"A-Aah! Aaaaah! Morning, what IS this?!"
Sunset Shimmer waved her arms around as she attempted to process the sudden pain in her eyes. Morning Star snatched her by the wrist and threw her into Celestia's car. Not a moment sooner did he start the engine and ran the black figure over as he pulled out into the street.
"This, is a headache."
"M-Morning! What is HAPPENING right now?! I-I can't see...!"
Sunset Shimmer could only see numerous words and charts, numbers and symbols that flew in her face, but with a mere thought could see everything again.
"A-And now I can...?"
"It's your Stand... To think anyone at school would have one, let alone that there'd be a Stand that could give one unto others. Could it give anyone a Stand?"
"What are you talking about?!"
"The ability you're experiencing right now. It must be disorienting with your eyes like that, there's water in the glove compartment if you're thirsty, or if you still believe you're in a dream."
Sunset Shimmer fumbled around with the hatch before opening the glove compartment and splashing herself with water. For a moment, everything moved at incredibly slow speeds, the detail within every aspect of her peripheral vision had been pronounced. It was as if every surface, every object, ever passing person or being had something to tell her without uttering a word. By looking, she learned so much from everything. Even the water itself as it came closer began to tell it's own story, to the process of being harvested, and produced in the bottle it was contained in before hitting her face.
"U-Ugh...! What in the WORLD is going on?! L-LOOK OUT!"
Sunset took the wheel and swerved it to an empty lane. The black figure had reappeared and punched through the window on Morning's side. This time, she saw it, the power he had called upon earlier.
"[ Gold Experience! ]"
The golden figure launched forth with unrelenting flurry of fists aimed right for the judge's head.
[ "MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA!" ]
The figured cried out. Sunset Shimmer saw and nearly felt every impact. If the creature chasing them was human, it'd barely be alive at all after the initial attack, but human it wasn't. The word "Automated" and a description came up beside it as the world around her became slow once again.
"Able to move at inhuman speeds within the cover of darkness and dim shadows. Cannot move nor exist within any sunlight. Has hidden within it, a Golden Arrow, able to hand pick whoever witnesses the relighting of the flame belonging to the User. Can rip the soul of whoever it seizes by it's hands. Is neigh invincible within the shadows. Able to preform at peak human performance. Name, Black Sabbath."
The information processed within her mind at such an astounding rate as the world nearly became still again, she felt nauseous as everything began to speed back up, Gold Experience's fist became blurs to her as they pounded against Black Sabbath's body. The Stand fell back and rolled on the street as Morning Star sped down the road. He glanced to Sunset Shimmer with an annoyed expression.
"I'm glad you're alive, and I hate to sound cruel, but this is exactly what you asked for."
He checked the rear view mirror as Sunset Shimmer looked through the mirror on her side. Both saw the Stand burning away in the sunlight. Sunset Shimmer gulped as she heard the horrendous screams of Black Sabbath being torn apart in the sunlight of day.
"Dealing with things like these...? THIS, is what you've been doing?! No wonder you can't stay up in class!"
She then gasped as she stared at him in fright.
"Principal Celestia...! Does she know about this?!"
"No."
Her fright for her principal's safety soon shifted into the cold glare she received from Morning Star. He spoke with the same chilling harshness as she witnessed in that alley.
"And she won't, because if she does through you, I will not be responsible for what may happen to you then."
She began to shrink back for a moment before she blinked with her eyes shifting back to the abnormal form and read Morning Star. His breathing was ragged, his hands shaking as he broke out in a cold sweat with a fast heartbeat she was able to hear from her seat. Her worry turned to concern as she leaned forward with a frown.
"You're scared too..."
He stared ahead as he began to slow down. His house within eye sight and began to relax as he pulled into and parked into the driveway.
"I don't know what ability you have now, but now you see why I was so adamant about keeping everyone out of this. Now, Sunset, whether you like it or not, you're a Stand User like me. You're a danger to everything around you and yourself... Even so, I don't know any safer place than with m- Urk?!"
Black Sabbath's hand wrapped around and began to crush Morning Star's throat as the other went for the wheel. Sunset Shimmer let out a shriek as she never saw the figure coming. The world slowed down as her eyes alone scanned the area. Black Sabbath emerged from the backseat, behind the retractable cup holder, a small compartment door that opened the way to the trunk which was cracked open.
"N-No way...! But it was all the way back there! Aah! U-Unless...!"
She turned and looked to the sky through the windshield at birds that had passed over them. The scene played like a movie in her head Black Sabbath had hidden within the faint shadow of a bird before attaching to the shadow of the car. Once there it only needed the tiniest of openings to enter the car, and did so by pulling the trunk up with it's strength before sneaking in. As a being of darkness it required no light to see and was able to quickly use the small door behind the retractable cup holder as an entrance for it's assault.
"This thing is insane...! But, if it's related to the lighter you turned on then that may be how we stop it!"
She noticed the lit lighter placed on the dashboard before she snatched it away with a deep breath. Morning Star looked in the rear view mirror as he saw Black Sabbath prepare the Golden Arrow to shoot. It pulled Gold Experience's head out of him and through the seat to aim point-blank between the eyes. Then, vanished with a hush as it dissipated into a black smoke. Sunset Shimmer closed the lighter as she wiped both water and sweat from her brow.
"We can't relight this, or it'll come back and take out anyone who witnessed it, and will come back after whoever it didn't pierce. If I see this thing relight again, I'm pretty sure even after passing it's test it'll come back after me. Where'd you even get something like this?"
"Bruno Buccellati. An Italian mafia member of the gang Passione who was able to enter the school without using any of the doors or windows. He's like us a Stand User, and he handed me this lighter when we met today in the Teacher's Lounge. The test was to keep the lighter lit for the entire day and return it to him tomorrow still lit. If I couldn't do that, he said that I'd die."
Sunset Shimmer blinked a few times and dropped the lighter as she shook her head.
"Wait, huh?! You're just gonna tell me after all?"
He looked over to her as he summoned Gold Experience to catch the lighter from the air.
"You're now caught up I my investigation because you've developed the same power as I. They'll see you as a potential threat now, even if you have no further intentions on looking into my activities. I can't believe the words I'm saying, but it'd be safer for you to be close to me and know everything, otherwise you'll be in constant danger without proper preparations for it. Now do you get it? Why I kept it all to myself?"
Sunset Shimmer sighed as she sunk into the passenger's seat.
"This is... Wow. I uh, I don't even know where to start."
"Oh No!"
She jumped at Morning Star's shouting, her Stand activated as she looked around already sweating slightly again.
"W-What is it?! Did it come out, is there another one!?"
"The window! Auntie is going to obliterate me for that, and then there's explaining you, none of this was part of the plan at all!"
He ruffled his own hair in frustration as he began to spin up a story in his mind, however with he had come to know his Aunt enough that she'd find a counterargument, which set him back to step one when he found a flaw in his own lie. Then he heard the car door open and close. Sunset Shimmer strolled up to the door and rang the doorbell.
"Dammit Sunset, what're you-"
Celestia opened the door with a surprised expression.
"Sunset! What are you doing here, and why is my car window...?"
She smiled nervously before gesturing to Morning Star.
"Y-You see, we were assigned a group project together for Advanced History, so we decided to get cracking right away! I-I kept distracting him with ideas and we had a little accident! Thankfully the guy we crashed into was super understanding, so we kind of just resolved it on the spot and here we are, we're so sorry Principal Celestia...!"
Celestia glanced between the two as Morning Star rubbed his throat nervously as he made his way to Sunset's side. She sighed and stepped to the side to let them in.
"Well either way, I'm just glad you two are safe and sound, though I'm surprised that you'd be getting a group assignment on a half day. Still, it's nice to see you working together diligently."
The two kids smiled at each other as they entered the house, then froze at Celestia's low tone.
"By the way, you're not hiding anything from me still, are you?"
Morning Star stood still as Sunset Shimmer turned with an apologetic grin.
"I'm not! I've... I've tried to get things out of him, but he's so stubborn, so we agreed to just focus on our studies instead!"
Celestia's eyes narrowed on Sunset Shimmer.
"Oh I believe you for the most part, but what I'd like to know is why you keep covering up the handprints around his throat."
Sunset Shimmer squeaked, then mentally berated herself for it as her principal's gaze only sharpened on her for it.
"So you do have an idea of what caused that as well... Are you an accomplice of his now?"
"N-Not... Exactly..."
Morning Star turned around as he lowered his hand from his bruised throat.
"She knows nothing and was simply worried that you'd be upset with the both of us rather than just me, and it really is just my fault this happened, but as for how this occurred."
He began to walk off with a roll of his shoulders and a hand over his pants pocket, where the lighter was kept.
"Don't worry about it for now. I'll tell you all about it this evening I swear, when we're alone, with no one to eavesdrop on us. Right, Sunset?"
She frowned at Morning Star and rubbed her arm as she was being glared at both of them now.
"Don't have to throw shade at me for doing something she asked me to do..."
"I don't mean to put you down, just cautious now."
He left the two as he made his way up the stairs leaving Sunset Shimmer with Celestia. The older woman groaned and looked to her student with sympathetic eyes.
"I know I asked a lot of you then and I'm asking a lot now, but if you needed help, you wouldn't be afraid to ask would you?"
Sunset Shimmer shook her head repeatedly with a bright smile.
"Of course not! I-I have friends for that, I just wish he knew he had friends too."
"Me too, Sunset."
