiles before returning to their own duties. The trio entered behind the scientist, seeing Applebloom already within at her typical station.

“Hey alright, back on yer feet already. Least we know ya can still bounce back better than Jackie could” the younger Apple quipped “Guess that means yer almost as tough as Ah am.”

“Almost” Dash returned a tired grin.

“So then! I think I may have an answer why this flash was harsher than we thought” Twilight began as Sunset and Dash took seats at the ‘testing stools’ as they’d long since been dubbed “So from what I can observe, it would seem there’s still some conflict between the infectious mitochondria and Sunset’s still asserting Dominance over them so strongly.”

“So this is my fau-OOOWWW!!” the former pony cried when a fist abruptly slammed into her arm. HARD. “What the hell Dash?!”

“For fuck’s sake Sunny, give it a rest already!” the mechanic glared at her “Listen we’re all glad you’ve started to open up and all, but you didn’t have to go full pantywaste levels of soft on us like this!”

“Pantywaste!?” Sunset gaped “I haven’t gone that soft!”

“Oh please, you’ve been squishier than melted butter for over a week now” Rainbow countered.

“Hey fuck you! It’s been a rough time, alright?!” the redhead shot back “Not that your unconscious ass would’ve known!”

“~Hey fuck you~” Rainbow mocked in a high tone “Well I guess a tiny nibble is better than no bite at all.”

Sunset’s lip curled as her scowl grew deeper and her eyes narrowed at the mechanic.

“Bitch.”

“Pussy.”

“Ladies.” Twilight scolded lightly as Fluttershy and Applebloom both let giggles escape them “Are you done? I think Sunny gets the point.”

Sunset made an indignant noise and looked away with a pout. Sure, she may have been a bit sensitive lately but she felt it had been more than justified. It wasn’t like she was needed in combat or anything this whole time. It didn’t mean she’d gone that soft, friends or not. She huffed a snort out her nose as they continued to smirk at her.

‘And my hair is NOT bacon!’

“Back to what I was saying…” Twilight continued after a moment and took her seat in front of her fellow Awakened “It really isn’t your fault Sunset. In fact I was rather impressed how well you were able to instruct your mitochondria despite having no experience in stabilizing others. The issue is that they’re still following your instructions.”

“But how is that a bad thing?” Sunset furrowed her brow “I told them to stabilize Dash.”

“You told them to stop the infection” Twilight corrected “Which was the right call, again this wasn’t anything you did wrong. But just as we were concerned about using your mitochondria for this kind of thing, they’re indeed acting a bit differently than we’re used to. While most would have relaxed and started working with the now subdued infection, yours are still trying to keep the whole down, complicating the process and triggering a stronger reaction like this.”

“Geez Sunny, even your mitos have your crazy need to be on top…” Dash teased with a cocky side glance. The former pony stuck her tongue out at the mechanic before turning back to Twilight.

“So how am I supposed to help? Do I just have to tell them to chill out or something?”

“Well it won’t be quite as simple as that; they’re in a kind of transitional state where they’re no longer yours but also not all together Rainbow’s yet either” Twilight explained “So I’m hoping another small transfusion, with new instructions will… ‘set an example’ for lack of a better term, at least any either of you would be familiar with. Were you to just give the existing ones new directions now, they might buck at it. If they get a fresh infusion of their own strain however, they might catch on that they can finally ‘chill out’ a little.”

“I have to instruct new ones?” Sunset confirmed with a hint of apprehension.

“Don’t start freak’n Shimmer” Applebloom piped in from behind her screens “She wouldn’t make ya do it alone.”

“Aya’s already on her way in.” Twilight elaborated “Between her and I, we should be able to guide your own guidance enough to avoid any further problems like this. You’ll still undoubtedly get more flashes Rainbow-”

“Fuuun...”

“BUT, they shouldn’t be nearly so unpleasant.” the doctor continued despite the mechanic’s less than thrilled response. “If this all goes according to plan, you should be home by tomorrow!”

“So I’m still stuck here again… great” Rainbow slumped in her seat.

“At least for the night, yes. Sorry” Twilight shrugged.

“Guess that means I’m missing our night with Tree” she gave to Shy.

“Oh no, I texted her already. She’s already switched our night with Timber’s” Fluttershy returned with a smile “You know how easily she adapts. Though I still do need to give her a ride from the bus station.”

“Oh! Do you need my keys? I hadn’t even thought about that when-”

“It’s okay Sunset.” the nurse quickly cut in “She doesn’t get in for at least a couple hours.”

Before the conversation could continue, the arrival of Aya entering the lab drew attention away. Though it was the sight of the veteran hunter’s younger sister following in behind her that really made the room grow quiet. This was the first time Eve had come to the station since the mission to the Ark.

“Oh, Hey Evie!” Rainbow beamed at the younger Brea, blissfully ignorant.

“Hey Dash” she smiled a bit uneasily back with an uncertain tension shared by the rest of everyone present. The younger blonde's attention then turned to Sunset “Hey Sunset.”

“H-hey Eve.” she winced at her stutter but opened her mouth to continue. She unfortunately didn't make it much further than that “I…uh… um…”

“It’s okay Sunset…” Eve gave as she looked away, hugging herself lightly “Aya told me you guys… 'found my old room'.”

“Okay, I definitely missed more than I thought, didn't I?” Rainbow murmured as she didn’t fail to notice the total shift in mood “Am I allowed to know?”

“Eve.” Twilight softly interrupted when she spotted the younger blonde open her mouth.

“It’s my secret to tell Twi. And If we can’t trust Rainbow of all people then we really are screwed.” Eve countered somberly, causing the doctor to relent. “Dash, I’m not Aya’s little sister. I’m a clone.”

The mechanic blinked at the blunt confession. She tilted her head as her brow furrowed, before one half then arched up.

“...Temporal or Test-tube?”

A loud snort escaped the younger Brea that brought a hand to her face to fruitlessly try to fight off the smile that forced its way there.

“God damnit Rainbow” she laughed out begrudgingly before staring at the mechanic incredulously “I reveal I was technically never really ‘born’ and that’s your first question?!”

“So that would be test-tube then” Rainbow deduced with an absent nod “But how does that make you and Ay' not sisters?”

“That I’m genetically closer to her daughter than anything else?”

“Okay, but so what?” Rainbow shrugged “Flutters and I aren’t related at all but it’s pretty damn clear we’re basically sisters at this point. And you two have the whole legal thing on your side t- oh. OH!”

“What?” Eve’s downturned expression turned worried.

“You were the second…” Dash murmured at it came together “Weren’t you?”

Eve let go a heavy sigh and nodded darkly.

“THAT’S AWESOME!”

“RAINBOW!” half the room immediately scolded.

“What?! No! Not like that!” she leveled a flat look back at her accusers “Come on girls, I’m not that much of an asshole! No, I mean that she’s here! With us right now, as Herself!”

“It is pretty comforting that, even That far gone, you were still able to be brought back and become the most normal of any of us…” Sunset gave quietly after finally finding her voice “I know it’s given me at least little hope that I may not be totally fucked if… y’know…”

“I didn’t come back on my own…” Eve shuffled in place.

“None of us have Evie” Twilight countered consolingly.

“I told you they wouldn’t care.” Aya gave her sister a gentle bump.

“Well, I wouldn’t say we don’t care.” the former pony offered “It’s just in our ‘messed up family of mutants’ kind of way.”

“Thanks girls…” the young blonde looked away with a growing blush and muted smile. The group began to fidget awkwardly as they failed to know how they were supposed to proceed from there.

“Well now that that’s settled, we should be able to get started, yeah?” Twilight drew attention back to herself to spare the young woman further scrutiny. Though she did blink after a moment and looked to Eve with concern “Unless you’re here for something more urgent.”

“Oh! Oh no, I… actually thought I might be able to help” the younger Brea shrugged. “And yeah, get that whole bit out of the way while I was at it…”

“Great!” the doctor beamed “I’d love to have your stability added into the mix!”

"I thought you didn't want to develop you powers" Sunset commented as Twilight arranged them about for the process.

"I didn't" Eve confirmed before shrugging "But it obviously happened anyway. And more and more lately, I've been thinking I might as well do something good with them. Even if it's just safe stuff like this."

"You sure you're up for this?" Aya asked, Eve's eye roll suggesting it wasn't the first time the elder Brea had asked.

"I'm sure I can handle a bit of assisted guidence Ay'" she nearly snarked in response "I did kind of used to be the big bad."

The older sister clearly didn't like it being joked about but she didn't push any further. For Sunset's part is actually gave her just a little more of that previouly mentioned hope.

'If she can come back AND joke about it, maybe I really don't have to be quite so scared...'

“So it still bothers her that much? That you're technically not 'real' sisters?”

Aya was sitting in the lab with Twilight, where it was just the two of them now that Dash’s treatment was finished. The mechanic in question had returned to the infirmary while her house-mates went to pick up the pair’s friend. Eve had gone to also ‘get it out of the way’ with AJ and Rarity, with Applebloom as support. Which left the two of them alone as Twilight decided to get the hunter’s own regular exam out of the way as well.

“Not as much as this made it seem, but it still nags at her when it comes up” the older woman said “I think it’s more the memories the subject always brings back up that really bothers her though.”

“You could always just tell her.”

“Tell her what?” the blonde returned, though she suspected she already knew.

“That at this point she’s genetically closer to Maya than you” the scientist pointed out “Making her that much more your sister, biologically speaking.”

“Or my niece,” the hunter countered.

“You know what I mean. I’d make her feel better about it.”

“Or that much more scared, considering what happened to Maya” the blonde returned, giving the doctor pause.

“...Does she-”

“No.” Aya was quick to respond “No, but I think she’s put a lot of it together at this point. Even with how tight a lid we keep on it, she’s been in the middle of all this too long to not suspect at least something resembling the truth.”

“Hmm” Twilight hummed in lack of any better response, to which Aya just nodded absently. “Would be nice if the recovery rate really was the one out of two the few people that know think it is, instead of three…”

“It’d be a lot better if we could also count the early ones that didn’t actually transform, if they’ve actually existed that is.” the blonde finished with an off put grumble.

“Yes well, we’ve been down that rabbit hole enough to know not to dwell on it.” Twilight murmured “Though you did tell us yourself that it was like Maya was still trying to protect you, even back then. So I guess one and sort of a half out of three is almost as good, right?”

“I suppose it could be worse,” the blonde admitted “I just hope we won’t have to see if whoever's next has to get that lucky again…”

“So she’s a hippie?” Sunset cocked an eyebrow at the nurse also leaning against her car as they watched the most recent bus unload its passengers.

“Pretty much” Fluttershy admitted “She’d call herself a free spirit but would also probably be just fine with the hippie title too.”

“Easy going then?”

“To a fault,” Shy said with a warm smile.

“Oh then that HAS to be her” the redhead quipped as she spotted a distant looking woman in an over-long shirt, short shorts, tall boots and heavy dreadlocks ambling breezily through the throng of passengers. To confirm the Awaken's deduction, the woman’s hazy smile grew as she spotted the pair against the Jeep.

“Fluttershy, happy reunions sister” the woman closed and embraced the nurse.

“It’s great to see you Tree” Fluttershy returned the hug before stepping back and gesturing to the younger NMH “Tree this Sunset, Sunset this is Rainbow’s and I’s old friend, Tree Hugger.”

“Good vibes” hugger offered airily as the two shook hands. “Cool horn.”

Sunset blinked at the sudden, confusing compliment.

“W-what?”

“Your Aura” the woman clarified, reaching a hand up to swirl a finger around in front of Sunset’s forehead “You’re sporting a righteous spiral.”

“I am?” The fiery haired girl reached up to feel her still very smooth forehead.

“Totally” Tree Hugger returned “Something to be cherished for sure. Even a novice would have little trouble focusing their chi with that clear a focus. I’m admittedly a bit envious myself, though will remember my own blessings should it grow too green.”

The woman gave her a lazy wink as Fluttershy giggled softly behind her. The nurse opted to join her friend in the back seat on their way back to talk more easily.

“So Rainbow’s new mitos are still harshing her balance, huh? Bummer.”

“Yeah, it hit pretty hard. She’s fine now though and hopefully we managed to mitigate the cause” the medic delivered the last bit more delicately, glancing slightly toward their driver.

“Doc Sparkles was top notch during our episodes, so I’ve faith she’s only gotten better” Tree consoled her friend “Even if she’s still so determined to ignore the spiritual side of things.”

“So what have you been doing all this time?” Shy scooted closer, adorably eager to hear her most well traveled friend’s stories “I know we’ve talked but I still haven’t seen you more than twice since the shelter closed!”

“Smooth waters there Flutters” Tree gave with a soft chuckle “Not just passing through this time, not so quickly at least. We’ve got time, even beyond our circle night. Speaking of, will you be joining us Sunset?”

“Oh, um…” Sunset fumbled slightly at the sudden, well relatively sudden in this case, question “I’ll be in the house but I won’t be indulging.”

“Sunset doesn’t smoke” Fluttershy answered for the former pony.

“Not that I have anything against it,” the driver was quick to clarify “No judgment. I’ve just… I think I’ve had enough new experiences these past few months. Figured I could at least try to space out the ones I can actually control.”

“We’re going to do the whole coaching thing when she’s ready, like you did for me” the nurse added.

“Oh righteous! I’m so glad the practice has caught on more lately” the free spirited woman grinned “Too many souls jumping in without guidance, it’s too much risk of some seriously bad karma. Or at least some really bad trips, like Rainbow’s.”

“You did warn her not to start with edibles,” Shy agreed quietly. The conversion continued at a casual pace until they reached Timber’s house, though Sunset was beginning to wonder if Ms. Hugger was even capable of anything beyond a ‘casual pace' by then. They bid the pair adieu and made the rest of the short trip home, already inside before Shy spoke up.

“Hey, so um… Thanks,” She gave as they crossed into the kitchen “For not making fun of her or anything. Not that I expected you to of course! But well, I know Tree can be a little out there for even the most open minded people.”

“Hey no problem” the awakened shrugged. “It was actually pretty interesting. Unlike Twilight, I’m perfectly accepting of that kind of stuff, what with-”

Sunset cut herself off, realizing just how close she came to saying it and shocked by just how easily it was about to come out. Her face fell pensive for a moment as the nurse frowned, tilting her head with concern.

“Is everything alright?” she asked, her worry so genuine it tugged at the former pony’s heart. She raised her head back up to look into the medic’s eyes, feeling the conflict playout in her mind. A conflict surprisingly one sided in its efforts, which was all it took to finally cinch it for her.

“Yeah. Yeah everything’s fine. I just… Come sit with me for a moment. I…” she took a deep breath and steeled herself as she led the befuddled woman to the couch.

“I have something to tell you.”

Sunset sat next to the nurse, trying not to wring her hands too much as she waited. At first the opal eyed woman thought she had been trying to prank her, not unreasonable all things considered. However after a demonstration of turning a pen into a pencil, a straw, and a pipe cleaner before reverting it back into a pen, Fluttershy began taking the story a whole lot more seriously. She had barely said a word as the redhead continued explaining the truth and was now just quietly starting down at the pen in her hand, and had been for a good few minutes now.

“...Wow.” she finally breathed out.

“Well, I suppose I couldn’t have expected everyone to take this as well as Dash did…” Sunset murmured.

“You told Rainbow?” Shy’s gazed turned to the former pony.

“Oh, well... Technically no, not like this. She sort of just… Figured it out” Sunset winced at the smallest note of hurt she saw in those opal eyes at the news “It was actually a damn good thing she did though. It was when I had my manifestation. I was using powers that, as far as MIST knows, only an EVE is capable of. Telekinesis to be precise. Mix in the fiery aura I was covered in being shaped like a pony, the glowing horn I apparently still sort of have sticking out my head, and a joke I tried to play on her once, she thankfully saw what she hoped was the truth and gave me a chance.”

“You can use telekinesis?” Sunset grimaced as the note of hurt was replaced by a greater note of fear. She gently held up her hands to try and calm the nurse before gesturing to the pen she still held. Fluttershy gasped as it was encased in a shimmering aura and lifted from her grasp to dance slowly through the air.

“It’s not nearly as strong as it used to be,” Sunset explained as she twirled it soothingly in her grasp “Like all my magic in this world, it’s limited in this body. Or at least I thought it was, until Dash told me some of the things my mitochondria did with it…”

A hand landed softly on her shoulder, making her lift her gaze back up to the nurse who somehow found enough sympathy in the middle of all she just learned to comfort her.

“I'm sorry I didn’t tell you, and I ask you don’t blame Dash for not telling you either. It was me that asked her not to.” Sunset gave guiltily “It’s not that I didn’t trust you, I just… I wasn’t expecting anyone to know at that point at all and it’s not like there's a book about how to deal with this kind of thing. Not that I'm aware of. For the record, she really didn’t like keeping it from you.”

“It’s okay Sunset. I suppose that’s not what's really important right now anyway, is it?” the elder NMH relented “And if I know Rainbow, she probably made you prove it like you had to do to get me to listen.”

“Yeah well, at least I got a bird out of it.” The unicorn girl shrugged, not thinking much of it until she spotted Flutter’s wide eyed look “Oh uh, yeah. I felt I needed something pretty drastic considering Dash seemed one bad move away from trying to shoot me so… Yeah, we didn’t find her out by the street. I… kind of made Tangerine… out of a tangerine.”

The nurse’s wide eyed expression didn’t falter. It only gradually tilted as she turned toward the cage holding the finch currently pecking excitedly at one of its toy mirrors, joyfully oblivious to the implications of its creation. Her brow furrowed as she continued to stare.

“Well now we definitely can’t release her into the wild” she huffed before turning her eyes back to Sunset “Ready or not, looks like you got yourself a pet anyway.”

The giggles bubbled up and there was nothing the pony girl could do to stop them. THAT was Fluttershy’s take away from her basically creating life. Not really, it was more like converting honestly, but Shy didn’t know that. The nurse herself joined the jovial release after a moment, smiling even after it petered out and let go of a sigh.

“Thank you for telling me Sunset. I very much suspect it can’t be easy trusting anyone with this, especially with your concerns about the Bureau” she said calmly, before perking up anxiously “But I’m not going to tell them! You can trust me!”

“I know Shy” Sunset returned quickly “I wouldn’t be telling you at all if I didn’t. And I think that you’re the first I’ve done so voluntarily speaks for itself. Celestia knows I didn’t see this coming when I first got here though.”

“OH. Yes, I didn’t say anything at the time because, well I doubt I even could have, but..” Fluttershy squinted as her eyes darted around confused “So in your world, Cadence and Celestia are… Queens?”

“Princesses” the younger woman corrected “The title of queen has some… complicated history in our culture. But yes, they’re alicorns, and thus they’re princesses. THE princess in Celestia’s case, seeing as she’s led our kingdom for around a thousand years at this point. That would also be why I still use her as an epithet occasionally when I’m not paying enough attention.”

“We did think it was a little odd that you used our old principal’s name as a curse sometimes” the medic admitted with a smirk “Though we figured it was just a coincidence; her name is a little divine sounding.”

“It's well deserved in the Princess’s case” Sunset returned, an unmissable edge of melancholy filtering into her words.

“You miss her, don’t you?” the pink haired girl asked consolingly. Sunset nodded.

“I messed a lot of stuff up towards the end, even before I possibly stranded myself here” she returned mutely “I don’t know if I’ll ever get the chance to apologize, even if I am still able to get back.”

The medic’s hand returned to her shoulder, a warm look of assurance on her face as she smiled at the former unicorn.

“If she’s even half as wise as you make her sound, then I’m sure she’s already forgiven you. Even if she hasn’t, she’d have to be very cold indeed to not be at least a little proud of how far you’ve come. The rest of us are.” Sunset felt her stomach knot at the words, though not in a bad way. It was like a tender embrace that spread through the rest of her, even making her eyes begin to moisten.

“Thanks Shy…” she managed to croak out. She then gave a vigorous shake of her head and straightened up right before wiping her face and clearing her throat pointedly “But hey, enough of me and how I’m absolutely Not going soft. Dash had loads of questions, and is still coming up with more everyday, so I’m sure you’ve come up with at least a couple by now yourself.”

“Oh geez, where do I even start?” the nurse humored her, accepting the girl’s redirection with a sly smirk. She brought a finger to her cheek as she thought of a good beginning. Said finger curled a moment later though as she pressed her lips tighter and looked to the girl, more than a little apprehensive “Is… Is Adagio also a pony?”

“Oh! Oh shit… yeah, I didn’t even get that far, did I?” Sunset ran a hand through her hair, her own apprehension showing as she pushed the red and golden locks back “Yes, she’s from Equis, but she also not a pony. She’s a siren. One with a pretty bad reputation if she and her sisters are who she claims they are.”

“So that extra layer you and she have, that’s your magic?”

“Yeah. Well, I’m ninety nine point nine percent sure it is. With how little I know about the minutiae of Mitochondria, I’d be remiss to Twilight if I didn’t allow some possibility it’s not” she quipped, earning an amused scoff from the nurse before returning to a more serious tone “But yeah. Until two weeks ago I thought I was the only one from Equis on Earth, but the second our eyes met it hit me like a tidal wave. She has magic, and now neo-mitochondria, just like me.” She related before crossing her arms with a frown shot toward the floor “I just wish she didn’t turn out to be such a cryptic bitch about everything. Though admittedly it was still better than the angry drifting she’s been doing since our chat in the park; I could at least gleam some idea what she was hiding when she was taunting me with it. Now I can’t get anything with how she’s just not talking anymore.”

“What did happen in the park? It was hard to miss that was when her demeanor shifted.” Shy asked, to which Sunset sighed.

“Adagio and her sisters were banished from Equestria over a thousand years ago, but for them, it’s been barely a decade” the unicorn girl explained “Which means either they were thrown into the future too, or the temporal discrepancy between Earth and Equeastia is massive, with just a year here being more than a hundred there. For my own sake I sincerely hope it’s the former, but as far as Adagio’s concerned, they’ve lost any sense of their home to time either way. Not that she said as much, but I can only imagine that’s a big part of it.”

“Hmmm” Fluttershy hummed sadly, her own empathy still getting the better of her despite Ms. Dazzle’s annoying habits. Her lips pursed to the side as she looked away, lost in thought. When she spoke again it was barely more than a mutter “There is Zepher’s old room…”

“Shy?”

“Oh sorry I was just- Well, with Adagio’s recovery reaching the point she can leave observation, we’ve been having a bit of a time trying to figure out what to do with her,” The nurse elaborated. “Similar to when you first arrived, it's not really practical for her to live at the station. Ms. Dazzle also has the complication that we can’t leave her on her own anywhere either. Be it the risk of her recapture or just not knowing what she may be doing behind our backs, it’s not really an option. Soooo… We do still have my brother's old room that's not being used.”

“You want her living here?!” the redhead stared at the medic like she’d grown a second head.

“Well if I’m being honest, no, not particularly.” she admitted with an abashed shrug, though rebound quickly after “But with her being from the same place, dealing with the same condition and with both Rainbow and I knowing now; it seems the most obvious way to make things easier for you is to have her here, where you can both be open about things without anyone else finding out until you’re ready.”

“While I definitely appreciate it, seriously thanks, you really don’t have to put up with her just to make things easier for me. I’ll figure something else out.”

“Well it’s not just for you, like I said,” the nurse shrugged again “Between two hunters, a combat trained medic, and Ms. Dazzle’s own abilities, she’d be a far less enticing target than alone in whatever run down apartment the feds would drop her in. So I’d be willing to tolerate her for the others' sake too… even if she is a smarmy bitch.”

The redhead blinked and stared at the medic wide eyed.

“Oh don’t give me that look, you’ve caught me during my cursing fits before” Shy returned bluntly.

“Well yeah but I figured those helped you keep them out of your normal speech”

“They do,” Fluttershy brightened. “I guess Ms. Dazzle really is just that aggravating though.”

“And you’re still willing to let her live here?”

“Yes well, it’s my house. Even if only by the virtue of my parents giving it to me, it’s my choice” she gave with the fiery note of a final decision.

“Can’t argue that” Sunset chuckled softly, before shooting the woman another grateful smile “Did I ever thank you for letting me live here?”

“Yes, but you’re welcome again” Shy smirked back “It’s not a decision I regret. Even if you hadn’t come around, the extra savings from you also paying the utility costs has been nice either way.”

“Dash actually made a loan payment!” Sunset gave over excitedly, mimicking the mechanic in question.

“And might actually pay them off before she’s dead!” Fluttershy finished before both broke down into giggles. From there the nurse's questions flowed freely, with Sunset happily answering all she could and feeling more and more secure with her choice with each one.

‘And to think I was even the slightest bit worried about telling her...’

“SERIOUSLY?!”

Rainbow’s shout echoed loudly in the range, making the two other women present flinch. It was the next day and while Dash had been cleared to return home, Shy had asked her to stick around until the start of her shift to talk. The new NMH had figured it was more than just about groceries or something, since she wouldn’t say what it was over the phone, but she hadn’t expected it to be nearly so unpleasant as what was just suggested.

“I don’t care if she needs a place to stay and it worked out with Sunny!” the prismatically haired woman continued “She’s a bitch! Why would you even think of this?”

“Because Sunset told me,” the medic replied plainly. Clamming right up and straightening with a jolt, the mechanic glanced nervously between the two.

“She told you… what exactly?”

“That I’m an interdimensional unicorn with magic not too dissimilar to the aforementioned bitch” Sunset delivered just as plainly “It’s okay Dash, she knows. It’s why we’re in the range; so no one else can hear us, her included… hopefully her included.”

“Oh… cool.” Rainbow accepted easily, though her frown remained “But still, living with us?”

“I know it’s not the most pleasant prospect,” Fluttershy admitted “But it really does seem like the best course of action. Not only would it allow her and Sunset to engage openly without suspicion, but she’d also be hard pressed to get the security she might need otherwise. Unpleasant, but unfortunately also practical.”

“So I’m guessing by your already decided tone, this is one of the few times you're pulling the ‘your house, your rules’ card, huh?” Rainbow asked, simply receiving a gentle smile back “Yeah alright, I still don’t like it but I’ll trust you know what you’re doing. Not like you use that card enough for me to argue anyway.”

“This is all assuming Rupert and the rest are okay with it too” the nurse returned “But who knows? Maybe she’ll come around after being shown a little kindness.”

“I did,” Sunset added with a smile, and then a shrug “Or y’know, eventually.”

“Fair enough” Rainbow relented with a grin and, after the briefest of explinations to Dash what just what they were going to offer, they made their way out of the range and up towards the infirmary. Though they only made it about halfway before Dash spoke up again, “Hey so listen, I get were cool and all but I still wanna say sorry for not tell’n ya. I wanted to, but-”

“It’s okay Dash” the nurse gently interrupted. “I’ll admit I was a little hurt when I first heard you were keeping it from me but after only a couple more seconds of consideration, I realized it was for the best and that you were only trying to help. There’s nothing to be sorry about.”

“Harmony help whatever soul that tries turning you two against each other” Sunset chuckled as she held the door to the infirmary open.

“Damn straight!” Dash proclaimed proudly.

“Harmony?” Fluttershy looked at her quizzically as she passed.

“It’s a pony thing” Adagio’s unamused voice answered as they approached her bed “So I gather you’ve told the soft one.”

“My name’s Fluttershy” the medic asserted with a frown.

“I know” the siren returned simply before looking over the group “So does this mean I get to be privy to whatever whispers you were sharing down in the dungeon?”

“Cut the cryptic shit seahorse, you’re gonna have ta start talking straight to hear this offer.” Dash growled back, putting the siren off a step. Just one though.

“Offer?” she parroted innocently “I’ve already made my offer.”

“You made your offer to MIST” Sunset countered “This is us talking to you now.”

The siren’s brow arched at the phrasing. She panned over the group again, face carefully kept passive.

“Continue.”

“You need a place to stay, one safe enough that Ark Shadow won’t just grab your ass again” Sunset went on “Fluttershy has very graciously decided her house’s remaining guest room could be that place.”

“So what you’re offering me is security that’s technically already a given?” Adagio looked unimpressed.

“And…” Sunset continued unflapped, though gave a sigh before saying “And we can see what we can do to convince the rest to accept at least the main concessions of your own offer.”

Now That hooked the siren’s earnest interest. Granted she felt the chances of success were already in her favor but three insiders, including two long term trusted members of the group, all subtly vouching for her wasn’t something she could afford to ignore. Still though…

“I assume this isn’t a selfless act of charity” she narrowed her eyes at them “What are you expecting in return?”

“Well first of all, you gotta stop jerking us around” Dash spat at the woman “We ask a question, you answer. No smarmy quips, no misdirection, no bullshit.”

“Not unexpected…” the Dazzling commented idly, only breaking her stare a moment to inspect her nails “And?”

“And that includes things about Equestria, your magic and our similar condition” Sunset laid out next “You’ve been dealing with this a lot longer than I have and I’d appreciate avoiding any more missteps you may have already learned the hard way.”

“Also understandable” she commented evenly “Though the missteps may be less than you expect. I’ve been in a control helmet most of my time as an NMH.”

“We also expect you to live up to your end of being MIST, wholeheartedly” Dash added in, drawing her house-mates own attention. They hadn’t really discussed the details with her, given they didn’t really have any time to since telling her, but neither could disagree with the point she was making “That means boring ass patrols, counseling with Cady, the works. We need to know you’re actually gonna be part of this team if any of us are going to trust you to not just let one of us die when you could stop it. You also need to stop always eavesdropping on shit you plain don’t need to know.”

“Counseling?” the siren’s lip curled at the thought.

“You want to be part of MIST? That’s part of being part of MIST.” Dash shot back at the Dazzling without missing a beat “Whatever deal you cook up with the originals, you’re not gonna be just some outside hired gun that gets to sit in on the briefings. It’s all in or totally out here at MIST Seahorse.”

“Hmmm” Adagio hummed back, features still largely unimpressed until a smirk curled back onto her lips and her signature arrogance reemerged “Well as so very enticing all that sounds, I am afraid I’ll have to make a counter offer-”

“No.”

“Excuse me?” The siren blinked as the up until now silent nurse cut her off.

“I said No.” Shy glared back at her unerringly “No counter offers, no games. This isn’t up for negotiation. This is our home, which I’m offering to open up to you. But I won’t risk it to someone not even willing to abide by what are really very simple, easy rules. As someone who’s just learned how completely they’ve lost their own home, you can appreciate me wanting to protect mine.”

To say Adagio wasn’t the only one stunned by the abrupt low blow would be an understatement. Even Dash, who knew the hidden depths of her friend better than anyone, was still all but gawking at the nurse now scowling at the siren. To her credit, Adagio managed to sneer right back, if still a bit wide eyed. It held until she rolled her shoulders and set her jaw.

“I’ll think about-”

“No.” the medic cut her off again and earned a not nearly so subtle twitch of the woman's eye “You decide right now. Not before whatever advantage you think you can get out of Rupert, not before you hear your other options; Now. You don’t want to talk? Then we walk. Take or leave it Ms. Dazzle.”

“This is hardly fair” the siren didn’t whine, but nevertheless didn’t hide her anger from the unflinching nurse.

“Deal with it.” Fluttershy shot back darkly “So what will it be? Accept our help on our terms, or keep floundering ahead on your own, stuck on the outside of not only everything of how we’ll find your sisters for you, but whatever Sunset can share about your long begotten home too. Your choice.”

Any attempts for Adagio to keep her poker face were long forgotten as the siren’s infuriated expression twitched madly while glaring at the nurse. The deadlock broke as her eyes darted about, clearly struggling with the sudden ultimatum.

“Well?!” Fluttershy raised her voice an octave.

“FINE!” Adagio finally snapped back. She screwed her eyes shut after the answer, her body trembling as she literally growled in frustration, before stopping with a final huff through her nose. Her eyes opened, burning holes in her sheets until snapping back up to the nurse “Fine… it’s a deal.”

“Not quite yet,” Sunset piped in, drawing the siren’s fury her way. She held her ground though “Before we can cement any of this, I need to know what your real intentions are.”

“I wasn’t lying pony, I really am just trying to find my sisters” she answered through clenched teeth.

“I mean after that.” Sunset crossed her arms “Say we pull this off and you’re all safely reunited, what then?”

“Then we burn those Ark Shadow fuckers and everything they’ve built to the ground.” she delivered menacingly.

“An idea we can all certainly get behind,” Sunset shrugged in agreement before continuing “But you know what I mean. You three have a nasty reputation back home and, while I admit you probably didn’t deserve a punishment this questionable, I can’t ignore history if I don’t want it to repeat itself.”

The siren continued to glare daggers her way a few moments longer, but then fell back with a slump, sighing heavily.

“Well, as per our new arrangement, I won’t lie: To say my sisters and I didn’t have plans for this world would be inaccurate. I won’t even claim I didn’t get some ideas about exacting our revenge on you little land kelps when you showed up and represented a possible a way home” she gave grumpily, opening her eyes and staring distantly toward the ceiling as she spoke “But that was before I learned all those ponies are now long since dead and my sister’s are all I have left. So to answer your question, Shimmer; I have no idea what we’re going to do. I doubt it’ll be of any real threat anymore though, even if all our gems are intact.”

“Your gems?” Dash cocked an eyebrow, wresting another sigh from the Dazzling.

“Consider this an olive branch Rainbow Bright.” She quipped darkly, draping an arm across her face as her tone grew more defeated “Sirens work best in an ensemble. Duets, Trios and Quartets are easily the most efficient. We need to be able to resonate with one another to use our abilities to the fullest. We need our gems to resonate properly, at least with any magic. My gem’s already cracked and will be a massive pain in the ass to repair without my sisters, assuming they even managed to keep theirs. If they didn’t, then it’d be even more laughable to think we could still pose any real threat on a scale of any importance.”

The three looked at each other, pondering the offered branch until the siren spoke again, eyes still hidden under the limb.

“So is that it? Is it a deal now?” she asked, sounding very tired. The others looked to Fluttershy, who just regarded the woman a moment or two longer.

“Yes Ms. Dazzle, it’s a deal” she delivered stoically “For both our sakes, I hope we’ll get along better than I’m sure either of us are expecting to. We will be living together after all.”

“I now know I overlooked something when sizing you up at least…” she returned without any particular inflection, face still subdued with tiredness beneath her arm. Without anything else to establish, not at this soon a juncture at least, they turned to leave. Sunset hesitated as they reached the door however, looking back to the beaten Siren.

“I know it may not be worth as much now, but for whatever it is still worth; I MAY know a way back to Equestria if it's still working” she informed her. The siren actually reacted, finally pulling her arm up a little to look at the former pony “Modern Equestria does have a statute of limitations and, even if still a bit too xenophobic, we’re a lot more accepting than we were back in your time. It may not be some grand crusade of revenge but, when all this is over, you might still be able to go back home without it being much of an issue.”

She didn’t say anything, or even react much, but she did seem just a little less lost as she retreated back under her arm.

“If you let it happen that is,” Fluttershy added, her tone then growing threatening again “But if I get even the smallest inkling you’re playing us, that you’re not holding up your end of the bargain well enough, then not only will I drop your ass on the curb faster than you can blink, but I’ll do everything I can to let Ark Shadow know it myself.”

“...Noted” the siren gave quietly after a moment.

Satisfied, the nurse led the other two out of the room and back down stairs, making sure they weren’t drawing too much attention as they returned to range. Dash was the first to speak the instant the second door closed behind them.

“Holy Shit Flutters!” she exclaimed, a lopsided grin plastered across her face “You know I hate the word so believe it when I say; That was fucking Epic!”

“I sure as hell didn’t see it coming…” Sunset muttered, making the nurse shuffle in place.

“Sorry…”

“Sorry nothing!” the redhead brightened, gaining a beaming smile of her own as she gestured toward the direction of infirmary “Shy that was awesome!”

“I knew this was serious but I never thought it’d bring out the Legendary Flutterbitch!” Rainbow continued to laugh, pulling her friend into a tight hug “And here I thought it’d take ages for Sunny to finally to bear witness!”

“I’m glad I didn’t miss it” the former pony chuckled at the medic now sheepishly blushing in her surrogate sister’s arms “She definitely won’t be calling you ‘the soft one’ anymore, that’s for sure.”

“‘You don’t wanna talk? We walk!’” Dash imitated before being overtaken by her giggles “God I’m so fucking proud of you right now!”

“Well it needed to be said!” Fluttershy defended herself unnecessarily “She needed to know we’re not going to just let her walk all over us, especially when she needs our help a lot more than we need to know what she knows. I am sorry I leveraged your knowledge of your home without asking you though.”

“You’ll hear no arguments from me, especially since it worked.” The pony girl waved off “Admittedly you did kind of undercut my gesture at the end there but I’d say you definitely drove the point home. Plus I guess it works for the whole good cop/bad cop thing, so at least there’s that.”

“That was the truth then?” the mechanic tilted her head at her “You’d guys would really take ‘em back, just like that? No questions?”

“Well there’d still be questions, not to mention probably some kind of probationary period but… yeah, probably.” The redhead shrugged “I might not have put too much stock in the sentimentality of it all myself but even I always accepted we ponies are pretty big on the whole forgiveness and redemption thing. Starswirl may have been trying to make them someone else’s problem but it’s a problem I’m sure the princess would be willing to make hers now, if they were genuinely open to reform.”

“All that and you’re still worried she won't forgive you?” Rainbow looked at her incredulously.

“I know, when it’s put like that it does sound silly, but that’s not really the angle I’m working from,” Sunset explained, head sagging as she let go of a heavy breath. “I’m not worried she’ll banish me or even just hate me or anything like that. She’s too noble for that kind of spite. I’m just… afraid I burned the bridge. That she'll never be able to trust me again. That what I messed up is gone for good and we’ll only ever be divided by it.”

“Well, her loss if she can’t move past it” Dash reasoned, pulling the redhead into the hug too “Least you’ll still have us, right?”

“Right” Sunset agreed before looking toward the ceiling “And who knows? Maybe at least one other Equestrian, eventually… big maybe, but still…”

“Stranger things have happened” Fluttershy offered.

“Have they?” Rainbow piped up “We are talking about magical aliens here.”

“Aliens from a world where friendship is literally a force of nature, so if not here then crazier things have definitely still happened over there” Sunset countered “Maybe I was lucky enough to drag a little of it here with me. And it’s not like there aren’t still plenty of things on Earth that can’t be explained anyway.”

Rainbow gave an acknowledging shrug but while she seemed about to continue, she stopped short and straightened at what she saw through the range’s safety glass.

Pinkie was leaning in from one side of the reinforced window, looking at them quite curiously and all things considered, not undeservedly so. Dash gave each of the women in the embrace a quick glance before looking back up to the rangemaster and waved her in. No sooner had the beaming Pie darted out of view than she was already pressing into the hug with a loud squee, sending the whole group into a fit of laughter.

‘Case and point.’

“To say again, this is a hell of an exception we’re making here, Dazzle” The director delivered in his serious baritone. “Even compared to Shimmer's questionable recruitment, this isn’t something we’d normally even humor.”

“I understand” the siren returned evenly.

“Do you? Because if we’re to trust you to keep people safe, to keep your fellow hunters safe, you damn well better” he relayed with no small hint of warning “If you can’t remember that, it’ll be more than just whoever you fail that’ll face consequences, understand?”

“Yes, sir” she kept her tone disciplined. The dark skinned man gave a heavy huff before sliding the last page of the paperwork forward for her to sign. She made her mark and slid it back for the Director, Brea and the Bureau Liaison to sign off on. As Mr. Broderick put down the last signature, that was it; she was a hunter. Or one of their hunter’s now rather.

“Welcome to MIST Dazzle” he gave without much note of sincerity “This better be worth it.”

“What I know is far from nothing” She confirmed, gaze still lingering on the paper. She closed her eyes and gave a light huff, proceeding to roll her shoulders and crack her neck. She took a final, long and deep breath before gaining a defeated frown “...Thank you.”

“Geez” Aya scoffed at the sight “With how painful that looked just to say, I think you might actually mean it.”

“Yes, well… While we all already knew it, it’s been subtly reiterated to me over the past weeks that you all don’t need me as much as I need you” the Dazzling begrudgingly admitted, before leveling a her gaze with the director’s “But I can do the job, and do it well. Not just because it’s been literally programmed into me either but because we have the same enemy, one I have no doubt we’ll both love to see finally go down in flames. I know we’ll never be 'besties'. I don’t expect to be sent off with a party and cake when it’s time for me to leave, your rangemaster notwithstanding… But I’m not going to screw over your family, not when it’s helping me find mine. You have my word.”

Rupert worked his jaw as he returned the woman’s stare, studying her with a slightly new perspective. He eventually gave a simple, non-committal hum before dropping the look and pulling out a rather thick folder, one matching those in front of both the others.

“Yes well, you also gave us your word you’d stop holding back once you were a hunter.” he gave as he unwound the latch string and opened the folder “Do you have anything specific you feel we should start with?”

“You’re the lead now” She answered tiredly “You ask, I’ll answer.”

“Very well” he clicked on a recorder before starting at the top.

With Rupert and Shiny leading the questioning, Aya was free to sit back and study the woman as she began finally talking straight with them. She answered simply and directly, reviewing the photos and documents they showed her thoroughly before divulging not only everything she thought relevant, but almost always elaborating further; volunteering information they didn’t ask for or had considered asking about and even surprising them with unexpected connections in a couple instances. And not for a moment did the blonde feel like she was lying to them. Now she’d be lying if she hadn’t fully expected the woman to keep screwing with them to at least some degree even after compromising on her terms. It was a rather pleasant surprise to have been proven wrong in this case.

A major factor in that was undoubtedly Ms. Dazzle’s thirst for vengeance. True, the woman had stated her hatred for them more than once so far, but hearing the sheer venom that would coat her words during some of her answers gave the claims significantly more credence. With her position now secured, she was ready to give them everything she could and then some in just the remote hope of seeing them use it make those that took her sisters really feel it. Aya now believed Adagio had been completely honest in her early lamenting of the loss of her control helmet, and for all the insight it could have given them, despite the casual tone it was delivered in at the time.

And yet the hunter couldn’t help but feel, while definitely the primary reason save perhaps her sisters themselves, it wasn’t quite the only reason for this shift. It was no secret Shy, Dash and Sunset announcing they were willing to take the artificially awakened in had tipped the scales into Ms. Dazzle’s favor, and they weren’t quite as subtle as they were probably hoping they were in also trying to maneuver their newest NMH to their own ends. However if these were the results, Aya couldn’t bring herself to disapprove. Admittedly, had it just been Sunset coming forward she would have been far more suspicious, not that the girl was trying to work against them after how far she’d come of course, but the similar extra layer they shared couldn’t be ignored in that case either.

But with both Dash And Breeze behind the decision too, even if it all was still to try help the young Awakened, she knew she didn’t have to worry. If anything happened they would need to worry about, she knew they wouldn’t put the rest of them at risk to hide it. Such secret agendas wouldn’t be tolerated in the bureau or even normal police, but wherever the trio were working at, they were fortunate enough it didn’t matter to MIST so long as it didn’t interfere with the work. Not when they earned as much trust as they had at least.

‘Whatever you three are up to, especially if it keeps getting us results like this, then god speed...’ she internalized before returning her full attention to Adagio answering Rupert’s latest query.

“No, as far as I know they haven’t managed to get any moles into MIST since you broke from the Bureau. They have people in virtually every other agency, in positions of varying influence, but other than a cleaner at the L.A. branch that I later learned was fired less than a month later, you lot have proven impressingly incorruptible. Though to repeat, it wasn’t really my area, so I wouldn’t drop your vigilance at my word alone.”

“Can you point us to any of those in the other agencies?” Shining followed up.

“Not really. While I was aware they existed, most details of who any actually are were kept far more secure” she frowned and sucked at her cheek “There is one whose identity I might be able to figure out, but…”

“But?”

“While it may seem hard to believe, there Are rare, sympathetic souls that find themselves within the cogs of the organization” she looked down somberly “The shelter wasn’t my first slip up after my escape. I should have been caught, I was caught frankly, but the person who caught me not only looked the other way, but actually pointed me in a safer direction.”

“All the more why we should know who they are,” the federal agent reasoned “If they’re willing to help a runaway, they could already do a lot more good if they’re willing to work with us.”

“If you insist I’ll tell you” she sighed “But you’ll have to forgive me for waiting until I know you’ll be able to get them out before your attempts at making contact get them killed. I don’t like leaving debts, and it’s almost literally the least I can do to repay it at this point… I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them. Well, them and Madigan.”

“Wait, What?!” Aya bolted up in her seat, all but jumping out of the chair at the name. In her defense, the name had hardly gone unnoticed by Rupert or Shining either “KYLE Madigan?!”

“That would be him” Adagio returned simply before noticing the veteran Hunter’s intense look “Oh… oh right, you wouldn’t know, would you?”

“Wouldn’t know what?” The blonde brought her chair closer, placing her interlocked hands on the table before her as she waited for the girl to elaborate.

“Buckle up there Brea. Your little ‘P.I.’ crush has been a very busy boy since the Ark fell…”

“You’re over two weeks late for your check-in. We’d already written you off for dead.”

“Well I’m so sorry I was left abandoned in a massive fucking hole in the middle of a damn desert with no extraction sent!”

A badly burned ape-man sat in a dark, humid room grimacing at the row of dimly lit screens in front of him. None showed anything more than vague, silhouette busts of the figures they held. Even as one of the more masculine shapes took a deep drag of its cigar, it failed to illuminate anymore than the smoker’s hand. He slowly exhaled the noxious haze before continuing.

“What’s your report?”

“The fuck do you think it is?!” the cyborg’s deep rumble snapped back with unrestrained venom “We got our asses kicked! The drones we’re all but completely fucking useless against a Squad of hunters and MIST launched my ass across the whole fucking cavern, obliterating my armor in the process!”

“That’s not possible,” a feminine voice stated sharply from another screen.

“It is when one of them can bypass the enhancements like they’re not even there!” the golem shot back “MIST’s new hunter, she’s like the trio.”

A moment of silence passed after the statement, only broken by the voice of a different male.

“Y-you’re sure?”

“Pretty fucking sure,” the ape-man growled. “Bitch knocked me down with nothing more than a damn fireball, and that was before her and Brea blasted my ass all the way to fucking Middle-Earth and back with an attack more like a damn laser cannon than any mito technique I’ve ever seen.”

“Hmmm” the cigar smoker gave with another puff “We suspected Shimmer had some uniqueness to her, but if she has it as well…”

“Even if she does, it’s not like we can do anything about it!” A different female snarled, though the effect was mostly lost amongst her almost sickeningly sweet pitch “Forget how costly it’d be just getting the Alpha back, MIST would never give up their newest hunter without a hell of fight. Definitely not one we can afford to risk the level of exposure we’d have to.”

“The little hunters are due for a siege if you ask me” the golem muttered to itself.

“We’re not asking you. Know your place, tool.” The last voice sneered down upon the golem. He couldn’t actually see their face on the screen, but didn’t need to see them to know they were doing it. Nevertheless, the cyborg checked his tongue. The snob would end up a mindless slug in the end all the same, assuming they didn’t piss someone off bad enough to keep them from making it even that far.

“We still have the others” the second male offered “And the artifacts. So long as we have a source, we don’t need any specific users to continue our research.”

“Still not a good idea to leave the Alpha with MIST” the second female countered “Not with everything she could tell them.”

“Could tell them? Yeah no, that bitch has long since spilled her guts. MIST’s now her best chance at making us bleed” the cyborg’s deep voice aped with a hearty chuckle “She fucking HATES us!”

“Silence Dog!” the arrogant shadow slammed a fist on their desk “Lest we fit you with an even tighter muzzle!”

“Ooooooo~” the golem feigned in mockery, wresting a deeper growl from the silhouette. “Come strap it on yourself and I’ll show you a good time p-”

“That’s enough 23” the first female delivered coolly “Stay where you are, we’ll send someone to collect you. You can finish your report in a more secure location after your repairs.”

“Whatever” he gave before all the screens turned off. Or they turned off on his end; the figures remained in each other’s views.

“This somewhat complicates matters…” the cigar smoker commented.

“Does it? It’s not like her existence was a problem before.” the snobbish voice countered “I fail to see how us learning she’s had the unique energies all along actually changes things.”

“Alone it might not have” the colder female conceded, though then continued “But with her and the Alpha now available to one another, even if we don’t account for everything she’d certainly already told them, they could prove legitimately threatening if they manage to correlate their energies like the trio can together.”

“Even that was hardly a factor the first time” the snob waved off.

“They didn’t even know we existed the first time, moron!” the sweet sounding female snapped “But what are we supposed to do about them thrown together now!?”

“We Wait.”

The five froze at the interjection of the sixth, unseen speaker delivering the thought in its typical, mechanically distorted manner. Yet even that couldn’t hide the cold, intelligent malice it always held.

“...May we ask why?” the smoker queried, his voice kept carefully flat as the other silhouettes began to stir uncomfortably.

“They may develop new threats against us, true” it stated plainly “But that is still progress that’d be otherwise unobserved if we act too soon. The trio we’ve studied. Their connections are known. The girl’s new though. The results they reach could be very useful to further our own understanding, so long as they’re allowed to occur.”

“We could always just take her and make her discover those things ourselves” the snob offered cautiously.

“We’ve already learned they can’t be forced to share their powers like that.” the cold voiced female stated, her tone notably less differential than the others, though still not devoid of it “Not in a truly meaningful way with how the energies work in actual application.”

“Exactly. So we wait.” the voice concluded “You are dismissed. Return to your duties.”

Without a single word further, each silhouette’s image clicked off in quick succession. The last unseen voice now stared at their reflection in the blank monitor for a time before bringing up the dossier of the red and gold haired hunter. Fingers drummed on the desk. First she shows up from nowhere, wearing a dead girl’s face. Now they learn she had ‘magic’, same as the trio, whatever the force really is…

“Congratulations Miss Shimmer. You’ve officially earned our attention…”

Author's Notes:

SEEDS! Oh god they're everywhere! Why can't I hold all these seeds!?
Seriously though this chapter did kind of just get away from me. I wouldn't say it was in a bad way but well, You all can see how long it is!

Also I -Promise- there will be some actual action next chapter. I know these last few have been pretty dry on that front so yeah, even I'm getting a little antsy for some shit to go down again.

Also, for a another peak behind the curtain for any interested:
The scene of Dash having to throw herself into the shower was actually one of the very first I came up with, as in before I even had a solid Plot in mind. It was a bit different then of course; she hadn't been infected yet and the flash was actually accidently caused by Sunset. Obviously the story didn't end up flowing in quite that direction but I was happy to find it could still fit into the story. (Unlike some of my other yet to be manifested ideas...)
Sunset's and Shy's imitations of Rainbow managing to actually make loan payments were also part of a following scene, though they were made by the mechanic herself. So I figured I could still fit in one sidelined idea, might a well bring one of the jokes it spawned with it too!

There's even a couple more 'restored' tidbits like that in this far too long chapter but I'll stop before these already overlong notes get away from me too!

But for now, you know it, As Always: Thanks for reading and I hope to see you for the next chapter which I again promise will absolutely have at least Some action in it! Have a good one!

Chapter 18: Naked Time!

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“I mean, we can look into getting you a VP70 if you really want a burst pistol. Or we could try to modify something… though that might take a bit longer to make it reliable enough, not ta mention up to code and all that…”

The range master's cotton candy curls bobbed as she tilted her head, face in a contemplative frown as she considered the newest request of the armory. Jodie however, was the one to lay it out straight for her.

“Sorry new girl. We try to please here at Bouquet’s Guns and Ammo and I know Aya makes it look like a dream, but the M93R was hard enough to get here in the states when Ay’ lucked out with hers. And even that’s not all original parts anymore. Getting one these days? An authentic, legal one they don't want 45k for? Yeah, Good Luck. Trust me, we’ve been looking.”

“I can’t say I didn’t expect as much…” The siren sitting at the table across from the pair grumbled. It was disappointing but hardly a surprise; even Ark Shadow had only provided them with imitations or substitutes themselves. Rarely good ones at that either, hence why she didn’t still have what she originally escaped with.

“To be blunt Miss Dazzle, while machine pistols can certainly dish out the punishment, they’re not actually all that practical in the field usually. Not compared to semi-autos or full smgs at least.” Jodie offered “There’s a reason Ay’s one of the only ones here that uses one.”

“I am aware of that, but the training implanted in my skull is in no small part based on Brea herself, meaning they’re what I’m most familiar with.” Adagio returned tiredly, rubbing one of her temples “It doesn’t have to be a Raffica specifically. It doesn’t even have to be strictly a burst fire; I have enough trigger control to make do with a full auto. I would prefer something a bit more… involved than just a Glock though, so modifying something may be my best option then. I do know I don’t want a damn VP though.”

“Yeah parts of its design are pretty atrocious… especially the trigger.” Pinkie concurred with a grimace. She then sucked at her cheek for a moment “I mean yeah, we can definitely whip ya up a nice triple shot. A real nice one if I’m allowed to go full Frankenstein with it, buuut…”

“But?” the siren repeated back to the bubbly woman trailing off hesitantly. Once more it was Jodie answering.

“But we can’t really just issue you one when a more traditional sidearm is enough to do the job” the brunette explained “Now you start taking out enough of the creepy crawlies and save up, then we can start really talking about your options there.”

“Oh, right. MIST uses a Bounty Point system too, doesn’t it?” the Dazzling frowned “I get why Ark used it; an expendable hunter that doesn’t live long enough to kill things isn’t worth wasting resources on. I’d have thought MIST would just give their people what they need though.”

“They do give us what we need. It’s just the stuff we don’t need that costs us BP.” Sunset piped up from the counter she was leaning on. Considering Adagio had a high chance of becoming her official partner once her probationary training period was done, she was present for her gear selection in case they wanted to coordinate. “I’ll admit I was a little confused at first too, but it’s not like they’re sending us out with nothing more than a spork and well wishes. But it’s also hard to say we need stuff like machine pistols or flamethrowers when more boring but practical arms can still kill NMCs just fine.”

“If a mission needs extra firepower you’ll still get it," Jodie elaborated "This is all just about your day to day loadout. It also helps us save money, as most will consider what they want more seriously when it feels like it’ll also cost them something and not just ‘the system’ something... That and it’s always nice to have some extra incentives to keep morale up. It's not just guns and gadgets after all either.”

“It’s not?” The siren queried.

“There’s a partial list in the break room. We also normally have pamphlets and an option in the check-in systems but we have to update them” the brunette continued before shooting Sunset a sly smirk “Bulk’s offering massages again.”

“Oh his are nice…” the redhead delivered in a breath that bordered on almost sensual “Damn and I just spent a chunk of mine to keep hold of that hammer too.”

“Hmmm” Adagio gave without much inflection “Well if I have to save up for it I suppose the P08 you found me with will continue to suffice for now.”

“Well I wouldn’t go that far.” Pinkie commented “It’s a neat little thing sure, but we can get you something more modern than the First World War.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ve come to like it well enough. Plus it certainly doesn’t lack for style, so I’ll keep it until then,” she waved off before tilting her head “I suppose the spas will do for now as well. I’ll be a bit limited on range perhaps but it’s not like that’s a common issue with NMCs and the extra punch will be nice. It certainly handled 23’s rooks well enough.”

“Actually... that’s been striped since you were brought in." Pinkie informed her with sheepish wince "It already wasn’t in the best condition on top of the whole ‘found in an enemy compound so we’re trying to trace it back if at all possible’ thing, soooo yeah... We do have plenty of other shotguns! Though you’d probably be starting with a PA3 or the like.”

“POS more like… Pity I can’t transfer my old points, though I suppose I can see how that’d be a conflict of interests, even if I did still have my tracker…” the siren feigned poetically “But the PA3 it is I guess.”

“If it helps at all it won’t be stock.” Jodie offered with a lopsided smile “After enough complaints, we started modifying all of ours with new tubes. So it’ll have a couple extra shots and a smoother action at least. We can fit another attachment on them now too.”

“Better than nothing.” Adagio murmured “I don’t suppose I could persuade you to at least lend me a bayonet for it?”

“I think we can spot you a blade” Jodie shrugged back with a smirk “Most of ours are just collecting dust anyway. Though I am a little surprised; I didn’t figure you for the up close and personal type.”

“I thought it was stupid at first myself but it can be shockingly effective when used intelligently.” she shrugged herself before gaining a dubious grin “That and there’s a certain… visceral satisfaction to tearing into something that tried to tear into you.”

“I’ll… take your word on that” the armory master returned awkwardly before using the excuse of marking her sheets to drop the topic. She then shuffled to the next set of pages before brightening back up “On to armors then! From your light to heavy load outs, do you have any particular preferences?”

“It depends what I can get without BP” the siren droned out.

“Armor's pretty essential and can impact your performance a lot more than what your bullet throwers look like, so you have a far wider range to pick from ‘for free’” Jodie assured the woman “Granted, there’s only so many ways to configure plates and padding but only very specially custom pieces and more exotic protections are things that you’d need BP for. And again, if a mission needs something special, we’ll still issue it out temporarily. What did you wear in your… previous hunts?”

“A skin tight, reinforced battle suit and a control helmet” the Dazzling stated boredly “I don’t think I have to speak of the latter and while the former was acceptably effective, it wouldn’t be particularly practical here at MIST, even with how hard I rocked it.”

“It would also fall into the whole custom area” Pinkie added “not to say we can’t get you something that still fits good, but yeah that would be a little much, maybe even with points. But let’s go browse, we can also get you fitted with your holsters while we’re at it.”

Sunset followed as they moved into the shelves. She hadn’t actually gone through this process herself, not all at once like this at least, and certainly not right away. Most of her gear had been chosen for her, given her complete lack of experience at the time. She’d since made several tweaks and changes but still had many of her original stand-bys nonetheless.

She was frankly a little amazed just how smoothly this was all going. She knew Adagio wasn't rebuking on the arrangement yet but figured there’d still be a fair amount of snark, or at least some condescension involved, but she seemed to understand this was about keeping her safe and treated it as such. Other than her bored tone, she wasn’t making this at all difficult for the armory duo like Sunset feared she might have. She had been like that with most of the staff in fact, save maybe during her more tedious exams with Twilight and her one session with Cadence so far.

“What do you use?” the siren questioned as Pinkie adjusted several belts around her chest, bringing the redhead from her thoughts.

“I wear a chicken plate” the Dazzling’s brow furrowed at her reply. Sunset then pointed to a rack of three simple looking vests, the first of which she was pretty sure was in fact hers. It needed a couple of its plates replaced after the Shelter and she hadn’t gotten around to picking it back up yet. “It’s got a more technical name but that's what we call it. It’s a little stiff and heavier than some of the other vests but it takes the hits really well, especially big impacts. It’s already saved me from broken ribs more than once already, leaving them bruised, or just once cracked instead.”

The siren hummed at the input as she considered, looking over her options. Eventually though she settled on a simple ‘turtle vest’ and limbs guards that, while lighter than Sunset’s, also offered more coverage. If the former pony had to guess, Ms. Dazzle was trying for an approximation of her former battlesuit without trying to make it too obvious. With the basics of her loadout decided, the pair made to leave when Pinkie called out as they passed through the inner door into the waiting area.

“Oh, Sunny hang on a second” Pinkie scampered out of sight back to the armor shelves, returning just a moment later with one of the ‘chicken plates’. She then went and grabbed what was definitely Sunset’s M4 and the rest of her typical loadout; all that was missing was what she kept in her locker downstairs. However, after placing them at the slide to the exchange window, she then just kind of stood there, smiling sweetly at her.

“Uh… So my plate’s all fixed then?” Sunset asked after a moment too many of the awkwardness had passed.

“Yep!” the poofy-haired woman beamed at her, tilting her head. Another couple of empty seconds went by before her brow furrowed and one corner of her lip tugged “Hmm, must have gotten stopped in the hallway… Oh! There he is!”

Not an instant after the statement the door to the hall opened, revealing Rupert walking in with Rainbow at his heels, the latter looking pumped.

“Shimmer, good; I didn’t miss you” he gave simply. Sunset shot a glance back at the rangemaster, who winked in return “You’re on patrol today.”

“With me?” Adagio asked, not… quite as boredly as usual.

“No” the director answered bluntly, though not aggressively, before regarding the redhead again “It’ll be you and Dash.”

“Oh really?” she gave with subtle surprise. It wasn’t unheard of for Dash to go out on patrols but if there were any full-time hunters available, then she was usually left to her mechanic’s duties. Said mechanic then puffed her chest out.

“Yep! If I’m gonna start powering up then I gotta start fighting NMCs more often!” she declared with a hand on her hip and a thumb to her chest.

“Twilight wants to make sure she’ll stay stable during a fight” the dark skinned man corrected, though it didn’t seem to dent Rainbow's mood at all. The director then looked past their youngest hunter, simply nodding at the women behind the glass before wishing the pair of them luck and returning to his office. Sunset glanced over her shoulder again to see Dash’s loadout already prepared as well.

Shrugging, she and Rainbow gathered their gear and headed toward the locker rooms, leaving Adagio with the women in the armory. The begrudgingly short-haired siren frowned and turned to study the rangemaster waving to her retreating friends.

“I thought you weren’t infected” she gave in more a question than statement.

“I’m not!” Pinkie confirmed cheerfully, making the siren’s frown only deepen.

“Then how-”

“Trust me new girl” Jodie interrupted, “It’s really best not to ask… or even think about too hard.”

“It’s really not,” the Pie nodded in agreement. With her question not only unanswered but expounded on, it turned the Dazzling’s frown into a mild scowl. After a moment though,

“Whatever” she rolled her eyes and followed after the director to ask if she could go home now that her gear was sorted.

Meanwhile downstairs, Sunset and Dash entered the locker room to find both Applejack and Rarity drying their hair after a pair of apparently rather steamy showers. The faint remnants of the mist hung thinly even in the separated room.

“Oh Sunset, wonderful!” the more well coiffed of the pair squeaked before excitedly scampering to her locker. She reached into its depths and, with a flourish, retrieved a hanger bearing a handsome leather jacket. “Ta-DA!”

“Oh wow!” the Awakened took the offered jacket and looked it over, marveling at the woman’s work “I can’t even tell where the tears were! This is awesome, thanks Rare!”

“Think nothing of it dear” Rarity gave with a small wave “I’ve repaired Aya’s so many times I can mend leather in my sleep at this point.”

Still grinning from ear to ear, the young hunter quickly swung the jacket on, finding it to fit and move in as easily as before it was damaged. A small purse then found her lips though and she pulled it off triggering a note of concern to touch the part-time designer’s face until she noticed Sunset now also tearing off her t-shirt and beginning to dig through her locker.

“Ah, you had me worried there for a moment.” the purple-maned hunter quipped playfully “But yes, I suppose that really wasn’t the right color now, was it?”

“Got to coordinate with something so well done” Sunset quipped before pulling out a couple of shirts. She switched them back and forth in front of her while constantly glancing at the jacket. After a moment however, something caught her eye: AJ kept making an odd face at the glimpses of what was behind the moving shirts. Sunset looked down to study herself. She was wearing a bra today so it wasn’t that weird stigma she still didn’t fully understand, so she finally just had to ask “What is it?”

“Huh? Oh, Sorry Darl’n! I aint trying ta leer, I swear!” she gave with a laugh “Just noticed yer gettn’ yerself a might decent six pack there is all.”

“Yeah?” the unicorn girl looked down again, rubbing her fingers along her lightly toned belly.

“Well yeah!” Dash piped up “I made sure she’s kept working out even after her physical therapy was done: Can’t be too in shape for this kind job!”

“She’s certainly come a long way from that scrawny little thing we took in only so many months ago” Rarity added.

“From book dropper ta Brick house in jus’ half a year” Applejack smirked at her “Even with yer mitos, that ain’t nothing ta scoff at.”

“~Cause She’s a Brick House~” Dash sang as began to sway up to the youngest hunter “~She’s Mighty-Mighty! Just lettin’ all hang out!~”

The other women giggled and before Sunset could argue that it was just a little definition, the rangemaster they had left up stairs was suddenly saddling back to back with the mechanic and joining in.

“~YEAH SHE’S THE ONE!~ ~THE ONLY ONE!~ ~BUILT LIKE AN AMAZON!~”

The former pony finally relented and joined the rest in laughter. As it petered out though, she did make one counter argument.

“Thanks girls, but I think if any of us here is an Amazon, it’s Jackie” she pointed out.

The cowgirl in question straightened as all eyes turned to her. She gained an appraising look and brought her arms up, looking over her flexing her biceps to confirm she had all the rest of them easily outclassed.

“Yeah, fair ‘nuff.” she gave with a grin and triggered another round of giggles.

Sunset sat at her computer, trying to ‘catch up’ on her research as she bobbed her head to the music pouring through her earbuds. That wasn’t to say there were any actual goals or quotas that she set herself when it came to her studies of human technologies; she wasn’t Twilight after all. However, with everything that had been happening lately, she had felt she had begun neglecting it some. She was also starting to really get past the basics on a lot of her chosen focuses, so it was taking a bit more effort to progress in most of them. She’d have to start narrowing her focus soon if she was going to have any hope of maintaining usable information to bring back home beyond her so far relatively shallow dives. Not quite yet, but the choice was beginning to loom.

Her attention was broken by a loud vibrating on her desk. She picked up her phone and blinked at the notification: Rupert was texting her. Now it wasn’t terribly uncommon for hunters to be contacted on their days off, typically by memos or the like or if something really big happened but the contents of this text did give her pause... and then sent a pang of worry through her. She heard Dash call out that her and Fluttershy were leaving for work a little bit ago yet here Rupert was asking her if they were still there. To further her concern, he was also saying that he couldn’t reach either of them himself.

Hoping they hadn’t ended up in some kind of accident, she plucked out the earbuds and stepped out her door only to nearly run right into the pair standing just outside in the hall.

“What are you two- wooaahh…” was all she managed before teetering in place as a wave of bewitching pleasure flowed through her and an enrapturing song filled her thoughts. Recognizing the threat only a moment before it was too late, the former unicorn sent a discordant pulse of magic through her own senses. It was far from pleasant, but it was enough to overcome the effect. Clearing her head and doing her best to tune out the beautiful noise, she took one look at the pair staring utterly transfixed at the door in front of them before shoving past.

“ADAGIO!” The bathroom door slammed open as the fiery haired hunter barged through, startling the siren lounging in the bubble filled tub. The bright glow of her amulet already began to fade before the shout continued “STOP SINGING!”

“Excuse me!?” the siren snarled back as if Sunset just kicked her puppy.

“You’ve got Shy and Dash completely entranced!” the redhead threw her arm back to pair now beginning to sway and stumble at the spell beginning to wane “They’re already over a half hour late for work! You can’t just be going off like this!”

If the Dazzling caught any note of her song’s effect on the two, it clearly made no impact as she methodically rose to her knees and braced herself against the rim of the tub. With the bubbles now doing very little to hide anything, she glared at the younger hunter menacingly.

“Are you Seriously trying to tell a Siren that she’s not allowed to SING?'' All the venom she spat regarding Ark Shadow and the atrocities they committed against her so far Paled in comparison to the sheer MALICE now dripping from the Dazzling’s every word.

“I’m saying you can’t just dump your magic into it without thinking about how it’ll affect everyone around you!” Sunset glared right back at the naked woman trying to burn her with her stare “And don’t tell me you can’t sing without it! Your ballads in the shower over the past couple days have been enough to prove that.”

The pair continued their deadlock, eyes unwavering until a groan from behind the former pony drew their attention.

“Wh.. What happened?” Rainbow asked groggily, trying to clear her head before taking in the scene. She and Fluttershy both swung their heads around surprised, trying to process the radical changes in their surroundings “What the hell?!”

“Adagio was singing. With her Magic.” Sunset stated angrily “You ended up entranced.”

“What, like mind control?!”

“Don’t be so dramatic ‘Bright” the siren sneered “I can’t do that without my sisters. You were just enraptured. It wasn’t even intentional.”

“You’ve been oblivious to everything but her song for the last half hour” Sunset sighed.

“Half hour?!” Rainbow balked as the pair pulled their phones “OH GOD DAMNIT! You better believe we’re gonna have words about this when we get back Seahorse!”

“I’m so scared” Adagio droned as they shot her a last pair of nasty looks before rushing out before they were even more late. Though Adagio did subtly flinch at the small chill the the alpha of the trio's stare left her with. She let out a heavy sigh before flopping back into the water “I heard her tell you they were leaving. I thought they were gone.”

“And what about me?” Sunset snapped “You didn’t give a shit about prossibly making me stupidly stare at a door for hours on my day off?”

“You seemed to resist well enough to barge in and yell at me.”

“Barely!”

“Oh? Good to know~” She smirked at the pony girl’s scowl “Oh calm down. It’s not like I wouldn’t have stopped eventually. They were only caught in it for a half hour after all.”

“That’s hardly nothing even if it hadn’t made them late!” the redhead argued “And seriously, why the are you still in the tub? It’s been over an hour! If not Two!”

“Aquatic species, pony” she pointed to herself “And I figured your water bill would appreciate this over that long of a shower.”

“OUR water bill,” the aforementioned pony girl informed her. The siren made a face at the reminder but didn’t say anything “Just… watch it with the errant magic, alright Ada? They’ve no safeguards against it.”

Sunset finished with a sigh and turned to leave. She just passed back through the door when the siren’s voice reached her again.

“Dag.”

“What?” she turned around to the woman now giving a slight eye roll.

“As euphoric as it is to have pass through one’s lips, I am aware my name’s not always the most convenient in regular conversation. But I’ve never liked 'Ada'.” she explained with a minute touch of dramatic flare “So if you must shorten it, I prefer Dag.”

“Dag?” Sunset repeated “Not as… elegant as I would have expected from you.”

“It’s what my sisters call me” she gave in a notably quieter, softer tone.

“Hmm” the redhead hesitated at the small, but earnest moment “Well then watch it with the errant magic, alright Dag?”

The siren simply gave a small grunt, frowning at the bubbles drifting around her form. With the situation over and the sound of the garage door closing already reaching her, the former pony returned to her room. She eventually heard the tub draining and let her prepared filtering spell ebb. She hadn’t really expected a repeat performance, not of the enrapturing kind at least, but she felt it hadn’t been the worst precaution to take.

After a bit her stomach gave a growl, so she rose from her chair. She hesitated as her hand landed on the doorknob however, trying to decide if she really wanted to do this with Adagio still home. A spark of defiance lit within her however and she walked out into the hall with her head held high. She may be differentrantial to Shy and Rainbow’s preferences but she wasn’t about to let their new arrival change her ‘free day’ habits.

She strode into the main room and veered toward the kitchen, spotting the siren seated on the living room couch with a book in front of her. Sunset had thought her frequent reading in the infirmary may have been mostly out of lack of other options, but it seemed the Dazzling was a bit of a bibliophile herself. Admittedly it wasn’t the same kind of fair Sunset typically preferred but she’d been pleasantly surprised when Adagio used a portion of her advance pay to buy a large box of second hand novels from a resale shop. For a shockingly low price at that too. She hadn’t broached the topic yet, but it gave Sunset at least one common point of interest to talk about for when their inevitable patrols together started.

The siren didn’t look up from the pages as Sunset busied herself about the kitchen. It wasn’t a full meal, not for an NMH at least, but she put together a nice little snack for herself, enough to hold her over until dinner. …Probably. She paused a moment to think before finally putting together another plate and calling toward the couch.

“Would you like some?” She held up the plate. The siren glanced at the offered food and opened her mouth but stopped at the sight beyond it. She looked the fiery haired girl up and down with a neutral eye before finally turning her gaze up to meet hers and arched her brow.

“I know you undoubtedly loved what you saw earlier Shimmer, but I’d have thought you’d be at least a little more subtle in your advances.”

“Pfft. You Wish” the redhead snarked and turned away toward the table, setting both plates down “Shy and Rainbow aren’t comfortable with it so I don’t do it while they’re around, but considering your own lack of any reaction to us seeing you in the tub, I’m guessing you haven’t really bought into the whole perpetual wearing of clothes thing either. Though frankly even if you have, I’m not about to forgo my ‘free time’ for you; Not when you’re also from our ‘more liberated’ home.”

The siren continued to stare blankly during the redhead’s argument, expression not wavering to suggest one opinion or the other. After a moment though, and a quick glance at the dish prepared for her, she gave a shrug and stood, already removing her shirt as she wound around the couch. By the time she sat at the table, a trail of dropped garments betrayed her path. With a satisfied smirk, Sunset took a few bites of her food before continuing.

“So… now that we’re both ‘naked and vulnerable’, maybe we should finally have a real conversation about things.” She offered.

“But don’t push your luck pony” the Dazzling shot her a look before returning to her own meal.

“Suit yourself” the redhead returned. It was no skin off her nose, she hadn’t planned on anything more than a snack and asserting her ‘freedom’ anyway. A few minutes of silence passed before the siren finally gave a sigh.

“How long is ‘quite a while’?” she asked simply, though after noticing the girl's confusion, she elaborated “You said Sirens haven’t been seen in ‘quite a while’; exactly how long is that?”

“Well, I can’t really tell you ‘exactly’,” Sunset frowned. “But the best guesses are anywhere from two and four hundred years.”

“That’s… a fairly significant range there, pony.”

“And yet that’s the best we got unfortunately. Or the best I’ve got at least. It’s not like I still have the royal libraries to reference.” Sunset shrugged “The few sightings that were actually logged all come with the caveat that it may not have been actual sirens that were witnessed. No offense but there’s a lot of things that make a similar silhouette under the water as you guys, even disregarding… those things you guys hate.”

“Girls. Or Ladies, to be more respectful.” Adagio retorted simply, perplexing the former unicorn “There are no male Sirens, so it’s inaccurate to call us ‘guys’ as a whole, even in the general mixed-gender sense.”

“You’re mono-gendered?” Sunset tilted her head at the new information. While she knew only female sirens had been encountered before, it was always theroized they were just a heavily matriarchal society that kept their males at home. Sunset realized she may be bringing secrets about more than just Earth back with her. “How do you reproduce?”

“~Would you like me to show you?~” Sunset’s curiosity was shattered by the siren’s seductive tone as she leaned forward to rest her chin on her propped up hands. A fierce blush flashed onto the redhead’s face and, with nothing to hide it, her neck and shoulders too. The siren threw her head back and laughed at the display, dosing the heat significantly. Though to Sunset’s lament, not completely, as the action still made… certain parts of the exposed siren ‘react’ with the vigorous motions as well.

“Look if you don’t want to know about your people-”

“Oh don’t be boring Shimmer, it was just a bit of fun” Adagio sneered playfully at her “Here with how you snicker at the loud one’s jokes, I thought you’d appreciate my sense of humor. Or can you only dish it out without taking it in return?”

“Anyway…” Sunset disregarded the jab and continued “The last sighting on record that I know of was from a fishing boat sailing along the former known borders of your waters. On the surface of them that is.”

“Yes, with your kind being a surface species I figured that already” she commented dryly “Still… a fisher’s report hardly seems like something to be included in general education unless we made a far bigger impact than I’m aware of. Did our sisters go on to do something even more grand after we were banished?”

“Nothing so noteworthy” Sunset relayed “I know because my own education was hardly general. I was the princess’s personal apprentice and I learned of your kind during my lessons. After that, even at the risk of inflating your ego all the more, I’ll admit I actually found myself a bit fascinated by them for a while.”

“We are pretty fascinating” the siren peacocked a bit before directing her smirk back to the younger hunter “What part of our magnificence lured you in?”

“Two things mostly: The first being your race having a natural, biological focus for your magic like unicorns do” she gestured to the Dazzling’s only remaining piece of coverage “And the other was yours being one of the few other races that not only regularly experienced Moments of Harmony, but reveled in them like most ponies do as well.”

“Moments of Harmony?”

“Y’know, what they don’t have here at all outside of imitations in plays and musicals.” Sunset gestured awkwardly with her hands “When strong enough emotions harmonize with the surrounding ambient magic to create music and guide everypony in song… what do you call it when that happens?”

“Singing?” the siren offered with a shrug “We were able to readily induce it if it was an ensemble of even moderate ability, so it’s kind of just a state of being with us.”

“Sounds nice.”

“It was…” Adagio murmured as she began absently playing with her food. Frowning at the sudden shift in mood, Sunset soldiered on.

“Earlier, you referred to the rest of your race as sisters. Does that mean-”

“No. No, that was in the general sense” Adagio was quick to correct “Aria, Sonata and I are from the same clutch though. They’re my actual sisters.”

“You really do care about them, don’t you?”

“We still have families Shimmer, just like you ponies. I know our races have never had stelar relations but we didn’t deserve to be relegated to the likes of Hydras and Tatzl Corruptions. We’re not Monsters…” Adagio delivered with a heavy sigh as she rubbed her forehead “Do you know Why we were trying to stop the unification? Because if you all got your act together then we’d lose our greatest, or at least easiest source of sustenance.”

“I thought you said you weren’t eating us?”

“Not like- Damnit Pony! What did I JUST say?!” Adagio snapped back at the quip “Yes, I’ll fully admit there have been a some messed up sirens that would literally eat those of sapient races, but they’d be banished from the main symphonies as soon as they were revealed, and even then they were a hell a lot less common compared to those asshole dragons! Hell even your candy coated race isn’t completely innocent. Maybe not eating people bad, but I know for a fact you’ve still produced some notably twisted souls. That Sombra fool for one comes right to mind.”

“Sorry, I just… sorry…” the fiery haired hunter stumbled out. She hadn’t really meant anything by it but she had no argument against the siren’s points. She then blinked though “Wait, you met King Sombra? As in before the Crystal Empire vanished?”

“You mean he actually destroyed it? We figured he’d screw up his little coup but we didn’t think he was that much of a failure… Although then again… Sure he was powerful, but to say he really didn’t impress us with his ‘offer’ for us to become his minions would have been putting it lightly.” the siren recounted with a dismissive wave “But back to the topic at hand; no, we weren’t feeding on you like that. While our bodies need normal food like most other races, Siren magic is dependent on emotions. We feed off excesses of it to sustain our abilities, with negative emotions being the most potent source. With your tribes’ endless squabbling, it was basically a limitless buffet. At least it was until those tribe leaders began your kind’s whole friendship cult.”

“It’s not a cult” Sunset countered grumpily “It’s not a religion either, the other races’ ideas of comedy notwithstanding... It was a necessity for survival with the windigos constantly trying to freeze us.”

“I’m not begrudging you for driving off those self-defeating snowflakes, the lack of competition was nice if nothing else. But you gotta admit, you ponies can get pretty weird with the whole ‘friendship thing’.”

Sunset was about to argue before remembering she herself had thought pretty much the same way until just recently. And if she was being perfectly honest, even with her new appreciation, some ponies really did still get a little too intense with it. Not to mention just hammy.

“It keeps us united, but yeah… point conceded.” She relented “But you also didn’t have to try to stop the unification. I mean, did you ever consider just approaching us about it peacefully?”

“Oh hello little ponies! So sorry to bother you, but do you think you could keep being constantly at one another’s throats after finally putting aside your differences after centuries of conflict? It would be supes cool if we could keep feeding off you!” the siren delivered in a sickeningly sweet mockery before leveling a flat stare the unicorn girl’s way.

“Not like that smart ass.” Sunset returned the look “I meant does it have to be negative emotions? Not to get to ‘weird’ with it, but friendship literally is a force of magic, at least for us ponies. A fairly powerful one if what my former mentor was always trying to relate to me is true. Could you-”

“Alright,” Adagio abruptly interrupted and stood up “If you’re gonna get all religious then this conversation's over. I’m not joining your cult.”

Sunset gave an aggravated huff, but decided to let it drop for now. Frankly she was amazed by how well it had been going up to that point. That and even just the few revelations Ms Dazzle had shared left her a lot to think about and reconsider herself, both about her own perceptions and Equestrian history in general. She had of course heard the saying ‘history is written by the victor’ but this was the first significant deviation that suggested even ponies weren’t as immune to it as they liked to think. That and the realization that Adagio could offer an entirely new perspective, not to mention simple facts on her original era, was exciting too. She found herself studying the siren now collecting her clothes on her way back to the couch.

The siren noticed her studying however, right as she was bending over for her shirt. Catching the former pony’s eye, a supremely smug smirk graced her as she wagged her eyebrows back over her shoulder at the redhead. Realizing what she was doing, Sunset instantly ripped her gaze away as her earlier blush returned with a vengeance.

“Subtlety pony.” Adagio teased.

“Shut up” she snapped shortly, earning nothing more than a dark chuckle from the Dazzling now returning to her book. Sunset was about to let it drop completely but a thought occurred to her “So how do you sustain your magic here?”

“Are you kidding?” the Dazzling scoffed “Even if you ignore the bottomless pit of Hate that is Earth politics, humans will and do argue about absolutely Anything. We actually had to teach ourselves to cut off our intake when we got here to prevent overflow. Granted the emotions have barely any potency magically speaking, so it’s like trying to run an engine off vegetable oil, but there’s still no risk of deficiency. Your old tribes have nothing on these psychotic apes.”

Sunset considered pointing out how cooperative humans could also be; their incredible accomplishments and how technologically far ahead of Equestria they were spoke volumes to that. But at the same time, one only needed to hear how passionate even those at MIST could get when discussing something as mundane as TV show finales or ‘who could beat who in a fight’ to understand the Siren’s point. Most seemed to rather enjoy it actually. So she simply shrugged in agreement.

“Yeah okay, fair enough.”

Leaves crunched loudly underfoot as the squad of hunters made their way through the cold trees. Rupert and Aya both led point as Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow followed close behind with Sunset and Adagio taking up the rear. Having such a large team sent in response to a sighting was odd enough but the presence of both originals really helped lay out the potential threat of this for the former pony. The presence of one of the leads could easily be explained away, as it was technically Adagio’s first field assignment outside of patrols, but both being present was concerning.

The reason for it was that the sighting was not only of another chaser, but it was in the same area as they encountered the last pair, when they recovered the one that didn’t melt right away. While this may simply be taking a little too much caution, after all the close calls she had recently; Sunset preferred the risk of this being a simple overreaction than end up needing this amount of force and not having it. It would seem Rupert felt similarly, much to her relief.

“God damnit” Sunset blinked at the rather unladylike growl that escaped the fashionable hunter ahead of her “This is not a trend I’m coming to appreciate…”

“Having trouble sensing anything?” AJ looked at her with a sympathetic frown.

“Oh I’m sensing plenty” she gave with an edge “It’s simply all so muddled together that it might as well be nothing to me.”

“Well that tells us something’s definitely out here,” Rainbow pointed out “That’s still something, right?”

“Not nearly enough compared to my usual standards, but thank you for trying Darling…” Rarity gave back with a tired sigh, squinting as she pinched the bridge of her nose “At this rate, I’ll prove useless before the year is out.”

“You’re still a hunter Belle,” Rupert called back, even if his attention was still focused on the path forward “We wouldn’t humor you if all you were good for was your senses.”

“You’re still a scary good shot,” Sunset added, making sure not to trip over a particularly obstructive root. “Seriously Rare, I have no idea how you do it.”

“Unfortunately part of that is also thanks to my senses…” the purple haired woman huffed.

“You could always sit in on my lessons once they start, us being both wind and all” Dash offered with a shrug before narrowly avoiding tripping over an errant root herself. While she was still on suppressants, they had been able to determine Rainbow was indeed inclined toward the ‘Wind’ branch of neo-mitochondrial energies. She had been a little disappointed that the first display of her ability wasn’t nearly as grandiose as Sunset’s had been, but the sparking arcs of electricity she produced between her fingers had left little question of what direction to take.

“I… may just do that” Rarity relented. “Even if we don’t keep running into these impediments to my senses, I dare say it’s more than past time I started shoring up my deficiencies there.”

“I don’t suppose you girls would mind a third, would you?” Sunset stepped up a little closer to the pair “I know it’s not my inclination, but I am an awakened and haven’t even touched that branch at all yet.”

“I wouldn’t mind but it’s really up to Ay’,” Dash shrugged again before smirking up toward the older awakened “Not sure she’d want to deal with all three of us at once like that.”

“Hmmm” the veteran hunter gave without much inflection to give away her opinion. Before they could muse any further on the idea though, she perked up and stopped in place “Got something.”

Rarity hurried up to stand with her before closing her eyes to concentrate. It took a few moments but she eventually reopened her eyes.

“Well, I’m afraid I can't tell you what it is or even how many, but I can at least tell you it’s in that direction” she pointed toward their two o’clock.

“See? Even blurred ya still got all us beat” Applejack gave her partner an affectionate bump as they returned to her place in the formation. Sunset relaxed a bit at the sight of the fashionista relenting. She had actually asked Cadence if there was anything they could do for her during these little ‘pity parties’ other than reassure her. She felt bad calling them that but wasn’t sure how better to put it. While limited by confidentiality, the counselor said it was something the woman had to ultimately come to terms with on her own. As Rarity admitted herself, she had intentionally over-specialized to avoid ever being caught off guard, so whenever anything actually managed to, it hit her that much harder. Add in the increasing frequency it seemed to be happening lately, and Sunset could understand how it was starting to wear on the sensitive hunter.

‘Hopefully those offered lessons will help…’ she gave one last thought on the subject before refocusing on their surroundings. She stepped over a particularly twisted length of wood when another curse was uttered from the trio in front of her.

“Mother-!” it was Rainbow calling out this time as she stumbled forward, only barely keeping herself from falling flat on her face “Okay seriously! Am I just being a dumbass or are there a lot of fucking roots here?!”

“There does seem ta be a whole mess of them along this way” AJ agreed, looking around. While she had been mostly concerned with avoiding the ones that threatened her, now that Sunset looked around herself, even the carpet of fallen leaves couldn’t hide the uneven mess that was the forest floor around them. She continued tracing them to the tree trunks and then upward to the half bare branches above them; a good portion of their leaves were already on the ground around them as the remaining masses of reds and browns gently swayed above them.

‘Wait a minute…’ she frowned at the movement ‘Why can’t I feel a breeze?’

“AH!” not an instant after the thought, a flurry of vines shot out of the leaves to ensnare her. Several more shot out all around the hunters as the great masses of the leaves fell from the branches to surround them. Unfortunately for Sunset, her attackers decided to remain in their perches and try to drag the youngest hunter upward, causing the broad thorns of their vines to dig painfully into her flesh.

A flash of flame danced across her arms until a discordant green energy shot through the branches, engulfing the hostile vegetation. They didn’t actively let their prey go but the vines snapped when their owners began to rapidly wither and decay before Sunset’s very eyes.

“Snuff the flames, Shimmer!” Adagio snapped with a nasty look, before gathering more of the noxious electricity along her arm “Before you burn us all alive!”

She glared at the siren until Aya’s voice called over the mounting scuffle.

“She’s right! We’re in a giant tinderbox here Sunset!” The veteran hunter agreed in a call over her shoulder, though her shout at least didn’t carry any of the same hostility the Dazzling’s had. Remembering the Autumn’s worth of fallen, dry leaves everywhere she looked, she dosed the flames and grimaced; this would be a lot harder with just her gun, particularly with how much she questioned how effective bullets would be against this kind of foe.

She wasn’t the only one so limited though and her shots joined the others also having to rely on their guns. The mutated vegetation was slow to advance but it took far too many rounds to break each mass apart enough to make them finally stop moving. Enough that they still had to constantly reposition to dodge the flurry of thorny vines lashing out with more than enough speed and distance to make up for the cores’ pace.

Thankfully the waves of necrosis Aya and Adagio were putting out were keeping the tide from turning against them. While fire would have of course been the natural counter to hostile plant life, the deteriorating energy proved an excellent substitute to the far more risky flames.

Just as they were making headway however, a series of warbling hoots and grunts sounded over the gunfire from beyond the plants. Several large quadrupedal shapes began weaving through the trees towards the squad, drawn by the shots. Closing distance despite the trunks preventing a straight line and the multitude of pushed up roots causing them to trip as well, the NMCs' arrival nevertheless complicated things.

‘Guess we don’t have to find the Chasers now at least’ Sunset internalized glumly as she shifted her aim toward the more familiar NMCs before they could join their leafy cousins. However as the pack reached the line of Neo-Mitochondrial Vegetation, what happened made every hunter, even the two veterans, stop in shock.

The plants turned their vines against the NMCs, attacking them even more viciously than they had the invading hunters.

NMCs didn’t attack each other. Not unless they directly got in one another’s way, which even then usually only happened by accident. The only other time was when pushed to the point of such desperate starvation they didn't have a choice. It simply didn’t happen otherwise. While not exactly psychic, Neo-mitochondria called out to each other; it was the main reason organisms with it could sense one another, and that resonance practically forced cooperation in the more simple minded mutations. It didn’t get much more simple minded than literal plants, yet these were not only aggressive toward the chasers, but had completely abandoned all attempts at the MIST agents to focus entirely on the four legged beasts.

The hunters’ transfixed state only lasted a moment longer before the din of Rupert’s revolver and Aya’s m4 snapped the rest of them from their stupor. Taking advantage of both sides of their foes distracting each other, their numbers dwindled rapidly. One chaser did manage to break through and charge toward Sunset and Adagio. The redhead shifted her grip to her rifle's attachment and she stood her ground, ready as she waited for it to drew close enough to hit with the stun gun.

Or at least that was the plan until the siren next to her stepped forward to meet the NMC’s charge head on, dodging its skull to drive her weapon’s bayonet into its neck and shifting the chaser’s own momentum upward and to the side until she twisted it to the ground. She then finished the job by firing a load of buckshot point blank into the beast still skewered onto her blade, nearly decapitating the long necked NMC.

“That… works too I guess.” Sunset murmured, wincing at the ruthless display. She then turned her gaze back to the battle, seeing there was now only a single chaser left struggling against a pair of the mobile plants. One final, oversized blast of the discordant green haze from Aya put a swift end to that struggle. The threat was over.

“We got implants” Sunset heard AJ announce as she approached one of the already half melted chasers “Looks like in pretty much all of them too.”

The redhead could see some herself now as well, moving closer to study the dissolving remains. Though as she continued looking them over, she noticed something else.

“The plants aren’t melting” she pointed out “Is that normal? There wasn’t a whole lot of information on them in my reviews.”

“That’s because we don't have that much to review” Aya answered, frowning at the clumps as torn up foliage “None have been seen since the blockade.”

“Didn’t they find one rooted in one of the old subway stations up there a couple years ago?” Rarity piped in “I remember Starlight telling me about it. They’re even still studying it I believe.”

“They did, but Dr. Maeda believes it was still from the original incident” Rupert answered. He then scowled as he took in the withered vines of the closest plant “And like you said; that one's rooted, immobile… not to mention completely docile now. Not like these.”

“So we not only have a whole pack of artificial chasers in the same place we found them a few months ago, but now the first new NMPs we’ve seen in a decade?” Dash summed up “That pretty much cinches that something weird is going down out here, right?”

“It would certainly seem that way…” Aya continued to frown as she stared out into the trees. She turned to the director “Do we call the bureau and set up sweeps?”

“This is an awfully large search radius to cover with no idea what we’re actually looking for…” he worked his jaw. “We can at least track down any NMCs that didn’t come running with the shots though.”

“Why don’t you think we’ll find anything?” Sunset queried, to which Aya answered.

“Because this wouldn’t be the first time we’ve run a sweep of the forest. While we haven’t run into anything like this before, these are hardly the first NMCs that have hidden out here” she sucked at her cheek a moment before giving a huff. She then looked to Adagio “I don’t suppose you know of anything out here and it just slipped your mind, do you?”

“Afraid not. And as far as I’m aware Ark hasn’t been able to recreate NMPs. They’ve tried of course but like you said; there haven’t been any since those the first EVE’s presence created” she gave evenly “Plus I very much doubt they would have attacked each other like that if they were both created by Ark.”

“So... what?” Dash cut in again “More cultists?”

“Not unless they’ve gotten a whole lot smarter about all of this” the director grumbled. Without any other answers making themselves obvious, they made their way back to the ranger station and recouped as best they could as they waited for Shining to assemble the sweeps.

They had a long night ahead of them now.

The pink-haired woman giggled as the naked body behind her snuggled up against her back, their warm breath tickling her neck as she tried to bring the fruit slice from the plate in front of her to her lips. The dreadlocks of the second body draped over her shoulder as their owner’s lips beat the snack to its destination. The slice was then plucked from her hand and popped through the lips as they left hers.

“Tricky~” the nurse scolded playfully as the free spirited woman grinned at her.

“Don’t worry Shy, I know how to share the love~” Tree teased before bringing another piece up to the medic's mouth. The offered piece was accepted, as were the tips of the fingers delivering it. The hand’s master let out a sensuous breath as the subtle moistness briefly engulfed the appendages.

*Ker-CHUNK*

Every single muscle in Fluttershy’s body snapped taut and what felt like every drop of blood drained from her skin at the sound of the toaster. She specifically waited to do this until both Rainbow and Sunset were stuck working the graveyard shift, but she had completely forgotten about their home's newest addition.

“Oh, good morning Flowing One.” Tree hugger gave airily as she pulled away from the nurse and turned to the short haired woman now pouring herself a cup of coffee.

“Morning” the ‘flowing one’ returned tiredly. Similar to Sunset’s horn, it seemed Adagio’s aura also still held signifiers of her original form. Tree explained it as a beautiful collage of fins flowing from the woman, hence her moniker for the siren. "Sure sounded like you two had fun last night."

“I hope we didn’t keep you up” the free spirit offered. Fluttershy actually felt lightheaded as somehow even more blood fled from her.

They had not been quiet.

“You did” she returned simply before a far more suggestive tone emerged “But I was able to… still make some of my own fun out of it.”

Feeling all the blood rush back and then some, she wheeled around to stare at the bathrobed siren giving her a small, though no less thoroughly amused smirk. The Dazzling’s eyes then flickered downward before the smirk grew. Following the gaze, Fluttershy’s blush grew tenfold before she hurriedly stepped behind the counter and threw her arms across her chest. The latter action unfortunately only did so much, considering the… ‘caliber’ of her own ballistics.

“At least some balance was still achieved then” Tree continued, completely unashamed and unconcerned of her own exposed body. “Well, I suppose with the day breaking I should retire to the shower before the others return.”

“Enjoy~” Adagio gave as the woman passed her, rather unsubtly taking in more than a few eyefulls of her form as she did. Fluttershy leveled are fairly scathing glare at her but it did little good as its target had yet to look away. It was only made worse when Tree slowed to give a long, unintentionally languid stretch before finally passing through the door and out of sight. The siren’s smirk did then turn back to the nurse, growing into a wicked grin in the process. Fluttershy grimaced with her eyes closed and bowed her head to brace herself.

‘Here it comes…’

“Good for You~!”

Fluttershy’s eyes snapped open as her head whipped back up. She stared wide eyed at the Dazzling now looking back at her genuinely impressed. The woman chuckled as she saw her expression, bringing the medic out of her stupor slightly, though still not enough to actually respond. Did Adagio really just… complement her?

“I guess this just leaves the loud one now…” the short haired hunter hummed as she looked the nurse still trying to cover herself over “I really hadn’t been expecting to see all my new housemates naked so soon…”

‘Wait, what?’ Fluttershy blinked at the confusing declaration. Before she could voice said confusion however, the toaster popped and prompted the siren to gather the bread and a jar of jam before heading back to her room. She did stop at the corner though, peering around the wall with an even more smug smile.

“Don’t keep her waiting now~” she purred and ducked out of sight.

The nurse stood there staring blankly at the now empty space, entirely lost on how to react or even feel at the moment. While not against finally receiving a bit of authentic positivity from the siren, she was struggling with the fact that the first instance of it was now about a secret booty call…

The sound of a shower turning on drew her from her trance. She stood straighter and considered and, after only a moment’s hesitation, quickly followed after the free spirit~

Author's Notes:

Oh my, how lewd

Sorry this one took an extra few days lovelies. I know I hardly have a release schedule but I personally had planed on having this out earlier, so yeah, have my unnecessary apologies . I actually had to take a three thousand plus word chunk out of the middle. Don't worry, it'll be in the next chapter but the time was still spent on it during this one, but hey! That just means I'm already 3k words done with chapter 19, right? But yes, not only did I feel this chapter would be a more manageable read without it but it also just fits a lot better with the theme 19 will have. It also let me squeeze in Sunny's sixpack, and who wouldn't want that?

Now as for those possibly rolling their eyes at that last little bit at the end there:
Was it necessary? Not really, no. I'll fully admit that.
But was it Fun to write? You bet your ass it was~

And with all that said, for now, As Always: Thanks for reading and I hope to see you for the next, already started chapter! Have a good one!

Oh! As a small PS: I know it wouldn't be THAT hard to find another of Aya's pistol. The Raffica IS a bit of a challenge to get here in the states legally, let alone for a fair price, but I know they would be able to if they really wanted to. Especially considering they have government resources at heir disposal. But I thought for the story it'd help keep Aya that just little bit more unique and let Adagio find her own special little popper. So yeah, unneeded post script done

Chapter 19: Changes, Both Near and Far

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Rainbow pulled her old civic into the garage, head bobbing happily along to her tunes. The Charger was going to be stuck in its cocoon for probably quite a while yet, but her civic had yet to let her down and it’s not like she intended to abandon the old workhorse once the ‘chrysalis’ was complete anyway. So no, contrary to popular perception, Dash had no problem still driving her first car, as 'boring' as it was. Especially not with how good of care she’d taken of it over the years.

The sight of another clearly ‘well loved’ vehicle she didn’t recognize met her in one of the spaces reserved for the repair bay. It wasn’t in her spot but the sight of the unfamiliar old truck, browned with time and rust, furrowed her brow. The additional sight of an older man looking over her repair bay also raised questions as well. Pulling into her reserved spot, she stepped out to get a better look at him and realized, while she didn’t know the truck, the man was actually someone she’d seen before, and somewhat recently at that.

“Hey uh, Mr… Douglass, right?” she tried to remember. The man turned away from the lift to return a small smile, fanning himself with a cowboy hat similar to mechanic’s freckled friend.

“Douglass is right. And while I’d hate to presume, I feel pretty safe this time guess’n you would be Rainbow Dash, yes?” a glimpse of his teeth shined as his smile widened and he offered his hand.

“I know that’s a tricky one but yeah, that’s me.” Dash smirked back and she shook his hand. She’d long since accepted her obvious namesake and learned to just have fun with it. Satisfied his offered quip landed, Mr. Douglass let go of her hand and gestured behind him.

“Sorry if I made you fret there Ms. Dash” he said “Was just admiring your set up here. It’s a sight nicer than my old lift, with significantly less rust if nothing else.”

“Eh, no worries,” the mechanic waved off. “So what brings you all the way up to Canterlot?”

“Your Doctor Sparkle; she offered to set me up here for a week in exchange for lett’n her poke and prod at Flint” he shrugged “With him being infected, I thought I’d eventually be bringing him up just to be safe anyway, but there you go.”

“Yeah, Twi can get a little excited about things. It’s a good thing she’s rich or she’d have bankrupted herself a hundred times over by now.” Rainbow chuckled “So how ya liking your stay?”

“A damn sight more than I expected to, I can tell ya that. I figured it’d be a nice little break from the heat and dust while gettin' in another road trip with the old hound but even just the couple days I’ve been here has made me really start consider’n yer Director’s offer…” he rambled off. The last part didn’t escape Dash’s notice though, triggering a tilt of her head towards the older man “Oh right, sorry. Wasn’t supposed ta say anything till ya talk to your boss. You should probably get to that, think they’re actually wait’n for ya.”

That’s right, Rupert had texted her to see him first thing when she got in. After exchanging partings with the man, she broke away and made her way upstairs. She paused to giggle at the sight through the lab window; Fluttershy and Twilight were laughing as they tried to calm an overjoyed hound enough to run their tests. Having not found the director in his office, she checked Shining’s until finally finding the two men, along with Aya, in one of the briefing rooms looking over what looked like satellite images of the city’s forest.

“Heya Boss People, what’s up?” she gave casually. She was a little disappointed it didn’t get the reaction she was hoping for but they were well used to her antics, so she moved on. “Saw we have a guest this week. Said something about you making him an offer?”

“Yes, I did,” Rupert returned. “With his automotive and scrapyard experience, mixed with him also being more familiar with the truth of Neo-Mitochondria than even the average infected NMH, I’ve decided to offer Mr. Douglass the position as MIST’s primary mechanic.”

“Wait, what?! Am I being fired?! Rup, I know I can sometimes be a pain but I never meant-” Dash started off before the director raised a hand to stop her.

“Calm down Dash, you’re not fired” he assured her, a ghost of a smile on his lips flashing a moment before he continued “However it was decided with your increasing hunter duties and your new responsibilities coming up, that it was best to not spread you too thin. You’ll still have access to the bay of course, though you may have to work out an arrangement with Mr. Douglass if he accepts the position.”

“...New responsibilities?” she repeated back after a moment with a small hint of worry. Yeah she was pumped about getting to be more of an actual hunter and not just back-up, but she actually liked her mechanic job. The leads however just shared a knowing look before sending a trio of smiles her way.

“Yes. With the escalations in NMC incidents and mutations, as well the more recent needs for quick response and searches of broad areas, the FBI has agreed to increase our funding; Particularly in the area of air support.” he delivered evenly, though his smile remained in place. Rainbow blinked, eyes growing ever wider as the words sunk in.

“You don’t mean-”

“Rainbow Dash, your new assignment is to begin officially researching what kind of helicopter would be most appropriate for MIST’s needs.” Rupert instructed. For a moment Dash simply stood there, mouth open wide in a goofy, slowly growing smile until finally:

“AW FUCK YEAH!” she literally jumped for joy and thrust her fist into the air, earning a hearty round of chuckles from the leads. Shining then held a hand up to calm her himself.

“Now try not to get TOO excited there Dash; I know it’s cool but there are unfortunately still some caveats that come with this” he tried to brace her. Rupert then listed the first.

“The first is as I said; we need a bird appropriate to our needs” he emphasized “And while the budget’s increased, it still can’t be outside our means either. We can’t put ALL of the new funds into the copter. Not when we also have to share the wealth with the other branches.”

“Don’t worry boss.” Rainbow returned confidently “This won’t be like me sticking a pike on my rifle instead of a hammer. As awesome as an Apache would be, I know better than to not f- mess around in the air. Even if my talent for finding cars doesn’t transfer at all, I won’t quit until I find us a good fit.”

“Well, you won’t have to find it alone” Shining piped in, earning a frown from the prismatically maned woman “Which brings us to the bureau’s main condition; They insist on having an experienced pilot at the helm if they’re going to front the bill… So at least to start out, I’m afraid you’re not going to be the primary.”

“Experienced-” she whispered befuddled before finding her voice again, and finding it a little louder than usual at that “I AM experienced! I get my renewals before they're even due every time! Full tests and everything! I make sure I get up in the air as often as I can just to stay frosty! Shiny I-”

“I know Dash! …I know. And I did everything I could but they wouldn’t budge on this. I’m sorry.” he offered sympathetically. Rainbow slumped with more than a heaping portion of disappointment on her face and she gave a heavy sigh.

“So, I finally get my wings and have to immediately put them in the hands of… what? A fed pilot? Some Airforce flyboy?” she bemoaned before leaning her head back and glaring dejectedly at the ceiling.

“No. No, we thankfully were able to talk them down from anything like that being necessary. They were willing to settle on someone with enough practical experience in a similar position so long as they were also well versed in the air traffic systems of the city” the liaison elaborated before offering her a smile “Cheer up Dash. It's not like you could have done it all on your own anyway. And it’s not nearly as bad as you think. While the fire department is a bit cross about us poaching one of their pilots, I can guarantee that you’ll like who we picked out.”

“Wait, Fire department?” her head snapped back down with surprise.

“Well she damn well better like it!” a new voice sounded from behind her. Rainbow wheeled around to the young woman standing in the doorway whose her choppy, cerise hair contrasted the light tan of her skin “I’d hate to have pissed off my station just for her to be a bitch about all this.”

“Scoots?!”

“Heya Dash” Scootaloo grinned cheekily.

“Holy shit!” The part time hunter ran up to scoop the firefighter up into her arms, spinning her around to earn a laugh from all gathered. She set her friend back down, still beaming “You’re gonna be my co-pilot?!”

“Well, technically I’m gonna be your lead. At least for a little while” the younger woman corrected “Think you can live with that?”

Rainbow opened her mouth, though hesitated. She then rolled her eyes and gave an overexaggerated, begrudging shrug.

“Yeah… I mean I guess if it’s you then I can put up with it for a bit” she sighed dramatically. Snagging the now former firefighter in a side hug, Dash’s smile returned, even amongst the look she then shot at the leads “You got me all riled up about this on purpose, didn’t you?!”

“Would you have been able to resist this good of a set up?” Aya smirked from her seat.

“...Yeah alright, fair enough” Rainbow relented with a laugh. She then looked back at Rupert “So is that it? It’ll all official then?”

“Ms. Peters signed all the paperwork yesterday.” He nodded with a soft smile “You two have your assignment. Get to it.”

“Yes sir!” They both returned and, with Scoots still under Dash’s arm, retreated from the room. Giving the girl another squeeze, the older woman led them towards the break room. If may not be ideal but she didn’t have an office of her own they could work in after all.

“So ya decided it was worth giving up your cushy rescue pilot job for us, huh?”

“I may not have called it that cushy but yeah; my now former station ain’t too pleased with me but this seemed like a good move. MIST made a pretty damn good offer,” she shrugged. “That and it’ll be nice to still fly without the risk of having to deal with fire everyday.”

“Well maybe don’t jump the gun on that idea; you haven’t met Sunset yet” Rainbow cracked. They passed the lab again, seeing that Mr. Douglass apparently had to join them to get enough of a hold on Flint’s excitement. While she wasn’t there today, the room’s second most common occupant still came to mind. “Well shit, all we have to do is figure out how to get Sweetie into the fold and we’ll have the whole Crusader collection!”

“Not sure where you could fit in a skill set like hers” the pilot pursed her lips “Even if Rarity would let her get anywhere near the rear line here.”

“Where WE would fit her in” Dash gave her a playful bump “Though yeah; Rares does still get a little weird when Sweetie comes in for her tests. Like it’ll somehow put her in danger just acknowledging she’s infected.”

“Speaking of…” Scoot gave as they took a seat at one of the break room tables “How’s your whole… transition been going?”

“Eh, better now. Hot flashes ain’t nearly so bad anymore and Twi’s pretty confident I’ll be able to get off the suppressants on schedule. And with how I’ve stayed stable during the few patrol encounters, I can probably start actually developing my powers soon too.”

“Hmmm” the younger woman hummed somberly. “So it’s just me and Pinkie left uninfected then, huh?”

“From that night, yeah” Dash sighed “Sorry kiddo, looks like you’re the last normal ones.”

“Normal?” the short haired girl scoffed “Need I remind you I’m already- or rather was already a rescue pilot at my age, and Pinkie’s... Pinkie?”

“Playful Jab retracted” Rainbow threw up her hands in mock surrender as they shared a giggle. She smirked warmly at the girl across from her as it petered out. “Welcome to the family Squirt”

“Happy to be here Dash.”

Sunset pulled her jeep into her typical spot. It was weird how it was open more often than not but she guessed that if she liked parking in the same spot every time, then maybe everyone else just did too. She made a note to maybe pay more attention to the possibility, if nothing else just to sate the new curiosity. One related and now increasingly familiar sight was Mr. Douglass’s old truck in the spot reserved for the station’s mechanic. She stepped out of her car to find Flint happily strolling up to greet her.

“Heya boy” she cooed, giving the loveable hound some pets. She sent him back to his owner along with a wave for him as she passed, a gesture the man returned before itching at the bandage along his elbow. As it turned out, Flint hadn’t been the only one that ended up with a low key neo-mitochondrial infection. Fortunately for Gary, or Douglass as he insisted they call him, it was exceptionally low key. Twilight didn't even feel the need to put him on suppressants, and doubted he could even develop any abilities with how very subtle it was. She hadn’t even caught it until his second test, and this was Twilight they were talking about.

Putting the distracting thought out of her head, she continued on to the break room to clock in. She found only Adagio sitting in the lounge alone, flipping idly through one of the offered magazines.

“There a reason you’re down here alone?” the redhead asked as she typed in her credentials “Or you just the only one not doing anything?”

“Something’s going on upstairs” she answered dully. “Everyone seemed rather tense about it so I decided it’d be best to just stay out of the way.”

“What’s going on?” Sunset followed up, receiving nothing more than a shrug from the woman that had yet to look away from her article. “Well, don’t you think it’d be good for us to find out?”

“No.” she answered bluntly and went right on reading. She was distracted however by the pony girl continuing to stand over her, waiting expectantly. She let out an aggravated sigh but set her magazine down and stood to grumpily walk out with her new partner.

Sure enough when they reached the upper hall, a thick air of tension met them. Most all the currently scheduled staff, and even a few that weren’t on the clock, stood scattered about with anxious expressions frequently darting toward the Lab. In front of the window was Shining on his phone, having what had to be a difficult conversation based on his posture and the way he was pinching the bridge of his nose and frequently shaking his head. Through the glass behind him, Sunset could see Twilight and Applebloom hurriedly pacing about, their own attention also darting past the frame a lot as well.

“What’s happened?” she asked as they approached Lyra and BonBon leaning against the infirmary window, the former’s leg bouncing nervously.

“One of the Manhattan Hunters transformed” Drops answered darkly “They just brought him back in…”

“Is he… y’know, still in there?” Sunset asked delicately, “Can they bring him back?”

“No,” Lyra’s frown deepened, making the former pony’s heart sink. “Cause he already did it himself.”

“Wait, What?!” The sinking stopped, turning sideways as her head snapped back up to stare at the casual woman befuddled.

“I know, right?” Heartstrings continued “Can’t tell you the details but word is he and his partner hit a much bigger pack than they expected and almost bit it. Then all of a sudden, he goes full greater stranger and tears the fuckers apart before just… turning back! Not even disfigured if what we managed to gleam is right!”

“He’s fine?” Sunset blinked “Who was it?”

“Their newest, Mister… Arc, I believe.” Bonbon answered more calmly than her partner but was still clearly as surprised. Sunset of course recognized the name but before she could ask, the more professional hunter had already turned her attention to Adagio “Has Ark Shadow accomplished anything like this?”

“There’s never any consideration of changing anyone back with them” the siren grumbled with a slight scowl “Though once they catch wind of this, I have no doubt we’ll start seeing their attempts at it sooner than later.”

“Like hell we’ll just let this get out!” Lyra gave defensively “Assholes won’t be learning it from us!”

“Not much you can do about it” the Dazzling commented, seeming bored again. The golden-eyed hunter’s lip curled as she glared back at the siren, but any rebuke was cut off by her partner.

“She’s right Ly’. Just because the bugs are gone doesn’t mean they’ve stopped listening.” Bonnie explained before heaving out a soft sigh “We’ll just have to be ready for it.”

“Well, fuck…” the more casual one of the couple voiced the shared sentiment better than any of them could argue.

“So is this a good thing, or a bad thing?” Sunset probed further. They looked to one another but neither seemed to have an actual answer. Down the hall, the door to the lab opened to reveal Rarity and Applejack exiting, the cotton swabs gauzed to their arms telling why they were allowed in. Just behind them, Rupert poked his head out and scanned the hall until landing on their little group.

“Shimmer! Dazzle! You’re up.” he called out and gestured for them to join them. Breaking from the pair, they made their way to the lab with Sunset offering Shining a brief, consoling smile as they passed. His frown stuck but he seemed to appreciate the gesture anyway.

Once inside, they saw Aya leaning against one of the counters as well, looking tense next to Cadence standing by. Beyond them was a trio of large screens along the back wall that, instead of their typical displays of whatever Twilight currently was working on, showed a set of faces of varying familiarity. The large one in the center showed a young man laying in a medical bed hooked up to a multitude of monitoring devices. She hadn’t actually seen his face before but based on his messy blonde hair, striking blue eyes and the vibrantly red-headed hunter sitting anxiously next to his bed, Sunset felt confident she knew who he was. Her theory was only confirmed when he spoke.

“Hey Sunset” he gave with an uneasy smile and small wave.

“Hey Jaune” she returned with a matching expression “I’d say it’s nice to finally have a face to put with the voice but…”

“Happier circumstances would have been nicer, yeah.” he shrugged but continued on a lighter note, even shooting his worried partner a reassuring smirk “For what it’s worth though, I feel fine.”

“Which is a very good sign, Jaune, but we still have to figure out why.” the older, somewhat disheveled Japanese man gave from the screen on the right. Sunset questioned the need for the scientist to have his own camera when he could simply stand with the pair that could be seen just behind him in the background, especially considering the doctor looked over his shoulder to say it to them rather than through the screen. He smiled warmly when he turned back around to them, “And as said, while better circumstances would have been appreciated, it’s still very nice to see you again Miss Shimmer.”

“I suppose it has been a little while, hasn’t it Dr. Maeda?” she smiled back. She had been less than impressed in her first meeting with the foreign doctor. She found him bumbling and even a bit creepy, but further interactions over the months had given him the chance to amend that impression. His creepiness ended up being no more than a rather acute awkwardness and he really was brilliant, and just an earnest sweetheart under it all to boot. She then looked to the last screen on the left, showing a young brunette with a sweetheart air all her own “Though I suppose not quite as long as it’s been for us Dr. Chambers.”

“Oh I’ve long since resigned myself to these two always bogarting the world’s Awakened. Even if one now has FIVE of them and still won’t share.” She waxed dramatically before delivering the last comment pointedly at the screen, though not without the ghost of a smirk behind the words.

“Hey, if you find your own out there in LA then we promise we won’t try to take her from you” Twilight returned a little too innocently.

“How generous of you…” Dr. Chambers droned before she and Twilight broke into amused grins. Sunset didn’t know much about their relationship but she knew they went way back, as in two pre-teen prodigies in the same college way back. The doctor on the screen then regarded the fiery haired Awakened again “But yes, it’s nice to see you again Sunset.”

“Likewise. So I’m guessing we’re just here for comparison samples?” Sunset looked to Twilight now readying the equipment in front of them.

“Mostly” the doctor answered, wrapping the disposable tourniquet around Sunset’s arm. She did then glance at the woman next to her “But we do also have some questions for Ms. Dazzle.”

“As I already told the bor- Miss Drops: Ark Shadow is rarely concerned about changing anyone back.” Adagio reiterated to her new audience “Though with this now a possibility, they’ll undoubtedly be far less ethical then you three in figuring out how to it happened.”

“Well yes, that was one of the questions… but the other science leads here did have a few more specific ones of their own and since we’re all on the line, we figured it would be best to just conference them. All this after the comparisons of course.” Twilight quickly corrected, seeing the questioning looks of the pair of hunters on the screen “Finding out if you’re at any risk is still the top priority Jaune, don’t worry. As is figuring out why this has never happened before.”

“Never with an infected at least…” the siren muttered absently as she fidgeted with the uncomfortable strip of rubber around her arm. However, while she had only made the comment offhandedly, it certainly didn’t go unnoticed. Sensing all eyes on her, she looked back up before arching a skeptical brow “Surely none of you have forgotten Brea here has not only ascended to a ‘liberated’ form herself, but has done it more than once.”

“That… is a very good point” Dr. Chambers admitted slowly from her screen “I suppose Aya being an Awakened doesn’t change the fact she did still have a conscious, controlled transformation that she completely reverted back from as well. The form may have been exceptionally advanced but I suppose it could still be counted as an NMC transformation. Or at least a significantly more evolved state of NMH.”

“I’d say it can definitely stand as precedent” Dr. Maeda concurred, clearly also considering the comparison seriously. “And while not as powerful as Aya’s, Jaune’s mitochondria are rather notably symbiotic and with a fairly impressive reserve of their own, particularly for someone so recently infected.”

“Correlation hardly means causation…” Twilight murmured, frequently glancing at the blonde to her side “But it also doesn’t rule it out either.”

“Aya, can you still ascend?” Dr. Chambers finally asked, making the veteran hunter shift uncomfortably.

“I’m… not sure,” she replied with an uneasy grimace, her arms crossing into a loose self hug “It’s not exactly something I’ve cared to find out. I… think I’ve come close a couple times, when the situation grew particularly stressful and there were a lot of NMCs around but even then… I’ve frankly tried to resist it.”

“Hmmm” the brunette scientist gave with tight lips “Well, even at the risk of angering your counselor, I feel I still need to at least ask: Do you believe you could still achieve your liberated form with the proper stimuli? Do we think there may even be a way to induce it?”

“Becca…” Twilight sighed at the brunette sadly.

“I’m not saying we should actually do it… though it might not be the worst thing,” she muttered as an aside “I’m just asking, since she just admitted that she consciously avoids it; does that mean she still can?”

“I’m sorry Aya,” the japanese man added somberly “I know you’ve never wanted this, but now that it’s been put on the table, it’s important to know if you're still capable of it without an active EVE present. If nothing else, we should at least try to find out if there’s any correlation between your own Liberated state and what’s happened to Jaune.”

Sunset cast her mentor a sympathetic look, seeing that while she was maintaining her composure rather well, she was still notably distressed by the idea. Cadence stepped closer to the blonde, placing a hand on the woman’s arm before frowning toward the doctors.

“Whether she can or not, I think we can at least let this wait until later.” she gave evenly, though not entirely without the inflection of her own feelings “You all still have your cross country sample exchange to complete either way, right?”

“Yes.” Twilight announced definitively “Samples that will already have lost a bit of their viability by the time they arrive. We should focus on our original plan before delving into any… newly revealed avenues before it’s necessary.”

The other two accepted the direction without argument. Dr. Maeda even seemed a bit relieved to follow the original plan and, while she had been the one to push the issue, Dr. Chambers didn’t seem at all put off by postponing the discussion. She did however give just one last note in relation to it:

“Thank you Ms. Dazzle” she offered with a slight, though no less genuine smile “We may not have even realized the avenue had you not mentioned it.”

“...You’re welcome” she returned, a bit subdued by the unexpected gesture. It wasn’t much really, but it was the first thank you she had received from a MIST leader that felt like it wasn’t just out of formality. Or the first she could discern as genuine at least. Granted, having the young doctor state that Aya’s future difficulty being basically her fault wasn’t likely to help endear her to the station, particularly with the hunter herself. But as she wasn’t terribly concerned with earning their affection in the first place, she took it for what it was.

With the samples taken, Sunset was dismissed as Adagio stayed to continue answering the science leads’ questions. She was told to expect to have to give another round once Jaune’s samples arrived, but for now she was no longer needed in the lab. She had asked Rupert before leaving if she should go on patrol but AJ and Rarity had already beaten her to it, so she was left to her own devices.

Unfortunately, she was already mostly caught up on all her paperwork and with the patrol already covered and all the leads preoccupied, she wasn’t sure what to do. She glanced back through the window; She could see Pyrrha staring at the floor grimly and constantly wringing her hands, even from her angle of the screen. Sunset pursed her lips to the side before a naughty thought struck her and she pulled out her phone.

{Nice catch}

She looked back to the screen to see Pyrrha pull out her own phone, only to stare quizzically at the screen.

{He’s CUTE <3}

That one landed. The unicorn turned human snickered as the woman’s face lit up to almost the same shade of her hair before being promptly hidden behind it and taping out an almost frantic response.

{It’s not like that. We’re just partners.}

{For now maybe ;3}

{Sunset!}

{Be nice Sunset}

The pony girl blinked at the second thread popping up. She double checked she couldn’t be seen from her angle to the window before beginning to type her response. She had only gotten the word ‘how’ down before the counselor’s next text.

{Who else would it be right now?}

{I’m just having a little fun}

{I didn’t say it wasn’t funny. I’m just NOW telling you to be nice. This wasn’t easy for her either}

{Yeah yeah, I know doc. Switching from teasing dick to shoulder to cry on now}

{You better, I can very easily have Shiny shoo you away}

She rolled her eyes and glanced at the Agent still on his phone. Even without taking it away from his ear, he shot just the briefest of glances through the window before his eyes snapped back and narrowed at her in warning.

“Okay, I get it! Geez!” she threw hands up in defense before walking away. She then switched back to the first thread and continued.

{Sorry. I’m just teasing. How are you doing? Really.}

It took a few moments but the little flashing dots of Pyrrha writing her response appeared before too long.

{I was scared. Not only were we far outnumbered but then he just suddenly changed after I was thrown across the room. No warning, no hot flashes, not even much of a signal to my senses…}

{He just suddenly wasn’t Jaune anymore…}

{Did he attack you?}

Several moment’s passed as Sunset made her way down to the breakroom. She had just sat down when the distant hunter’s response finally came.

{no}

{Sounds like he was still Jaune enough to me. Especially if he changed back once you were safe.}

{Which is another whole new development that I don’t know how to feel about either}

{Him wanting to protect you? Sounds pretty romantic to me <3}

{Sunset please…}

{You got to keep your partner.}
{He did something scary that leaves a WHOLE lot of questions for -Everybody- true, but you didn’t lose him.}
{Everything else aside, that’s something to feel happy about, right?}

{Yes. Yes it is.}
{Thank you Sunset}

{Part of the deal Pyr-Pyr}

{...He really is pretty cute though}

{Sunset, really now!}

{You’re a lucky girl}

{That’s enough!}

{ ;p }

Sunset continued to giggle as she imagined the girl’s flustered state. Yes, Cady told her to be nice but she was still sort of being nice: She was giving Pyrrha something to be mad at instead of dwelling. And she already left the window, so Shiny couldn’t very well shoo her away now. Plus, if Pyrrha really was upset, she’d just have to stop responding. Easy as that.

As she continued doing her best to keep the girl both simultaneously flustered and comforted, Sunset began to find her own thoughts a bit divided herself. The whole idea of controlled transformations, let alone Aya’s possible potential to still ascend, had certainly piqued her interest. She had learned of the Veteran Hunter’s transformations fairly early on but they had always been framed in a strict set of limitations, the most significant being the presence of an active EVE. The idea of a controlled ‘infected libration’ wasn’t even considered possible as a result. But now here they were; with a hunter having essentially gone lycan on them and the concept of a controlled, if still situational, ascension was now in play.

She had always been afraid of turning back into that twisted thing Aya saved her from, even if no one would actually give her a straight answer of just what it was. Then, after her manifestation, she’d be lying if the very real worry of her becoming an EVE wasn’t always somewhere in the back of her mind now. But with this new information? She was thinking there just might be an alternative; something between the extremes, between what she was and a full blown EVE. Something other than what she gathered was the demonic NMC she became when first awakened.

Or even if it was that form, if she could remove the threat of it smothering her identity again, then it would certainly be an undoubtable step up in power. Scary as it may be, if it could help her fight the more dangerous threats that seemed to be gathering, or protect her new friends like Jaune protected Pyrrha then maybe it wasn’t something to be scared of, but to take control of.

After all, while perhaps in a notably different manner; it Had always been her dream to ascend to alicornhood, which was really just a transformation into something greater in its own right.

‘Maybe I’ve just been aiming for the wrong form…’

A couple more weeks had gone by and Sunset had fallen into a comfortable, if still somewhat cold routine with her new partner and housemate. While not nearly as aggressive as the unicorn girl feared she could have been, the siren was rather obstinately distant about pretty much everything she could be. Paradoxically not unfriendly, but completely uninterested in actual friendship; trying to spend as little time with others as necessary. Even when she did ‘grace them with her presence’, she wasn’t much for conversation.

A fact evidenced at the moment by her silent presence as she and Sunset watched over Aya instructing Rarity and Dash on the other side of the range’s safety glass. True to Rainbow’s prediction, Aya didn’t feel up to teaching all three of them at once. While disappointing, Sunset didn’t take it personally. She’d honestly been kind of hogging the veteran Awaken’s time since she started teaching her anyway. Not that there had been much demand for her instruction until now but still, Sunset had plenty to keep her focus. She was just finally getting the hang of the very useful energy shot technique and was starting on ‘antibody’ next, so that she wouldn’t have to rely solely on her chicken plate to help her weather the hits in the future.

Of course all that didn’t mean she couldn’t still watch the lessons. Apparently Adagio thought the same and, despite her already knowing the most basic technique of the branch, felt she might still glean something new considering the knowledge she did have was more programmed than personally learned.

It was around the time the trio seemed to be discovering it might be better to start with the more forceful technique of plasma instead of necrosis that Applejack came rushing up to the range with a beaming smile. She flashed it toward Sunset before stepping up to hit the window’s intercom.

“HEY! Y’all get yer butts up ta the infirmary! Somethin big's happen’n!” she announced before starting back toward the stairs. She paused and shot a look to the Dazzling “You too new girl! Everyone needs ta hear this!”

Following the freckled hunter to the medical room, they entered to find the rest of the staff on duty gathered around Cadence and Shining. The latter was standing next to the bed his wife was sitting on, looking dazed. He was clearly happy but also pretty overwhelmed looking. The counselor had a similar look but was positively glowing despite it. The couple’s sister scientist was meanwhile bouncing on the balls of her feet, ready to burst with excitement.

“What’s up?” the redhead asked. The therapist’s gaze turned toward the new arrivals with a slightly dopey smile.

“I’m pregnant.” she answered simply.

“Oh my god!” Aya cheered as she rushed up to embrace the woman, earning a joyous laugh from her “About damn time!”

The woman laughed harder, with several of the others joining in as well. The blonde awakened let her go and hugged Shining next, only somewhat breaking him out of his trance. Sunset stepped up next; she didn’t move in to hug her like Aya, she wasn’t sure if they were that close yet, but she smiled brightly nonetheless.

“Congratulations!” she offered before the woman rolled her eyes and snatched her arm, pulling her into a hug as well. She then released her so Dash and Rarity could have their turns, the fashionista finally letting out the loud squeal she’d been holding in when she was up. Dash chuckled at the sound before lightly punching the liaison in the arm.

“So you’re finally gonna be a dad, huh?” she grinned mischievously.

“Yeah… I’m… I’m gonna be a dad…” he gave breathlessly, still hardly believing it himself. While obviously pretty scared about the prospect, it was also clear as day he was over the moon about it. It just wasn’t quite so overt a display as his little sister bouncing around the room before landing on him with what was probably just the latest of several embraces.

“You’re going to be a DAD! Cady’s going to be a MOM! I’m going to be an AUNT!” she squeed before leaping in to join Rarity still squeezing her sister-in-law “Oh this is incredible!”

During all the jubilation, Adagio had stood back without comment. It wasn’t that she was unhappy for the couple, but considering her status in MIST, she didn’t feel the cowgirl’s insistence that she needed to be there was called for. With that in mind, she turned back to the door to slip out when it almost hit her in the face.

“CAAAKKKEEEEE!!!” the pink one yelled in what was almost a warcry as she slammed into the room, hefting the multi-tiered confection over her head. The Dazzling stepped aside to let her pass, using the distraction to continue in her retreat.

While she wasn’t sure if anyone else noticed the siren’s absence, Sunset frowned at the sight of her leaving. But she quickly shook it off and brought her smile back. This was a time for celebration, if Adagio didn’t want to be a part of that then she wasn’t about to let that ruin it for her. Others swung by as the news spread. Rupert soon arrived despite his day off and even his usually cool exterior simply melted away to congratulate the couple and share in the joy.

However after a little while, a thought occurred to Sunset. She was sure she wasn’t the only one to have thought it but she may have been the only one that didn’t know the answer. Seeing Shy happily watching from the edges of the group, she tried to casually saddle up next to her while keeping the worry from her face.

“Hey so, I don’t know the answer to this so it may be nothing... but it’s gonna be okay, right?” she asked quietly. The nurse frowned at her, but in a more perplexed way than concerned. “Well, I mean we inherit our mitochondria from our mothers, right?”

“We do” it was actually Cadence that answered. Sunset winced as she realized she hadn’t been as quiet as she hoped, and then tried not to grimace at the drop in the counselors tone “You don’t have to make that face Sunset, it was something we’ve thought about long before today. And while there are NMH parents out there, I’ll be the first on record to give birth after being infected.”

“You’re stable, Cady. More than most actually” Twilight offered encouragingly “There’s no reason to expect any problems.”

“Not much precedent to not expect them either though” the counselor sighed, turning her gaze down “They could come out blue and glowing for all we know.”

“And we’ll love them all the same” Shining put his arm around her as he sat next to her. She leaned against him for support.

“If we get the chance. If they're not… at risk…” she trailed off without actually saying what it implied.

“I really didn’t mean to kill the mood” the fiery haired hunter scratched the back of her head and shuffled awkwardly in place before trying to regather herself “But hey, even if things do get weird, you’ve got all of MIST right behind you! Including FIVE Awakened with Aya and the mega brain that is Twilight among them. And that’s just what’s in the same city. We won’t let things go bad.”

A smile tugged at the mother-to-be’s lips as she picked her head up to regard the girl. A smile that grew as she continued to study her patient.

“You really have come a long way, Sunset” she returned warmly.

“H-hey, this ain’t about me…” she blushed and looked away “You’re the ones having a baby!”

“Yes. We’re having a baby,” she repeated before her cheeks lit back up and the glow returned. She snuggled up closer to her husband when she couldn’t contain the happiness still bubbling up inside her anymore “We’re having a BABY!”

“Yeah you are!” Pinkie cheered as everyone came back around with the counselor “So let’s get back to partying!”

The mood quickly returned to the group, and kept growing as even more of MIST showed up to celebrate the announcement. As the couple were laid upon by the recently arrived Eve, her sister broke away and found her self-appointed protégé now hanging along the celebration’s edges.

“I know you feel like you screwed up Sunset, but it’s not like it didn’t need to be addressed” she consoled her “Sure it probably could have waited, but you don’t have to hide along the sidelines like this.”

“She’s right Sunny” Dash came up to join them, cups of punch in either hand before offering one to the former pony “Especially when you managed to salvage it well enough with that little reminder we all got each other’s back.”

“Well, most of us anyway” Sunset grumbled “I’m not sure we can actually include Dag in those five I mentioned.”

“Eh, she’s not that bad” the pilot admitted a bit begrudgingly “She may not want to join the family but it's not like she’s completely heartless.”

“She’s honestly been a lot less objectionable than I thought she’d be. Reliable even…” Aya added before giving the redhead a bump “So you gonna stop sulking and rejoin the party?”

“Yes. I’ll stop sulking” she relented. She then thought a moment longer before deciding something “Though I think I’ll take an extra moment before jumping back in. I’ll be right back though.”

The veteran hunter arched a brow at her but didn’t stop her as she left.

Downstairs, Adagio was reading her book again. She felt she probably could have just left without anyone noticing, but then remembered she still had to clock out and leaving would only cause her a headache if they checked the times later. She probably would have been doing the same thing at the house anyway, so she didn’t mind being stuck there too much. Especially not with everyone busy with the party, leaving her to shirk her responsibilities without much worry.

The subtle scrape of a plastic fork on a paper plate drew her attention from the text. She looked up to see a slice of cake and cup of punch being set down in front of her. Her passive gaze lingered on the plate a second before looking up to the redhead that delivered it.

“You can really stop trying to ‘reach out’ to me pony” she stated plainly. “I’ll admit I’ve so far enjoyed our little exchanges of information to a degree but once we find my sisters, I very much doubt we’ll be sticking around.”

“What about getting back to Equestria?” Sunset proposed. The siren broke eye contact, those dazzling purple irises shifting slightly as she remembered the unicorn’s offer.

“Even if we do follow that course, that has little to do with you trying to indoctrinate me into your cult” she eventually answered “I’ll never be a part of MIST’s ‘little family’. I barely even know your counselor, let alone care that she’s pregnant.”

“Yeah well… So what?” Sunset countered, putting the Dazzling a bit off beat “You don’t have to care to still celebrate. And you sure as hell don’t have to even like your co-workers to still enjoy a slice of their cake.”

Adagio arched her brow at her.

“Yes I know how that sounded, shut up. You know what I mean.” she crossed her arms and leveled a stern frown down upon the singer “I know from experience that even if you don’t care about making friends, things here get a lot easier if you just go along with the good times. Especially since we don’t always have them to go along with… So eat the damn cake and just go with the good vibes Dag, even if it has to be down here by yourself.”

Satisfied she had said all she wanted to, Sunset turned and walked out of the room, leaving the siren behind. The party upstairs did eventually wind down, with those with the day off returning home and the rest of them getting back to work. That’s not to say the high was completely gone, especially for the lucky couple, who Rupert let have the rest of the day, along with the next few, off to celebrate. It seemed however that the people that they most wanted to share their joy with were those at the station, so they stuck around the rest of the day anyway. They only left when Twilight surprised them with reservations at a very nice restaurant and arrangements to pick up the tab no matter what they ordered.

Sunset had been a little disappointed that Adagio never came back upstairs to join the party. She did however still receive just the smallest victories, accepting it even for as minor of one as it was. She had found the plate she had brought down for Adagio sitting along the top of the break room’s trash, with the slice of cake itself nowhere to be seen. Again, it was all but nothing.

But it was still something.

Sunset sat tensely in the passenger seat of her own jeep, trying to not fidget too much or show her apprehension. She’d been like that for around ten minutes now, doing everything she could to keep her knee from bouncing as the Siren behind the wheel drove them the rest of the way back to the station. They had just picked up something to eat after finishing their patrol when Adagio had asked if she could be the one to drive them back.

The only person Sunset was really at all comfortable with driving her car was Dash, and that’s mostly just because she’s the one who taught her how to drive it in the first place. She knew it was irrational; In fact she felt a good number of the MIST staff were probably better drivers than both her and Dash, despite the latter's automotive knowledge. It bugged her, but in the spirit of trying to forge a connection, she let the siren drive. It wasn’t far. In fact they were already reaching the station, with the singer pulling into the garage only moments later. Yet she still couldn’t help the relieved sigh that escaped her when they pulled into her spot and exited the vehicle.

“See Shimmer? I didn’t scratch your baby,” Adagio snarked. “I did get my license before they took us, so you really didn’t have to freak out so much.”

“I wasn’t freaking out!” the pony girl gave a little too hurriedly in her defense “I’m just… not used to having anyone else drive her yet.”

“Suuure.” Her partner delivered slyly before she sauntered away to the break room with their food. The unicorn girl gave a huff but let it go before following. They were just finishing when Sunset received a text from Rupert, asking both of them to join him in his office. When they arrived, they found him seated behind his desk with Aya standing over his shoulder, leaning in braced against the wood as they were watching something on the director’s computer screen rather intently. Not so intently that they failed to notice their entrance, but enough that it didn’t shake their troubled looks.

“We’ve received some troubling news from the LA office” he jumped right to business, his tone low but professional “And unique enough that they’ve requested our support in the investigation. You two will be joining Aya in that support.”

They both blinked at the simple, but thoroughly unexpected news. They shared a surprised glance before Sunset stepped forward.

“Not that I’m at all complaining sir, but why us?” she began questioningly “I haven’t even completed my training for local investigations yet. Wouldn’t this be better suited for the likes of the OC, or Mag’ and Spear’?”

“Normally yes, though when it’s assisting another branch, individual investigative ability usually tends to not be as important as the man power.” he explained calmly “However Dr. Chamber’s requested you two specifically.”

“Are we sure she isn’t just wanting to finally get a chance at studying both of us directly?” Adagio asked, her tone dropping to a slightly duller octave.

“Oh she absolutely is” Aya answered as dully “But that doesn’t change the fact the original cause is still more than enough to warrant support, and that you two may prove crucial to understanding what’s happened, even if it is just by letting her study you directly.”

“What is the original cause?” Sunset returned to the initial issue with the query. Rupert gave a small sigh before explaining.

“Their hunter’s encountered a sizable group of worms out in the desert. Not maggots or caterpillars; full sized NMC worms.” he turned his screen to them, showing the body cam footage of a hunter firing upon the large pink tubes popping out of the dirt. While the smaller species of NMCs he mentioned weren’t terribly uncommon, the man sized worms weren’t encountered very often at all, and certainly not in the kinds of numbers the video was showing “They managed to recover three of the corpses-”

“Three?!” Sunset gawked. For something that was supposed to be so rare it seemed to be happening a lot lately.

“Yes.” he continued after the interruption “Which brings us again to why we’re sending you two. Every one of their NMH’s on staff has described a distinct ‘extra layer’ when probing the remains with their senses.”

“Extra layer…” Sunset parroted, sharing an uneasy glance with Adagio “Are we sure it’s the same as ours?”

“Without any of their NMHs having sensed either of you before we can’t be sure” he admitted “But there’s not too much doubt that it is.”

“So all of those had… an extra layer to them?” Adagio gestured to the video, the footage having moved on to the pair of hunters running sweeps over there area.”

“Not those…” Aya gave quietly, waiting as she watched the video with them. Rupert skipped ahead, to a point when another trio of worms attempted to ambush the pair “Those. It would seem you’re not the only ones this extra layer causes some interesting side effects in.”

The pair leaned in, now transfixed by the footage. The worms weren’t much bigger than those before, still only appearing a little over six feet long, but it was their colorization that made them truly stand out. They were covered in what were almost neon purple and green stripes, randomly spread across their tubular bodies like dozens of jagged slashes. While it was hard to tell in the Sunlight, the former pony could also swear they almost looked luminescent. What happened next however, is what made them shoot rigid in their stooped postures.

A trio of long, barbed tendrils erupted from each of their tooth filled maws as they hissed at the hunters. The long tongue-like appendages weaved menacingly with a vicious, purple ichor dipping along their lengths.

“You said Ark was experimenting on you and your sisters trying to figure out the extra layer” Rupert stated, drawing Adagio’s scowl his way. She didn’t direct it at him, which he seemed to understand, but she still didn’t much feel like trying to force it away at the moment “Have you seen anything like this before?”

“No. They did manage to make some disturbing things studying us, but this?” she looked back to the screen, her tone growing grim “This is new…”

“Hm” he gave quietly, lips tight as his eyes breifly grew distant. He worked his jaw a moment before continuing “You have the rest of the day off to pack and rest. Your flight’s tomorrow at eight.”

“How long do we expect this investigation to last?” Sunset asked, her voice a bit strained.

“Until it’s done. We can rarely tell in these situations.” the director returned. Aya then cut in with a bit more elaboration thankfully.

“I usually pack for a week and just accept I may have to end up doing laundry” she offered. The corner of her lips tugged as she continued “And since this is your first outing, I’ll warn that there can be some long stretches of downtime. Since we need to be available though, it’s not like we can fill it by seeing the sights like a vacation. So I'd also pack something to help with that if I were you.”

Sunset couldn’t quite bring herself to return the slight smile her mentor offered, but she appreciated the attempt at levity.

“If there are no more questions,” Rupert concluded “You’re dismissed. Good luck out there.”

The trio left the man’s office and made their way down to their cars. Aya said they’d be given a ride to the airport from the station, so they should make sure they’d be functional enough that early in the morning. She bid them a good night before heading to her own car.

It was only after Sunset pulled out onto the street she found the strength to ask:

“Was that really what I think it was?”

“It sure looked like it” the siren returned darkly, her still present scowl panning over the passing scenery. The former pony took a deep, shuddering breath.

“This could be bad, Dag. This could be really, Really bad…”

“Maybe it’s just a coincidence; Not the actual corruption but just a similar manifestation from them twisting magic they don’t understand,” the siren offered with a sigh of her own. “And even if it is, those wurms lacked the miasma that comes with contagious tatzl corruption. This may not be that serious…”

“And if it is?” Sunset proposed with a deep grimace “Dag, our secret isn’t worth putting this world in that kind of danger.”

“You’re over selling it Shimmer,” the siren retorted shortly. “You ponies managed to keep yourselves mostly free of it. If I remember correctly you even managed to sort of quarantine it to the barren lands, and that was just in my time. Surely you’ve developed better counters to it in all this time.”

“Well… yeah,” the redhead relented some “We’ve managed to isolate the wurms themselves to maybe all of three pretty remote regions, and even most of them aren’t overtly contagious anymore… We can even sometimes manage to restore the identities of those corrupted. Growing up there was even an afflicted mare working in the castle as a maid…”

“Then there’s no need for us to tell them,” the Dazzling concluded. “If you ponies of all species can control it-”

“We have MAGIC Adagio!” Sunset cried and began to hyperventilate “Humans don’t have that kind of power! You and I don’t have that kind of power! Even in our original forms, with no restrictions on our magic, we still wouldn’t be able to contain this on our own!”

“Calm. Down.” the siren ordered, her gem glowing briefly as the words echoed with an arcane tempo. The unicorn girl felt her panic forced to cool, not completely extinguished but significantly doused. That seemed to be the extent of the effects on her though thankfully, as the light had already faded from the siren’s focus and her voice returned to normal “Calm down… before you wrap us around a tree.”

Sunset took several deep breaths, not as smoothly as she would have liked to but she regained control over herself.

“I’m sorry.” She panted “But this-”

“Could be bad, yes.” Adagio interrupted, carefully keeping her discipline in place. “But we don’t know that yet. We’re not even sure if this is magic. Besides, with how limited our magic is here, there’s a good chance that even if they have somehow recreated a contagious tatzl corruption, it’ll be just as handicapped by the lack of ambient mana as we are.”

“That’s… Okay that is a pretty good point” the fromer pony continued to relent against the siren’s logic “But this still isn’t something we can take lightly.”

“And we won’t. But running to Rupert and telling him we’re magical aliens before we even know what’s happening will only make things worse.” she pointed out. Her tone, while still not exactly soothing, softened nonetheless “Don’t freak out. We’ll just have to take things as they come.”

They were just reaching the house as the back and forth dwindled. They climbed out of the jeep and made their way toward the door. Sunset spoke back up as the Dazzling’s hand landed the knob however.

“You’re surprisingly good at this,” she commented, prompting the siren to pause and turn back to stare at her quizzically “Calming people down I mean, even when not using magical commands to do it.”

“I’m the alpha of my ensemble, pony.” she stated like it was just common sense. When she saw it wasn't as self-explanatory as it should have been, she rolled her eyes and continued “I have a lot of experience keeping my subordinates in line. Sonata in particular could get pretty worked up when she would actually catch on that things weren’t going to plan. With her not susceptible to a forced calm though, I had to learn other methods.”

The siren didn’t wait for a response before continuing into the house, leaving the pony girl to ponder the explanation. It made sense, and further supported the siren’s claim that their families weren’t much different than pony’s. Not that she would really know much when it came to traditional families, being orphaned herself when she was just-

“Hey wait a minute!” she shouted and stormed in after the purple eyed hunter “I am Not your subordinate!”

The door to the garage slammed behind her as the siren chortled nefariously.

Author's Notes:

So yeah, I ended up giving Pyrrha a little bit more of a part than I originally said, let alone planned. She and the other parallels introduced still wont be primary characters by any means but a thought occurred to me when considering her role this chapter:
With Equestria Girls already being a world of parallels, maybe having alternates of more than just those of the main two properties wouldn't be so big a deal. Fun even. Again, you don't have to worry about this turning into some several property crossover extravaganza. BUT don't be surprised in you see some more familiar names still ending up as monster hunters in this universe, even if not the same kind as their established counterparts.

But yes, here we go about to set out on the first branch cooperation chapter as a new possible threat looms.

But until that flight departs, as always: Thanks for reading and I hope to see you for the next chapter! Have a good one!

Chapter 20: My god, it's full of... STARS?

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‘I hate flying.’

Sunset lamented once more as she waited in front of the noisy carousel, trying to peek past people too discourteous enough to stand further away so everyone could see. Finally spotting her bag on the line, she squeezed through the throng of less considerate passengers to claim it.

They had already collected their more ‘sensitive’ luggage from security and Aya and Adagio's bags had already dropped, so hers had been the last thing they were waiting for. She understood that traveling with firearms rarely needed the extra precautions they went through so long as they were declared when they were checked and both states’ laws were followed. However with the ‘extra features’ their weapons were equipped with, there was a little more of a process involved. Thankfully it was nothing more than the couple extra steps of airport security ensuring they were never lost track of and then went to the right people. That part went surprisingly smoothly.

‘All the normal stuff though…’ Sunset grumbled internally as she pushed back through the crowd. Yes, the flight itself had been a bit better than the rushed one they got to the Mojave but the ordeal of just dealing with the airport itself wasn’t a good trade. Even being treated as ‘federal agents’ and getting to skip parts of the process, it was still just a tedious pain. She did take solace that they weren’t jumping right into a helicopter this time at least ‘Celestia do I hope Dash and Scootaloo find something more comfortable than those other copters were. Or at least less painful.’

“AYA!” a voice called out as they walked out into the loading zone. Sunset followed the shout to a woman waving them down with a bright smile. She was of fairly average height and built slim but clearly quite fit. Her blue eyes sparkled as the blonde ponytail threaded through the back of her simple blue cap weaved back and forth with her wave.

“Hey Jill” the elder awakened returned as she met the woman with a brief hug. “How’ve you been?”

“Still surviving” she shrugged before turning her attention to the other out of towners “I’d ask if these are the new hunters but that ‘extra layer’ is hard to miss. So, let me guess… You’re Sunset and You’re Adagio?”

“Was it the hair?” Sunset quipped at the successful deduction, earning a smirk. She then offered her hand “But yes, Sunset Shimmer.”

“Jill Valentine” the blonde smiled back as they shook.

“Dazzle” Was all the notably less enthusiastic siren gave, though she did still shake the woman’s hand. If Ms. Valentine felt slighted, she didn’t show it.

“So the layer’s the same?” Aya queried after the introductions.

“It’s not exactly the same. This is a lot less… messy than what we feel in the worms, but it’s hard to think we’re not dealing with the same thing.” she gave with a mild pout. She then brightened back up however with another shrug “But Becca will hopefully be able to tell us for sure. We probably shouldn’t keep her waiting any more than needed.”

They loaded their bags and gear into the back of a fairly spacious minivan. It was a nice if fairly basic ride, it gave them plenty of room for their luggage and to stretch out if nothing else. Still, it wasn't something she would have expected from the woman even after just the brief introduction.

“It’s a company car” the local MIST agent offered. Sunset apparently hadn’t been very subtle with her appraising looks “I may not be like Aya here with her classics or Chris and Claire with their bikes but I’m still not quiet ‘soccer mom’ boring.”

“How is Chris?” Aya prompted “Still ever swelling?”

“Actually, we think he’s finally begun to plateau!”

“Really?”

“Yeah and he’s absolutely crushed about it too!” Jill laughed with her fellow blonde “He was really hoping to outpace Bulk someday.”

“Yeah well, Biceps it more than just a name for Bulk” the older awakened rolled her eyes. Sunset sat in the back, just listening to the pair catch up when a question was suddenly shot to the back seat.

“So you’re the one they found in the Shelter right?” Adagio straightened at the query “That was actually living down there?”

“That’s right,” she gave evenly.

“It takes some guts to stay in a place like that, even if the ceiling wasn’t threatening to come down any moment” the local shook her head with a grimace “We were called in to help finish with the cleanup after you guys pulled out and yeah, those were some nasty vibes down there. I thought the mansion was bad.”

“That was your team that stumbled upon that?” the Dazzling arched a brow toward the driver, who just nodded subtly.

“Mansion?” Sunset parroted, seeming to be the only one not in the know.

“Right, sorry. You’ll notice pretty quickly a lot of us at this branch are from the same… ‘special team’ from our old precinct, for lack of a better word. Anyway we were called in to investigate the mounting reports of strange activity around an abandoned mansion in the city’s forest; strange persons, animal attacks, gunshots outside of hunting season, stuff like that. Nothing too damning on their own but all together warranted our team.” she explained as she navigated traffic “Ended up being a damn NMC breeding facility. It was no underground super lab like the Shelter but, in hindsight, there was no mistaking it for an Ark Shadow compound. Not that we knew that at the time of course; the Shelter incident had only just happened and we only knew as much about it as the rest of the world.”

“Were you able to shut it down?” the youngest hunter continued.

“Unfortunately not in the way you're asking. The mansion's gone but we only barely made it out of there alive ourselves. Most of us… But a few of us ended up infected, myself included. By the time I got out of recovery, Ark had already maneuvered what was left of their influence to dissolve not only our team but the whole station, discrediting everyone involved so no one would believe us” she let out a somber sigh, staying quiet for a long moment. She then rallied and brought her smile back “No one except the pair of doctors doing everything they could to keep us from turning that is.”

“Twilight and Maeda?” Sunset guessed, confident it couldn’t have been anyone else that far back.

“That’s right, the Original Genius of the blockade himself and your very own Sparkling prodigy opposite Becca. If it weren’t for those two I probably wouldn’t be here, in more ways than one.” Ms. Valentine smirked “With Sparkle and Becca going way back, and her and Rupert just getting the whole independent MIST thing off the ground, we were offered the chance to keep up the fight and stick it to the bastards that tried to ruin our lives. So, simple as that, what was left of STARS became MIST.”

“Most of you anyway” Aya bantered. Her smile grew a little at the curious glance shot her way “Marini’s strike team was who helped us with that cult fiasco a couple months ago.”

“Is that right?” an earnest grin broke across Jill’s “Don’t suppose Vickers is still tagging along with him, is he?”

“If that’s the same Vickers that stuck his foot in his mouth less than 5 minutes into the briefing then yeah” Brea grumbled a bit annoyed.

“That unfortunately does sounds like Brad…” she gave a heavy sigh “What’d he do?”

“He got a little too general and referred to us all as freaks,” Aya informed a bit flatly. “I’m sure he didn’t mean any offense but it wasn’t exactly the courteous thing to say in a room full of NMHs.”

“Ugh… well, in case he didn’t, I’ll say sorry on his behalf” Ms. Valentine gave with a strong wince “Brad’s not a bad guy, really. He just… really doesn’t belong in this line of work.”

From there the conversation managed to turn casual again and the rest of the trip went by quickly enough. It was still a decent drive but it wasn’t too much longer before they reached the LA branch’s headquarters.

They were greeted at the entrance by Jill’s partner Chris and the branch’s head, one Barry Burton. The former was a heavily muscled man with simply gigantic arms and a friendly grin. Though even he didn’t seem quite so big next to the living wall that was his boss. Sunset did notice age may have been starting to diminish the older man’s physique, but she doubted he couldn’t still launch any one of them clear across the street if he wanted to. For as physically imposing as the men were however, their warm personalities erased any tension their imposing forms may have caused.

It didn’t stop Sunset from still marveling at how just one of their biceps may have possibly been bigger than her whole head, but she was at least not intimidated about it… not much.

“I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again Al;” Aya called out to a man standing just inside the entrance. He was dressed in what looked more like police tactical gear than what Sunset was used to, inspecting a very well put together pistol before raising his head at the Awaken’s call “THAT is still one beautiful piece.”

“Ah yes, Mr. Kendo does do some fine work, doesn’t he?” The man returned in a calm, though almost bored tone as he gave a more appreciating look over the weapon himself. He holstered the sidearm and adjusted the sunglasses beneath his swept back platinum hair before offering his hand “A pleasure to see you again Ms. Brea. I trust you’ve been well?”

“Well enough,” Aya shrugged back during the handshake. His head then turned his attention to the other two new arrivals.

“If my senses aren’t failing me, it would seem Rebecca requesting these two was the correct call.” he adjusted his shades again before offering the two of them his hand as well “Albert Wesker.”

“Sunset Shimmer.”

“Dazzle.”

“A pleasure” he gave simply before straightening “I’m afraid I can’t stay for pleasantries; Sheva is already waiting to start our patrol. Ms. Brea. Jill, Chris, Barry.”

“Captain.” The latter three returned to the overly formal farewell. Sunset tried not to furrow her brow too much at his exit but the man left her perplexed. His manner was extremely disciplined but the tone of his voice made it almost come off like he was talking down to them. Yet he also seemed perfectly polite and she wasn’t really picking up on any actual condescension. After growing up among the Canterlot nobles, she felt she was pretty good at spotting it too.

‘Maybe he’s just weird’ she reasoned.

“Don’t mind the full sized flag poll up the Captain’s butt,” Chris gave reassuringly. “He’s really not so bad when you get to know him.”

“Why do you call him Captain?” she asked, looking to Mr. Burton “I thought you were in charge.”

“I am. We’re just used to calling him that from when he led the old team” the towering man returned “He was offered the lead here too, but didn’t feel like he deserved it after what happened at the mansion.”

“It wasn’t his fault” Chris murmured with arms crossed.

“No but that doesn’t stop him…” Barry sighed before rolling his shoulders “But let's leave the past where it is; we’ve got some sand worms to figure out right now.”

He continued leading the way until they reached the headquarters' lab after Jill and Chris broke away to their own duties. They arrived to find it wasn’t quite so impressive, let alone expensive, as Twilight’s lab but it was nothing to sneeze at either. Sunset did have to suppress a tiny shiver at the sight of what very much looked like a stack of morgue drawers against one wall however. She knew Twilight’s lab had a couple such drawers, and that there were more in the station’s basement, but their own prodigy had gone out of her way to at least try to hide them some. Before she could dwell on it though, a familiar bob of brown hair popped up from behind an examining table.

“There you are!” Dr. Chamber’s beamed at her guests, lifting up the wide safety glasses on her face before spreading out her rubber bound arms above the colorful, hole-ridden NMC corpse on the table. “And here we are! Did the others-”

“It’s the same” Barry answered before she even finished “Not exactly, but Jill said there’s no mistaking it. Al also seemed to imply the same.”

“Can you not sense it yourself?” Sunset tilted her head.

“I’m not an NMH.” the doctor tilted her head in kind. “Did no one ever tell you that?”

“Oh uh, no. I’m sorry, I just thought… with your age-”

“Oh yeah, that. Baby face, I know.” she gestured to her face with a half frown before it faded back into a more friendly contourance “But no. Like Dr. Maeda, I fear I have to rely on others for those kinds of readings. And since I’m not about to drag Zecora right back in here after an eleven hour shift, I have to trust you three to have picked up enough of Sparky’s lingo to make this work for the day.”

“We’ll try our best Doc” Aya returned in good humor. They approached the table at the scientist’s gesture, taking in the tubular NMC. They frowned at the hole ridden worm, the rough tears in its form still not enough to hide the random assortment of jagged stripes of green and purple. The tendrils that further set it apart from its kind laid limp from the dead, slack maw at its head. Sunset reached out but hesitated a few inches from its surface and looked up to the scientist questioningly.

“Oh yes, go ahead. Please in fact!” Rebecca quickly confirmed, leaning to her side to quickly grab a handful of rubber gloves. “Just be mindful of the tendrils. Even dead, this thing’s venom isn't pleasant.”

Keeping the warning in mind, the unicorn girl gently placed her hand upon the surprisingly dense surface. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Since the NMC was dead, they couldn’t sense anything without direct contact. She learned that much when they recovered the chaser. She was able to find the signature of the dormant mitochondria… and the twisted magic bound to it.

‘Damnit’ she managed to keep her worry as moderated as she could.

“Looks like they got a lot further with their experiments on us since I left…” Adagio gave darkly. Her face twisted in barely contained fury as she bowed her head and braced against the table, eyes burning into the corpse with utter loathing. Her gaze dropped further and she gave a long, shuddering breath.

"What's wrong?"

“It’s Sonata’s signature…” she answered in little more than a whisper. The other women stared wide eyed at the statement. Sunset did a double take between the worm and the siren.

“T-this isn’t-”

“No.” she let out in a huff. While her anger barely ebbed, she did seem to relax slightly as she straightened, loosely crossing her arms and studied the worm again “It's not her. It’s not even her mitochondria but the… extra layer is hers. I’d never mistake that.”

“Okay that makes a little more sense…” Dr. Chambers let her own tension go with a breath “None of the genetic testing showed any commonalities between any of the specimens and your samples. Not that this thing was ever human in the first place of course. You’re saying the layer can not only be isolated but transferred as well?”

“It would appear so” Adagio murmured. Rebecca frowned, looking over the worm with a newfound distress.

“Nothing we’ve been able to learn about yours and Sunset’s… uniqueness suggested that as a possibility. Inherited with the mitochondria, sure; it’s why we’re paying so much attention to Ms. Dash’s progress but this?” she sucked the inside of her cheek before finally giving another heavy sigh “I guess we should get to those direct comparisons right away then. The sooner we get a grip on this, the better.”

She went about collecting blood samples and then setting up some familiar looking observation equipment. Cutting a series of small pieces from the worm, she began having them feed pulses of their bio-electricity into them. They all began to immediately melt after each shock, their reactivated mitochondria self-cannibalizing as most NMC’s did. It was when Dr. Chambers asked Sunset to amplify the next pulse with her extra layer that the former pony grew nervous. Without any option to reasonably object though, she suppressed a gulp and feed it the absolutely most minimal amount of magic she could.

“Ooohhh” Rebecca cooed at the sight. While the small slice melted like the others all the same and the readout didn’t look to have varied much, not to Sunset’s eye at least, it did still warrant the greater interest. Just before it began to melt, the neon green coloring of its outer skin glowed brightly for just a moment. “A reactive luminescence even post mortem. Very curious. I wonder… Will you step over here, Sunset?”

She led the young hunter to a counter holding a trio of small beakers. Each was filled with the noxious looking purple venom she witnessed dripping from the NMCs tendrils in the body cam footage. One had several rods of varying materials connected to a computer tower by cables. The second was not as full as the other two, probably used as samples for other tests. The third was a mirror of the first and the one the scientist put her in front of.

“Do you think you could feed another pulse like that through the beaker’s glass without breaking it?” she asked as she saddled in behind the connected computer’s monitor.

“Uh, yeah maybe…” she grimaced “But isn’t it a little risky, it being venom and all?”

“The actual venomous properties of it are fairly benign. If it gets into your bloodstream then it’ll make you feel like crap for a couple days sure,” she shrugged as she typed away at her keyboard “But it’s not even as potent as a scorpion sting.”

“NMC scorpion venom can melt through a car door if left long enough Becca” Aya pointed out behind Sunset.

“NORMAL scorpion stings. Adult ones at that.” The scientist clarified “The venom isn’t meant to kill or even disable the target. Its main purpose seems to be drastically lowering the victims resistance to Neo-mitochondrial infection.”

“This stuff’s infectious?” Adagio was actually the one to express the concern, stepping forward to scowl at the beakers.

“Technically no; there’s not any neo-mitochondria present within it on its own. The worm’s mitochondria also aren’t as infectious as some of the worst strains we’ve encountered. The problem is…” she hesitated with a grim frown “If even a drop of this stuff gets in the body, then the already low chances of stabilization become practically nil, even with suppressants. One of you directly intervening still might not be enough.”

The true horror of the venom sunk in. Most living things already had a poor chance of stabilizing, Dash needed Sunset to directly dominate her infection which she later learned was fairly middle of the road in potency. When Sunset thought what could have happened if she had been affected by this venom, what this meant as far as all their efforts for vaccines…

“So just a pulse through the liquid?” she tried to steel herself.

“Yes, through the side though if possible. It may not be lethal but I’d hate to lay you out for days, especially when you just got here.” Rebecca instructed. Her eyes darted between the beaker and her readouts, as if she couldn’t decide which result she wasn’t to observe directly. Sunset took a deep breath and fed a pulse into the beaker. The effect was immediate; like the tissue sample before, it glowed.

However that glow dispersed into a scattering of arcing sparks through the venom, which then faded to a dull, clouded grey.

“That’s… huh.” the doctor stared curiously at the container before rapidly typing and looking over the results “Well that’s something…”

“Don’t go all Twilight on us Becca” Aya interrupted coyly “What’s something?”

“Well I can’t be sure without reviewing and further testing but it’s seemed fo have been rendered completely inert.” She gave befuddled “It’s little more than a cup of really gross water now. Can still make you sick if these readouts are right, but not in any venomous way.”

“So, we can still fight it?” Sunset asked hopefully “If we use our mitos maybe.”

“Well I won’t jump the gun with those kinds of assumptions. I AM a scientist” she gave in a rather familiar way, she did then give a slightly relenting shrug “But this is certainly encouraging as far as something like that being possible.”

“It would be an even more limited supply than Awakened Neo-Mitochondria though.” Aya muttered. She pushed a loose bang from her face and continued “It there any indication on how long it’s potent for on it’s own?”

“If you're worried about cultists farming the stuff, I wouldn’t be.” The doctor returned, still studying her screens intensely “These samples are already starting to expire sitting here and they were only extracted from the remains just a few hours ago. Typical means of preserving venom also doesn’t seem to have much effect. I know a lot can happen in a few hours but it thankfully also seems skin contact and ingestion, while certainly unpleasant, don’t infer the same effect. Direct injection appears to be required, so I don’t think we have to worry too much about that kind of threat from the cults just yet.”

“Unless they keep the NMCs alive that is.” Adagio pointed out “Ark’s already proven they have no trouble using the cults to their own ends.”

“Yes… unfortunately, them using the actual NMCs themselves is still a concern. We’ve already encountered a few instances of them managing to keep small numbers of strangers and the like in captivity on our side of the country here. Meanwhile We still have a hard time keeping anything alive just one at a time… It’s one of the reasons Sparky and I fought so hard to have the few Divers still in the Ark left alone for study.” Rebecca gave a bit frumpily before shaking it off “But while Ark Shadow seems open to sharing some of their secrets, there’s also the possibility these three are unique.”

“It’s also a lot harder to trap worms than strangers.” Aya offered herself, though sigh gave a heavy sigh “This is still pretty awful news, but at least we stumbled upon this glint of hope in combating it.”

“And hopefully more!” Rebecca beamed in a way also quite familiar to the trio.

“I’ve still got plenty more tests to run!”

“Sooooo… that Wesker guy’s kind of weird, huh?”

Sunset was climbing out of the same van they were picked up in. Barry had lent it to them to be able to get around. The ride had been quiet on the way to the hotel, the implications of all the tests weighing on all of them. Clearly not ready to talk about those, she offered the random bit just to finally break the silence. Aya thankfully gave a small smile at the quip.

“He’s pretty stiff yeah, but like Chris said; he’s really not so bad once you get to know him” she said “He’s also one of the best people to have by your side in a fight. He can easily use some physical techniques even I have trouble with.”

“He’s just below you at the top of Ark’s list of potential, individual threats,” Adagio informed “And from what I’ve seen of the recordings, it's not hard to guess why.”

“That’s… good to know. Sort of.” the blonde murmured with a resigned frown. They picked up their keys from the front and made it to their rooms. They weren’t anything special but it was a lot better than some of the places they could have ended up stuck in.

“At least the bed isn’t coin operated” Adagio muttered, setting her luggage down.

“Just one though…” Sunset observed, sucking the inside of her cheek.

“Yes, looks like we’ll just have to share” the siren smirked mischievously and purred “Lucky You~”

The unicorn girl rolled her eyes just before a knock came from the room's adjoining door. She quickly strode over to open it for the pair's lead waiting on the other side. She took a quick glance to the bed herself before pressing her lips together.

“Sorry, we requested a pair of twins for you but you know how hotels can sometimes be.”

“It’s fine” Sunset quickly waved off “Won’t be the first time I’ve shared a bed.”

“Ohh-hohoho, really now~?” the Dazzling cooed “Is our Wittle Sunny Bunny more worldly than I gave her credit for?”

The youngest hunter rolled her eyes even harder as she turned away from the siren... Mostly to hide the slight blush that crept up to her cheeks. She wasn’t very 'worldly', but she wasn’t about to let her know that. Aya didn’t miss the blush but had the courtesy to just give her an understanding and thankfully not betraying smile before clearing her throat.

“Well I’m going to head back out to grab us some food and snacks so we don’t bankrupt ourselves with the minibar” the veteran hunter relayed “Our part of the investigation doesn’t start until tomorrow so feel free to let yourselves relax all the way tonight.”

“Oooo~ You hear that Shimmer?” the siren swooned dramatically as she spear out across the sheets “She wants us to go all the way!~”

“Good luck…” Aya offered her protégé under her breath before leaving. Sunset let out a small huff before turning back around to the siren still smirking at her.

“You’ve certainly managed to turn your earlier mood around.”

“Because she’s here, Shimmer” Sunset blinked as Agadio’s playful manner turned more intense “Sonata has to be close by.”

“You’re sure?” Sunset stepped closer. “Not to kill the hope, seriously this is great but… you said it yourself that 23’s armor was enhanced with yours and your sister’s magic. They could have just brought them here from somewhere else.”

“It was less than three days old!” the Dazzling confirmed “I know that’d normally be too hard to tell, especially handicapped like we are here, but she’s my sister; I know how her magic works.”

“Then again, that’s great!” Sunset returned “But if you could tell that, then why didn’t you tell the rest? If the magic was that fresh-”

“Then it’d bring up more questions of how I’m so very familiar with our ‘extra layer’.” she gave the last mockingly, losing all sense of her former levity “Do you really think that once they find out what we really are they’ll just go along with it like it’s nothing? That they’ll just shrug, say ‘that’s neat’ and let us keep searching? No, they lock us up at best, though I’m guessing they’ll will pick up right were Ark left off-”

“MIST wouldn’t do that to us-”

“Who said anything about MIST, Pony? Even if your new friends really are as noble as you believe, they still answer to an agency as corrupt as any other.” she sneered “Why do you think I have no intention of my sisters and I sticking around once we're back together? They won’t be able to protect you Shimmer, let alone me. They’ll put it all together eventually, but I'm not going to help them reach that point any sooner then they would on their own. For your own stake, I’d suggest you do the same.”

“...You’re wrong.” Sunset returned with a determined scowl “Maybe not about the government but MIST wouldn’t just give us up without a fight. Me OR you. They’re better than that.”

“That’s not a fight they can win, Shimmer.” The siren met her gaze right back “For your sake I hope you realize that before it’s too late. You don’t want to be on the wrong end of those kinds of experiments…”

The tension hung silently as the two stared each other down. It was Adagio that broke the stalemate, rolling her eyes.

“This is pointless. You’re already indoctrinated” she grumbled and pushed herself off the bed “I’m going to take a shower.”

“We’ll find your sisters, even if they find out.” Sunset gave quietly as the siren stepped past her. “Can't say I know how but... I promise.”

The Dazzling paused and simply stared at her again. She only gave a small hum before continuing toward her shower without further comment.

The next couple days went by fairly uneventfully. Adagio fell back into her typical distant behavior, though Sunset couldn’t help but feel the tension hadn’t entirely dropped. Dr. Chamber’s occupied most of their time with tests but they did get to stay up to date with trying to track the source of the worms. That seemed to be the only thing keeping Adagio as cooperative as she was. Rebecca’s tests had begun to get a little tedious, not to mention a little draining with all the blood samples. Aya’s greater involvement in the effort also seemed to calm the siren some, but the fact her patience was wearing thinner was becoming more evident.

So when the word came they would be moving on a facility in the southern desert, the Dazzling was already geared and at the door, glaring at them to hurry up. They had to endure another helicopter ride to a smaller town where they loaded up into a small convoy of vehicles. They weren’t taking any chances; including the trio, they had a total of ten hunters headed toward the isolated compound.

It was a small airfield in the middle of nowhere. While previously overlooked, the investigation uncovered possible ties to a shell company suspected to be one of Ark Shadow’s many fronts. Satellite images then confirmed a lot of activity for such an isolated runway. They showed an awful lot of heavy equipment being transported to the trio of hangers along the landing strip over the past several months and, perhaps most suspicious of all, not a single craft coming or going despite the massive boom in ‘business’.

They had just climbed out of the van when Mr. Burton called out.

“Al! You and Sheva take our Canterlot girls through the middle! The rest of you, with me!” He instructed, hefting a revolver that made even Rupert’s seem like a pop gun in comparison “Ready? Move!”

Sunset broke into a sprint with the others, breaking from the cover of the vehicles and pounding across the hot asphalt of the dilapidated runway as they closed on the hangers. No alarm klaxons blared as their little convoy approached and no resistance met their charge but Sunset kept her rifle ready all the same. She already had enough surprises in less than a year as a hunter to know better than to let her guard down.

It was thankfully a very brief run, as the runway was only a couple lanes wide. They would have driven straight up to the hanger doors if the various railing and fences of the airfield hadn’t prevented it. They just vaulted the last of such railing and lined up along the hanger’s door, the one for people and not planes that is. She saw Jill and Chris shoot their group a nod before following their branch lead into the other hanger. Mr. Wesker kicked open their own a moment later himself.

They were almost immediately met with a maze of tall, fabricated walls.

“Hmmm” Albert gave an with a touch of annoyance. “This complicates the search. Do any of you sense anything?”

“No. Girls?” Aya shot back, frowning at both shaking their heads.

“Are we thinking that means there’s nothing, or that you guys are getting that ‘chaff’ effect from the reports?” Ms. Alomar’s distinct accent came from Sunset’s side as the darker skinned woman stepped up next to the young hunter. Sheva was only one in the five of them that wasn’t an NMH. While perhaps at a disadvantage by comparison, Sunset very much didn’t mind having someone that would still be able to function in case this place had any of those horrible speakers as a defense.

“I don’t feel any kind of field…” Aya answered, inspecting one of the walls as Mr. Wesker kept his weapon on the corner of the improvised hallway. “But it’s probably too much to hope we won’t run into anything.”

“Is it possible we just got it wrong and this isn’t an Ark Shadow compound?”

Before Sunset could get her answer, a loud buzzing filled the hall. The image of Fluttershy being lifted into the air by a silhouette if twisted air flashed through the redhead’s mind before she snapped her aim up and searched the cramped space frantically.

Yet despite that readied reaction, she could only gawk as the platinum blonde man burst forward in a blur, leaving small wisps of electricity in his wake. The Golem at the opposite end of the hall had only just materialized when the man’s knee met its face, crumpling its gas mask and all but decapitating the towering cyborg.

“Holy shit…” Sunset murmured, still gaping as the golem dropped like a rock. She only snapped out of it when Adagio gave her a rough shoulder check, prompting her to join the rest. They quickly spread into as much of a formation as they could, moving forward at a fast pace.

More buzzing came as Sunset was sweeping an alcove to their side, opening fire at the golem now leaping at her. Heavier shots joined hers, Adagio’s shotgun helping stumble the uncloaking threat long enough for the others to help finish it off. The disappearing golems couldn't take as much of a beating as the Rooks in the Shelter, but they didn’t leave nearly as much time to react to them either.

The group stumbled as the man leading point abruptly halted. He gave a restrained grunt, stomping a foot down into a wide stance as his palm thrust out so fast Sunset could have sworn it disappeared a moment. Another golem’s cloak immediately failed as its ribcage collapsed and it was sent rocketing through a door ahead.

No others made themselves known.

“And I though AJ was strong…” Sunset breathed out while they took a moment before advancing on through the now missing door.

“It’s a matter of focusing the force into more singular points and bursts” the former captain gave calmly, pushing his shades back up “Though Miss Apple’s methods are not without their own merits as well.”

Recollected, they breached the door into an open portion of the hanger. The walls were lined with cages, one stacked atop another in a variety of different designs as they ran the remaining length of the large building. Nothing jumped out to attack them, letting them close for a better look.

A couple NMC corpses lay dead within the cages' confines; they looked like they had starved to death, though Sunset had been amazed they had been contained in this way at all. Yes, it was known Ark Shadow had somehow devised methods of confining their experiments without them expiring, but they hadn’t expected they were capable of it in these amounts. And for these to actually be corpses and not goop left after death within said confinement too... the implications just kept getting worse.

“How is this possible?” Sheva echoed her thoughts “NMCs can’t survive in confinement, not like this!”

“Clearly most of them didn’t” Albert returned, examining a trails of dried goo that had dripped from most of the cages, the ones that were still closed at least. He then gestured to the next set of pens, they were of a considerably different design than the simple metal bars they were in front of “The implants suggest they were of the same sample variety as these. Perhaps they were experimenting on containment methods.”

“Looks like the containment part wasn’t any more consistent than the preservation” Aya observed, pointing out the puddles further into the center of the space. None seem to have strayed too far from those cages whose restraints had failed though. “Seeing as this place had obviously been abandoned, the golems were probably here to take care of any surviving subjects. We should regroup with the others to make sure they haven’t run into the same kind of trouble.”

They moved to the back of the hanger, exiting back into the setting sun when the muffled pops of gunfire reached them from the other hanger. It wasn’t just a smattering either, but the constant stream of a rarely interrupted rattle. They sprinted toward the the source when almost the entirety of the hanger’s rear wall exploded out.

A worm so massive it shouldn’t have even been be possible shot out among the falling debris. As big around a subway train, the wall of purple and green flesh dove into the ground, forcing the squad to stumble as the sudden tremors shook the entire area. Erupting back out into the light, it refocused on the partially collapsed building. More shots rang out, the other team's small arms doing nothing to the monstrous NMC rearing back for another lunge.

Sunset’s body lit up with a shimmering aura of amber, matching those of Aya and Adagio’s as they, and the pair of local hunters, opened fire as well. While hardly more effective than the other squad's, it was enough to get the mutation’s attention, drawing it away from the trapped team.

“Scatter!” Aya shouted as it dove at them, its maw wide enough to swallow any of them whole. Sunset ran as best she could along a ground vibrating beneath her feet, the dirt shaking and shifting from the worm swimming through the earth below them. It emerged between the two hangers in pursuit of the former captain that was once more running in a blur. The burst seemed to run out after he was forced to dive to the side and the worm's thrashing response sent him through the nearest wall.

Once more ignoring the rounds continuously peppering its form, it turned its mindless hunger back to the other team extracting themselves from the ruined building. Despite the collective efforts beginning to make it bleed, it showed no signs of stopping yet. Still in no position to run, Sunset knew Barry’s squad couldn’t avoid the next attack. She ignited her arm and forced it to the highest tipping point she knew. Aya wasn’t close enough for a repeat of the beam that worked against the golem, but she felt she could at least make the giant nightcrawler take notice.

A thought that was rendered moot the very instant she began to form the amplification matrix, when the worm’s head snapped toward the spark of magic. She could barely manage a step back before it was already slithering her way. She did everything she could to finish the spell when its multiple jaws snapped open between the quartet of pitch black eyes now locked onto her flames. She felt she just might pull it off before a crushing grip wrapped around her.

A trio of impossibly long tendrils had erupted from the thing’s depths, immediately spanning the distance to snatch the young awakened in their unbreakable bounds.

“SUNSET!”

Aya screamed as the girl disappeared into the tooth filled cavern, her cry cut short when its jaws snapped shut. She sprinted straight at the NMC, unleashing a torrent of noxious green bolts its way. She didn’t dare open fire with Sunset still inside the thing but even switching to the countless bolts of paralyzing lightning didn’t nothing to slow the beast.

She kept running with her panic growing every instant the redhead remained within its gut. Every instant without air, with the monster's acids beginning their work. She kept running without any plan of how to save her. She kept running because she couldn’t let her die. She couldn’t just let it happen again. She couldn’t let the mounting singing building in her very cells scare her into being so helpless again.

So she let go.

A blinding light and incomprehensible heat engulfed her. Every cell tingled and sang as they twisted and synchronized and the world grew quiet at her arrival.

The massive trunk of neon flesh lunged toward her before freezing in place before a simple raised hand. It trembled in the extended grip of her thoughts, its impossible mass struggling fruitlessly against the overwhelming force.

Her other hand rose and another flash shot out. The flesh of the NMC was blackened in an instant. No flames blazed, no smoke bellowed. The only sign of the flash burn was the embers escaping the slowly spreading cracks in its charred hide.

The blackened mass scattered as she snapped her arms to her sides, dispersing the ashes and allowing their captive to drop to the dirt below.

Sunset gave a hacking cough as she began rolling off her back, She had just lifted her self up to sit before gasping at the being floating just before her. She stared wide eyed at the levitating, feminine form of luminescent blue. The long golden locks upon its head and long flin-like appendages hanging from its arms wove without wind as it gazed down upon her with a serene, yet unsettling calm.

The vision lasted only a moment before a blazing light forced her to turn away. She turned back at the sound of something heavy landing in front of her. The shape of her mentor met her, pitched forward on her hands and knees, panting heavily and drenched in sweat. She fell back onto her heels, letting the former pony see her skin now very pink and clammy. The blonde stared horrified upon her badly trembling hands before slowly clenching them into fists and curling in upon herself, screwing her face shut tight.

She looked as if she was about to weep.

“Are you okay?” the veteran hunter croaked, opening her eyes toward her self-assigned protégé. The redhead nodded numbly. She honestly felt like absolute shit; the insides of the worm had been crushingly tight and suffocating, and its stomach acids were painfully itching at her even now. But she was alive. That was enough for her to try to put the distressed woman at whatever ease she could offer.

The hunters slowly regathered, all deathly silent beyond the simple communications of treating the injured and ensuring everyone else was alright. Eventually, with the sun having already set and their back up on its way, they steeled themselves and tentatively made their way to the entrance of the last hanger. Sunset hung at the back of the group with the still shell shocked Aya while Barry led the team in. They followed at the all clear.

She stepped in and wrinkled her nose at the acrid smell of burned electronics. The entire hanger seemed to be filled with a faint haze. A heavy switch was thrown to her side and the hanger lights flipped on, revealing rows upon rows of melted computer equipment. Heavy cables ran along the ground to a singular chair bolted to the floor in the center of the large open space.

“SONATA!” Sunset jumped at the siren’s crying out as she rushed forward. Scanning all around the dilapidated remains as she closed on the seat, she called again “SONATA!”

The chair was empty. All that lay within was the ends of the various cables draped over the back.. Adagio stumbled, shaking her head at the sight. Sunset stepped up behind her, now seeing the rust colored, cracked coating along the ends of the cables’ various plugs and needles.

Blood.

An anguished scream ripped though the still air as the siren gripped the chair. Glowing with an aura of red and gold, she tore it from its base and hurled it into the already ruined equipment before falling to her knees. Tears streamed from her eyes as she openly began to weep.

She didn’t even fight it when Sunset crouched next to her, placing a hand on her back for the lack of anything else to do.

The former pony gave Dash a small wave as the pilot pulled back out of the driveway. She had just dropped the pair off at home but still had the rest of her shift. With all that had happened, the three were brought back home despite the investigation still not being completely over.

No trace of where those that had been running the abandoned airfield had yet to be found but Sunset hoped it was just because they had only a day to actually comb the facility. Rebecca was able to confirm that there wasn’t nearly enough blood to assume the Dazzling’s sister was dead from the whatever was done to her in that chair. While that was certainly not bad news, it still gave no indication to where they may have taken her.

While not sure how, the LA team suspected their request for the satellite images may have tipped Ark Shadow off to their coming. That troublingly suggested Ark still very much had someone the bureau informed enough to keep them alerted. Sunset remembered that branch was forced to work much more closely with the FBI than the Canterlot station, but to think someone that was supposed to be on their side was the reason they missed Sonata by possibly only hours… Her mitochondria weren't the only heat inside of her boiling at the thought.

She looked to the siren shuffling toward the hall ahead of her, her eyes still red and puffy. She dragged her bag along the carpet behind her, bumping it against the corner as she passed. The redhead skirted past gently as the siren fumbled with the knob. She just reached her own door when a strained voice found her.

“Sunset.” She wheeled around to the fellow magic user. Did Adagio just call her what she think she called her? “Before we left, I… I know you were freaked out about letting me drive. I hadn't gotten the chance since before we… I know you didn’t have to, so…”

“...Thanks.”

Sunset stared back perplexed. That’s what she wanted to say right now? After all that happened, of all the things she could have thrown her way-

'That's not what she's actually thanking you for dumbass.'

“I made you a promise Dag,” she returned as strongly as she could at the moment “We won't miss our chance next time. We’ll get her back.”

The siren didn’t seem convinced. Her gaze fell back to the floor before she shuffled into her room, closing the door behind her. Sunset retreated to her own room, falling into the bed before rolling over to stare unseeing at the ceiling. Beyond the siren’s pain, she also couldn’t get the image of Aya almost breaking down into tears out of her head.

A few days earlier she would have been ecstatic about her mentor once more ascending. But after seeing that liberated from in all its terrifying glory, and the veteran hunter's reaction to having accomplished it; she wished she never had.

‘Now I have no choice but to figure out how to do it myself…’ she gave a heavy sigh.

‘If only so she never has to again.’

Chapter 21: Unsevered

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Adagio sat in the rarely used armchair in the living room, trying to tune out her housemates playing with the power drill on the other side of the sliding glass door. She would have retreated back to her room but ever since she failed to retrieve Sonata she found it more… difficult to be by herself so much.

They just recently had their first heavy snowfall of the year and that stupid crow that wouldn’t let her hand feed it was still hanging around. Concerned, the trio’s alpha corralled her lessers into installing some sort of cubby that would help it keep warm if it decided to stay. As she understood, not all birds migrated like many forms of media made it seem. It did get awfully cold in Canterlot during the winter however, too cold for most animals, suggesting the bird’s infection may be altering its natural patterns.

As if summoned by the avian thoughts, Sunset’s pet finch landed on the top of her book. It cocked its head at her curiously before looking down to the paper, taking the edge in its tiny beak before pulling it to the previous page. The siren flipped it back but the little bird pulled it to the previous again. She arched her brow at the puffball and flipped the page back once more, holding it down with her thumb. The bird tugged at the paper, not giving up until she let go and allowed the determined little finch to flip it back. It danced excitedly atop the book at its 'accomplishment'.

Out on the back porch meanwhile, the trio stepped back to examine their work. It was a simple square set into the corner above the sliding door. Some basket padding sat beneath a blanket beneath a small heating bulb. It wasn’t much but since having a crow as a pet was technically illegal in their state without special cause, and Fluttershy thought it best not to domesticate the bird to that degree, it was the best option they had come up with. It even had a little curtain to help trap the heat.

The door slid open to reveal Adagio, staring at her fellow Equestrian blankly.

“Come to see the mastery of our work?” Dash quipped. The siren continued to stare at Sunset before holding up a loosely clenched fist with Tanagerine’s head poking out the top.

“Did you make this?”

“Don’t bring her out here! She might fly away!” the redhead rushed to claim the finch when Adagio snapped her hand open. Sunset’s concern was proven unwarranted as the bird simply fluttered up to her hair. Looking up toward the locks she could feel the finch nuzzling into, she then turned a frown toward the siren “Why do think I made her?”

“Other than the magical signature that’s obvious now that I’ve actually paid attention?” she shot back incedulously “Earth’s animals are idiots. That thing’s too smart to not be an Equestrian bird.”

“You expect us to believe this little spaz is ‘smart’?” Rainbow asked as they made their way back into the house.

“Rini is actually a lot smarter than similar species of finches, or even just birds her size.” Futtershy pointed out “The fact I still haven’t been able to figure out just what kind of finch she is also suggests she simply might not be one found here.”

“Not exactly low profile making Equestrian animals there, pony” the Dazzling snarked mildly.

“Easy there Seahorse, I… kind of didn’t leave her that much of a choice” Rainbow cut in. “When I figured out she might have been magic herself, I made her prove she wasn’t actually an EVE. Apparently creating life was what she came up with.”

“Converting life.” Sunset corrected while taking off her coat, after which the finch in her hair immediately dove down her shirt. Sighing, she fished it back out and placed her on the counter to hop around. “Creating life is significantly more difficult. Other than the ‘old fashioned way’ of course.”

“Just keep it away from my books.” the siren finished before returning to the armchair. Sunset frowned as she watched her fall back into the seat without another word. While glad she wasn’t locking herself away anymore, she wished she’d still engage with them a little more. Her thoughts were broken by the finch using the distraction to try reaching its favorite nesting spot again. Dash and Shy giggled as she extracted her and gave the bird a flat look. She then considered a moment.

“If I give you a treat will you stop trying to dive down my cleavage?” the bird’s little eyes widened and it straightened up to sit obediently on her finger. It understood the offer perfectly. “God dammit you are Equestrian, aren’t you? Alright, let’s see if we have some cereal or something.”

While the bird being revealed as a small ball of magic itself brought up some concerns, Sunset couldn’t help but smile at Fluttershy now fawning over the technically alien animal with renewed fascination.

Sunset was driving toward the station, she was a little early for her shift but Dash sent her a text about wanting to show her something. She wouldn’t say what it was but considering how excited she seemed and how she was scheduled to keep training with Aya today, the former pony felt she had a pretty good idea what it could be.

Sure enough when she pulled into her spot, she had only barely closed the door behind her when Rainbow dragged her to the range with a beaming smile.

“Check it out!” she grinned before whipping her arms out and electricity suddenly sparked and began arching along the appendages. It wasn’t any application Sunset had seen herself and the feeling her senses was getting suggested no one else on Earth may have either. A moment later the current died and Dash stood victorious “Awesome, right?!”

“Can you do that again?” she asked quietly, stepping closer. Dash chuckled and repeated the action along a single arm for her to inspect this time.

“Uh, Sunny I only just-” the pilot began when Sunset reached out toward the streams.

“I’ll be fine,” she assured her. Sheathing her arm in a subtle matrix to let the current pass over her, she pressed her hand into the energies. It still stung but she only needed a moment before pulling her hand back away. She winced a little at what she felt before quietly continuing “Dash that’s magic.”

“...Seriously?!” Dash’s smile grew even wider “I have magic?! That’s Awesome!”

Sunset didn’t seem nearly so enthused as she continued frowning at the arm.

“Oh come on Sunny. Are only you and Dag allowed to have it?”

“No, that’s… that’s not what I’m worried about” she shook her head to clear her thoughts “Rainbow you have to understand: Magical transference is a very deliberate process. And actual arcane implantation, as in a permanent seed that can grow and replenish in the receiver, is an Ordeal, for all parties involved. It doesn’t just happen, and certainly not from a simple blood transfusion.”

“Well, it was a little more than a ‘simple transfusion’ Sunny.” Dash offered with a shrug “I mean, you were pretty much controlling my cells with your own.”

“I suppose…”

“Plus, aren’t you always saying friendship is literally magic for you guys? Maybe something with the fact we’re friends helped with that whole mess” the pilot reasoned “Not that I’d really know anything about all that, but could it be part of it?”

“I suppose I may have unconsciously transferred some to help me stabilize things…” she pressed her lips together “Or maybe something with the friendship angle but I unfortunately hadn’t put much stock in studying those patterns before I left…”

“Well am I in any trouble with this stuff inside me?”

“Probably not anymore than Dag and I” the unicorn girl returned.

“Then like I said! Awesome!” she puffed her chest out “Though I suppose I’m cheating a little with all this if it's just magic.”

“It’s not just magic. Most of it is still your mitos but it feels like maybe you’ve just taken a bit of a shortcut with it. This new spark isn’t even enough to be felt as an ‘extra layer’ after all.” the former pony reasoned. A thought then occurred to her “Have you met ‘Albert Wesker’ from the LA office by chance?”

“Is that the weird guy that never takes off his sunglasses?” Sunset nodded to her question “Then yeah. Haven’t really talked to him ever but I’ve seen him in some of the conference calls. Word is he’s a total badass in a fight.”

“The word is right, I saw a glimpse of it for myself” the redhead confirmed. “I bring it up because his use of his mitochondria had a similar effect, at least visually. It may not be at all related but I think you may like to follow that path if you can pull it off.”

“What’d he do?”

“Bolted down a hallway in less than a second and practically kneed a golem’s head right off.”

“That does sound pretty cool…” she muttered, earning a giggle from the former pony. Further discussion was cut off by the sound of the range door. They saw Pinkie stride in with a large toolbox held in front of her.

“Heya Dashie! Heya Sunny Bunny!” she smiled brightly before giving them an apologetic look “Sorry but we’re gonna have’ta kick you out for a while; some casings managed to find their way past the track covers and are clogging up the system, so it’s maintenance time.”

“No worries Ponk, I was just showing off a little for Sunny here” Rainbow assured the bubbly woman.

“Pretty neat huh?” Pinkie grinned at the redhead.

“It’s something alright” Sunset answered “Was just telling her she might want to give Mr. Wesker a call with how it looked.”

“Oh that’s a good idea!” The Pie cooed, her smile growing wider as she turned to the pilot “I can definitely see you moving that fast.”

“Not as flashy as lighting bolts but it does sound a bit more practical” Dash raised a hand to her chin. The voice of Jodie came from the door during the conversation’s lull.

“I’m sure you’ll find some way to make it obnoxious all the same” the brunette quipped, earning a laugh. “Now go on, we got work to do.”

“Yes ma’am” they smirked and got out of the way.

“So you really think I can do what this Wiskers guy can?” Rainbow asked in the hall.

“Couldn’t hurt to ask.” Sunset shrugged. “And hey, you’ve got magic on your side now. You can do anything.”

Dash and Shy were sitting on the couch watching tv. Adagio was in the armchair at their side, not reading but actually watching as well despite the chair’s less than ideal angle of the screen. Sunset wasn’t with them despite also being home, though from how she was talking earlier and the faint smell of incense in the air, they figured she had started on those repair attempts on her journal she had mentioned.

So when a thoroughly amused laugh echoed from the hall, it was enough for them to investigate. Following it to the bathroom, they grew more curious to see the door open but the light off despite the giggles continuing to emerge. Dash felt her heart skip a beat when they finally rounded the frame.

“It’s not corporeal Rine, you can’t land on it!” the girl snickered as the glowing bird fell through the bright horn of red and gold light spiraling out of her forehead. Her entire form was enshrouded in a transparent, vividly sparkling aura of the same color. Thankfully, she seemed nothing but tickled by the state herself, letting the pilot relax.

“Jesus Sunny, maybe give us a little warning next time?” she heaved out, letting the spike of adrenaline wane “I thought you manifested on us again for a second.”

“Oh… OH! I'm sorry, I didn’t-” she looked at herself in the mirror, glancing at her horn to realize what she meant. Her smile found its way back though as she bounced on the balls of her feet “But look! Tree was right! I do still have my horn!”

“You couldn’t just use an aura sight spell?” Adagio asked from the back of the group.

“Can YOU perform that delicate of a spell here?” Sunset shot back. The siren considered a moment.

“Criticism retracted” she relented “So what prompted dousing yourself in a saturation ritual?”

“Since we learned she’s probably an Equestrian breed, I wanted to see how strong Rini’s magic was. Then figured, since I set it all up anyway; why not?” Sunset shrugged before smirking at Fluttershy and Dash “You guys wanna see yours?”

“We don’t need magic?” the nurse returned, looking excited at the idea. Sunset shook her head and stepped back from her little set up of various runes and fetishes, gesturing for the medic to stand before it. The unicorn girl closed her eyes and concentrated, the ethereal horn on her head growing even brighter before its light washed over her friend. While not quite the spectacle of the former pony's aura, Fluttershy still marveled at the sight she found in the mirror “Oh wow… Is this what Tree sees all the time?”

“Something similar at least. This doesn’t reflect our moods for example” the redhead explained “Come on Dash, you’re up.”

Rainbow quickly took up position as her surrogate sister stepped aside in the cramped bathroom. The process repeated and the pilot’s aura flared into the visible spectrum.

“Aw, you have little sparkles.” Fluttershy cooed “I don't have any sparkles.”

“It’s probably her new magic” Sunset relayed. She tried not to show it but the nurse's cheeks puffed out slightly.

“Don’t worry there Flutters,” Dash snatched her in a side hug, making their auras dance and swirl as they met “It only took a few months for her to accidentally give it to me. You’ll have your own in no time!”

The pair chuckled at the flat look the redhead gave the pilot. It did get interrupted by the sight of Adagio stepping into position next.

“Really?” Rainbow looked at her incredulously “You’re joining the fun?”

“Oh come on,” she shot back “You know you’re as curious about the 'flowing one' thing as I am... I’m not familiar with this setup though…”

“I got it Dag” Sunset gave before casting one more time. When the light faded this time, the horn appeared just a little duller upon her head. She gave a small wince and rubbed her temple.

“Are you alright?” Fluttershy asked.

“Oh yeah, I’m fine” the unicorn quickly waved off “It’s just too bad soda doesn’t do the same thing for magic as it does for our mitos…”

Finding themselves bumping into each other a bit too often in the small space, they moved out to the full length mirror doors of Rainbow’s closet. Adagio watched as the ethereal fins trailed lazily behind her every movement.

“So that’s what your fins looked like?” Fluttershy inquired, watching them as well.

“Actually, these seem a good deal less stiff than mine,” She answered “These are almost more like a fighting fish’s. Though I suppose one’s aura hangs a little looser in general.”

“We definitely have do this next time we get high.” Dash announced, watching the tiny lights left in her arms wake. Fluttershy brightened at the idea and even Adagio paused in her self admiration. Enough to make her actually consider joining them.

‘That Does sound like a lot of fun…’

The former pony was leaning her head against Jill’s passenger window, watching the scenery go by. While still a little tense about letting Adagio drive, she had to admit it was nice being able to take in the sights from her own car without the worry of crashing. They were nearing the end of the patrol and the sun was beginning to set, so they started their way back. They weren’t actually too far from the house.

So to say it was unexpected when the Dazzling suddenly ripped the wheel to the side and Sunset felt the glass crack as her head bounced off would have been putting it lightly. She braced as the small suv screeched along the asphalt and two of its tires even lifted up to threaten a full roll over. Thankfully they landed back on all fours and came to a stop in the middle of an intersection as a delivery truck blew past, straight through the red before slamming into the pole holding up the street lights.

“What the fuck?!” the siren snarled, glaring at the crashed vehicle. Sunset rubbed at the lump now swelling near her temple. Both froze however as a heavy weight dented the rear door of the boxy truck and their senses pinged at the same moment. “Oh son of a bitch.”

The pair quickly leapt out of the jeep, snatching their primaries from the back before setting up with their aim trained on the failing door. The metal finally gave way to a trio of Greater Strangers tearing out of the back, followed by half a dozen of their smaller brethren. The first fell quickly but not fast enough for the other two to screech at the hunters.

Letting them see a trio of familiar tendrils erupt out with their vicious calls.

They shifted their aim but had to hold their fire as the NMCs ran past possibly occupied homes. Taking chase after the mutations, Sunset brought her phone up to her ear as she sprinted alongside her partner.

“Rupert! We’ve got a Big fucking problem!” she panted, tracking the unfortunately faster beasts as best she could as she relayed their position and the situation. He said backup was on the way but it would still take time to get there.

Adagio fired a shot as the creatures veered toward a car coming the opposite way. Exploding against the asphalt at their feet, it didn’t stop any of the mutations but thankfully dissuaded them long enough for the car to turn away, jumping the curb as it fled down a side street. She fired another shot, driving them further from the street and toward a large courtyard on their right.

“What is it with this School and NMCs?!” Sunset exclaimed as they followed the pack, stopping at the mouth of the highschool’s enclosed area. She thanked whatever power made whoever was behind this wait until the school day was long over, but she still minded her lanes as she and her partner opened fire against the now trapped monstrosities.

Another of the larger Strangers fell and the second was driven away from its charge at the doors by a blast of fire hitting the steps. A pair of the tentacle mouthed mutants tried to slip out of their predicament but found themselves blocked by the partners moving up along either side of the courtyard. Despite the situation, Sunset found herself impressed by their unspoken coordination. It seemed the drills the leads put them through were more than just something to sharpen their skills.

They began coming back together as the NMCs found themselves stuck between the flames on the steps and the hunters pincering them together. The greater stranger and two of the lesser put up a last stand but, even though it took most of their dwindling ammo, they fell against their combined energy shots catching them in a crossfire.

‘Forget just coordinating, we are Kicking Ass right now!’ the unicorn girl smirked.

They reunited as the steps as the fire died out, reloading to their last magazines as they tracked the last two strangers making a break for it. They blinked however as the pair hesitated just before reaching the statue. Their tendrils weaved excitedly before they shot right at the stonework’s base…

And disappeared straight into the polished surface.

“No…” Sunset gasped in horror “No-No-No-No-NoNoNoNoNONONO!”

She repeated the mantra, already running at the statue at a dead sprint. They didn’t have any defense against them. They’d have no idea what they’d be dealing with. Even if they somehow stopped them from hurting anypony in time, they could still wind up spreading an infection trying to figure it out. If even one pony was infected… if the Princess was infected…

“SUNSET!” Adagio called out as her partner dove head first through the portal. She ran up herself, looking over the stone base frantically. She twisted her head around the empty space, hearing sirens headed toward her position. She scowled at the polished plinth reflecting it back at her, but didn’t follow.

“Shit!”

Her body lit up in a blaze and twisted with the swirling colors surrounding her. She felt her form shift, her mitochondria screaming out in confusion. They stayed relatively cool but didn’t like what was happening at all. However, despite her first trip through the controlled tear in time and space feeling much longer, the colors vanished almost as quickly as they came. She landed on a flat, solid floor, groaning as she tried to push herself up.

“GOT ANOTHER ONE!” the voice of a young woman shouted out of the darkness.

“HOLD YER FIRE!” another more masculine, and very familiar voice met it.

Sunset’s eyes fluttered open, revealing that as the simple cause of the darkness. A pair of orange colored hooves met her sight, splayed out along the tile with her rifle laying just beyond. They moved at her beckoning and a wonderful warmth she so sorely missed poured into the horn now sticking out of her mane. Not just hair, but mane.

“Well now ain't that a sight for sore eyes…” The second voice drew her attention to the room as a whole. She pushed herself up to stand at the bottom of a short staircase encircling her and the mirror like a bowl, a single set of large doors currently behind a pair of guards seeming to be the only way in or out. The half melted bodies of the two strangers lay against the steps a short distance from her on either side. The guard that spoke stepped forward, showing himself a bit off balance standing on his rear, feline legs before lifting up his helmet’s visor “Sunset Shimmer, back home at last.”

“Gilbert?!” she gawked at the somewhat aged griffon smirking down at her, maybe just a bit more aged than she remembered. The fact it wasn’t almost a century older should have given her some comfort but the boxy, metal rectangle in his claws, matching the one strapped to the side of the pegasus guard next to him pushed that thought from her mind “Are those GUNS?!”

Before the graying catbird could answer, a flash of brilliant gold light strobed at the room’s entrance.

“I heard the shots! Did anything make it out-” the pure white alicorn’s words stopped dead at the sight within. She stared at the young unicorn with eyes wide as saucers, mouth frozen open where the sentence faltered. Matching her former mentor’s expression, Sunset’s mind went blank and she spun back to the portal.

She hadn’t made it a single step before another strobe blinded her and she ran face first into a wall of exceptionally soft floof. She found herself pulled forward, embraced tightly by a pair of wings as the alicorn draped her neck over her own.

“Oh my precious little Sunbeam!” Celestia gasped next to her ear “I missed you so much!”

While the tension had begun to ebb, the unicorn found herself still thoroughly lost.

“I don’t understand.” she finally gave in lack of anything better coming to mind. A small titter vibrated the chest against her before it pulled away. Her heart gave a tug as the princess met her with one of her warmest smiles, a sight she hadn’t even realized she missed so dearly until she saw it again.

Another small flash came from the alicorn’s side, revealing a journal floating in her glimmering aura. It was identical to her own save the sides of the cutie marks being reversed. She reached for it, though had it slip between her hooves as the princess let it go. Catching it back into the aura before it hit the ground, Celestia gently cleared her throat before shooting an amused glance to the smaller pony’s horn. Blushing slightly, Sunset took it in her own magical grip to examine.

The image of her cutie mark had a rough slash of desaturated color across it, but the book showed no other sign of damage. She opened it to find her own entries over the past several months across the pages. There were some minor distortions here and there but they were otherwise as clear as they were when she wrote them. Even the photocopies of various articles and schematics she had placed between the pages transferred like… like they were supposed to when the books weren’t damaged.

“They’re still connected?” she asked numbly, glancing toward the guards' weapons and the looking around the room once more. It was designed to help contain anything that may have come through the mirror that proved itself dangerous. Her eyes then turned questioningly toward her former mentor “But it you could respond then-”

“I’m afraid I couldn’t…” Celestia gently interrupted, pacing her wing against her student’s cheek. Flipping the pages to the beginning of the journal with her own magic, she gestured to the script of her attempted responses and Sunset’s own writings overlapping them “While we were still receiving what you wrote on your end, any response failed to reach you back. Harmony knows I certainly tried.”

Sunset flipped through to see the occasional attempts before a heavily distorted page met her. Sunset could never forget the entry and the days surrounding it. Of her trying to run away and of Aya stopping her with nothing more than an offered choice. The bottom half on this side was even more twisted though and still glowing with mana burn. The whole page showed evidence of arcane overcharge. Clear borders of black remained around the six simple words the caster had tried to brute force through.

Don’t Run
You Can Do This

“You were so close to accepting it all.” the princess said in response to her study “I was afraid that if I couldn’t reach you, that it would be too late by the time you realized it.”

“You tried to help…”

“Unsuccessfully. Though fortunately, I was very happy to have been proven wrong. I should have had more faith that you made good enough friends that they wouldn't just give you up without a fight either.” the alicorn continued before bringing her wings around the smaller pony again “I’m so proud of you.”

And that’s what made the dam break. Sunset fell into the Princess’s embrace, burying her face into her floof as tears began to stream down her snout.

“I’M SORRYYYyyyyyy…” she bawled only for the alicorn to shush her soothingly, simply running a wing down her back and hugging her tighter. The embrace lasted a while longer yet, Sunset even feeling a small bit of moisture along her own back as it did.

It was only broken by the familiar, subtle clicking sounds of her rifle’s mechinations. She pulled away from the embrace to find another, completely unfamiliar alicorn with the weapon floating in her dark aura. The magazine and hammer attachment were floating separated, and the center section was pitched forward with the larger pony studiously examining the exposed interior. Even the formally chambered round had been considered, also floating within the aura.

“Luna…” Celestia gently scolded, sighing at the sight “You could have at least asked first.”

“I didn’t wish to disrupt your reunion” the darker ruler returned simply, her focus still on the partially disassembled M4.

“You’ll have to forgive her, Sunset. I fear my sister has developed quite the fascination with some of the discoveries detailed in your journal, firearms chief among them.”

“It’s not chiefly firearms, Tia.” The younger alicorn shot her a look “I’d also very much like to experience their automobiles and video entertainment. But as we’ve yet to recreate those to satisfaction ourselves-”

“Luna? Sister? As in Nightmare Moon?!” Sunset gaped. The other three occupants of the room winced and shuffled uncomfortably at the exclamation. Luna herself however,

“Yes.” she answered bluntly. She then managed to look away from her examinations to the unicorn “There’s no need for concern. I assure you I’ve been cleansed of the corruption.”

“Is everything alright, Gilbert?” another, strikingly familiar voice echoed from the hall. “That was an awfully loud ruckus.”

“Nothing to worry about Princess,” the griffon nodded to another alicorn approaching the doorway. She was notably average sized compared to the others present “The situation is well under control. Have’n a happy little reunion now in fact.”

“Reunion? Oh my!” the purple pony lit up at the sight of the unicorn, quickly trotting down the stairs toward her “Oh my gosh! You’re her, aren’t you?! You’re Sunset!”

“Uh, yeah…” she answered a bit numbly “And you’re not my Twilight, are you?”

“Oh no, I’m afraid not” the young alicorn giggled “Though I’d still like to be your friend if possible. What I’ve read of your entries alone lets me know we’d have a lot in common.”

“Twilight was my student after you Sunset,” Celestia explained “She only ascended a short time ago.”

“Must have been pretty short to pull it off in less than a year…” she muttered grimly, failing to hide her jealousy completely.

“Oh! Oh, you haven’t told her yet…” Twilight blinked, looking to the princesses.

“I’m afraid we hadn’t gotten that far.” Celestia returned before placing her wing across unicorn’s hunches “Try not to be too alarmed Sunset, but it’s been just short of twelve years since you went through the portal.”

“Twelv-” Sunset gasped and spun back towards the mirror “The Differential!”

“IT’S OKAY! It’s okay!” Twilight quickly exclaimed as the princess held fast onto her former student “From my calculations, the differential is practically nothing! The dates and periods between your entries coincide with how we received them here, just starting a lot later from the Princess’s perspective than yours.”

“To say it took a moment to deduce why you were writing as if you just arrived is putting it lightly. At first I feared the dimensional distance was causing a horrible delay, that you were already a decade beyond entries I was only just receiving, putting you that much further out of my reach...” Celestia explained “But then Twilight, with the aid of the royal magic and science commissions, was able to determine they were arriving if not in real time, then very close to it.”

“We think you just got…” the smallest alicorn searched for the right word “Hung up a little in the portal itself the first time through.”

“That wave of magic that struck seems to have required the passage to restabilize itself before letting you all the way through. Thankfully, you don’t seem any worse for wear. Not from the portal at least…” the solar monarch added, falling to a somber tone towards the end “I do so wish it had chosen a better time to let you out though. I nearly… I deeply regret that you had to experience that nightmare you landed in, let alone all the hardships that followed.”

“It wasn’t your fault Princess…” Sunset murmured back.

“Is it not?” she countered somberly “I am the one who drove you away. Had I not refused your requests-”

“Then I would have never met all my new friends.” Sunset returned in kind “I’m the one who couldn’t accept alicornhood wasn’t my destiny. You didn’t drive me to jump into an entirely new world blind. Even if you did, I can’t ignore that I wouldn’t have become who you’re now proud of. I don’t regret it. It may not be nearly the same level of accomplishment as Princess Twilight here, but…”

“Are you kidding?” Twilight grinned at her “Sunset, not to deride my own accomplishments, but you’re befriending a SIREN! Heck not just a siren, but one of THE Sirens; once thought to be an antithesis of Friendship itself! I mean we know they're not now, but we wouldn’t know that if not for you!”

“It’s not that big of a deal… I don’t really think I’ve made much progress with her actually…” Sunset looked away with a slight blush, twilding a hoof against the floor.

“Well, from an outside perspective reading your entries, I’d say you’ve made at least a little more progress than you think” the young princess offered. The unicorn’s blushed deepened until a troubling realization hit her.

“Wait…” she paled. “You haven’t read… ALL the entries… h-have you?”

“Well, not all of them.” Twilight returned a bit dejected “Celestia has kept some from those of us allowed to know the whole truth of your discoveries. She says they’re just private things though, that we’re not missing out on anything.”

“S-s-s-sooo… You’ve read all of them?” she looked at her old mentor, horrified. She then fell to the floor, her beat red face hidden under her hooves “Oh gaaawwwdddd…”

“Calm down my little Sunbeam,” Celestia gently rubbed the redhead’s back “You must remember I’m over a thousand years old. It takes more than the errant fantasies of a young pony to make this old mare blush.”

“Oh I don’t know Tia,” Luna gave offhandedly, her voice dancing with a mischievous mirth. “I would say that her recounting of the ‘group’ dream was rather intriguing.”

“You’re not helping Sister” the elder princess returned flatly as the mare beneath her hoof groaned into the tile.

“I’m not trying to help~” the lunar monarch smirked. “Oh come now. It’s not as if you have a monopoly on being the ‘playful one’. As you tell it, this filly is practically my niece, so I’m allowed some fun with it.”

“Lunaaa” Celestia hissed through her teeth at the assertion of her own words. Quickly diverting from it, she tenderly lifted the unicorn back to her hooves and explained “I assure you, only my sister and I even scanned those entries. And you’ll be happy to know you’re still getting credit for your contributions within the rest. While not credited as the inventor of the new technologies, you are still stated responsible for finding them and bringing it all to your fellow ponies.”

“I am?” she asked, still trying to rub the red from her cheeks. Twilight cut in with a bright smile.

“Yep! We’ve explained it as you’ve been exploring all the hidden corners of Equis. It also helps give an alibi as to where you’ve been since your disappearance.” she elaborated “Kind of how you feel about Earth; the Princess doesn’t think Equestria is quite ready to be exposed to a whole new world on that kind of scale just yet.”

“Yeah well, even if it was, humanity definitely isn’t. My new friends’ examples notwithstanding.” she grumbled “But it’s nice to know I haven’t been wasting my time with it.”

“Speaking of…” Celestia gave before levitating a small saddle bag over from near the door. She set it down at their hooves “We were in fact planning a small expedition to deliver this to you, to let you know just what was happening but it seems with you beating us to it, that trip is no longer necessary.”

Sunset sifted through the contents, the most attention grabbing being a new journal. There also seemed to be some writing supplies marked with subtle enchantment runes, some arcane tools to help better maintain them and a small amount of bits and gemstones to boot.

“I thought a you wouldn’t mind a small bit of your old stipend,” Celestia winked at her “Considering the ‘conversion rate’.”

“Kind of disappointed I won’t get to see a new world,” Twilight grumbled with a begrudging shrug. “But I suppose it’s not worth the risk of getting infected over now”

“It’s… really not that common of a threat usually. Present evidence notwithstanding” the unicorn frowned, looking at the now completely melted NMC remains “Speaking of, I take it since you’ve read my entries, you know how dangerous this stuff can be. I don’t remember ever writing down the formula for our dry mop.”

“Not to worry, Sunbeam. We’ve actually prepared a procedure in case of this unlikely occurrence, one completely without direct contact” the princess consoled her “I assume baneflame within a telekinetic bubble will leave little risk, yes?”

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, that would do it…” She murmured. She was just realizing that even with their limited knowledge of the science, with magic, ponies were probably better equipped to minimize the risk than even MIST was. She rolled her neck at the thought before returning her attention to the bag, particularly the book on top. “So this will still work on the other side of the portal?”

“Since we were still able to receive your entries as damaged as your journal was, then yes; we expect no problems communicating through these” Celestia answered “Though that damage is why we’re also sending the tools along as well; to allow you to make any repairs or even relink a different book if needed. The new journal should also be able to accept the addition of new pages more easily as well. Once we’ve secured the link, I’ll have the other set away somewhere private if you wish to keep using it for any… more personal writings. I'd sever the link if it didn't serve as a last resort failsafe of communicating, but I assure you, no one will be reading it if you wish it.”

Sunset took in all the information, glancing back at the mirror with a frown. Even just this brief time had been wonderful, wonderful enough to make her question if she... if she really wanted to go back now. The princess stepped up close to her again, using a wing to gently bring her face back to hers.

“Now don’t be getting that look Sunbeam. We both know you can’t just leave your friends behind, let alone let them wonder what’s befallen you with no explanation. With the new working journal, the distance between us will mean so much less. This isn’t goodbye.” her mentor assured her, the familiar smile warming the faint chill the thoughts brought. “And if your own Twilight is correct in that we’re lucky enough to have you no longer age, we have more than plenty of time now.”

“Yeah…” Sunset wiped a tear from her eye. The youngest alicorn took a step forward, twiddling a hoof against the floor now herself as she began a bit abashedly.

“Um, Sunset, would you mind if… we talked through the journal sometime?” she asked tentatively “And not just about all the stuff you’re learning about over there but, well… I’d honestly like to get to know you yourself a little better. You have some fascinating perspectives on magic and some of your workarounds for the limited ambient mana on Earth are frankly brilliant. And well… it’d also just be nice to connect with another of the princess’s personal students. I haven’t really had the opportunity.”

“Did something happen to Stargazer?” the unicorn furrowed her brow.

“Oh no! He’s fine, he’s still around.” Twilight quickly corrected herself but then gave a shrug “But you gotta admit, he’s pretty far outside our age group. So I guess I meant with somepony closer to our… demographic.”

“Uh, yeah sure,” the redhead replied “I guess that’d be okay.”

The purple alicorn beamed at the response, the expression very much tugging at the same strings as her counterpart’s would.

“I guess that means I maybe shouldn’t keep Adagio wondering what’s happened to me any longer though… doesn’t it?” She frowned toward the mirror again before Celestia gave her one last hug.

“As much as I worry about the risk-fraught path your life has taken, I am very proud you haven’t shrunk away from the call to protect others” she squeezed her just a little tighter “But I still worry nonetheless. Do stay safe my little Sunbeam.”

“I always try. Well, usually anyway.” she quipped, reluctantly pulling away. Luna returned her now completely reassembled rifle. The night princess had apeartanly studied the schematics very closely indeed. Twilight gave her a small wave as Gilbert and the pegasus guard gave her a pair of acknowledging nods.

She took a final deep breath and, with Celestia’s reminder this wasn’t goodbye, shared one last, teary smile with her mentor, laid the saddle bag across her back and stepped back through the mirror.

The alicorn’s head dipped at her departure, eyes blinking rapidly against the continued watering as her hair flowed more limply.

“Don’t worry Princess” Gilbert gave from the door. The unicorn’s former instructor (and one of the ones she had liked better than most honestly) grinned at the monarch “She seems to have a pretty good grip on her new lot, all things considered. That wasn’t fear of what may lay on the other side make’n her hesitate.”

“He’s right sister,” Luna gave her sibling an affectionate bump “If not for her continued survival and the continued aid of her friends, then her impressive physique proved she’s not completely unprepared.”

“She did seem a bit more solid than when last I held her” the solar monarch relented with a small smile finding her again. She gave a sniff and straightened, her regal air returning and her hair flowing strongly once again. “Would it be too much to write her already? To be sure she returned alright?”

The others gave a small giggle as the trio of alicorns began climbing the steps.

“Just don’t be concerned if she doesn’t respond right away” Twilight smiled “I’m sure she’ll have at least her report aft-AH!”

The purple pony slipped on an unseen slick of the NMC goo, pitching her back head over hooves. She tumbled to the bottom of the bowl and fell into the mirror, bumping against the borders to the glass in her passing.

Celestia’s aura flared but fizzled amongst the discordant energies of the swirling vortex, failing to stop the looking glass’s fall. She blanched at the sound that filled the space but ran up with desperate hope anyway.

Still only to see the large crack spread across the reflective surface.

“Why do they keep coming here Mr. Broderick?”

Vice-Principal Luna gave distraught from her seat against the steps to the door next to her sister. While the stairs beneath them were slightly scorched, a few thankfully shallow holes could be found in the walls from the hunters’ rounds and large divets dug scattered across the grass from the mutations tearing through, there wasn’t any other damage. More importantly, no one was hurt. No students had still been on campus at that point and most of the staff had already gone home as well. Only her, her sister and the janitor had been left to lock up, and the janitor hadn’t even heard the shots while finishing up in the basement.

But for this to happen for a third time in less than a year? The question needed to be asked.

“I’m afraid I don’t have an answer for you Mz. Oliver.” the MIST director sighed, overlooking his people sweeping the courtyard and surrounding area. “For whatever consolation it’s worth though; the school didn’t seem to have been their intended target, simply where the creatures ended up fleeing to. Had they not trapped themselves in the courtyard here they would have probably kept on running.”

“So we’re just Lucky then?” the educator sneered.

“Luna I know you’re angry, but it’s not their fault.” Principal Celestia placed a hand upon her sister’s. The younger sibling hitched her shoulders but took a several slow breathes to calm herself “I’m sorry Rupert-”

“It’s perfectly alright Ms. Oliver, she has a right to be mad. These things rarely play fair…” he gave a resigned sigh himself.

“Please Rupert, call me Celestia. After all this I think we’ve at least reached a first name basis,” she offered with a slight smile, one that faltered as she looked over the collective of MIST agents, many of them the familiar faces of her former students “She still hasn’t returned then?”

“No… not yet” the man answered darkly. He looked over to the station’s counselor standing by with Aya leaning against a wall, one of the blonde’s legs bouncing nervously without end. Gesturing her over, he thought maybe Cadence would have some luck comforting the distressed educators “Excuse me ladies, I have to get back to the search.”

“Of course. Thank you Rupert” Luna actually answered this time, bringing her head back up. Her tone was still low but no longer hostile. She however then rolled her eyes at what she saw beyond the director and called out “Yes Ms. Dash, it’s still there!”

The pilot slash hunter in question was currently climbing up the side of the statue, hefting herself up to look at an otherwise impossible to see portion of the stone horse's back. Her lips broke out into an amused grin at whatever she saw.

“Ya really shouldn’t be so proud ‘bout vandalism there, Sugarcube.” AJ chuckled as she and Rarity entered back into the courtyard, shooting the director a reserved shake of their heads when he spotted them.

“It wasn’t vandalism, it was an accident!” Rainbow argued “And you bet your ass I’m proud of it! I hurled that damn javelin further than anyone in the school’s history! No one’s still beaten my record yet!”

The members of the somehow still together clique laughed. With the loud one drawing everyone’s eye away, Adagio caught Fluttershy’s attention. The nurse furrowed her brow at the siren now scowling her way, her eyes darting between the medic and the statue’s stone base pointedly. At first she was wondering how she vexed the hunter but when the Dazzling mouthed ‘Sunset’ it hit her. Her eyes flew wide, matching the siren’s double takes to receive an anxious nod back.

“Dazzle.” the siren whirled around to the approaching director. She took a subtle step to the side, aligning herself in his path toward the statue. “You’re certain you didn’t catch which way she went?”

Adagio shook her head, prompting a small sigh from the man. She managed to come up with a convincing, if not terribly self-flattering cover, one helped by the fact that it was still sort of true. She told them that they had just taken down the last greater stranger when the remaining four NMCs split up; two making for the door again as the other two broke out from between their pincer attack to escape the courtyard. Sunset went after the fleeing two as Adagio finished off the stragglers. By the time she turned around Sunset was nowhere in sight with no sign of which way she went.

Without a direction, she waited for her to return or at least check in while keeping the area secured. He seemed to accept the reasoning, sending out the others to search the surrounding area when the redhead failed to respond to their calls. The director sighed before he rolled his neck.

“I’m sure she’s fine, sir.” Adagio offered “It was just a couple of lesser strangers.”

“Strangers with those damn tendrils” he grumbled, looking over the puddles around the area. He gave a small wave to Twilight collecting her samples ahead of the cleaners, who rose and walked over to join him.

“Is it the same kind of venom?” he asked, to which the scientist heaved out a deep sigh.

“I’m afraid if there is any venom, it’s mixed in with the rest of the remains too much to tell.” Her shoulders slumped “I’ll run tests but I doubt I’ll be able to say for sure or not even then.”

“Hmmm” he brought hand to his lips as he took a couple steps away. Adagio took a step after him as she glanced back. Fluttershy seemed to have just managed to relay the truth to Dash and was trying to keep her from giving it away with her reaction. “Find her?!”

The siren jumped at the director’s shout, following it to the OC now returning. He stepped aside to meet them, her once again stepping to place herself correctly. She tensed when Applejack approached the statue but she was thankfully headed off by Dash, leaning against the side she just climbed on to steer the cowgirl to join her there.

Another sigh sounded and the director returned to his earlier spot. Looking up at the stars coming out after the now almost completely set sun. He glanced at her a moment… then his brow furrowed and looked at her more directly. Then frowned, looking over her housemates.

“Dazzle... why do you keep putting yourselves between us and the statue?” he asked almost curious in the subtle accusation. She felt her already shaky poker face slip a bit further as she failed for a response. She opened her mouth to try to reply anyway,

When the unmistakable chime of arcane travel and a bright flash came from just behind her.

‘Damnit Shimmer, you have some timing.’

“Oh cool, new jacket.” the fiery haired hunter gave, looking over the crop-topped leather until the rest of her surroundings came into focus. She blinked, slowly bringing her head up, panning it around to everyone gathered now staring at her in shock. She glanced back to the polished stone behind her before turning back to her silent audience. “Uhhhhh… I can explain?”

The surrounding humans all continued to stare slack jawed. Rupert blinked repeatedly and shifted to at least attempt to say something but fell short, still lost. Twilight was the first to actually move, taking several uneven steps toward her, though her eyes were glued to the stone base itself. Sunset stiffened at her approaching the portal but before she could even begin to move;

“AH!” Sunset pitched forward with a yelp as another figure came tumbling out from the stone with another flash. She groaned as she pushed herself away from the cement, looking to see what hit her to see Twilight laid across her, in a rather gaudy dress and without her glasses. “Wait…”

She looked back up to the doctor now completely frozen in her approach, eyes wide and pupils pinpricks as they stared unblinkingly at the doppelganger on the redhead’s back. Said double rubbed her head and squinted her eyes open to see Sunset staring back her incredulously. The princess saw the unicorn's current form and snapped her head around over the still flabbergasted humans and caught up quickly and scrambled off her, fumbling back toward the polished surface with a heavy blush.

“Oh, uh… ehehe sorry, I slipped. I’ll uh, I’ll just be g-” she bumped against the stone, both her and Sunset instantly going pale. Twilight’s sheepish smile fell as she spun, hands fumbling clumsily over the very solid base. They began to shake as she slowly turned back to her fellow pony, terrified “S-Sunset?”

The redhead swept her nervous gaze over those gathered, seeing her housemates were now almost as lost as the rest that still hadn’t even really begun to recover from the first shock, let alone the second. She dipped her head back down to rest against the cold pavement.

‘Aw fuck…’

Chapter 22: Coming Clean

View Online

Sunset and Twilight, the pony one, sat in the station’s rarely used interrogation room. Rarely in the fact it was only used to store the excess of folding chairs Cadence had accumulated for her groups over the years. MIST didn’t do a whole lot of interrogating. On the very rare occasion they did, it was still usually through the FBI at one of their facilities. So the only things in the room besides the two pony girls and the table and chairs, was a trio of apples the agents had allowed AJ to give them when Twilight’s stomach rumbled, and a decent layer of dust.

“I’m sorry…” the alicorn girl muttered for not the first time between bites, which Sunset once more responded;

“You just slipped Twilight- er, Princess; this isn’t your fault.” she returned a bit reserved “I’m the one that came through the mirror in front of everyone first…”

“You can call me Twilight, Sunset. I’m… honestly not really that comfortable with the title myself” she offered with a small smile. It only lasted a moment before she cast a worried look to the room’s door, to the dark suited men standing on just the other side of its small window “What’s going to happen to us?”

“I don’t know.” the unicorn turned human returned honestly. While still outside the school, the others had only just begun to recover as the pair managed to stand themselves up when a convoy of black SUVs rolled up on the courtyard. A small army of federal agents poured out, quickly separating them and securing the area. While she wasn’t sure where the two principals had been taken, the MIST staff had been brought back to the station and the two of them were put in the interrogation room before being left alone. They were apparently waiting for someone. “I wasn’t expecting anything like this, not right away at least.”

On the other side of the door, the gathered employees either stood or paced anxiously. Agadio leaned against the wall, pensive next to Fluttershy and Dash. She glanced over to see Aya was still glaring at the pair of agents guarding the door, refusing any of them entry. Just beyond the blonde stood Twilight, staring blankly at the wall her counterpart was just on the other side of. She’d been pretty much full BSoD since the doppelganger fell from the statue. Her brother was further down the hall, shouting into his phone.

“-Because I’m being blocked from doing my damn job!” his voice echoed through the otherwise silent hallway “The hell this isn’t a MIST matter! Shimmer’s a Hunt- Hello?! Mother f...”

Adagio watched as his thumb pounded on the phone’s screen, wondering if he was going to break it. She looked back to the door, the two suits still just staring ahead as they waited. She sucked at her cheek a moment, heel bouncing as she thought.

“God damnit…” she finally grumbled and, with a heavy sigh, pushed away from the wall.

“I’m sorry ma’am but-”

“STAND ASIDE!” The demand bounced through the hall with an unnatural echo, all present shooting stiff and still at the otherworldly order. The two men swayed in place, almost stumbling out of the way as they complied. Adagio teetered herself a second, wincing with a hand to her temple as the bright glow of her gem faded and she stepped into the room. As soon as she was through the men recovered, stepping back to block the door. They looked like they were briefly considering following her, but then shared a notably concerned look before thinking better of it.

“Dag?!” Sunset stared unbelievingly at the siren that forced her way in. She was left speechlessly hanging as the deeply scowling siren swept past and grabbed one of the room’s many chairs before unfolding it next to her at the table. Finally finding her voice again “The hell are you doing?! If they didn’t bring you here with us-”

“Please Shimmer, like they wouldn’t have put it together two seconds after whoever they’re waiting for arrives.” she snarked back as she fell into the chair. Her scowl grew slightly awkward as her eyes darted to the unicorn girl, having trouble making eye contact “Besides… I’m not about to just let you weasel out of your promise because of something like this…”

Sunset stared at the siren now pointedly looking away. Any wonderings were interrupted by Twilight’s hand landing on her arm as the princess leaned into to whisper.

“You are So much further along than your journal entries suggest!” she gave excitedly. Excited enough to make the whisper not mean much and prompting the siren to turn back to shoot her a look. It however broke with a blink.

“Wait, you said the journal was broken!”

“It was! I mean it is!” the redhead quickly returned “Just… not as broken as I thought it was.”

Outside the door the pair of men stood ridged, trying not to sweat at the shorter blonde woman standing right in front of them with a smoldering glare. The Awakened had grown very cross at them having allowed the other hunter in but none of the rest. She may have been notably slighter in stature but they weren’t completely unfamiliar with her abilities. And even if they weren’t, few wouldn’t at least flinch under that intense gaze.

“Stand down Ms. Brea,” a new voice echoed down the hall. A tall woman with dark cerulean hair strode towards the group, flanked by another pair of federal agents that had collected them as she shifted through the ornate shoulder bag Sunset had appeared out of the statue with. She paused as something within vibrated loudly. She cocked an eyebrow into its depths before continuing to walk “You’ll be allowed in momentarily. Please stop scaring my team.”

“CHRIS?!” Bonbon exclaimed.

“Heya Bonnie~” the agent cooed as she tapped her old partner on the nose while she passed. The hunter flailed at the offending digit before glaring at the woman.

“Hey Nothing! The fuck are you doing here?!” The agent stopped again and shot an incredulous look back.

“Seriously? After what you just saw and all this razzle dazzle you’re now asking why I’M here?” she gave bluntly. Bonavire blinked as her angry expression fell completely, replaced by worry. Eyes darting between her old partner and the door, she fumbled before managing to ask;

“This can’t be related to OUR-”

“No.” Chris quickly cut her off “No, this has nothing to do with OUR old assignment. Fuck that noise. No I got reassigned when you left and believe me, this has been far more pleasant to deal with.”

“And what IS this?” Aya’s frustrated tone broke into the conversion.

“Well, why don’t we go in and you can find out for yourself?” The woman’s dark lipstick exaggerated her cheery smirk. “Mr. Broderick, Agent Armor, Dr. Sparkle, you'll be joining us in the main room.”

“So, what?!” Dash demanded “The rest of us just gotta sit by with our thumbs up our asses while you decide who-knows-what with our friends in there?!”

“You all may watch from the other side of the mirror if you wish.”

“Ma’am that’s-!” one of the agents that had accompanied her protested.

“You’ve read the same dossiers I have, Thrax.” she cut him off as well “Secrets may not leave this group easily but they sure as hell don’t last long within it. So long as it stays that way, we might as well not fight it.”

The rest left outside merely watched the leads disappear with the woman through the door, telling the other pair to remain outside with the other two. Seeing them not move into any position to intercept them, they piled into the observation room in a miniature stampede.

“Chrysalis?!” a cry came from the other side of the glass, drawing attention to the rather startled looking second Twilight within.

“Christine, actually. Christine Lylis” the cerulean haired agent returned evenly before taking her seat “I would assume that’s what my own counterpart goes by? And from that reaction, I’m guessing she’s not very popular.”

“She tried to stage a coup…” the transformed alicorn muttered.

“Well then you’ll be happy to know I hold no such grand ambitions,” Agent Lylis’s lipstick once more enhancing her smile “I don’t even like the responsibility of knowing the things I know, let alone have any desire to rule an entire kingdom.”

“How do you know it’s a kingdom?” Sunset asked cautiously. She of course remembered the tall woman from when she ambushed her outside the station with the mysterious manila envelope. She definitely hadn't forgotten the quip implying she knew where Sunset was really from. The mysterious agent’s smile didn’t falter.

“I think it’d be better to start with what you’re willing to share, don’t you think?” she replied “Let us judge how much you’re willing to cooperate, yes?”

Sunset gaze dropped to stare distantly at the table top for a long moment. She glanced at her two fellow dimensional immigrants to see they both seemed more than willing to let her take the lead here. After the bag now against the far wall buzzed again, she gave a heavy sigh.

“What do you want to know?” She gave, defeated. Twilight was still staring at her doppelganger at a complete loss but the other MIST leads looked to Agent Lylis, who merely gestured for them to start.

“Sunset…” Aya finally began, though didn’t seem to know where to go from there. After just another moment though “You don’t really have amnesia, do you? Like, At All.”

“No…” the redhead admitted “No, I was just using it as a cover. Not that you guys ever fully believed it but it was pretty convenient when it came up in Twilight’s first cognition test. I couldn’t very well just tell you what I am after all.”

“What you are?” Rupert returned with an arched brow.

“I’m a pony” Sunset laid out plainly “Not like what you’re thinking, we’re actually a lot different than Earth’s horses. I think we might actually be significantly smaller for one thing…”

“You’re a pony?” he leveled a flat stare back at her.

“A unicorn pony to be exact,” she answered “The portal changes the traveler into something appropriate for where they’re going though. Hence the still rather handsome form you see before you.”

“A portal in the school’s statue…” he continued past the poor attempt at levity, still clearly skeptical. “Changed you into a human?”

“Magic can do a lot of crazy things.” Sunset shrugged. That finally got a reaction out of the human Twilight, though it was just turning her lost look to the redhead before her brows furrowed “I know Twilight, you don’t believe in magic; but I’m afraid that doesn’t make it any less real.”

“OH! I know!” The princess Twilight next to her perked up and snatched one of the two remaining apples and cupped it under her hands “Like you did!”

“Twi wait-” the unicorn tired but the alicorn’s magic flashed and the apple was gone. When she pulled her hands away, it was now an orange.

‘Oh, never mind then’ she relaxed. She hadn’t really wanted another pet right away. Twilight then changed the fruit into a banana and then, of all things, a dragon fruit.

“Wow…” the alicorn turned girl panted lightly “That is a lot trickier without ambient mana or a horn.”

The four leads were simply staring at the fruit and even agent Lylis seemed a little surprised. The scientist slowly reached out and picked it up. Something occurred to her as she was holding it. Her wide eyes snapped back to her double, blinking rapidly.

“You have the same extra layer…” she muttered, Aya then straightened herself “But you’re not a NMH…”

“That would be our magic.” Sunset stated. Aya met her eyes, confused and searching.

“You’re telling the truth aren’t you?” she whispered, to which Sunset nodded “...then who are you? Really?”

“Well, I really am Sunset Shimmer.” She shrugged again “I was born in Vanhoover to Sunrise Shimmer and Titan Starfall. I… lost them both when I was six. I was then taken in as the personal student of Princess Celestia, under whom I learned magic. I did that until we had a falling out and I jumped through the portal out of mostly spite. I got hung up inside it for over a decade apparently and fell out in front of the school during the cultist gathering. You know the rest from there.”

“Van…Hoove-r” Rupert parroted.

“Yeah, we’ve kind of got a thing for word play in Equestria apparently.”

“So you’re… an alien?” Aya asked.

“Pretty much. I’d actually been considering telling you for a while now but…” she frowned as she glanced at the two federal agents in the room, one that grew a little deeper as the bag vibrated again “The rumors when it came to the government and aliens weren’t exactly comforting.”

“You think I’d just turn you over?” Shining frowned back.

“Well, not really, but… no offense Shiny but you gotta admit; you’re pretty dang cryptic about what you actually do around here and even you can’t keep everything secret from your higher ups.” The redhead replied honestly before gesturing to Christine “Case and point. Seems even you didn’t see this coming.”

“How are you me?” MIST’s science lead cut in suddenly, the question aimed towards the her physical, if still oddly dressed, reflection.

“I’m not. While yes we’re parallels, I assure you; we’re still completely separate individuals Dr. Sparkle” the alicorn girl answered before a tickled smile reached her “Despite how much I positively Love the sound of that… Doctor Sparkle.”

“Your title isn’t without prestige itself there, Princess.” Sunset gave before dropping to a murmur “Harmony knows I certainly tried for it…”

“You’re a princess?” Agent Lylis finally spoke. She gave a dejected sigh at Twilight’s shrugging nod “Well this complicates things… continue for a moment, I have to make some texts and the encryption app will make it take a bit. Not like there aren’t still plenty of questions left though.”

“Are there doubles of everyone where you’re from?” Twilight seemed to have no problem letting the agent take her time.

“Oh no. No, Earth's population is significantly larger than ours, even accounting for the other races. There’s too many pon- er, people here for there to be a parallel for everyone.” her double answered with a loosely clenched fist rubbing her chin “We do know of some though. I personally know quite a few counterparts of this branch of MIST’s staff. Bulk Biceps, the ‘OC’ as you call them… AJ, Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy and Rainbow are actually my dearest friends back home. It was actually really nice to learn that, even as a completely different species in an entirely different world, versions of us still found each other…”

“And how did you learn that?” Rupert returned with a hint of concern.

“The journal you guys found me with,” Sunset answered “It used to be linked with another. What was written in one would appear in the other. I thought that part of it was broken when it was damaged at the school, so I was just using it to document everything I learned here. I only just learned myself that they were still receiving my entries and weren’t able to respond.”

“Is that the same journal in the bag?” Agent Lylis inquired, still typing away at her phone.

“No, that’s actually a new one…” the unicorn girl answered mutely as the bag buzzed once again “Can we please at least answer her? She’s probably worried sick with Twilight falling through the mirror and the portal closing.”

“And who would that be?” Shining asked.

“Princess Celestia. Equestira’s ruler for the last thousand years, Twilight and mine's former teacher, and…well...” Sunset hesitated and looked away with a blush as she scratched the back of her head. She hadn’t missed Luna’s comment about her being essentially her niece, despite not saying anything at the time “Basically my Mother…”

“Your mother?” Aya repeated with a blink.

“Like I said; I lost my parents when I was six. Dad died in an accident and Mom got sick not long after. It’s one of the reasons she pushed for me to get into Celestia's school, so I’d still be taken care of…” she returned a bit sadly. “But then I didn’t just get into the school but Celestia took me on as her personal student to live in the castle. She pretty much raised me after Mom passed. So yeah… other than never being officially adopted, which could have caused some problems itself, she was basically my new mom after that.”

Any response was cut off as the tall woman placed the journal in front of the director.

“I think we can at least let her know her students are unharmed.” she gave before returning to her seat. He glanced uneasily to the others in the room before opening it up… to find it completely blank.

“Oh right,” Sunset gave before leaning across to tap the page with slightly glowing fingers. Words began to materialize across the page.

Sunset?

Sunset please respond. Twilight fell through the mirror and it cracked when it fell. Please tell me the two of you made it through safely.

Please tell me the journals’ connection wasn’t severed with the portal.

Please say I haven’t lost you again.

Despite having a great majority of his world view shattered in the last hour, Rupert still felt his heart tug at the simple words of a frightened parent. God knows how hard it was to lose his daughter. How hard it still was… He pulled a pen from his jacket.

“Do I just write back?” he asked, seeing the young hunter nod.

Hello?

The response was virtually instantaneous, the words forming from nothing before he even finished writing the question mark.

Hello? Who is this? I don’t recognize this hoofwriting.

“This is fucking wild…” Aya breathed as she watched over his shoulder, earning a suppressed chuckle from her new protégé. She didn’t get to hear the blonde swear like that much.

My name is Rupert- was as far as he got before the other writer started again.

Rupert? As in Rupert Broderick? Head of MIST?

The director blinked at the question. Intentional or not, it would seem Sunset had been sharing quite a bit with this princess.

Yes. That is correct.

Oh thank goodness. Please Mr. Broderick, please tell me Sunset and Twilight are safe.

They are seated in front of me, they’re unharmed.

Then at least there is that. Thank you.

Is this Princess Celestia? Ruler of [...] where they’re from.

I am the primary leader of Equestria, along with my sister, yes.

And Sunset’s adoptive mother?

There was a long pause after the inquiry, long enough to make Rupert wonder if he should ask if something was wrong just before the words continued at a more hesitant pace.

Did she say that?

Yes.

Another pause followed, though not quite as long as the first.

I [...] suppose I do have the honor of that title as well, yes.

“I think you just made her very happy” the alicorn Twilight leaned in to whisper gleefully to the once again blushing redhead.

“Are you reading that upside down?” Adagio cocked a skeptical brow at the girl.

“There’s a whole school of spells that have to be read upside down” Sunset answered for the other Twilight… and to distract herself now as well “They’re not very efficient or useful but the princess has it as part of her curriculum to help ‘open her student’s minds’.”

I would assume since you said unharmed instead of well that their exit through the portal has caused difficulties. Correct? Celestia continued writing.

Many questions have been raised, yes. The FBI is currently holding them as they answer them.

I understand. I will assist in any way I can, limited to this mode of communication as it may be. May I ask though; How serious does it seem?

“Yes, how serious DOES this seem?” he repeated aloud, looking at the recently arrived agent.

“Promising” she answered cryptically, still texting. She looked up to the three though “Can your ruler still move your sun and moon?”

The Four MIST leads balked at the casually delivered question, staring at the trio with shock.

“Luna moves the moon again, now that she’s back, but yes” Twilight answered.

“Luna… so there are now three princesses, including yourself?” the agent asked for clarification.

“Four. Celestia, Luna, Cadence and now me” she listed off in response.

“Cadence?!” Shining blurted out. Behind the mirror his wife was wearing a similar look of surprise “Cady’s a princess there?”

“Princess of Love…” Sunset answered a bit dully. “Yeah, to say I was shocked the first time I saw our counselor would have been putting it lightly." The redhead glanced to the princess at her side "Is yours pregnant too?”

“No, but she and my brother have been married less than a year, so still in ‘honeymoon phase’ at this point” the alicorn answered before bouncing slightly with a giddy smile toward her bbbff’s counterpart “But congratulations! You’re going to be a DAD!”

Mr. Broderick? The book vibrated, refocusing the group.

Sorry, I’m trying to get an answer myself.

“You can tell her she doesn’t need to be concerned,” the black nailed agent answered “No matter what arrangement is ironed out, the last thing we want to do is cause an interdimensional incident with a species capable of moving heavenly bodies…”

I’m being told you shouldn’t be concerned.

That’s not the most reassuring way to phrase that sentiment, Mr. Broderick.

I’ll do everything I can to ensure they stay safe Miss [...] Princess.

Do I have your word?

Yes.

Then that will have to be good enough. Even in her earliest writings, Sunset painted you as nothing if not a man of honor Mr. Broderick, and believe me; earning Sunset’s actual respect as an authority figure can be quite the challenge indeed, as many of her former instructors would attest.

A low, distressed hum escaped from the redhead across the table from him, once more avoiding eye contact with reddened cheeks.

“Can we ask how you know what you do about Equestria now?” the princess Twilight asked of the cerulean haired female.

“Yes, I suppose we can get to that. I’ve already learned more than we knew already.” the woman straightened in her seat “To put it simply, you three aren’t the first visitors we’ve received from Equis. Even you and your sisters were beaten to the punch by at least a decade Ms. Dazzle.”

“There are other Equestrians here?” Sunset wondered.

“At least two, as well as a griffon. He’s in the UK under their protection, so I can’t tell you too much without breaching their confidence. One of the two ponies is in a similar state in Japan but we do have our own here in the states” Agent Lylis relayed openly “A rather pleasant woman that goes by Meredith now, formally a mare named Merry Explorer. She was on some kind of expedition when she encountered a sort of… ‘magical tear’ in the air as she put it and it dropped her here without a way back. That was about twenty years ago, hence why hearing there were three new princesses was notable.”

“Where is she now?” Twilight asked wearily.

“Safe. I’m afraid I can’t disclose her location without clearance but she’s under our protection, like you three.” they seemed a little surprised to hear that “Come on Ms. Shimmer, surely you caught my little hint when we first met. You think we’d just let you stay with MIST, knowing what you are, if we had a problem with it?”

“So you’re not gonna try to take them away?” Aya quired.

“Well even without that ‘try’ I didn’t fail to notice, no. On top of not wanting to deal with MIST’s resistance in any such attempt, Equestria has been deemed best not interfered with.” she explained “On top of the aforementioned risk of them moving our own astral bodies should we anger them, they’re… well, just too damn wholesome to want to piss off, honestly.”

“Wholesome?” Sunset balked as Adagio let out a thoroughly amused cackle.

“Well, as we understand it, the very concept of Friendship is a key tenant in your culture, yes?” she smiled back “We feel cooperation would be not only far more beneficial than risking any kind of animosity, but just plain easier. And now with this means to open communication available to us, I’ve made the recommendation to do what we can not to upset your princesses.”

“So no vivisections in an underground super lab?” Twilight gave nervously.

“What have you been writing in that journal Ms. Shimmer?” Christine quipped “But no. While I’ll admit your concern isn’t entirely without warrant, we’ve learned from Meredith that whatever process turns you lot human is rather thorough. And seeing as we haven’t made virtually any progress in even detecting your magic, let alone utilizing it… yeah, we’d be right back to the cooperation route anyway.”

“It is kind of weird NMHs can sense it in the first place” Adagio mentioned “Magic usually needs magic in kind to sense it like they can.”

“Ah yes, which brings us to you Ms. Dazzle” Agent Lylis gave with a note more seriousness “While these two are ponies, you and your sisters are not.”

“She’s not?” Twilight, the doctor one, asked.

“No, I’m a siren.” she gave a touch darker, scowling back at the agent in front of her. “Though I got the impression you already knew about us.”

“We did. From almost the beginning in fact. Why do you think your attempts to get yourselves identities went so smoothly?”

“God damnit, it was us…” Shining grumbled at the assertion “That explains why I never got anywhere with it.”

“Sorry about that, Agent Armor.” his fellow fed offered “But yes, it's significantly easier tracking people willing to have a paper trail and we definitely needed to keep you under surveillance; Your hypnotic abilities mixed with your rather aggressive plans and attitudes posed a very real threat to national security.”

“Then why bother letting us stay free?” Adagio sneered.

“Well, the main concern was the risk of you turning anyone we sent after you directly.” she returned before shrugging “But honestly? Even with all your world domination talk, you were set on a back burner when more than a year went by and you three seemed perfectly content to keep using your powers for petty things like free hotel rooms and scamming rich assholes. Not the most ethical stuff to tolerate, sure, but hardly a big enough threat to risk exposure or forced turncoats over.”

It was the Dazzling’s turn to look away with a blush at that one.

“I… suppose we may have grown a little too comfortable with this world’s amenities for a while…” she murmured after a moment.

“You don’t need to look at it so negatively; It’s what kept us from scooping you up after all. Though in retrospect that may have been preferable over ARK finding you…” the fed gave a bit dejectedly herself “We would have stopped it but didn’t see that coming ourselves. They may not have anyone in our department, but they can still hide their pawns in the others from us just as well. But it does bring up the question of what your plans are now that they ruined that former complacency.”

“I’m just trying to get my sisters back” the siren returned grimly “I don’t know what we’ll do after that, but considering you know about us and snipers are thing, it won’t be trying to piss you off… the asshole that banished us here launched us a thousand years into the future too, so were not even a threat to Equestria anymore either. We don’t have much choice but to play nice…”

“Princess Celestia has decided to offer them amnesty if they decide to return to Equestria, so long as they do plan on ‘playing nice’.” The trio’s alicorn interjected, “If you won’t let them stay here, we’re willing to make them ‘our problem’, as it were.”

The woman’s dark lipstick pursed as she sucked the inside of her cheek, studying the displaced fugitive. At least until her phone vibrated that is.

“Yeah alright, good enough for me.” she gave almost immediately after reading the text. The siren blinked.

“Just like that?”

“I was just given full discretion on how to handle the situation so yeah, just like that.” she delivered brightly “Now don’t get me wrong, you three will be having some pretty intense interviews the next few days and the whole station's in for a hell of a debriefing. Thankfully you lot are used to keeping secrets, so it shouldn’t be THAT bad. Beyond all the details being ironed out, and me needing to borrow that journal for a bit, we’re good. So unclench already, you’re fine.”

“Well that… sounds a whole lot less painful than I thought it might be.” Sunset hesitated “What now though?”

“Now you lot can finally leave the room while I talk to this princess of yours.” the agent didn’t quite order them to leave.

“I, er- We might be able to link you a set of your own.” Sunset gave as she rose.

“That… would be very helpful. Though for now I really do have to get some things settled right away.” she pulled out a pen and began referencing something on her phone “Don’t worry Ms. Shimmer, you’ll get it back and will be able to talk to your Mom again before you know it.”

With the agent now readying her own words upon the parchment and calling a pair of the agents outside in, the rest of them rose to leave. The displaced princess hesitated.

"I know you said she's being protected but I'd be remiss if I didn't insist to at least be able to speak with this 'Meredith'." Twilight gave with a strong, if still unpracticed, official note "Acclimated or not; she's still an Equestrian citizen."

"I'll put the paper work through tomorrow. And make a request of the agencies watching over the other two as well." Christine answered simply as the man she referred to as Thrax handed her a folder "It's my understanding the former Griffon is rather glad to be done with Equis and I actually know very little of the other former pony so I'm not sure the response we'll get, so that's the best I can do."

"Thank you." Twilight returned mutely and left with the others, now thoroughly dismissed. The group exited to the hall and started to stop as the rest of the witnessing staff practically poured out of the crowded observation room. Everyone just kind of stood silent for a moment, not sure where to start.

Until a pair of hands landed on the pony girls' backs and gently pressed them to keep moving forward.

“Lab.” the local Twilight said absently and the group burst into chuckles.

“Well, I hope you’re up for some testing” Sunset gave her fellow pony a sheepish smile.

“At this point, I’d honestly be a little disappointed if she didn’t.” the princess giggled “And at least we now know us touching wont make the universe implode.”

Sunset felt the doctor’s hands splay a little more stiff at the comment but it didn’t stop the pressure. They entered the lab with the rest hot on their heels. The scientist set them down in the testing stools before busying herself setting up her equipment.

“Soooo…” Cadence was the first to talk after they all crammed themselves in. “That answered some questions. It also brought up a whole mess more but at least we finally have an answer to your ‘inconsistent memory’. And we know what the deal is with the other Sunset Shiny found.”

“You found my counterpart?!” Sunset shot straight, barely noticing as a grumbling Adagio was seated next to her by the still somewhat dazed scientist. She had done some looking herself but hadn’t come up with even the slightest hint.

“Sort of.” Shining answered “We found a girl with the same name that looked just like you, so I guess more than sort of yeah. Her back story even lines up with yours some, save that we call it VanCouver here, she didn’t lose either of her parents until she was fourteen, and then well… then she died four years later.”

“She’s dead?” Sunset frowned “H-how?”

“As insane as it sounds, she was at Carnegie Hall… That night.” Aya answered somberly “I even remembered seeing her when Shining told us…”

“Huh… That’s… huh” the redhead muttered. She honestly didn’t even know how she was supposed to react to that, let alone how she should feel.

“You two knew,” Rupert shot toward the girl’s housemates “Not about the other Sunset obviously, but everything we just learned about this one. Didn’t you?”

“Uh, kind of. For a little bit, yeah” Rainbow shuffled a bit awkwardly “I figured it out after her manifestation and she told Shy not too long after. Sorry boss, but I think that fact we got fed-bushed the instant the jig was up kind of excuses us keeping it a secret.”

The director gave a difficult to read hum

“So like,” Applejack spoke next “Hooves and a horn and everything?”

“Those two things, yes. Again though, we’re pretty different from Earth equines. Saying we’re like your horses is like saying human’s look like gorillas.” Sunset tried to explain “We’re a lot softer and smoother for one. Obviously a lot smarter too.”

“From my estimations, we’re probably a good bit smaller like you said too” the alicorn Twilight added. A titter came from the group’s most fashionable member.

“It sounds like you might be rather cute by that description.” Rarity smirked.

“I wouldn’t go that far.” Sunset countered

“Oh please,” Adagio quipped as the doctor wrapped a tourniquet around her bicep “You ponies are like if puppies and kittens could have babies.”

“We are not!” The Equestrian pair protested as more giggles found the group.

“They’re adorable.” The siren confirmed flatly to the fashionista. The two puffed their cheeks out in matching pouts, only further condemning their adorable status.

Sunset’s face then fell back to uncertainty as she looked around to her gathered coworkers.

“So… this isn’t all too weird?”

“You may have picked up that ‘Too Weird’ is kind of already the default here at MIST Sunny,” Lyra offered next to Bonbon nodding in agreement. “Don’t get me wrong, this is pretty fucking crazy even by our standards, but we’ve all heard the rumors of what Bonnie here used to have to deal with. From what she’s told me, half of them are even tru-OW!”

“Ly’!” her partner hissed through her teeth after delivering a pretty solid side kick to the hunter’s leg. She gave a huff but relaxed a bit “But yes. Considering how casually Chris was treating this, it’s probably nowhere as unpleasant to deal with than our previous assignments. If she’s been assigned to… the division I think, then they’re far less concerned about containment and counter tactics than they are simple study. Neither we or You… probably have too much to worry about.”

“Lotta modifiers there, babe.” Lyra grumbled, still rubbing her shin. The typically more professional hunter simply shrugged in return.

“So…” Sunset said again “I’m still MIST then?”

The group looked to the leads. Twilight was still distantly transfixed on her tests while the other four shared a look among themselves. Shining was the first to speak.

“If the bureau gave Agent Lylis discretion, then I can’t argue one way or the other” he offered. His wife rolled her eyes at her husband’s non-answer before answering herself.

“Considering she’s been like this the whole time and it’s worked out this well anyway, I don’t see this making that big of a difference. If anything it’ll help now that we finally know what the ‘extra layer’ really is” Cadence offered a conflicted smile “I’m not sure I’m exactly qualified to counsel aliens though.”

“I’d say you’ve done well enough so far. If nothing else, I think we might have to go over me finding out my counterpart is dead now…” the redhead returned a bit troubled. She shook the confusing thought away and looked to the man whose decision it really was. The director met her gaze.

“Were you planning on leaving us?”

“No…”

“Then why are you even asking?” he gave simply as Aya smirked next to him.

“Not gonna get rid us that easy kiddo.” Sunset turned her head down to hide her now watering eyes behind her hair.

“Thank you” she managed to whisper out, without her voice shaking too much even. She really didn’t need to be afraid, did she? Not about MIST.

Not about her friends.

“You don’t need glasses…” Doctor Sparkle accidentally saved the unicorn girl from further awkwardness, distantly making the comment as she was checking her double’s eyes with her scope.

“Oh uh, no. No, with how much I was starting to read at a young age, my parents felt it prudent to get my eyes checked,” the pony Twilight explained “They caught the problem early and I had it magically corrected long before it got bad enough to need glasses.”

“Mag…” the scientist muttered, “So this… ‘arcane’ energy is what we’ve been feeling as the ‘extra layer’ this whole time?”

“Uh… yeah” Sunset answered a bit abashedly.

“And these recent NMC developments? The tendril mutations, and the enhancements to that golem from the ARK’s armor?”

“I’m afraid so,” she confirmed with a sigh. “It was actually those developments that made me really start to consider telling the rest of you.”

“Things could have been a lot easier for us if you told us you knew what it was from the beginning, Sunset” the scientist huffed as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Hey come on Twi, you know that ain’t fair,” Rainbow cut in. “And besides, would you have really believed her if she said it was magic?”

“One of the very first things you told her was ‘There’s no such thing as magic’, Twilight.” Fluttershy added.

“We know now.” Rupert cut in himself “And you mentioned you studied… it specifically, right?”

“Oh, oh yeah! I was taught by the most powerful pony in the kingdom!” Sunset returned “Now that this is all out there, I can help a lot more openly with trying to counter it. Not that we really understand how they’re doing it themselves but… yeah, I’ll do whatever I can.”

“I can help too!” the alicorn girl offered. “I may not know any more about this world than what I’ve learned from Sunset’s journal but if there's anything I do know for sure, it’s magic. And well… I gotta do something while we figure out how to get me back home.”

“Well Ah don’t see how we can turn that down” AJ commented “Can’t ask for better help dealing with those ARK assholes messing with this stuff than two girls who actually know how to use it right.”

“Three…” Adagio added quietly. Feeling everyone’s eyes one her she shrugged “I may not be trained by an immortal princess but my sisters and I were considered big enough threats to banish a thousand years into the future. And I still fully intend on showing ARK why we were so feared once I get them back.”

“Not the most noble endorsement for yourself there Darling, but I suppose I can’t argue against it either” Rarity returned “Still leaves how ARK knew enough about magic to take you all in the first place though.”

“While we hadn’t encountered any other magical beings, we did once come across an artifact containing some Equestrian magic” the siren relayed “They may have stumbled across something similar. Or even just caught wind of our abilities, not even knowing it was magic and just wanting to exploit them.”

“Wait you didn’t tell me you found an artifact” Sunset turned to the Dazzling.

“There’s not much to tell. We never even figured out what it did.” She shrugged “Sonata found it at a street fair. Her and Aria were fighting over it and ended up throwing it out the hotel window. Magic or not, it still shattered after a five story drop.”

“What was it?”

“Some egg shaped rock with an eye carved in it” she shrugged again “Didn’t have an ounce of magic after it broke so we just tossed it. Even if ARK did find an artifact though, I don’t see how they could know about Equis itself without having someone from it telling them, and they didn’t have any records of anyone magic besides us. None that I had access to at least.”

“Well, I already knew about Equestria.” All eyes turned toward Pinkie at the casual declaration “I didn’t know about Sunny being from there in particular, though I did have my suspicions.”

“You knew about… and Y-you suspected…?” Sunset balked at the bubbly rangemaster “What?!”

“I thought it'd be rude to ask, what with how you seemed to want to keep it a secret and all.” The Pie smiled “But yeah, my great auntie Megan ended up in Equestria a few times when she was a little girl. She would tell me and my sisters stories about it growing up.”

Sunset could only stare and blink at the woman blithely smiling back. She wasn’t the only one. She eventually turned to her fellow Equestrian.

“You said you know a Pinkie of your own?”

“Yes, she’s one of my best friends” Twilight answered evenly “And no, mine doesn’t make any more sense. If anything she makes even less.”

“Well now I wanna visit even more!” The Pie announced, earning another bout of laughter. Perhaps a bit uneasy laughter, but still laughter.

Sunset took the distraction to hide her behind her hair again, her eyes watering once more. They didn’t care. She was an alien and they didn’t care because she was MIST, a part of the family. She was their friend and they were hers, and that’s all that really mattered.

‘Why the hell did it take me so long to come around to this friendship thing again?’

True enough to Agent Lylis’s word, the next few days had been filled with virtually non-stop questions. Between the agents' on her team’s interviews, and now the whole station’s inquiries after being debriefed, Sunset was glad to finally be back home for more than just enough time to sleep. As much as a relief it had been to be accepted, and know her secret wouldn’t be leaving the station’s walls any more than the secrets already being kept within, it was getting pretty draining nevertheless.

The fact her journal had been returned was a big part of her relief as well. While the pages of whatever was discussed between the Princess and the mysterious agent had been removed, Celestia assured her it was nothing for her to be concerned about. She was to begin working with Twilight to try linking a new set for the agent who was apparently going to be joining Shining as another liaison at the Station, if only one more concerned with the now far more classified part of them being aliens while he continued his normal duties. Whatever the hell those really were. But that could wait until tomorrow. As it was, the princess thought it best they both had time to figure out the new status quo and adjust before any major talks beyond simply touching bases.

“Hey” Rainbow gave as she turned around on the couch. “Now that ya can talk back and forth with Equestria, I don’t suppose your Princess can put a sketch or something of what you guys actually look like in there, can she?”

“OOOO!” Fluttershy perked up at the idea, even more than Sunset would have expected. The equestrian Twilight, who managed to pull her almost enraptured attention from the very same laptop Sunset had used when she first arrived, was the one to answer the request.

“She can do better than that. With the occasional distortions in some of her other journal’s entries, Princess Luna and I, along with the others allowed to study Sunset’s findings, insisted the new journal should be able to transfer things in a much higher resolution and with a more accurate color scheme.”

“You saying we can get pictures?” Dash arched her brow her way as Fluttershy gasped happily.

“We may be a bit behind in some areas compared to Earth, but we still have photographs. Pretty good ones too.” She confirmed before sweeping over to claim the journal sitting next to Sunset laying her head tiredly on the dining table and began writing “I can’t say she’ll respond right away, but the Princess does have pictures of us, so-”

The book suddenly snapped shut in the alicorn girl’s hands and the pages they were currently conversing on glowed slightly.

“Or she’s keeping it close enough to respond right away!” Twilight finished with a small chuckle. The human pair quickly rushed over to the table as they waited for the transfer.

“I hope you've brushed your teeth.” Agadio gave dryly from her now usual seat of the room’s armchair. Sunset finally raised her head to glare at her, earning no more than a smug smirk back. The book vibrated and Sunset took it herself, opening it to find pictures of both her and Twilight in her natural, quadapeal forms. There was also a rather detailed sketch of a trio of sirens. Sunset recognized it as the depiction of the Dazzlings from the story of their banishment.

“See, we’re not that cut-AH!” the unicorn girl found herself suddenly bumped out of her seat by the ecstatic nurse closing on the journal.

“Oh My God!” she beamed at the pictures with a positively glowing blush. “You ARE Adorable!”

“Told you” the siren snarked victoriously at the redhead now picking herself up into another chair.

“Is this what you really look like, seahorse?” Dash shot back. Adagio furrowed her brow and rose to join them. Looking past Fluttershy bouncing in her new seat, she studied the artist's rendition.

“Oh. While it doesn’t quite capture our true majesty, yes; that’s a fairly good representation of my sisters and I.” she confirmed “I remember posing for that in fact. We were surprised how well it turned out with how badly the pony drawing it was shaking. I’ll admit, it’s a little flattering to know we left a lasting enough impression to have it so well preserved after all this time.”

“Huh…” Rainbow tilted her head at the image “I was picturing something a lot more ugly.”

“WHAT?!”

“Hey, Sunny said seahorse! Seahorses are creepy as shit here.” Dash defended herself. Ignoring the siren’s still fairly scathing gaze she gestured back to the photo “That’s… actually kind of cool though.”

“Do you all look like this?!” Fluttershy asked the alicorn seated next to her.

“Not all of us. There are also earth ponies and pegasi.” Twilight giggled, taking the reaction in better stride than Sunset “And stallions are a bit more masculine, in a similar way to human males.”

“What about your-” a happy gasp escaped the nurse mid-sentence. Her eyes darted across the table before snatching the pen Sunset had been using. If she had been excited before, she was down right giddy as she rapidly scratched something beneath the pictures.

“Shy what’re you-” Sunset’s eyes bugged at what she read “NO!”

She lunged for the book but the medic snatched it away. Fluttershy then leapt from the chair as Sunset gave chase, giggling like a schoolgirl as she stayed a step ahead of the redhead. She had managed to put the kitchen’s island counter between them when the book vibrated in her grasp. They both froze, Sunset paling as the Nurse gained an almost manic grin. She flipped the book open to peer at what was sent;

And then literally screamed in delight as she hugged it to her chest.

Sunset fell against the counter, burying her head in her arms. The rest quickly skirted past the groaning redhead to see what was sent as the nurse laid it upon the counter.

“Ugh… did you really have to send mine too, Princess?” Twilight murmured.

“Oh holy shit” Dash sputtered as she and Adagio began to snicker in earnest and Fluttershy completely lost herself in overjoyed giggles.

Not that many could blame her after seeing not only Sunset and Twilight’s pictures of when they both became Celestia’s students, both fillies all of six years old, but the second pair of pictures as well.

Pictures of them both as diaper bound foals.

“Come on Sunny. You’re the one who said she was your Mom now.” Dash teased “Embarrassing you with baby pictures is part of the deal.”

Sunset took very little consolation in that fact as she groaned into the counter top again.

Author's Notes:

Well balls, had I realized Wednesday was the one year anniversary for this story I would have tried harder to release this chapter then! Ah well. Happy Belated Birthday Fuse!

So I know that all may have seemed a little too easy but to be honest, while I had always planned the expose, I hadn't really wanted it ever be that big of a source of conflict. Like the big scenes of the last chapter, this was one that's been bouncing around in my head since the beginning and it would have felt weird to make it this big fissure among the our messed up family of mutants after all they've been through together already... Things are certainly still going to be different but apologies to anyone that was hoping for a little more Drama out of it.

And it's not like there's not going to be more than enough for MIST to deal with coming up already...

But with our status quo still shifting, I'll leave it there until the next chapter. I hope to see you for it and thank you very much for reading! Have a good one!

Chapter 23: Along with the Good Times...

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Sunset strode down the hall towards the lab, eyes down towards the document Agent Lylis intercepted her with. One of many since her exposure. At least this one wasn’t like that ‘analysis’ of a suspected magical artifact; those pages were so redacted they may as well have just taken a paint roller to it.

She spotted a suit ahead in her peripheral, a now rather frequent sight since her exposure. With MIST having now become the most significant focal point of Equestrain involvement on Earth, Christine’s team had gone as far as just setting up shop in the station. If someone stopped to listen for a moment, they’d be able to hear them renovating what had been, until now, the completely unused third floor. She drifted to the side of the hall to allow the man to pass more easily without raising her head from the folder.

“Hey Sunset.”

“Hey Flash” she returned politely.

She halted.

“Wait.” she turned to see the familiar face beneath the short blue hair “Flash?”

“Ta-da.” he gave with an easy smile, spreading his arms to show off the typical agent attire.

“When did you become a fed?” she matched his grin.

“Shortly after our little episode with the Stinger actually” he answered with a brief grimace “Agent Armor felt I’d be a good fit and gave me a recommendation.”

“We were wondering where you disappeared to.” Sunset tilted her head as her smile turned more relieved “Honestly, I was worried that mess may have broken your worldview so badly you just quit. That or I scared you off with that whole… y’know… exploding thing.”

“Well, I’ll admit that did take some coming to terms with… but no; I’ve just been busting my ass off in Virginia this whole time” he chuckled. “Truth be told I still had a little time left up there but with everything that went down here, Agent Armor and Agent Lylis pulled some strings to get him some support a little early. Considering the position and being familiar with you guys, I was apparently an easy pick. So yeah, finishing the last little bit as ‘practical training’ under him.”

“Well, cool.” Sunset smirked, “Congrats.”

“Thanks,” he returned before gesturing with a folder of his own “I’d like to stay and chat but-”

“Duty calls” Sunset finished for him before letting him go, calling over her shoulder as she continued to the lab “Welcome to the team!”

She continued with a bit more pep in her step and reached the lab’s window to find another pleasant surprise through the glass; The rare sight of the younger Belle sister sitting next to Eve on the testing stools. She was laughing along with her fellow ‘Crusaders’, as the others called them, lighting up her already rather striking features further.

It hadn’t taken Sunset long after arriving to figure out that they were actually a rather handsome bunch at MIST. From the more simplistic, natural beauty of the Apple Sisters, to the carefully crafted vision that was Rarity, MIST was a pretty good looking group. Yet Sweetie managed to stand out among even most of them, right at the top with the likes of Aya, Eve and Adagio. In Sunset’s eyes at least.

“Sunset!” Twilight brightened as the redhead entered. While still coming to grips with the concept of magic being real, to the point she still had trouble using the specific word itself, the doctor had thankfully pulled herself out of her funk after the second day. She pointed towards one of the empty stools “You know the drill.”

“Hey Sunny…” Eve gave as the pony girl saddled up next to her, voice just a little tight. Sunset turned to see not only her, but the three other women doing a very poor job hiding smiles. They looked positively tickled, in fact.

“Oh god” the young hunter’s head thumped against the counter “Shy’s already been here, hasn’t she?”

“I…” Sweetie gave, trying not to giggle “Really liked your mane?”

“Uuuugggghhhh...” Sunset groaned into the sterile metal. Fluttershy had taken the photos out of the journal before Sunset could burn them, and had since been ruining any chance of the pony girl maintaining a tough reputation. She snapped back up and frowned at Sweetie “How are you even allowed to know?!”

“I'm not.” the striking crusader returned with a laugh “But Rarity had to gush to Someone. There’s a reason she’s not here with me for once; Agent Lylis isn’t exactly pleased with her at the moment… Told me about Evie here too.”

“Yeah well I kind of saw that coming…” Eve gave dully at the reminder before brightening to “But hey, at least you have baby pictures, right?”

“Well geez…” the transformed unicorn murmured “Replace the embarrassment with a helping of guilt why don’t you?”

“I didn’t mean it like that. Not really.” the blonde corrected “I mean, as great as Dad’s been since I became part of the family, I get the feeling it’s not really the same as growing up with a normal parent. Even an adopted one.”

“Kinda make’n us all feel guilty with that one Eves” Applebloom quipped.

“Well excuse me for finally being a little more comfortable with my messed up origin now that we have a literal alien in the mix.” Eve gave breezily “Especially a Magic one from a world filled with myths and cuteness.”

“Well you’ve caught up fast, haven’t you?” Sunset muttered. Eve has always been in the position to learn a lot, even not working for MIST; Harmony knew she was in the thick of things by a simple matter of fact. Still, it’d only been a few days and this was the first she’d seen her. But like Sweetie, she technically wasn’t supposed to know at all.

“Aya might not be a chatterbox at work, but she talks a lot at home. You’ve been a pretty common topic since you got here, even before all this magic stuff.” the blonde explained “And since she’s not scared of Lylis, she’s caught me up pretty well. It’s not like I can’t keep a secret anyway.”

“Aya talks about me?” Sunset tilted her head, trying to hide how touched she was by the implication.

“Don’t tell her I told you Sunny, but Aya doesn’t entirely hate the whole mentor thing.” Eve winked at her.

“Huh” was all the redhead managed in reply.

“So…” Sweetie gave after that moment “I’m sure you’ve gotten enough of it but… can we see some?”

Before Sunset could respond Twilight plopped an orange down in front of her.

“Y’know it doesn’t HAVE to be fruit, Twilight.” Sunset pointed out.

“My equipment and tests are geared toward organics” the doctor countered “Not that it’s really amounted to much yet, but still…”

The bespectacled woman shooed Applebloom to her station and the scientists switched on the cameras they’d been documenting all of the various ‘tricks’ with over the past few days. She gave the pony girl a thumbs up, prompting the redhead to simply give the orange a sharp tap. A brief flash strobed and the citrus was now an apple.

“Still a heck of a thing that,” the apple girl muttered. “Enough ta make me forgive that almost everything Ah’m learning with my degree is now wrong.”

“It’s not wrong, Applebloom.” Twilight corrected “These arcane energies aren’t a native variable, so it’s still important to figure out the natural world too.”

“And unnatural?” Scootaloo prompted “Not like you were dealing with normal science in the first place.”

“Actually as far as we know, Neo-Mitochondria developed naturally too” the doctor pointed out. Her attention drifted as something occurred to her “In fact, with how some NMCs can seemingly break what we know about physics already, I suppose it’s possible this kind of science isn’t quite as exotic as we thought…”

Sunset gave a blink at the thought herself. Several mitochondrial powers did go against a lot of Earth’s ‘laws’ of nature. While there were some theories of how certain techniques could make sense, such as speeding up healing and enhancing the already present electric field in living things, the likes of telekinesis shouldn’t have been possible according to all but the most open minded sciences. Was it possible whatever Neo-mitochondria drew upon was just Earth’s equivalent to magic?

A loud crunch snapped the group from their thoughts, drawing all eyes to Sweetie. The younger Belle sister arched a brow at their incredulous looks darting between her and the apple in her hand.

“What?” she asked innocently, “I wanted to see how it tasted.”

“And?” Scoots queried.

“And it tastes like an apple.” her friend shrugged.

“No odd sensations?” Twilight gave her a look of concern.

“It’s perfectly safe Twilight” Sunset assured her “Even screwing up the spell would just result in a probably odd looking, but still perfectly edible hybrid.”

“So like an apple that tastes like an orange?” Eve inquired “Or like an apple or orange with the other’s insides?”

“Yes,” Sunset answered simply, “I actually used to change orange rinds to apple skins because it was easier to peel them. ”

Several more oranges dropped onto the table as Twilight emptied the bag, prompting Sunset to giggle.

“Didn’t mean to divert from your tests” she offered her fellow NMHs.

“Are you kidding?” Eve quipped “This may be old hat to you Sunny but this is, well MAGIC to us!”

With the confirmed captive audience, she proceeded to change some of the oranges’ rinds like she said. One of the now red, round spheres was picked up by Scootaloo, who then handed it to the lab’s own Apple intern. The former farm girl eyed it suspiciously but tentatively took a bite, flinching at the copious juices that escaped. The young Apple, also related to the Orange family, frowned at fruit.

“Now that’s just some heresy right there” she grumbled before the rest burst into laughter.

“So I’m dead.”

“Your counterpart is dead Sunset. YOU’RE very much still alive.” the Cadence corrected “I know you were just being funny but the princess and you yourself have been quite adamant in insisting that we not start that kind of existential thinking.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s just…” the redhead shrugged, “Weird to think about it. I mean, why was I the one to survive?”

“Why did she get to keep her parents until she was fourteen while you only had yours until you were six?” Cadence returned “While I can’t even fathom how things could have worked out to have parallels like this at all, it’s pretty clear we’re not all fated to live perfectly parallel lives. I’m now pregnant after several years of happy marriage while my own counterpart is still in her honeymoon phase.”

“She is still married to Shiny though.” the redhead countered “The ‘Canterlot Five’ are together in both, with Twilight joining in later too. Equestria even has the OC. AJ's parents in both are... Just makes me wonder if there’s something coming I have no chance of avoiding, y’know?”

“I never thought you so taken with fate, Sunset.” the counselor commented “If anything, you’ve always seemed rather irritated at the idea.”

“Fate sure, but Destiny?” the unicorn turned human answered “That’s kind of hard to avoid believing in as a pony. What with cutie marks and all.”

“Cutie… marks?” Cadence repeated slowly, her smile growing more amused. Sunset rolled her eyes but soldiered on.

“They’re marks that appear when a pony discovers their natural talent or calling in life, what they’re meant to do with their lives. Usually at least.” she explained “So yeah, destiny is kind of a big thing for us.”

“And ponies can’t defy their marks?”

“Well, it’s not like they’re the only things we can do, but it’s rare for a pony to ignore theirs. Not unless they’re one of those that don’t have very useful marks.” she shrugged “Or don’t know what theirs means… Like me.”

“May I ask what yours is?”

“You’ve seen it actually; it’s on the cover of my journal. It’s the Sun with a sort of ying-yang swirl.” the pony girl explained before sighing “I used to think it meant I was supposed to be the next princess… Clearly that wasn’t it.”

“Well if it makes you feel better, us mere humans have to figure it out the hard way too.” Cadence quipped, though made a mental note to return to the topic in the future. “But back to the original matter; Your counterpart didn’t have magic. She didn’t awaken as an NMH. I also very much doubt she crossed interdimensional barriers. You’re not doomed to the same fate Sunset.”

“Everything ends Doc.” Sunset pointed out.

“Not always before its time.” Cadence countered “You have advantages she didn’t. An organization of super powered monster hunters having your back chief among them. Like Aya said; You’re not getting rid of us that easy.”

“Guess I’ll just have it make my life count for the both of us then, huh?” Sunset relented with a shrug.

“No, Sunset.” Cadence returned firmly “You live for you. As unfortunately as hers ended, this life is still yours. You’ve no responsibility for her life, only yours.”

“What about all those I’m supposed to protect from NMCs?” The redhead shot back. The counselor leveled her a blunt look before rolling her eyes at the girl’s sly smirk.

“Have you spoken with your mother yet?” Cadence moved on “As in a real conversion?”

“Sort of…” her patient shrugged again. “We still haven’t really had what feels like ‘the big talk’ but we had a bit longer of an exchange yesterday. More than just the touching bases at least.”

“There doesn’t necessarily have to be a ‘big talk’,” the older woman pointed out. “That implies there has to be some immediate change or shift in your dynamic. From the way you described it yourself; it’s basically been the case for some time, just without official titles attached to it, yes?”

“Yeah but it still feels like it needs…” Sunset searched for how to express her thoughts “to be acknowledged at least.”

“Then acknowledge it.” Cadence stated simply “These things don’t need to be so convoluted. You have the time and luxury in this situation to have it happen at its own pace. You don’t have to both ‘officially declare yourselves mother and daughter and that means all these things’. Your acknowledgement doesn’t have to be big or even obvious.”

“Even something small still feels like it’d be awkward.”

“Sorry to break it to you Sunny but it’s gonna be awkward no matter what. Relationships are built off uncertain steps, and you can’t always avoid stumbling. But it’s the same for the other side too, so it balances out. Whatever you think of, I’m sure it’ll go over far better than you may fear.” the counselor leveled with her, studying the uncomfortable acceptance. She kept her smile in check as she recognized the expression Sunset makes whenever reaching a conclusion, even if she seemed a bit nervous about it. With whatever idea Sunset came up with now reached, she moved on again “I hear you spoke with another princess as well…”

“Oh! Uh… So Twilight mentioned that, did she?” Sunset murmured, scratching behind her ear with a slight blush.

“Try not to blame her, she was just happy you wanted to reach out.” Cadence smiled warmly before tapping her pen on her lips “So how’d reconnecting with my counterpart go?”

“Surprisingly well, actually…” the pony girl admitted. Her blush grew slightly as the counselor’s questioning expression “I… didn’t actually get along that well with Cadence. Truth be told, I was almost always a total bitch towards her…”

“Oh… Twilight failed to mention that part.” The older woman was put a little off step for a moment, but regathered herself quickly enough “Despite your early resistance to the therapy itself, you never seemed to have that much of a problem with me personally. Not that I ever observed at least.”

“I knew you weren’t the same person and deliberately kept that in mind. That and the fact you’re a lot more accomplished and mature than the Cadenza I knew helped too.” the redhead wrung her hands between her thighs as she continued “Of course in retrospect, I never really gave her a chance...”

“Because she became a princess while you hadn’t.” Sunset nodded abashedly to the deduction.

“I would have never admitted it but I was jealous. Without even meaning to, she accomplished what I had been striving for from the moment I started my apprenticeship. Mix in her not knowing the first thing about magic and what I saw as her detracting from my own lessons all the more because of it…”

“You were, while maybe not justifiably, at least understandably frustrated and took it out on the perceived cause.” Sunset mutely nodded again at the counselor's conclusion “But considering those admitted sentiments, I’m assuming you felt the need to reach out?”

“Not… exactly. Twilight was talking with her through the journal and all I asked was if she’d be willing to pass something along before she dragged me into the seat to talk with her. I’m not even sure if Twilight knows there was bad blood between us at all…” Sunset frowned with a brief contemplation. “So yeah, I was kind of forced to just mare up and apologize myself after that.”

“It’s better that way Sunset, really.” Sunset made a face but not one of disagreement, so Cadance continued “And based on the ‘at least three pages’ of correspondence our visiting princess mentioned, it seems to have worked out okay.”

“Yeah, she accepted my apology. I’m not really That surprised… though she also wasn’t nearly as much of a doormat as I remember. Oh! Uh, no offense…” Cadence just rolled her eyes. She honestly hadn’t been the most confident girl growing up herself, but she found her stride eventually. She suspected her counterpart had during the time gap as well. She dismissed the thought as Sunset continued “I’d still say we’re a ways from ‘manicures and slumber parties’ but…”

“You reconciled.” A small, if still uncomfortable smile crossed Sunset’s face at the statement “And all it took was an apology. A simple, awkward apology.”

“Um, yeah…” Sunset muttered and Cadence’s smile grew just a little as she briefly saw that earlier expression back again.

“Though for not being at ‘manicures and slumber parties’, three pages sounds like more than just getting and giving some closure” She noted, curious as a small blush creeped up in Sunset’s cheeks.

“It was just small talk.” the redhead said, gaze pointedly averted. When the counselor didn’t continue she sighed “I wrote some… more private entries in the old journal. But since they were private, she hadn’t been allowed to see them. And being the Princess of Love, she of course concluded that private must mean romantic.”

“Ahh” Cadence returned with a coy smirk “And I’m sure you were just correcting her clearly false assumptions.”

The smirk didn’t falter at the scowl Sunset shot her, particularly because of how fiercely the pony girl’s blush grew. If there was one area she still hadn’t managed to successfully broach with the redhead, it was her love life. Yes, it may not be anything to be concerned about and not necessarily any of her business, but it was still an important factor when it came to most people’s mental health. She felt it safe to assume the same for Equestrians.

“It’s perfectly healthy for a girl your age to-” Cadence tried to continue.

“I’m not having this conversation again.”

“Again?”

Despite all her professional instincts, the older woman couldn’t help a small giggle escaping at her young patient’s, her young friend’s furiously red face falling into her hands with a groan.

Nearly the whole of MIST was gathered in the small ‘office’ on top of the station, staring out to the open area of the roof’s expanse. The converted police station that served as their headquarters actually wasn’t that big, and they didn’t really use the entirety of it, but they did have a landing pad. One which was currently being buffeted by winds strong enough they were in the office for more safety than comfort.

Sunset teetered slightly when Pinkie’s hands landed on her shoulders as she excitedly saddled up behind her to look out the same window. She received a small squeeze and shake as the rangemaster let out an ecstatic squee. Not that Sunset could exactly blame her, given why they were all gathered.

A few whoops rang out when a helicopter descended into view, closing on the great black square bordered with lights distinct from the others along the roof. Lights that Sunset was glad to see still working, considering she had been tapped to help replace many of them. More cheers rang out and applause erupted as the craft touched down at the guidance of the two young women at its controls. Sunset chuckled as she could just barely see them gesturing triumphantly inside.

They group stood by as the blades slowed, waiting until they stopped completely (as they had been adamantly instructed to) before pouring out to meet the two. Dash leapt out only to then immediately leap back up into the air with a swinging punch to the sky.

“FUCK YEAH!” the pilot cried out over the applause. “I FINALLY GOT MY BIRD!”

“OUR BIRD!” Scootaloo shouted from the cockpit, still finishing her procedures.

“Just give me this, Ok?!” Dash shot back with a mock scowl. Scootaloo just laughed.

It was far from the prettiest ‘bird’ around, even when not counting for the small amount of wear and tear on the hull’s paint job, but she was efficient and effective. Or at least that’s what the pair of pilots had told Sunset after the purchase. It had good range and economy, and enough capacity for a small team for rapid response. Also with the Feds’ support in costs, they could actually use it without bankrupting the station. While maybe not as often as the pair of pilots probably would’ve liked, they’d still be flying.

As much as they may have wanted to celebrate right then and there, the pilots still kept their heads and shooed the group off roof while they secured everything. It didn’t take them too long before they were done with their after flight checks and security though, and soon the majority of the station was off on their way to celebrate.

Sunset tried not to let Rainbow’s excited regaling of the copter’s intricacies in the passenger seat distract her attention from the road too much. Good practice for later, considering she’d be the designated driver for her housemates by night's end. She pulled into a lot crowded with the familiar vehicles of her coworkers, with Dash leaping out to rejoin Scootaloo before the engine was even completely off. Following the colorfully haired pilot, the trio made their way to the building’s entrance.

“‘Spiked Punch’ …charming.” Adagio murmured in a less than impressed tone at the stylized letters above the entrance. Sunset rolled her eyes but kept quiet as they entered, the sound of a crowd and music without lyrics meeting them. That second part was what Sunset suspected to be the main reason Adagio had agreed to join them. Spiked Punch wasn’t just a bar owned by an old friend of Redheart’s, it had the extra feature of a stage and expensive sound system.

Yeah, it was a karaoke bar.

And it was one that was all theirs for the night. She wasn’t sure who actually arranged it but their celebration was a full on private event. Add in that, while not infected themselves, Ms. Punch and her daughter had unfortunately been involved in an incident with NMCs (And a fairly significant one based on what little Sunset heard of it) so they didn’t even have to worry about exposure, or worry as much at least. Well, other than about magic of course. That point was immediately driven home by the sight of Agent Lylis pointedly staring at a booth tucked into a corner where a pair of scientists were bombarding the two Twilights with questions.

It had taken some convincing- okay it had taken A LOT of convincing- but Christine finally relented to the other leads needing to be informed about at least some of the recent ‘revelations’. So Doctors Chambers and Maeda, along with their branch directors had been flown in the previous morning and since entangled in the tidal wave of briefings, clearances and red tape that knowledge came with. Having just recently gone through an arguably worse version of it herself, and even still going through the maintenance of it, Sunset sympathized with the two visiting directors looking very tired and just a little lost as they sat with Rupert and Aya.

It did give her a chance to finally meet the director of the Manhattan branch though. Another dark skinned man like Rupert, Daniel was rather tall and large, though in a more round than sturdy way compared to Mr. Burton. Also like Rupert, he happened to be a former partner of Aya’s as well, from when she was with the NYPD. The redhead couldn’t help but notice Mr. Dollis was rather notably more… expressive than her branches’ own director however. He seemed like a nice man though, just a little rough around the edges.

“Sunny” her attention was brought to the station’s secondary medic approaching with a beer in one hand and a glass of coke in the other. Redheart passed the latter to the hunter “Got yer designated stamp right?”

Sunset held up hand to show the mark the bouncer had stamped on her way in.

“Good. Spot may have been a dick but Berry and I go way back, so I’d prefer us not risk getting her in that kind of trouble. Especially when she only just got the place.” the medic warned lightly with a smirk. Sunset returned a confirming nod, which seemed good enough for the nurse as the latter returned to the bar with a last word over there shoulder “You’re being waved down by the way.”

The redhead turned with a suppressed grimace to see who it was, surprised and not a little glad it wasn’t yet the visiting science leads. While certain her fellow Equestrian could use some support, Sunset had the distinct feeling that once she joined that table, it would be no small task leaving it again. It was Eve, Applebloom and Sweetie calling her over at the moment though. Happy for the excuse to put off another interrogation, as well meaning as it may be, she was resolved to enjoy as much of the night as she could before it. A pair of jubilant shouts came from behind her as she sat; The last ‘crusader’ was at the bar with Dash, both cheering about getting shots.

“They’re starting early” Eve chuckled.

“Yeah and I have to drive one of them home” Sunset gave as she took a seat.

“Yeah me too” Sweetie gumbled “Welcome to the designated table.”

The girls raised their glasses in a mock toast, showing the same stamp clear on the back of their hands as well. Though at the sight of Eve’s, something occurred to Sunset. She opened her mouth but thought better of it before anything escaped. The blonde didn’t fail to notice however.

“What?”

“Nothing. It’s… it’s nothing.”

“Noooo, you were gonna say something,” the younger Brea pushed “I’d rather you just ask whatever you were going to than be awkward about it all night.”

“It’s really not important. I just realized…” Sunset pressed her lips tight for a moment “How old are you?”

Eve blinked, a response shared by the rest of the table. A small blush creeped up on the younger Brea’s face.

“You don’t have to answer-”

“No, it’s fine,” Eve interrupted. She briefly considered answering that she was in fact developmentally as old as she appeared. While missing much of an actual childhood before her ‘teens’, most confirmed she was as mature as could be reasonably expected of someone matching her physical state should be. But she knew that wasn’t really the question being asked. Making sure her voice wouldn’t carry beyond the table, as not everyone was in the know about her yet, she took a deep breath before letting it out in a huff.

“I’m… Eight.”

…

“And you’re already in college. Here I thought Twilight was a prodigy.” a pair of snorts escaped the present crusaders at the hunter’s comment.

“Oh she’s had that pointed out to her, don’t worry.” Eve smirked back before shrugging the whole thing off “So you singing? Some of the girls say you have as nice a voice as Sweetie here.”

“I… don’t know yet.” the equestrian immigrant shrugged, happily accepting the change of subject. “Depends if they have any of the songs I’ve actually learned here.”

“Well I’m sure there’s bound to be something” Sweetie gave before rising from her chair “I’ll go grab one of those binders of what’s available.”

Sunset watched the younger Belle make her way to a stack of thin three-ring binders, not failing to see one already in front of her partner. The redhead frowned as she watched the siren flip through the lists. Adagio said she’d avoid completely enrapturing the party, but she pointedly avoided actually saying she wouldn’t use any magic.

Any further concern was cut short by the music changing though. The crowd looked up to the stage to see both Scootaloo and Rainbow clutching microphones. All lights save the stage’s dimmed and the music started back up, a lighter rock than she was used to hearing from either of her housemates.

~“Revvin' up your engine, Listen to her howlin' roar”~

“Oh god…” Applebloom rolled her eyes as she and Eve gave a pair of scoffs, shaking their heads. Sunset looked around to see they were far the only ones with such expressions. “Should’a seen that comin’.”

“What? I don’t get it.” Sunset asked, though any answer wouldn’t have been able to be heard of the pair of pilots now belting out the song’s chorus

~“HIGHWAY TO THE DANGER ZONE!”~

And so starting with an air of light hearted exasperation, the night was off. Rarity slowed things down a little with what felt like more of a lounge song, followed by her sister, singing something poppy Sunset didn’t recognize. Then it was Adagio’s turn…

The entire bar simply stopped.

Sunset gratefully noted the siren’s jewel never went above a dim shimmer. Though considering the response she still got, not to mention the frequent requests for more afterwards, the pony girl wasn’t sure if she should still be concerned or not. It took a little longer, not to mention a bit more liquid courage, before anyone was willing to follow her performances. Sunset noticed that mostly because she ended up following one of the siren’s acts herself, and without that option of alcoholic encouragement. Daunting, but she felt she did okay, based on the applause.

She even caught Adagio herself giving her a mildly impressed look on her way off stage. Though whether it was because she sang well or just that she had the guts to follow her act sober, the unicorn girl wasn’t sure.

Though with her proper participation in festivities done, she gathered herself and made her way to finally back up the Princess. The identical pair had managed to break away for a duet together earlier (a curious thing to witness on its own), so they did end up having some fun away from the visiting geniuses, but had been almost immediately dragged back to the booth after.

“Sunset!” The visiting Twilight perked up at the sight of her approaching. While just as eager for intellectual discourse as her earthly counterpart, it seemed the princess was nevertheless a bit overwhelmed by the assuredly relentless queries from minds that could actually rival her own. A suspicion only confirmed by the princess mouthing a desperate ‘Help!’ as soon as the other three turned towards the other equestrian.

Resisting the urge to sigh, Sunset took her seat. Though she was slightly slowed by Dr. Maeda excitedly shaking her hands in greeting.

“Such a wondrous development Miss Shimmer, to not only finally discover the truth of the ‘extra layer’- we will have to think of a more scientifically appropriate designation- but to also learn our new Awakened come from an entirely different world-”

“And we can’t share a fucking ounce of it with the rest of our own.” Rebecca pointed out disgruntled.

“You really think Earth is ready for this?” Sunset countered.

“No.” Dr. Chambers answered easily. Bluntly, but easily “I understand it, but it’s still frustrating. It’s not like humanity is ready for the Neo-mitochondria endgame either.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight, the alicorn one, tilted her head at the brunette. It was Dr. Maeda that cut back in to answer though.

“She means modern society has no chance of dealing with everyone becoming an NMH. Or even the ability to reliably become one safely in any sense greater than MIST.” he explained, elaborating when the princess failed to connect the dots “Let’s take but a single aspect of NMH life: Neoteny. Earth is already desperately overburdening its resources and at real risk of overpopulation. Imagine how bad it could get if people started living several times longer AND needing more sustenance to survive. We’d run out of food, space and… and that’s just what’s obvious on a general scale.”

“And that’s just assuming it would even be allowed to get that far.” Rebecca jumped back in “Forget Ark Shadow; ANY sufficiently soulless organization wouldn’t even hesitate to do truly unspeakable things for just the chance at the secrets to eternal youth. NMHs are kept secret for as much their own protection as the public’s. And that’s before we get into all the powers and potential super soldiers and- well, all the shit Ark Shadow and the cults are doing.”

“Ironic that what could be a ‘cure-all’ for a great many things would also most likely result in humanity destroying itself…” Dr. Sparkle gave with a heavy sigh. She looked to her disturbed counterpart with a consoling smile “It is something that’s thought about… a lot. There’s no right answer yet unfortunately, not with humanity as unenlightened as it is right now.”

Sunset herself had thought about these things too, also considering if they even had the right to keep such advancement from people. But even with that, she also reached the same conclusions. It was a regrettable, very regrettable, but harsh truth.

“I admit my ignorance in the subject but, well…” the transformed alicorn returned after a moment “Isn't it kind of inevitable anyway? With the rate this all seems to be continuing, you can’t keep this secret forever.”

The hunter at the table was about to share a piece of wisdom the station’s newest liaison had shared when the woman in question’s voice carried over the music.

“You’d be amazed how long you can keep massive secrets. The vast majority of people will ignore pretty much anything, even the outright impossible, in pursuit of keeping their world view stable.” Agent Lylis took the last open seat. She then shot a glance to a pair of her agents sitting nearby, who Sunset now realized were in perfect position to intercept anyone from coming close enough to hear the group. “On the note of magic however, don’t you think it’s about time to ask them about your little idea?”

“How did you…” Sunset began slowly, but her words trailed off at the bored look the agent was leveling back. Resisting the urge to face palm, she sighed “Right… I assume since you brought it up, that we’ll be allowed to try?”

“You’re allowed to ask. Clearance will come if you make a good enough argument that you five can pull it off without risk.” Lylis countered.

“Pull what off?” Dr. Maeda asked after a beat.

“We need your help” Dr. Sparkle answered, followed by her equestrian counterpart.

“We think we might have come up with a possible, if also probably limited method to track magic here on Earth.”

Sunset looked anxiously over the large map of the country taking up the center of the briefing room. Three small contraptions resembling chess rooks topped with quartz sat at three points on the surface. One sat atop Manhattan, another over LA, and the last over Canterlot nearer the middle, if not quite. At each of the table’s corners sat what most would have mistaken for small tesla coils, the most eye-catching part of their newest experiment. Even the jury rigged contraptions under the table weren’t so obscure.

“And you’re sure these won’t start spitting lightning everywhere?” A cautious voice came from one of the screens behind the equestrian.

It had been just over a week since the other branches’ leads returned home with the plan for this hail mary of an endeavor. On each screen stood the branch Directors and science leads, as well as the young woman that had voiced the concern.

“Yes Starlight,” Earth’s native Twilight assured. “Even if it was… conventional electricity it would be contained within the coil.”

“She wouldn't risk killing us with this Star,” Dr. Chambers added from her own screen “Sparky hasn't reached that level of mad scientist yet.”

The young woman on the other screen didn’t argue but didn’t stop warily eyeing the contraption she’d just finished setting up. It wasn’t intended for her to know at all but it would seem while brilliant in his speciality, Dr. Meada was not that great with technologies outside of it. His assistant on the other hand took to it like a fish to water. Both Twilight and Sunset were genuinely amazed by how easily she managed not only the device’s complex machinations, but the magical attunements when finally brought in.

“At least you also won’t be holding on to anything attached to it” the MIST fashionista also in the room murmured with her own hint of worry.

“It’ll be fine, Rarity.” the alicorn Twilight placed a hand on her arm before gesturing to the nurse standing quietly to the room’s side “We’ve got Flutteryshy here just in case. Even without the insulators though, it won’t be a big enough charge to be dangerous. Sunset and I will be taking the brunt of that as it is too.”

“And you’re sure you’ll be okay?” Rupert asked from across the table where he stood with Aya and Agent Lylis.

“We’ll be insulated by our own magic.” Sunset answered with a shrug “And we can take a little overcharge. This is the best we can do, Sir. At least until we can reconnect with Equestria.”

The director glanced at the other federal agents. Lylis had already given her blessing so long as no one else outside the station became aware of the effort, at least now beyond Starlight’s necessary inclusion. Shining had said he felt it was worth the risk already. Rupert and Aya shared a silent look for just a moment.

“I’ll go get everyone.” the blonde awakened said simply before stepping out of the room. Over the next several minutes, AJ, Dash, and Pinkie found their way to the room. AJ was brought in to support her partner while Dash was there to eliminate any possible fluctuations from her own budding magic and Pinkie… well she had just followed her friends up there.

Before they could ask any questions though, Aya returned with a confused Adagio. The siren paused at the sight of so many gathered and the odd configuration of a map they now surrounded. She only kept moving at the gentle push of the older awakened stepping in behind her. Brow furrowed, she stepped up to the table, gaze panning over the setup before speaking.

“You’re…” she began before the realization hit and her tone grew accusing “Why didn’t you tell me you were building a tracker?! I could have helped!”

“Because it’s not a tracker.” Sunset returned calmly before failing to resist a sigh “And… and we didn’t want to get your hopes up. We weren’t sure we’d get even this far with it.”

“Earth doesn’t have enough ambient mana for proper scrying.” the equestrian Twilight elaborated “So we thought maybe we could triangulate using the portal.”

“The portal’s broken,” Adagio pointed out.

“There’s still a massive amount of dormant mana in the statue base itself.” Sunset countered. There was actually already the consideration being made on secretly swapping the statue’s base as a result but Agent Lylis had thankfully allowed that effort to take a backseat to this one “We can still bounce a signature off of it.”

“Not to interrupt” Dash cut in “But how is all this not a tracker when still using words like signals and triangulation?”

“Because tracker implies continuous, clearly definable output” Twilight frowned “This is a flash scrying.”

“Uh, translation fer us magically ignorant?” AJ asked.

“It means they can only get a single burst out of it” Adagio answered in a low tone, a mild scowl on her face as she gestured to the map “And guessing on the size of this thing, not a very exact one.”

“No…” Sunset answered somberly before gesturing to a length of connected handles “That’s why Rarity, Twilight and I will be tapped in too. The princess and I have… admittedly limited scrying experience and Rarity… well, even magic would have a hard time matching her senses.”

“So what?” Shining piped in “Like, visions?”

“Basically yes.” Twilight answered. “Between those and any hopefully usable points that will appear on the map here, we might be able to narrow something down.”

“But isn’t Ark Shadow messing with magic too?” Pinkie asked “What if they have a lot more than we’re hoping they do?”

“We’re only looking for one kind of signature” Sunset answered, looking at Adagio. “Anything else might pop up yeah, but the targeted resonance should stand out.”

“Ark’s magic may be entirely from us.” Adagio pointed out.

“Still worth a shot though, right?” Dash returned. Adagio didn’t respond, only continuing to stare at the map. Some of the rest still seemed to have questions, but chose to hold them off. Sunset looked to the Twilights and the older of the two turning to the leads.

“You ready?” she asked, only to hear a scoff from the Manhattan director.

“Not until I get my ass behind the screens.” Daniel shot back before lumbering offscreen. The two scientists shook their heads and made to follow. Rebecca and Mr. Burton nodded before moving behind their own panels of safety glass.

“Should we step outside?” Shining asked cautiously, his sister gave him a shrug.

“If ours blows up then a single wall isn’t going to protect anyone” she answered before smirking “We… should be fine.”

“You ready?” Sunset asked the fashionable hunter.

“As I’ll ever be Darling” she sighed as she stepped up while her partner wove around to stand behind her. She gave the farmgirl an appreciative smile before gripping the bar set along the map’s edge. “I don’t suppose I’ll get my own magic out of this, will I?”

“Probably not…” the redhead returned, smiling apologetically at the disappointed face Rarity made as she and Twilight gripped the bar and either side of the fashionista and Fluttershy and Shining stepped up behind both respectively. She looked across the table to her own partner “That quartz in front of you is the feed point. It’ll be up to you to determine the signature.”

“Don’t worry about me” Adagio returned focused, hand already in place over the small crystal.

“Alright everyone, I’m getting the other team’s conventional signals” Dr. Sparkle turned back from the screens as she typed away on her tablet, each showing the jury rigged teslas radiating a subtle purple. She glanced at the markers on the map, seeing the small stones atop each glowing as she moved to a large red button on the map's unoccupied side “3… 2… 1…”

The instant she pressed the button the table’s miniature pylons burst to life, glowing the same bright red as the crystal beneath Adagio’s hand and the gem upon her neck. The three women holding the bar tensed with a shudder, but before anyone could react, the whole of the map erupted in a bright flash. It lasted only a second but it was enough to knock out the lights and the screens, plunging the room into darkness.

A flashlight clicked on, forcing everyone to turn away again.

“Well looks like we’re all still in one piece” Agent Lylis’s voice came from behind the light before it was pitched toward the ceiling to bathe the room in a dim illumination. “Doesn’t look like we can say the same for the table.”

“Y’alright there Sugarcube?” Applejacks asked as her partner stepped back from the table.

“Y-yes, I’m… I’m…” Rarity swayed on her feet “Oh my.”

“Whoa, alright!” the cowgirl quickly caught her friend mid collapse “Easy there Darl’n. I got’cha.”

The princess Twilight was quickly supported by Shining before she could fall herself and Sunset found herself gently guided down as she slumped to her knees by the nurse behind her.

“I’ll go see if it’s just the breaker” Pinkie announced before darting out of the room, several phone screens lighting up in her wake. One bobbed in Sunset's peripheral as Shy seemed satisfied she wasn’t in any immediate danger and moved to check the others.

“You alright there kiddo?” Aya’s voice filtered through the confusing haze of thoughts and images.

“Y-yeah” she returned before Twilight’s voice came from somewhere in the dim room.

“Yes Becca, we’re fine here” She turned to see the local Twilight on her phone “The feedback just knocked out the power, once it’s back and the router reboots and I’ll reestablish the connection.”

She could hear Rupert having a similar, if quieter conversation with who she could only assume was the Manhattan team. The redhead tried pulling herself up by the bar still in her grip. She wasn’t as successful as she hoped to be but Aya thankfully helped her the rest of the way. She was about to ask for a light on the table when the ones overhead clicked back on and forced her to flinch away, eyes shut tight as she teetered again.

“Well that doesn’t look good…” Pinkie’s voice sounded as Sunset blinked repeatedly to see what the reappearing range master was worried about. “I’m guessing the burn marks are a bad sign?”

Vision finally clearing, the unicorn saw what she meant. The corners and edges of the map were curled and cracked with soot while the rest had several large orange splotches across its surface, as if someone held a flame close enough to burn several areas without actually setting the paper alight. Most looked at the result sadly but Sunset brightened.

“No. No, that’s actually good.” She let out in a tired breath “Other than those along the edges, the burns show where we got a response… admittedly that’s more than we were hoping for though.”

Lots of little spots dotted the map, of varying sizes and burn intensity. Some of the most distinct looked like trails crossing about all over the country. Unfortunately those and several others were incredibly vague and the nature of the burns didn’t give much of focal points; Magic didn’t burn the same as normal flame unfortunately. They wouldn’t be using this to pinpoint anything.

“I’m hoping we’re burned through because of the portal…” Shining gestured to the large hole surrounding the chess piece over where Canterlot had been on the map. Sunset just nodded, attention focused on the other holes actually burned through the map. There weren’t many besides along the map edges which weren't a concern like she said, that was just a result of the method they used.

“I saw a plane…” Rarity spoke uneasily. Sunset turned to see her and Twilight in chairs, their heads in their hands. She should probably be sitting herself but was determined to find what she saw before it grew too muddled. “Like the inside of a military transport. There were golems, and a woman in a control helmet.”

“Aria” Adagio muttered, her scowl deepening “If she’s in the air then all this means jack shit.”

“There was more” The fashionable hunter continued “A lab? Or some kind of… research plant? It looked like it was for livestock though. There were NMCs and even more Golems.”

“A livestock research facility would be a good cover for an NMC breeding lab.” Mr. Burton’s voice came through the speakers as the screens at the back of the room came back on. It took a moment longer but the Manhattan team soon reappeared as well. “Though it doesn’t exactly narrow it down all that much. There are a lot of those kind of places in the states, from actual labs to just indoor dairy farms.”

“Did you see Sonata?” Adagio turned toward Rarity, letting out an aggravated sigh at the stylish hunter shaking her head.

“I did.” Sunset announced, still intensely scanning the remains of the map. “I didn’t see much, only a flash of a woman in another control helmet, bound to a chair hooked up to a multitude of computers and machinery. But it felt just like you, and unless they made things with magic a hell of a lot more stable and stronger than what we’ve seen, it was too distinct to not be her.”

Her eyes stopped scanning the map at the thought. Seeing the mark wasn’t the answer. She closed her eyes and tightened her grip on the bar, leaning against it. She banished the images and sensations the scrying gave, they were too distorted to be useful, but that feeling… she eyes snapped back open and immediately landed on a hole she panned over several times already.

“There.” She pointed at the burn. The leads stepped forward at the declaration, as the signaled blemish was only a single state away. It was still a less than precise location, but it was a hell of a lot more specific than what the rest of the map told them. Before any of the leads could confirm though, the last improvised seer spoke.

“Noah” the equestrian Twilight finally recovered enough to find her voice. “I saw a large building with a sign that said Noah… something.”

“Noah? As in Ark?” Applejack gawked before shaking her head with an irritated ‘tch’ “Bastards are just laughing at us now I swear…”

“Noah Labs, Bovine Science and Research. Sure enough.” Agent Lylis gave simply as she looked at her phone. The siren’s eye bulged at the calm declaration.

“The last time the feds requested data on an Ark facility-”

“It’s Google Dazzle, calm yourself” Christine turned her phone towards the siren “Just plugged in ‘Livestock Lab Noah’ and it popped right up.”

“And I take it they have a facility where that burn is?” Rupert asked, receiving a nod.

“The only one from what I can see. Bit outside the city limits but the map pics are recent enough that it's almost certainly still there.” she relayed in her typical bored tone “The lab's website's still running too. This the building you saw?”

Lylis brought the phone over to the three, flipping through several pictures of both the facility’s exterior and interior that the website provided.

“That’s it.” Rarity confirmed.

“Absolutely. Same logo and everything” the princess affirmed as well before her brow furrowed “Why would they make all that available if they’re doing horrible things there? You’d think they’d want to hide as much as they can.”

“Trying to hide only makes it look like you have something to hide in the first place.” Lylis answered “Making all this makes them look more legit. The more legit they look the less they’re looked at overall, let alone suspiciously.”

“Right under our noses that close too…” Shining added “But what’s the move though?”

“The fuck do you mean ‘What’s the move?’!?” Adagio snapped “We go get my sister back!”

To the agent's credit, he didn’t react to the sudden hostility.

“With what though? We might have lost her the first time because of nothing more than a satellite image request” he countered “Any resources I call in could have the same result.”

“Even if we could make that big of a move in house without tipping our hand, I’m not sure we can take the place even with every hunter on deck for it.” Aya put in “Just booking a flight for everyone could be risky with how closely they may be watching us.”

“We may not have to.” Rainbow suddenly announced looking up from her own phone. She flipped it around to show what looked like an app for air travel calculations “Boss that’s in range! Yeah it’s sort of pushing it even with the aux tank and we certainly won’t be able to get back here on it without refueling, but we can definitely get there with the copter.”

“It’d be even less a force though” Rupert frowned, hand to his chin. She looked to the agents “You’re sure you can’t get us anything?”

“Well we’ve got more choppers. Four actually, granted one’s just a tiny gunship but two of the others are bigger transports than yours.” Lylis added simply “All ‘in-house’ and I’m sure I don’t have to point out how well we keep our shit to ourselves. I can also keep our flight path dark; the FAA knows better than to fuck around when it comes to our division’s kind of requests. Still might leak but the protocols would keep it from happening until it’s too late, and they’d still have no idea where it came from. The real problem is filling the copters themselves and finding at least one more pilot for one of them. My team is only so big now that the situation here has stabilized.”

“What happened to that mini army you swept us up in front of the school with?” Sunset asked.

“Oh they'll be mobilized Sunny,” Christiane answered “But since we can't risk calling in the regular Cavalry, they'll be best used to secure the parameter and the like. Their playbook is lock down and secure, not breach and eliminate... that's a different unit. One that I don't have the authority to call on myself, not without going through more channels and the like too. So we're back to the original issue of not knowing who we can trust outside our immediate teams.”

“Marini.” Mr. Burton’s voice came for the screens “I just talked to him a couple days ago; his strike team is still on standby in your area.”

“And he’d be willing to risk doing this off the books?” Shining asked.

“Well I’d damn well expect you two to step in after all this to keep it from falling on his head but yeah, he won’t turn away from doing the right thing just because it might get him into trouble. Especially if it’s his fellow ex-STARS asking.”

“And you trust his team?” Rupert asked next.

“Enrico keeps a tight ship, he wouldn’t pick people he couldn’t trust himself” Barry confirmed before Dr. Chambers added.

“Brad’s also a pilot. Maybe not the bravest fighter around but he can fly with the best of them.” Rebecca nodded confidently “Enrico was my own squad leader and I may not be here if it wasn't for him. If you count on us, you can count on him.”

Rupert stared at the resolute pair only a moment before returning a simple nod.

“I’ll go make the call” Barry finished before stepping off screen. Rupert turned to the recovering trio.

“You’re sure she’s still there now?”

“This kind of limited technique only shows things in the moment.” Sunset explained “Unless they moved her in the past few minutes, she’s there.”

The director nodded, hand to his mouth again as the plan came together in his head. It was crazy, and even with Agent Lylis to help run interference with the fallout, there would still be fallout for them. But this wasn't an opportunity they could ignore either, one that went beyond the recovery of Dazzle's sister even. It was an unfortunate matter of fact that by the simple nature of their work, MIST was a primarily reactionary force. NMCs would have to appear before they could put them down, Ark Shadow would make something awful they couldn't help to prevent and just clean it up. They were always on the backstep. Even when they thought they might have leads to follow, the organization always seemed one step ahead of them, one more facility away, one more traitorous leak heading them off...

But they finally slipped up. Ark was now the ones playing catch up, and even better; they didn't even know it. Sunset and their science lead's counterpart had been studying this force all their lives in a society that had been living with and studying it for literal millennia. Ark was like the caveman playing with fire to their new allies landing on the moon. As limited as they claimed this 'flash scrying' to be, the Equestrians felt confident the organization's reckless attempts so far proved they didn't know enough to have a chance of even knowing it was a possibility, let alone having any counter for it. For the first time in a long time, MIST had the chance to be on the offensive.

And Ark had no idea it was coming.

“He’s in Rup’. Barry's voice drew his focus back to the immediate steps as the LA director stepped back into frame "He said they’re not right next door but they should be there in no more than three hours.” Rupert nodded his thanks before turning to Lylis.

“That long enough for you?”

“Four would be better but I think Agent Armor and I can handle that.” she smirked back.

“We can push it to four. Marini’s team will need to be briefed when they arrive anyway.” Rupert returned. Another voice from the speakers drew attention to Dr. Maeda still on the line.

“That’s a comfortable enough time frame for some special munitions cultures too, wouldn’t you say Doctor Sparkle?” the Asian scientist pointed out to his colleague with a smile “And with so many awakened, not a paltry amount either.”

“Right, I’ll need you three for blood and if it’s not too much to ask Aya-”

“I’ll call Eve. She'd never let me hear the end of it if I didn't anyway…” The veteran hunter answered before her, and the rest of those gathered eyes turned to Rupert.

“Right. Dash, get Peters down here and get the copter ready as you coordinate with Lylis’s team.” Rupert turned to Pinkie next. “Pie, call Jodie and let her know we're going full Crimson.”

“Crimson?!”

“That’s right. If there’s something heavier someone could be using without compromising them, make sure they’re using it. I won't have a repeat of what happened in the desert.” he confirmed before turning to his hunters “The rest of you go with her and help with the prep, then get as much rest as you can. There won’t be any more until this is done.”

“Good luck everyone!” Starlight gave from the screens before she and the branch leads signed off to let them get to work.

“Let’s get started” Rupert concluded and led the group out. They just reached the stairs when a voice cried out.

“W-WAIT!”

Adagio stood in the middle of the hall behind them, just outside the now empty map room. A strong blush could be seen on her cheeks, noticeable even in the hall’s dim lighting. Her face tightened in a nervous grimace as she began to fidget, an inner conflict clearly playing out in front of them. The were about to leap into hell for her and her family without a second of hesistation and while an older part of her knew she didn't have to say anything, that annoying new part that had been creeping up more and more lately was now screaming that she still should.

“I just… I need to… You all… I…”

“Yeah yeah, we get it Seahorse.” Rainbow grinned back cheekily before the siren could fumble any further “No need to hurt yourself there.”

A few chuckles and knowing smiles were cast back as the group continued back down to the first floor, leaving the rather overwhelmed Dazzling to recover. She snapped out of it when a hand landed on her shoulder, eyes locking with those of her partner.

“Come on Dag,” Sunset gave confidently, a new fire burning in those cyan orbs.

“Let’s go get your sister back.”

Author's Notes:

Are we back? I hope we're back! I'm not sure, I'm not as afraid of burning out again right away but while I can't be sure how long the next chapter will take I can say we're in for some definite action times!

Sorry for the long wait lovelies. For those that missed the blog post, I felt I was starting to flag into those wonderful old signs of burnout and didn't want to end up with ANOTHER possibly permanent hiatus story. Still didn't think it'd take this long to finish this but I get when you lose the momentum it really is that hard to get it back. IS is back? Hope so, but sorry again if the next one takes a bit too.

BUT instead of worrying too much more I think I'll just leave it like I always do. For those of you still coming back (and new readers too of course): Thanks for reading and I hope to see you for the next, hopefully not as far off chapter! Have a good one!

Parasite Eve: Fuse

by Thisguyhere

Chapter 1: Hard Landing

Chapter 2: Awakened

Log 001

Chapter 3: Ignited

Chapter 4: Pest Control

Log 002

Chapter 5: Infected

Chapter 6: Homecoming

Chapter 7: Aya

Log 003

Chapter 8: Stinging Sensations

Chapter 9: Breakdown

Chapter 10: Choice

Journal Entries, One

Chapter 11: Manifested

Chapter 12: Revelations

Chapter 13: Dryfield

Chapter 14: The Ark

Chapter 15: Aftermath

Chapter 16: Temporal Concerns

Journal Entries, Two

Chapter 17: Vibes of All Kinds

Chapter 18: Naked Time!

Chapter 19: Changes, Both Near and Far

Chapter 20: My god, it's full of... STARS?

Chapter 21: Unsevered

Chapter 22: Coming Clean

Chapter 23: Along with the Good Times...