Omni Force: ORIGINS

by NegaiFreak

Where did it all start, you might wonder? Well, some stories aren't about just beginnings. They're also about how bonds between our heroes were forged. Join in as we partake in this 100-chapter story of how the Omni Force came to be, with each member getting a tale for themselves! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!

11. Sunset Shimmer

Hey folks! We're finally back with more of "Omni Force: ORIGINS"! I know I've gone on and ranted about doing this story, complaining about the time it takes away from what I would rather be doing, but I am really happy to start writing for this story again. This next batch of stories should be some of my favorites, especially with the character at the center of this particular tale.

I've made it fairly obvious that Sunset Shimmer's one of my favorite characters that's helped shape a lot of my writing career. From being a mediocre villain to one of the best-written characters throughout the Equestria Girls, she's had a big hand in a lot of my stories. Some of them I'm not so proud of, others I'm really happy I got to further explore her character.

Nowadays, I have fallen out of the My Little Pony series, especially with Generation 4 having ended. But even so, I do find myself coming back to clips of Equestria Girls, especially for Sunset's many stories. This time though, we're gonna do something a bit more original…

So without too much more delay, let's get into Sunset's story of "Omni Force: ORIGINS".

OMNI FORCE: ORIGINS

"I can't believe that happened!" a frustrated Rainbow exclaimed in frustration as she and her bandmates ventured down the hall, with the likes of Ben, Ash, Naruto, Gingka, Rex and Sunset following them, "I had that song down no problem!" she mentioned angrily.

"Uh, but what about—?"

"Okay, yeah, I did almost show off my magic…" the rainbow-haired girl admitted before she and the others came to a stop, interrupting Ash, "That doesn't mean Sunset had to try and tackle me offstage!" she shouted, pointing at the former unicorn accusingly as she blinked in surprise.

"I-I'm sorry…" she apologized with a stutter. She was evidently still shaken from all of the harassment she endured earlier from the jeering crowd back in the gym.

"Okay, that's enough!" Ash yelled, getting in front of her defensively, "Any of us could've ended doing the same thing to protect you!" he pointed out.

"Peekah pika!" Pikachu squeaked in agreement, trying to play peacemaker with his trainer.

"Even so, Sunset could have easily done something else like—"

"Pulled the certain, unplugged the amp, or give you all a chance to assess the situation," Gingka listed off, interjecting Rarity, "She did something, and you all seemed to be too focused on getting mad at her," he pointed out bluntly, causing the fashionista to let out a sharp, dramatic gasp.

"So yer blamin' us?!" Applejack yelled in question.

"Okay, let's all calm down…" Twilight insisted as she stepped forward, letting off a nervous, but obviously stressed smile, "We're moving onto the finals at any rate, so—"

"We're not blaming anyone, chica!" Rex shouted, interrupting her as he approached the cowgirl, "So quit putting the blame on someone who wants to help!" he insisted.

"The only 'help' she's given is causing us even more trouble!" Rarity proclaimed. That cut deep for Sunset, who was already on the verge of breaking down. She wanted to help her friends. She wanted to redeem herself. As the boys and girls kept on arguing, the situation didn't seem like it was going to easily diffuse. In the midst of her shouting, Rainbow locked eyes with the former unicorn.

"You know…" she began with crossed arms and a glare, "maybe some people don't deserve a second chance…" she remarked coldly. Sunset widened her eyes, turning away with an ashamed grimace. Maybe she hadn't changed after all. Maybe… she was still the same person.

But that was when a figure walked past her, being Ben. She couldn't help but notice the dark expression upon his face as he marched up to Rainbow, who was still arguing with the others. Before she could say anything to him upon noticing his approach, she was met with a resounding slap to her left cheek from his right hand. The whole hall went silent. Both Fluttershy and Pinkie had their hands over their mouths, while Applejack and Rarity were just astonished. Twilight's eyes were shaking. So too were those of the Omnitrix bearer's multiversal friends.

The rainbow-haired girl put her hand up to her stricken cheek, looking back at the boy she had a crush on. He was glaring at her with no guilt for what he had done. She almost didn't recognize the expression on his face.

"We're done," he decided firmly. He then walked past her, bumping her shoulder uncaringly.

"…Uh, dude!" Rex cried out, jogging after the Omnitrix bearer, "Hey!" he yelled. Ash, Naruto and Gingka were soon to follow. Pikachu looked back and forth between the group of girls before heading after the others. All the while, Sunset watched on in shock.

Quite a polarizing moment, don't you agree? Though there's more to it than that. Surely you didn't think we came back to this little memory without a purpose, did you?

This moment was what proved to Sunset Shimmer that Ben Tennyson had her loyalty. And she would have his. From then on, through thick and thin, the two of them would become best friends. Some may argue even better friends than they expected. Even further than that, too…

Hehe. That loyalty was something Sunset never wanted to break. Because for the first time, she felt as if she had a real friend. Now we've seen her prove this friendship a multitude of times, whether through wars of other worlds, countless battles across the multiverse, or even just being there by his side through trials and tribulations.

But there was one time that she risked her life to prove that loyalty. And that's where our story begins today…

OPENING

Insert "The Peak" by SEKAI NO OWARI

Opens with Sunset Shimmer as a unicorn, being a pupil under Princess Celestia. Over time while learning, she ignores the principles of friendship in order to become more powerful. One day, she comes across the mirror portal leading to the human world, and she ventures there in spite of her teacher forbidding her.

Upon arriving, she takes her place as a popular figure at Canterlot High School. She seems to have everything she's ever wanted… yet something in her heart just doesn't feel right. That's when she ends up taking Twilight Sparkle's crown, only to lose it and end up being defeated by her and her friends. As she crawls up from the crater in which her sorrows lie, a pair of hands extend out to her. One is Twilight's, and the other is Ben's.

Not everything works out for Sunset afterward. She tries to turn her life around, but ends up still chastised and ridiculed by her peers. Even her own friends are a bit wary of her. Luckily, she finds herself still supported by those that see her efforts to change, including Ben, Ash, Naruto, Gingka, Rex, and Rook. She runs forward as a golden-amber aura shrouds her body, right before she ponies up and flies off into the sky.

We cut to various scenes of her meeting the Plumbers, battling alongside Ben, Rainbow, and Rook for the fate of universe, and getting to introduce herself to the members of her squad. She cuddles with her Litleo and other Pokémon that she obtained journeying around Kalos, even battling in the Lumiose Conference against Alain Regulus. She sighs upon watching both Kyoya Tategami and Applejack argue, but smiles as she knows they'll quickly make up.

We get to see her sitting on the figurehead of the Sunny alongside Monkey D. Luffy, laughing with him while out on the open sea. Sunset gets to meet Sasuke Uchiha as he's out on his own journey of self-reflection and atonement, followed by getting to watch Sakura Haruno work as a medical ninja, marveling her prowess. Finally, we see her pleading with the likes of the Butterfly Family to let her watch over Star, promising that she'll be in safe hands while becoming an Omni Force member.

Through her life, Sunset's been through highs and lows. Between getting to meet amazing friends around the multiverse to the betrayals she's felt along the way, she's gone through a lot. She fights against powerful foes like the Dazzlings, the Marines, Aggregor, Team Flare, and so forth. She's never done it alone, though.

And that's part of the reason that when she gets to see Princess Celestia again back in Equestria, she earns the right to become an alicorn. She's overcome with emotion, but can't help but smile. We also see her getting to interact with her multiple friends across the multiverse, whether it's eating with Minerva Orland, going out shopping with Nami, relaxing with Rangiku Matsumoto, or just trying to keep Harley Quinn out of trouble while out for the night. She's still really happy to be around them. Sometimes in ways beyond friendships…

As the opening winds down, we see her standing atop Mount Rushmore before being joined by Ben, who's brought a bag of food from Burger Shack for the both of them. They sit down and eat together, all while the sun sets in the background. Sunset laughs, glad to be living her life with such great friends like him.

END OPENING

SUNSET SHIMMER

Now you might be wondering, what possible reason would Sunset need to prove her loyalty to Ben as he did for her? After all, something like that shouldn't be repaid…

Well, let's go back to when Sunset first officially became a part of the Omni Force…

When Avatar Korra was sidelined due to injury, she was initially brought aboard as a… replacement of sorts. There wasn't really much thought behind it for Ben to do, as he knew Sunset and trusted her. She came to his universe and helped out during an operation to stop a villain known as Yokai. And she may have made a boyfriend along the way…

Yokai was out stealing energy, returning to his own universe with an MPG he had manufactured. Knowing such technology would be dangerous in the wrong hands, Ben went off to the universe in which the villain had gone to with a few others to back him up. And in the meantime, Sunset would be helping out in Bellwood for the time being.

How would she fare? Well, we can find out…

UNIVERSE-57

BELLWOOD, CALIFORNIA

"I'm telling you, these are actually really great," Sunset noted before taking a long sip of her smoothie at one of the tables surrounding Mr. Smoothy's.

"Yes, it is quite delicious when you get used to a certain flavor…" Rook concurred, sipping his own frozen beverage through its straw. It had been a couple of hours since Ben and Rainbow had left on their mission to recover Yokai and his makeshift MPG. Knowing the dangers of such technology in the wrong hands, the Omnitrix bearer needed to find and secure it, if not make sure it was destroyed.

"So what do you think Yokai was after in the end?" Sunset asked of her new boyfriend.

"It is… difficult to say," he replied, "The energy that he had been gathering could likely power half of a city, or perhaps some weapon that is being built within another universe," he explained to her.

"…He looked tired," she pointed out, having remembered seeing his face after he had his mask knocked off.

"Yes… he did…" the Revonnahgander agreed. There was an awkward silence at the table.

"Ugh, sorry…" Sunset apologized, shaking her head, "We're supposed to be on a date after taking down a crime ring, and I'm spilling all this doom and gloom…" she muttered with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh, no, no, no…" Rook chimed in, "You are just… um, reminiscing over said events," he pointed out, "Perhaps you are looking to find a reason as to why they happened," he mentioned, "Why this Yokai chose to come to our world, why he is doing all this," he listed on.

"Yeah, right…" the Equestrian Magic user confirmed with a nod, letting out a mirthless chuckle, "I hope Ben and Rainbow are gonna be okay," she admitted, sipping her smoothie again.

"They will be fine," the Revonnahgander assured, sharing a chuckle with his new girlfriend, "In the meantime, we will… hold down the fort, as they say," he remarked, "Although I do hope that we are not impeding anything back in your universe…" he mentioned to Sunset.

"Ah, it's fine…" she responded, "We were about to be on break anyway," she added, finishing her frozen beverage before leaning back in her seat, "So, what's next after busting a crime ring and smoothies?" she wondered curiously. Before Rook could answer, he felt a buzz from one of his pouches. He reached into it, pulling out his Plumber badge and pressing its button.

"This is Rook," he confirmed in greeting.

"Hey, Rook," the voice of Max Tennyson greeted over the communication, "Nice job on taking care of Psyphon and his cronies back in Undertown," he complimented, "We've gotten word that some managed to make a break from the scene, though…" he mentioned to the surprise of the pair at the table.

"Would… you like for us to search for them?" the Revonnahgander presumed.

"Nah, I'd rather you and Sunset take it easy," the Magister advised in reply, "After that whole Yokai business, there's no need for you two to get too involved in everything," he pointed out.

"I… wouldn't mind helping out a bit more…" the Equestrian Magic user chimed in with a shrug of her shoulders.

"That's very nice of you, but it's probably better to not make you two do too much," Max told her as a response, "Right now, no criminals know that Ben's gone off-world," he pointed out, "Better to avoid trouble by making them aware he's not around," he added seriously, "We'll handle the stragglers," he promised further, "You two come back to base," he instructed.

"Understood, sir," Rook replied, ending the communication. His girlfriend let out a sigh. "I suppose you would prefer to be of help?" he assumed with a small smile.

"Well… I get why Mister Tennyson doesn't want us out and about too much…" Sunset admitted, "I'm just worried that it's gonna give bad guys they idea they can get away with stuff with Ben not here…" she pointed out.

"They will not," the Revonnahgander affirmed, standing up from his seat, "Shall we head back to base?" he offered, holding his right hand out to his girlfriend. She gave off her own little smile.

"We shall," she responded, taking his hand before sharing a laugh with him. Moments later, she sat in the passenger's seat of her boyfriend's Proto-TRUK, looking around at the buildings of Bellwood they passed. Being in a different world aside from the universe she knew, whether as a human or as a pony, it felt special to her.

"So in the event of no further incidents like earlier today, we may have the rest of the time off to ourselves," Rook explained, "Perhaps we may go to a feature-length film tonight?" he suggested to his girlfriend. He blinked in surprise upon noticing how lost in thought she appeared, staring out the window. "Um, Sunset?" he said, trying to get her attention.

"Oh, sorry!" she yelped in apology with a chuckle, "Lost in thought…" she admitted sheepishly.

"In awe of another universe, are you not?" the Revonnahgander assumed.

"Yeah…" the Equestrian Magic user replied, "I mean, it's pretty crazy to think that considering I've already lived in two different worlds…" she pointed out, sharing another laugh with her boyfriend, "And… I'm kinda still shocked that it's me that gets to be here," she confessed on to Rook's surprise, "Don't get me wrong, I'm super honored or… you know…" she affirmed to him, "It's just… I'm sure Ben had other options," she pointed out.

"Perhaps he did…" the Plumber officer responded before bringing his vehicle to a stop at a traffic light, "But from what I can tell, you are a person that he trusts most of all," he noted, causing his girlfriend to blink in surprise. However, she smiled.

"Thanks, Blonko," she said gratefully. As the traffic light turned green, the Revonnahgander drove his truck off into the distance. A while later, the pair had returned to Plumber Headquarters, with the elevator they rode upon stopping. Its doors opened, allowing them to walk into the central command area.

"And it is a part of our custom to farm throughout the day and night," Rook told his girlfriend.

"Huh," she uttered out, "Here's another question," she began, "How do you guys handle things whenever Ben's gone? Or when both of you are gone?" she asked curiously.

"We try to keep a handle on the small thugs that pop in between Ben bein' OOU," another voice chimed in, belonging to Magister Patelliday as he approached.

"OOU?" Sunset repeated in confusion.

"Out of universe," her boyfriend clarified for her, "Magister Patelliday," he greeted with a salute, which the Piscciss Volann returned.

"Good work today, you two," he complimented, "Psyphon's always been a thorn in our side since he took over Undertown," he pointed out, "We've been tryin' to get him transferred, but… things happen…" he grumbled on with a sigh. The Equestrian Magic user arched an eyebrow, looking to her boyfriend for answers. He could only shrug. "Anywho," Patelliday began, getting their attentions, "Rook, you can take the rest of the day to relax," he told the Revonnahgander, "You've earned it after these past few days," he assured to him.

"Thank you, Magister Patelliday," he responded gratefully, "I will gladly take you up on that offer," he affirmed with a nod of his head.

"And that goes for me, too?" Sunset assumed.

"Actually, you're gonna be working with me for a change," another voice chimed in as a reply, causing her to look over to see the approaching figure of Molly Gunther, "Magister Tennyson says we should get you in shape in case there's another code red while Ben's gone," she told her.

"Uh… but didn't I prove myself during that training exercise?" she inquired back.

"With that fancy-shmancy armor, you did," the human officer corrected in response, making her grimace.

"Okay, fair point…" she admitted with a blush of embarrassment across her cheeks, "Guess I'm not free…" she noted to her boyfriend, who frowned a little.

"Is there not a way you can postpone her training?" he inquired of Molly.

"Better now than never, Officer Blonko," she remarked in response, grabbing Sunset by her left wrist before pulling her away in a yelp.

"Huh…" Rook sighed dejectedly, while Patelliday went ahead and patted his shoulder.

While it's to be expected that things seem relatively slow, not all is well in Bellwood. Or rather, Undertown. Let's check there, shall we?

UNDERTOWN

"Can't believe Psyphon got himself nabbed again…" a grey-skinned humanoid elephant alien complained before using his trunk to down the beverage he had at the bar. His ears resembled bat wings, with the inside of them being pink. He also had red eyes. His outfit consisted of black briefs held on by a matching belt and suspenders that were purple and with yellow circles on them. He also donned arm bracelets that matched. He had a lock on his belt as a buckle. On his head rested a purple crown of sorts. His tusks were long, and his mouth was situated at the end of his trunk. "I mean, it's bad enough he ended up losing SixSix, SevenSeven, and EightEight in the same day," he continued, "but then he gets out and ends up getting himself caught again!" he exclaimed in frustration.

"You made you point already…" a short alien with thick, purple skin and a rock-like reptilian appearance grumbled in response. He had three fingers on each hand, and two toes on each foot. He also had red eyes and a large chin. He wore a lavender and gold vest. Though small and squat, his compact body was heavily muscled. "Like three times…" he added out of annoyance.

"So then you get what I'm saying!" Trombipulor shouted, "If Psyphon's gonna get himself captured again and again and again…" he continued, "then I think we need a new kingpin here in Undertown," he proclaimed.

"And you wanna be that kingpin?" Solid Plugg assumed.

"I mean… who else could take that on?" the alien elephant questioned back with a chuckle.

"I'm sure there's a few…" another voice chimed in, enticing the pair at the counter to turn and see a figure wearing a metallic helmet and gloves to hide his face and hands; the holes in his helmet for his eyes and mouth still keep those parts of his face hidden in shadows. He also donned a medieval tunic and pants.

"Oh, here we go…" Plugg muttered.

"You think you got what it takes, Morningstar?" Trombipulor challenged.

"Darkstar," the masked man corrected, "And I'm not about to let myself be under the trunk of an idiot like you," he mentioned firmly.

"You wanna take this outside?" the elephant-like alien challenged.

"Your call…" the masked man retorted, while Plugg rolled his eyes. However, he widened them upon noticing something. All of a sudden, both Trombipulor and Darkstar were sent flying, crashing into the other side of the bar as they slumped down onto the floor. They groaned weakly as a figure approached them.

"So this is Undertown…" he noted curiously, "It's more of a festering cesspool than I imagined…" he mentioned. The downed pair perked up to see their attacker. His most notable feature was his mask. Its left side was orange with a single black outlined eyehole, while the right was solid black with no eyehole. There were also four parallel holes, two on each side, where his mouth is. He wore what seemed to be a black body suit that covered his entire body except his lower torso and forearms, which were gray. For his arms, he had black gauntlets, gray gloves and wore a gray utility belt. He had overlapping armor in certain spots of his body. The first was a gray neck guard that goes to his throat and to his chest, a guard on both shoulders, forearms, over his gauntlets, one for each of his thighs, knees, the top and soles of his feet and finally, a gray sash wrapped horizontally around his torso.

"Who… the heck are you?" Trombipulor asked, trying to sit up.

"I'm a visitor," the masked stranger replied simply. With a growl, Darkstar cloaked in his left hand in a dark energy before shooting to his feet and thrusting it out at his attacker. However, he easily parried it, followed by punching him squarely in the throat. He gasped for air, while onlookers watched in complete awe.

"Ah… ah…!" the energy stealer gasped, struggling to breathe as he collapsed onto his knees.

"Don't worry," the masked man in front of him assured, "You'll be fine after a moment," he promised, turning to Trombipulor, "Now…" he continued as the elephant-like alien tensed up, "tell me more about this place…" he requested firmly.

X

PLUMBER HEADQUARTERS

"Agh!" Sunset yelped out as she fell back onto the mat, "Ugh…" she groaned, slow to pick herself up.

"You really don't like working out, huh?" Molly assumed, dressed in just a black tank top and sweats with bare feet. The Equestrian Magic user was wearing a black t-shirt and sweats of her own, getting to her feet before letting out another wince.

"I… never really found the need to…" she admitted, groaning again. The Plumber officer chuckled.

"Gonna need to be in case that magic of yours isn't enough," she pointed out.

"Well if it's not enough, what's learning how to punch and kick gonna do?" Sunset asked. Instantly, Molly rushed in and swept her off of her feet, causing her to start falling backwards in a yelp. Fortunately, she caught her by her shirt before she could hit the mat.

"Keep you from ending up like that," she said, dropping the Equestrian Magic user onto the mat.

"Ugh… noted…" she groaned out, sitting up.

"But I think that's enough for today," Molly decided, tossing over a water bottle. Sunset fumbled it in her hands before securing it, exhaling a sigh. A little while later, she was downing her drink while following the Plumber officer through the halls.

"So what usually happens when Ben's OOU?" she asked curiously after finishing her water, "Does it get kinda crazy?" she presumed.

"Surprisingly, no," Molly replied, "Matter of fact, it gets pretty boring when he's not around helping out," she mentioned further, "Sometimes, the bigwigs only show if he's around," she noted to the Equestrian Magic user.

"Wh…Why?" she questioned, arching an eyebrow in confusion.

"Eh, maybe because they think their master plan could end with them getting the drop on Ben…" the Plumber officer suggested in response with a shrug of her shoulders, "It's not that it's always like that," she pointed out, "Just… he makes things a little more interesting, you know?" she said.

"Uh, yeah," Sunset agreed with a chuckle. A little while later, she was sitting upon her bed in the room she'd been given as part of her stay. She twirled a pen in between her fingers while staring down at the blank page of her journal. Part of her usual routine would be to write about her experiences on a daily basis. And what she wrote would go out to Twilight, who would either offer a reply or some form of advice.

Today, however… she wasn't sure what to really write about. Bringing up another crime ring that she and Rook thwarted would lead to a deluge of questions and concerns on the princess' part, which she quite frankly didn't want to deal with. There was also the opportunity to ask her for advice. Except… she didn't really have anything to ask about.

Though she just started a relationship with the Revonnahgander, there wasn't really any need to ask Twilight questions about that sort of thing. And Sunset knew that the princess never had those types of relationships before. So… what was left?

"Ugh…" she groaned, closing the journal, "Sorry, Twilight…" she apologized before putting the book back into her satchel. At that moment, the door to her room opened. "Oh, Blonko!" she greeted upon spotting her boyfriend.

"I do hope Officer Gunther's training was not too troublesome…" he remarked, seeing her stand up and walk over to him.

"Eh, my back can give you an answer tomorrow," she affirmed. He blinked twice.

"Your… back can talk?" he inquired, tilting his head. Sunset stifled a laugh.

"Wow, Ben was right…" she said, "You really don't know your expressions, huh?" she noted as she folded her arms over her chest. Rook chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"No, I do not…" he replied. At that moment, the pair heard a buzz go off.

"All personnel please report to central command," a feminine voice requested.

"What's that about?" Sunset asked.

"I am not sure…" her boyfriend replied with narrowing eyes. Moments later, the pair gathered amongst the other Plumbers in central. They overheard talking from nearby.

"I'm telling you, this is not normal!" a raspy voice shouted out. Rook blinked in surprise.

"Oh dear…" he muttered.

"What? What is it?" his girlfriend asked. The pair made their way through the crowd of Plumbers.

"Look, you guys know I've gone totally straight, right?" the raspy voice noted, speaking with Max and Patelliday, "I'm an upstanding citizen," he pointed out. As Sunset made her way over, she blinked in surprise. Standing opposite the two Magisters was a giant humanoid porcupine/opossum. His height came up to her chest, and he had big yellow eyes and black quills for hair. He wore an orange, zipped up jacket with yellow accents, as well as orange-and-yellow pants. Inside the jacket, he donned an off-white, pale yellow t-shirt. He also had long ears and short hair, and wore piercings on the former. The skin surrounding his eyes was purple.

"We've heard this plenty of times, Argit," the Piscciss Volann pointed out with crossed arms, "Doesn't matter how straight you get," he continued, "You always find a way to look crooked…" he noted on.

"Oh, come on…" the rodent-like alien complained.

"Hello, Argit," Rook greeted upon approaching, folding his arms over his chest, "To what do we owe this unexpected visit?" he inquired of him.

"Rook!" the rodent-like alien exclaimed in greeting, letting out a chuckle, "You're lookin' sharp as ever…" he complimented, "And so is my good friend, Be—" He stopped himself upon noticing that Sunset was actually the one beside him. "Oh, a new face," he noted in surprise.

"Uh, hi," the Equestrian Magic user greeted, somewhat weirded out, "Sunset Shimmer," she introduced.

"Name's Argit," the rodent-like alien responded, "I take it this means Ben-o's out on another of his 'excursions'?" he presumed.

"Alright, let's get to the point of this," Max insisted, interjecting on the conversation, "Why are you here, Argit?" he inquired.

"A very good question, Magister Tennyson," the conman responded with a grin, "And to answer it as simply as possible, there's been a bit of a shakeup down in Undertown," he mentioned to the group.

"A… shakeup?" Sunset repeated in confusion.

"What has been shaken up, exactly?" Rook questioned with a tilt of his head.

"It means that there's been a shift in the balance of power in Undertown," Max replied, "That should be obvious enough with us arresting Psyphon," he pointed out.

"And right you are," Argit agreed, "But this little 'shift' in the balance is pretty massive," he pointed out, "Usually it's one of the usual suspects who takes over," he noted to the Plumbers, "Fistrick, Sunder, Darkstar, or… heck, even a rookie who thinks they've got a decent shot," he listed off.

"So a new face is taking over Undertown?" Rook assumed.

"Not just taking over, my friend…" the conman corrected, "Whoever this new guy running the show down there is, he's already made it so that every bounty hunter and crook's on his side," he told the group.

"Wait, you don't even know who he is?" Sunset inquired, earning a head shake from Argit in response.

"All I already know is that this guy's done this before, wherever he's from," he said, "I was hopin' Benny'd be here to help you guys out on this one, but I guess beggars can't be choosers, right?" he noted with a shrug.

"Ugh…" Rook groaned out, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"In any case, we need to check this out," Max insisted, "I'll lead a team down to the marketplace," he decided, "Rook, you'll head to the resident district up top to get a bird's eye view," he told the Revonnahgander.

"Understood, sir," he responded with a salute.

"Uh, what about me?" Sunset chimed in, getting their attentions.

"You'll be on standby," Max confirmed to her surprise, "After that whole business with Yokai, we'd rather not put you at risk," he affirmed.

"Especially since you are set to return to school once Ben and Rainbow return from their mission," Rook added to his girlfriend's chagrin.

"It's alright," Molly assured, putting a hand onto the Equestrian Magic user's shoulder, "We'll hold down the fort for ya," she promised.

"I think you're taking this a bit too lightly, Magister," Argit chimed in, "This guy's not some run-of-the-mill goon who thinks he's a bigshot," he told the Plumbers, "He is one," he said.

"We'll take our chances," Max responded, "Let's move," he instructed of his colleagues, heading off with them. Rook spared a glance back at Sunset, giving her a smile. She returned it, but sighed with frustration.

"Magister Tennyson is just looking out for you," Molly noted to her, "Ben mentioned your story to us, too," she added as the Equestrian Magic user turned away for a moment, "You up for another spar or…?" she started to offer. Letting out a deep breath, the red-and-yellow-haired girl walked off dejectedly.

"Huh," Argit huffed, "Well, it's their funeral," he remarked with a shrug. Overhearing that, Sunset had already made up her mind. She reached into her jacket and pulled out her Proto-Glasses, setting them on over her eyes just as she entered the hall.

"Sorry, but I'm not the kinda girl who'd stay out of this…" she affirmed, jogging off sneakily.

X

UNDERTOWN

"They cleared out Pakmar's business completely!" a frustrated Pakmar exclaimed, "Oh, Pakmar knows this is Ben Tennyson's fault somehow!" he proclaimed on to Max, who let out a deep sigh.

"Sir, all of the stands here got themselves cleared out, too," another Plumber noted to his superior as he approached.

"So this was an indiscriminate raid?" he presumed.

"That's what it looks like," his subordinate replied. The Magister pulled out his badge, pressing the button upon its side.

"Rook, how do things look up top?" he asked. In the upper echelons of Undertown, the Revonnahgander was standing beside his Proto-TRUK with his own badge in hand.

"The vendors in the marketplace did evacuate here when the raiding began," he answered, "For all we are aware of, there are no casualties," he mentioned.

"That's good," Max responded, "Have they mentioned anything about the attackers?" he inquired further.

"Yes," Rook replied, "They had seen the likes of Darkstar, Trombipulor, Solid Plugg, and a few other notable characters," he listed off, "The presence of the former alerts me, as I thought he had gone back into our custody after our visit to Gwendolyn's university…" he mentioned in concern.

"What about the ringleader?" the Magister asked, "Was he spotted?" he questioned on. Before the Revonnahgander could answer, he could hear a familiar panting. He looked to his right and gasped to find his girlfriend running over, almost out of breath. She came to a stop beside him, putting her hands onto her knees.

"I… will get back to you on that, Magister Tennyson…" Rook promised, ending the communication between him and his superior with the click of his badge's button.

"So… haven't found him yet?" Sunset presumed. Her boyfriend groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, opening his vehicle's driver door before reaching in to grab a bottle of water, "I thought Magister Tennyson was clear in stating that you were to remain at headquarters," he pointed out, handing her the beverage. She took hold of it, twisting its cap off and guzzling down half of the water available.

"Huh…" she exhaled in relief, "Sorry…" she apologized, "But I just wanna help!" she affirmed, putting her right hand over her heart, "When it comes to these sorts of things, you'd wanna have a wildcard like Ben or Rainbow to help out, right?" she presumed of her boyfriend. He was ready to argue, but rescinded as he sighed.

"I suppose your presence is more beneficial than detrimental…" he admitted, "Besides, you would probably cause less collateral damage compared to Ben and Rainbow," he mentioned with a little smile.

"See? You get it!" Sunset exclaimed, "Plus, I've got my Proto-Glasses to help us find that ringleader guy," she added, gesturing to her enhanced bifocals, "We take him down, we take care of the rest," she noted.

"About that…" Rook began, pulling out his scanner and activating it, showing off a grid of Undertown, "the citizens here reported that the raid went from the east to the west of the marketplace," he told his girlfriend, "They mentioned that it seemed like a coordinated effort, and all of them were joining together throughout the ordeal," he explained further.

"Huh," Sunset uttered, narrowing her eyes onto the grid, "What's on the west side of Undertown?" she asked curiously.

"There is not much of note… other than the Hot Spot, the home of the Kraaho," her boyfriend replied, "But… I do not know what they would plan to do there…" he admitted, putting his hand onto his chin.

"Let's find out then," the Equestrian Magic user insisted to his surprise, getting into the Proto-TRUK.

"Sunset, we cannot go without alerting Magister Tennyson first…" Rook pointed out.

"Then go ahead and tell him," his girlfriend replied to his shock, "I'll take the heat for disobeying orders or whatever…" she assured, folding her arms behind her head as she sat in the passenger's seat.

"Huh…" the Revonnahgander sighed, putting away his scanner and climbing into the driver's seat, closing the door, "I am beginning to see why you and Ben are such good friends…" he grumbled, making her giggle. Elsewhere in a different section of Undertown, several figures were downed in an intensely-heated area, which had pools of lava bubbling around. The figures themselves were light bluish, purple-skinned humanoids with big white antler-like eyebrow protuberances and purple hair. Walking over them was the masked man, with several alien bounty hunters standing off from afar. They watched as he approached one of the Kraaho in particular, being a female wearing a purple jacket, with white fur collars and cuffs, pink stockings, and purple snow boots. She had pinkish-red hair and a tiara with a diamond-shape at the top. She also had purple eyes and light pink skin, with two purple markings on her cheeks, and large whitish protuberances where a human's eyebrows would be.

"Agh…" she groaned out, clenching her teeth as she glared up at the approaching figure, "Who are you?!" she questioned, "Why are you doing this?!" she inquired on.

"Hm," the masked man huffed, "Who I am is irrelevant," he remarked, crouching down in front of the Kraaho leader, "Why I'm doing this is far more important," he noted, narrowing the lone eye underneath his mask.

"Uh, boss?" Trombipulor chimed in, trying to get his attention, "It's pretty toasty down here…" he pointed out, sweating madly like many of the others.

"Yes, I'd prefer we take the girl as a bargaining chip away from here…" Darkstar insisted, sounding almost out of breath.

"Bargaining chip?" Ester repeated in confusion.

"Huh…" the masked man sighed, "If you can't deal with a little excess heat," he began as he pulled out something from a pouch at his belt while standing up, "then you're not cut out for the real world," he stated, flicking the object he grabbed into one of the pools of lava nearby. A burst of steam rang as the Kraaho leader gasped with widened eyes. She could see her people start shivering as a cold rush of air washed over them. The bubbling lava had been cooled and hardened.

"What did you just do?!" Ester angrily asked of the masked man.

"Liquid nitrogen capsule," he responded, "Cools anything instantly, even the precious magma your people rely on," he told her as she kept glaring at him, "Now then…" he continued, crouching down in front of her and pulling out a collapsible staff from his belt, "I'm looking to meet with a certain someone," he said to her surprise, "I'm sure you know who," he mentioned.

"Ben…" the Kraaho leader uttered in realization, taking on a determined expression, "If you think using me as bait to get him here is a good idea, you're dead wrong," she proclaimed. The masked man huffed again.

"I've taken an interest in Benjamin for a while," he noted, "He helped thwart my plans on several different occasions," he recalled, "To be honest, I should've focused more of my efforts on him in the past…" he admitted, standing up and whacking Ester back with his staff. She tumbled onto her feet, letting out a pained groan. "Don't worry, no harm will come to you or your people…" the masked figure promised, approaching her while dragging his weapon along the ground, "so long as Ben Tennyson does as I ask…" he added. Meanwhile, Rook and Sunset had arrived, peeking out from the entrance to the lair.

"So this was all a setup to lure out Ben?" the latter inquired quietly of her boyfriend.

"It would appear so…" he replied, "Though, I am perplexed…" he admitted as he put his left hand onto his chin, "Of all the enemies Ben and I have not, I do not remember one with such an appearance…" he noted as he looked over to the masked figure.

"Whoever he is, we need to stop him…" Sunset insisted, about to head out, only for Rook to grab her by her shoulder.

"Magister Tennyson will be here shortly with the rest of the Plumber force," he pointed out, "It would be best for us to make our attack once they arrive and—"

"AH!" Ester's voice yelped out, interjecting him as he and the Equestrian Magic user watched her get knocked against a nearby engine, falling onto her knees. The masked man spun his staff in hand as he approached her again. Gritting her teeth, Sunset enveloped herself in a golden glow, gaining amber skin with pony ears and a long ponytail. She vanished with a flash of amber light, causing her boyfriend to gasp.

"Sunset!" he exclaimed, getting the attentions of those in the lair as they took notice of him.

"It's the furface with Tennyson!" Trombipulor pointed out.

"That means he's here…" Darkstar presumed as he enveloped his hands within a dark energy. All of a sudden, Plugg found himself surrounded by a sparkling red aura, floating up from the ground as he yelped. He then wound up flung right into his helmeted colleague, falling onto the earth with him as they both groaned. Their masked superior glanced back.

"Well, it seems like someone's finally decided to show up after all…" he noted, narrowing his lone eye. However, a flash of light went off between him and Ester, followed by a high-heeled foot kicking him back along the ground. He slid to a stop, looking out to see Sunset there.

"Sorry to disappoint, but you won't be seeing Ben," she remarked, cloaking her fists in an amber aura, "Not while I'm here…" she added firmly.

"Well… that's no good…" her masked foe retorted. He charged out at her, only to take notice of Ester stretching her right hand out in an attempt to grab him. He hopped back, swatting her extremity away thanks to his staff.

"You okay?" Sunset asked of the Kraaho leader, who stood up with a groan.

"Seriously, where is Ben?" she questioned back, "Is he OOU again?" she inquired on.

"Wait, how do you know that?" the Equestrian Magic user questioned, raising an eyebrow out of surprise. The masked man lunged at them before Ester could answer, enticing them to jump away. He went after Sunset, swinging his staff at her. However, she stopped it by throwing her hands out, encasing the weapon in the sparkling red aura. That allowed for the Kraaho leader to stretch her arms out and wrap them around his body, restraining him.

"Ben's my boyfriend… or was…" she noted in correction to the Equestrian Magic user, "Of course I know about him going from world to world sometimes…" she pointed out.

"That… makes a lot of sense…" Sunset admitted, trying to pry the staff free from the masked man's grasp. He narrowed his eye again, collapsing his weapon before extending it to strike Ester's arms, loosening her hold on him. That allowed for him to reach down to his belt and grab a flashbang, which he tossed toward the Kraaho leader. It exploded in a bright flash, blinding her as she yelped.

"Don't interrupt," the masked man advised as she covered her blinded eyes with her hands, "I need to speak with this new nuisance," he decided, turning his attention to Sunset, who took on a ready stance.

"Who are you?" she asked, keeping her fists clenched.

"That would be my question…" her masked foe questioned back, "So Benjamin isn't here at all, it seems…" he realized, "What a shame," he said, lowering his head slightly.

"I heard you saying he was someone you took interest in…" Sunset noted curiously, "Why?" she asked.

"Who wouldn't take interest in someone with the most dangerous weapon in the universe around their wrist?" the masked man inquired back, "Seeing as he's not here, this proves far too pointless," he concluded, collapsing his staff and placing it back onto his belt. He then turned and started walking away, much to Sunset's surprise. "I won't cause you any more trouble," he decided.

"Hey!" the Equestrian Magic user yelled, teleporting herself to reappear right in front of him, "You think I'm gonna let you leave after what you did to these people?!" she roared in question, thrusting her right fist out at him. He caught it with his left hand, much to her shock. He narrowed his lone eye again.

"To answer your earlier question…" he began, "you can call me Slade," he told her as she tried to break free from his grip. He then took the opportunity to punch her squarely in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her as she gasped for breath. "Now who are you?" he questioned back, kicking her down onto the ground as she grimaced. He looked out to see Rook battling against Darkstar, Trombipulor, and Plugg, with the elephant-like alien attempting to body slam him. He rolled aside to dodge him, sweating madly as he panted for breath. "This should prove interesting…" Slade noted, extending his staff out as he began to walk over. However, something grabbed him by his left ankle. He glanced back to see that Sunset had grabbed him.

"Where do you think you're going…?" she groaned out in question. The masked villain narrowed his lone eye again. He kicked her hand away, but turned to face her.

"Interesting…" he remarked, seeing her stand up, "You have my full attention…" he assured.

X

Plumber tanks were hurrying down the streets of Undertown, with Max's leading the way as Patelliday sat alongside him in the armored vehicle. The Piscciss Volann couldn't help but overhear his fellow Magister's groans during the drive. He looked over to see the troubled expression upon his face.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he offered to him, getting his attention.

"Huh…" he sighed, "I know Sunset's trying her best to help, but after everything that's happened lately, I don't wanna risk putting her in harm's way," he told Patelliday, "She reminds me too much of Ben…" he mentioned.

"So that's what's got you so worked up…" the Piscciss Volann realized, "With everything happenin' from Yokai to now, I'm sure you'd want her to just take it easy," he pointed out, "But if she's like your grandson, you know she's gonna make sure to sneak her way into helping…" he added in explanation to his fellow Magister.

"Huh… you're right…" he sighed out in response, "It's just—" All of a sudden, an explosion erupted ahead of him and the others, causing him to gasp as he brought his tank to a screeching halt, along with the ones following behind. From afar, smoke emitted from a unique laser rifle with a shark-teeth design on the front of the barrel. Wielding it was a woman with maroon hair, pale skin, and black lipstick and brown eyes. She wore steel black and red armor with five silver spikes on each of her shoulder pads, with a skull emblem upon her chest.

"Plumbers are stalled, boss," she confirmed as she pressed her fingers up against a communicator in her left ear, "Is Tennyson there yet?" she inquired curiously.

"He won't be coming, I'm afraid," Slade responded over the line to her surprise, "However, thank you for setting up that little roadblock," he mentioned gratefully from the Kraaho's lair, "Those that've come in Benjamin's place are peaking my interest," he admitted as he looked out at Sunset.

"Who are you talking to?" she questioned, thrusting her left fist out to fire off a sparkling beam of amber light toward her foe. He ducked underneath it with ease.

"We'll talk later," he confirmed, ending the communication before rushing out at the Equestrian Magic user. She grimaced, cloaking her arms in a sparkling red light to try to parry and block the blows he attempted with his staff, only for him to weave his weapon around her arms to strike her hips, stomach, and face before she fell to the ground. From afar, Rook took notice and gasped.

"Sunset!" he cried out, trying to run over to her. Unfortunately, his path was blocked off by Darkstar, whose fists were cloaked in dark energy like boxing gloves. He swung them out at the Revonnahgander, who parried them with his Proto-Tool as he shifted its form into that of a staff. Plugg then rushed in for a full-body tackle, knocking him to the ground and causing him to drop his weapon.

"Hehe…" he chuckled as he had the Plumber pinned to the ground, "Not so tough without Tennyson here to help you, huh?" he presumed. All of a sudden though, a pair of stretched out arms wrapped around him, originating from Ester. She flung him aside, causing him to crash up against some nearby machinery in a flurry of dust.

"Agh… thank you…" Rook groaned out gratefully as the Kraaho leader approached. Trombipulor and Darkstar were still ready to attack, enticing the pair to stand back-to-back in ready stances.

"So Ben's OOU again…" Ester muttered, "And who's the girl?" she asked curiously.

"Sunset," Rook responded, "She is… my girlfriend…" he mentioned sheepishly, much to her surprise as she blinked.

"Do Plumbers not have like a dating policy or something?" she wondered aloud. Before the Revonnahgander could offer a response, he had to hop aside to evade getting struck by Darkstar's fists. Meanwhile, the Kraaho leader slid through the opening in Trombipulor's legs before grabbing them with her arms, tripping him up as he fell over onto his helmeted colleague while trumpeting. That allowed for Rook to reclaim his Proto-Tool, setting it into its blaster form before aiming it toward Slade. Without warning though, he was ambushed by a barrage of laser bolts raining down from above. He transformed his weapon into an energy shield to block off the flurry, noticing several other alien bounty hunters shooting at him and Ester.

"Agh!" Sunset yelped as she slammed up against some nearby pipework. She stood up, gasping before narrowly ducking away from a boot to the face from Slade. She gritted her teeth and disappeared in a flash of amber light. Not deterred, her masked foe swung his staff around. The moment she reappeared behind him, she wound up struck at her side, tumbling over along the ground before coming to a stop upon her stomach.

"Something about you tells me that you have potential…" Slade noted curiously, "Seems like it's being wasted trying to be a hero…" he muttered on. Growling upon overhearing that, Sunset looked to her left and vanished in yet another flash. Her foe looked in that very direction, seeing her reappear and take to her feet. "Teleportation on sightlines…" he concluded, "You really do have wasted potential…" he pointed out.

"Not a waste if I can take you down with it!" the Equestrian Magic user shouted, firing off barrages of sparkling amber light towards her target. He flipped back and deflected the incoming rays with his staff, which he spun expertly. He then flung it out at his opponent, who narrowly managed to duck underneath it as it pierced into the rock behind her. He charged in with his fists at the ready, swinging them out at her. She moved back to dodge them, but failed to notice him reclaiming his staff. He swung it and struck her squarely in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her yet again.

As she wrapped her arms around her aching gut, she was ambushed by a boot to her head, knocking her to the ground as she grimaced, gritting her teeth. Taking notice, Ester gasped. She tried to extend her right arm out to grab hold of Sunset, but found herself needing to retract it in order to avoid taking a barrage of laser bolts from above. She grimaced.

"Rook!" she called out to the Revonnahgander, trying to get his attention. He was gritting his teeth, trying to find a solution to ending the barrage of laser bolts. At that moment, he noticed the pipework near a few of the bounty hunters. Positioning his energy shield carefully, he deflected a few of the laser bolts to strike the pipework, making hot bursts of steam rush out as those above yelped. With the barrage stopped, it allowed for the Plumber turn his Proto-Tool back into its blaster form, aiming carefully and firing orange laser bolts to strike each of the bounty hunters above.

"Sunset!" he called out, about to go over and help his girlfriend. However, he was suddenly struck by a black ray of light from behind, causing him to collapse onto the ground. It originated from Darkstar, who kept striking him with the ray as he groaned with pain.

"Consider this payback for ruining my plans with the lovely Gwen…" he remarked.

"Enough," Slade chimed in, enticing the energy user to cease his attack. Rook looked up and gasped to find his girlfriend dropped to the ground in front of him, with the masked villain looming over her. "She put up an effort of sorts," he noted, "but she needs far more training…" he mentioned as the Equestrian Magic user groaned, "I'm surprised Benjamin's relying on you to protect this city in his place…" he added to her, "What makes you so special?" he wondered on.

"Get away from her!" Ester yelled as she shot her arms out to try and ensnare Slade, only for him to repel them with his staff. However, that allowed for Sunset to roll back and fire off a beam of sparkling red light to strike down Darkstar. He groaned, sitting up. At that moment, several Plumber tanks arrived on the scene.

"Seems we'll settle this another time," Slade concluded, collapsing his staff, "Sunset, was it?" he inquired of the Equestrian Magic user, who got to her feet, "I'm looking forward to another chance for us to talk…" he remarked, tossing out a trio of small round objects. They burst into smoke, filling the area. Growling with frustration, Darkstar took off into the smoke himself, while many others coughed.

"Rook! Sunset!" Max called out, venturing into the dark veil with his rifle at the ready, while other Plumbers were quickly surveying the scene.

"Over here, sir!" one officer yelled, getting his attention as he ran over to see him helping get the Revonnahgander back onto his feet.

"Agh…" he groaned out.

"Rook, are you alright?" Max asked of him.

"Ugh… I will be, Magister Tennyson…" he responded, "But… what about Sunset?" he inquired worriedly.

"She's over here!" Ester called out, getting their attentions as they saw her and Patelliday helping pick up the Equestrian Magic user, who had transformed back to normal.

"She must've gone and used up all the magic she had left…" the Pisciss Volann noted while sounding strained, "Uh… hate to be a worrywart, but can we get outta here?" he requested, "Heat's not so good for me…" he pointed out.

"Let's get you both back to base," Max insisted, "We'll take care of the stragglers," he affirmed. Both Rook and Sunset were loaded into one of the tanks, as the former let his girlfriend rest against his shoulder. He gave off a guilty expression, holding his head in his hands. Ester sat down beside him, putting her right hand onto his shoulder reassuringly. Meanwhile, Trombipulor and Plugg were amongst those detained. Watching from afar were Darkstar and Slade.

"So Tennyson isn't here after all…" the former noted in frustration.

"No… but the girl in his place has proven interesting…" the latter affirmed, walking off, "We'll be making another move tomorrow," he decided.

"Are you serious?" Darkstar questioned, "Without Tennyson here, it's pointless…" he grumbled.

"If it's any consolation, I'll let you have the girl if she doesn't prove to be worth my time," Slade promised to his surprise, "Her power seems to be something you've taken an interest in yourself," he noted curiously, causing his masked subordinate to huff disdainfully before following him. It wasn't long before the Plumbers had returned to their headquarters, with Sunset asleep in her bed as she had been treated. Rook was waiting outside her room, still burdened with the guilt of letting her get hurt.

"How's she doing?" Ester asked as she approached, getting his attention.

"Ah, she will be fine…" he assured in reply, "Her magic works on a similar principle as Rainbow's," he pointed out, "If she uses it for too long, she becomes exhausted and needs rest," he explained further. The Kraaho leader sat down beside him. "Are… you sure you should still be here?" he inquired of her.

"The Plumbers are helping the Kraaho pick up the pieces back at the Hot Spot," she replied, "And thanks to you guys, things at least didn't get worse," she mentioned with a smile, "So… who was that guy?" she inquired curiously.

"I do not know," Rook responded as he shook his head, "Normally in the case of it being a foe of Ben's, I would have prior knowledge of their relationship to him or their abilities and such," he pointed out, "Only in some cases did I not know anything about them," he mentioned, putting his right hand onto his chin.

"But… wasn't there a gap where you and Ben weren't fighting the same bad guys?" Ester inquired.

"That'd be when Ben went to join the Teen Titans," Max chimed in as a reply, getting her attention as she and the Revonnahgander saw him approach alongside Molly and Patelliday.

"Magister Tennyson!" Rook greeted, standing up and saluting to his superior. He held his right hand out to put him at ease. "You believe this new enemy is from Ben's days with the Teen Titans group?" he inquired.

"Well, it's not really common knowledge compared to the other thugs Ben fought with those teenage heroes…" Patelliday chimed in.

"But it is known that there was an enemy of theirs that they struggled to put away," Molly noted, "His name is—"

"Slade…" Sunset's voice chimed in, catching their attentions as they gasped in surprise to see her standing at the open doorway to her room, "That's what he said…" she recalled before collapsing onto her knees.

"Sunset!" Rook exclaimed as he, Ester, and Molly went over to help get her up onto her feet.

"What kind of bad guy was this Slade?" the Kraaho leader asked out of curiosity.

"A cunning one, to say the least," Patelliday commented as a reply.

"Slade apparently was able to convince the likes of a couple teen heroes to join his side, making them turn on their friends," Max explained, "Luckily, Ben wasn't one of them," he mentioned.

"That's what he was trying to do with me, I think…" Sunset confirmed, letting out a groan, "We gotta stop him…" she insisted, trying to stand up under her own power.

"What you need to do is rest," Max advised in response, "And if Slade's looking to be after you next, then we can't risk putting you in harm's way," he mentioned seriously with his arms crossed.

"Magister Tennyson, I believe Sunset just wants to—"

"It's an order," Max interjected in a firm tone before Rook could offer an argument for his girlfriend.

"Yes, sir…" he responded, helping bring the Equestrian Magic user back into her room with the help of Ester. Moments later, the Kraaho leader was taken back to her people's lair, while Sunset lied in her bed, sighing with frustration.

"He knew every move I was gonna make, even when I could just… disappear in an instant…" she recalled.

"Even so, we should be thankful that he did not resort to killing anyone in the process," her boyfriend affirmed, "But now we have to worry about what Slade may be doing," he pointed out.

"Which is exactly why we need to go and stop him!" Sunset insisted as she sat up, only to wince as she grabbed her stomach and groaned.

"And I know how you feel," the Revonnahgander assured, grabbing a bottle of water and handing it off to his girlfriend, "Even so, I do not believe we are properly equipped to handle him," he affirmed, "I do not know how Ben would get in touch with the Teen Titans, though…" he admitted, putting his hand onto his chin.

"Blonko, we don't need them," the Equestrian Magic user argued.

"But… they have dealt with this Slade before…" her boyfriend pointed out.

"No, I mean that we shouldn't bother them with something we should be able to deal with ourselves," she corrected in response.

"Sunset…" Rook uttered, quite shocked by how adamant she was. She drank her water, exhaling a sigh. "This is not just about stopping Slade, is it?" the Revonnahgander assumed, getting her attention as she set the bottle aside.

"…I didn't think I'd have much of a shot getting a second chance back at Canterlot High, let alone make friends," she confessed after a moment, "Even when I was trying to help, I felt like I was only making things worse," she admitted on, "But Ben saw past that," she recalled, "He saw… the good I was willing to do in order to help my friends and… he wanted to give me a chance," she remembered, letting off a smile, "That kind of trust…" she continued, exhaling another sigh, "I wanna pay him back for giving me a chance," she said, "And that means doing what I can in his place," she affirmed on.

"I understand how you feel, Sunset…" Rook assured, "but Magister Tennyson was adamant that you get rest for now," he pointed out, much to her chagrin, "However… I will look into Slade's plans while you rest," he promised, making her blink in surprise, "Afterwards…" he continued, "we will see what happens," he said with a wink. The Equestrian Magic user let off a little grin.

"Thanks, Blonko," she said gratefully, lying back down in her bed.

X

"So your plan isn't worth much a damn if Tennyson's not around…" Darkstar grumbled to Slade, who was standing by a window, staring outside at the dusking sky the next evening as he held his hands behind his back.

"I don't get it," Rojo chimed in with her rifle held over her shoulders behind her head, "You've taken on bigger fish like those in Gotham, Metropolis, etcetera," she listed off, "You even took on Tennyson with the buddies he had," she mentioned, "Why come here?" she questioned. The masked villain turned to her and Darkstar, causing them to flinch in surprise.

"A few things for you to understand about that…" he began as he approached the pair, "For one, I was hoping to relieve Tennyson of the Omnitrix completely," he pointed out, "And for another, I was going to have it destroyed unless someone was willing to pay the right price," he added further.

"And what price would that be?" Darkstar inquired curiously.

"Perhaps you'll discover in due time," Slade replied vaguely, much to the helmeted man's annoyance, "For now, my focus has steered toward that girl from earlier," he noted.

"The one called Sunset?" the energy absorber assumed, "Why?" he asked.

"She has potential," the masked villain responded, "One way or another, I'll make certain that she gets a handle on what power she might have in store," he affirmed on.

"Okay, whatever…" Rojo grumbled, "We do our jobs for you and get our cut out of it, right?" she guessed.

"So long as you do your work properly," Slade replied with a narrowed eye.

"R-Right…" Rojo stuttered out, unnerved by how intimidating the masked villain was.

"Tch…" Darkstar scoffed, heading off with her. Slade turned by to the window, staring into the distance of the city laid out before him. Back at Plumber Headquarters, Rook was standing by the main console alongside Max and Patelliday, eyeing the security footage of several places throughout Bellwood.

"Well, no point in waiting for somethin' to happen…" the Piscciss Volann remarked, "You got a way to contact those Teen Titan folks you mentioned, Max?" he asked of his fellow Magister.

"That would be Ben's department, though I don't wanna interrupt his mission in whatever universe Yokai came from…" he noted in reply. Meanwhile, Rook scanned each of the monitors carefully. He then took notice of two in particular. One showed Rojo firing her laser rifle into what appeared to be a bank, while another was showing visual of Darkstar attacking people in the park, draining their life force with the dark energy he shot from his hands.

"Two at once?" Patelliday said in surprise.

"What's Slade planning…?" Max wondered aloud.

"Whatever it is, we're going to stop it," Rook declared, getting the two Magisters' attentions, "I will deal with Darkstar," he decided.

"You sure about that, Rook?" the Piscciss Volann questioned, "You know how he can just… drain the life outta ya, right?" he inquired on.

"I am well aware, yes," the Revonnahgander responded, "However, I would rather risk my life force being stolen than Sunset's," he affirmed.

"Rook, she's not—!"

"Not what?" Sunset's voice chimed in, interjecting Max as she approached. She crossed her arms underneath her chest, arching an eyebrow toward the human Magister. He exhaled a sigh.

"Sunset, I know you wanna help out, but—"

"Do you have anyone else available that can handle threats like those two?" the Equestrian magic user interrupted in question, "I'm not saying you can't take them, but don't let me just sit back when I can do something," she insisted, walking past him over to her boyfriend, "After we deal with those two, we'll go for Slade," she affirmed, "I get the feeling they're gonna tell us where he is," she added.

"As we deal with them, the other Plumbers should help the local authorities evacuate the immediate areas," Rook advised. Max could tell that the two were determined to put a stop to whatever Slade was doing with his cohorts. Ultimately, he sighed with resignation. It wasn't long before the Proto-TRUK was flying over the evening skyline of Bellwood. Inside, Sunset was looking over information on Rojo.

"So Ben's fought her before?" she presumed.

"Yes," Rook responded, "Apparently, she is a well-known criminal turned bounty hunter," he mentioned, "She also was infected by alien technology when Ben had first fought her," he added in explanation.

"Guess that explains the upgraded tech she's got now," Sunset concluded as the Proto-TRUK was flying over toward the column of smoke emitting from the bank, "You sure you don't wanna take her?" she inquired of her boyfriend.

"It is as I said back at base," he began in reply, "Darkstar could potentially drain your magic away, and we will need it if we are to win this battle," he told her.

"Right…" she responded, opening the passenger door, "You deal with him, I got this!" she affirmed, hopping out and activating her magic in a flash of light. She tucked and rolled onto the ground, coming to a stop in front of the bank. Inside, Rojo wandered about, holding her laser rifle over her shoulder. Several security guards were downed, while many tellers and citizens were hiding amidst the chaotic scene.

"Ugh…" the bounty hunter groaned, "What does a girl gotta do to get someone's attention around here?" she grumbled in question.

"Um… ma'am?" a voice chimed in, getting her attention as she glanced over to see a spectacled teller peeking out from one of the booths, "If you're looking for our safe, it's in the back…" he pointed out.

"I'm not here for your cash today, idiot," Rojo responded, aiming her rifle at him, "And don't call me ma'am…" she added aggressively as her weapon hummed, firing off a red laser primed to strike him squarely in the face. All of a sudden though, Sunset appeared in a flash of golden light, thrusting her hands forward before forming an amber, sparkling energy shield to block off the ray. The bounty hunter blinked in surprise before smirking. "'Bout time you showed up," she remarked to the Equestrian Magic user, who let her barrier go down, "I was beginning to think I'd have to do more than damage to get your attention…" she pointed out.

"Why are you doing this?" Sunset asked, "Slade planning to pay you out?" she presumed on.

"Oh, on a boatload's worth," Rojo confirmed as an answer, "And the best part is I get double if I bring you to him," she mentioned.

"So he wants me alive…" the Equestrian Magic user realized.

"Guess so," the bounty hunter said with a shrug, "Though before I take you to him, I'm gonna have some fun first…" she decided, re-aiming her rifle before firing. In a flash of light, Sunset disappeared, letting the laser hit the booth instead. The bounty hunter grimaced, looking around for her foe. She ended up taking a beam of sparkling amber light to her back, making her lurch forward and fall onto her left knee. She glanced back to see her opponent disappear in yet another flash, followed by her reappearing just beside her to her shock.

What followed was the Equestrian Magic user striking her back with a flurry of punches, as her fists were covered in a sparkling red energy. Rojo found herself needing to go on the defensive, dropping her rifle. But she then smirked as she drew a set of metal claws from the fingertips of her armor. She swiped at Sunset, scratching her left arm as she yelped. She then had to jump back to avoid taking another swipe. However, that allowed for the bounty hunter to unveil the blaster upon her left arm, which promptly fired a beam that struck her foe and sent her crashing into a column.

"Ugh…" she groaned out, "Hope Blonko's having better luck than me…" she muttered. Elsewhere in Bellwood, Darkstar was absorbing the energy of a man while holding onto his left arm. He shriveled up, groaning before falling to the ground.

"Agh…!" the helmeted villain growled, "If only that was enough…" he grumbled on. All of a sudden, he lurched forward from taking a pair of orange energy bursts to his back. He stayed on his feet, turning to see Rook there with his Proto-Tool aimed at him.

"You will return the life force you have stolen from these people!" he commanded with a firm expression.

"And you think I'll do it just because you told me to?" Darkstar questioned back, "How naïve…" he remarked, aiming his right hand out and unleashing a ray of black light. Gasping, the Revonnahgander leapt and somersaulted aside, unleashing a flurry of orange energy blasts onto his target. He conjured a dark barrier of energy to block them off, firing more rays into the shrubbery that the Plumber had gone behind for cover.

Immediately, Rook noticed that the surrounding plant life was wilting, forcing him to fall back. He ran into a nearby gazebo, shifting his weapon into the form of a tonfa as Darkstar approached. He chuckled underneath his helmet.

"Maybe you'll be worth something after all, Plumber…" he presumed sinisterly. Back at the bank. Sunset was quick to block off the laser beams shot from Rojo's arm blaster, though being on the defensive allowed for the bounty hunter to reclaim her rifle. She fired a powerful shot from it, forcing the Equestrian Magic user to put up another barrier around herself. However, she found herself getting pushed back, gritting her teeth all the while.

"Oh come on…" Rojo said, "If this is all you got, I don't know what that creep sees in you…" she muttered. Sunset growled, doing her best to endure the continuous laser beam. She then looked over and noticed something, blinking in realization. While holding back the beam with the barrier projected from just her left hand, she used her right to encase a nearby piece of debris in a sparkling red energy. With a flick of her hand, she telekinetically threw it, knocking the rifle out of the bounty hunter's hands.

She growled, then gasped to see the Equestrian Magic user charging up to her. She attempted to fire her arm blaster, but her target disappeared in another blinding flash, making her shot hit nothing but the floor. As she opened her eyes, she looked around for a sign of her foe while walking over to claim her laser rifle. However, it was suddenly encased in a sparkling red light, being levitated off of the ground before getting drawn away.

"Hey!" Rojo yelled, chasing after it, "I'm not in the mood to play games, kid!" she shouted. Suddenly, she was met with an amber beam of light to her side, knocking her back down onto the floor. "Ergh…" she grunted as she tried to push herself back up.

"Good," Sunset said as she approached, "'Cause I'm not either," she affirmed. With another growl, the bounty hunter rolled over and aimed her arm blaster at the Equestrian Magic user. She gasped, quickly using her magic to force her foe's arm back an inch so that the shot she fired missed. It instead struck the ceiling, causing a good portion of it to crumble down.

"Oh crud," Rojo uttered before she found the debris raining onto her. The dust settled after a moment as Sunset coughed. She looked out afterward and smirked.

"So… see what I'm made of now?" she questioned of her opponent.

"Oh, har-har…" she faux-laughed, "Compared to the big guy though, I'm just a small fry…" she pointed out, "Heard he really did a number on you back at the Hot Spot…" she recalled, letting off her own smirk. Sunset trembled a little. "Really think you can take him now?" she presumed. The Equestrian Magic user took a deep breath through her nose.

"Just tell me where Slade is," she insisted firmly, looking determined.

"Ooh, now that I like…" Rojo remarked in response.

X

Back in the park, Rook was nimbly evading the black rays shot by Darkstar, flipping around the gazebo. He closed in on his foe, striking him multiple times with the tonfa-formed Proto-Tool, all while evading his grasp. He did manage to catch the weapon, entering a deadlock with the Revonnahgander as they growled at each other.

"I may be wrong to presume…" the latter began, "but were you not apprehended by the local authorities after your defeat at Friedkin University?" he inquired.

"Oh, that's a nice way of putting it…" Darkstar snarled out, "I would've preferred that over what ended up happening!" he yelled, kicking the Plumber back. He slammed into the gazebo wall, followed by rolling away to avoid another black ray of light. "The only reason I'm here now is because she's interested in those girls that showed up!" he mentioned.

"Girls?" Rook repeated in confusion, "Are you referring to Rainbow and Sunset?" he presumed.

"Who else?" the helmeted man questioned, firing beams in opposite directions to keep his opponent from escaping, "Those girls have magic of their own from another world," he noted, slowly moving the beams closer to the Revonnahgander, "Perhaps taking that magic would finally give me all I've wanted!" he proclaimed.

"Like I would ever let that happen…" Rook responded. He set his Proto-Tool back onto his shoulder before charging forward. Just before the beams of his foe converged, he leapt over them, kneeing Darkstar squarely in the face, knocking off his helmet in the process.

"Ergh…!" he growled, having a zombie-like appearance. His hair was patchy and his eyes were sunken, black and beady. His lips were pulled back to show his teeth, and his skin was grey. He was prepared to fire another round of dark beams from his gloved hands, but then heard a sudden beeping. "Huh?" he uttered in confusion. It turned out that there was a small device planted onto the back of his neck that was blinking a bright red before flashing green. It then released an electrical discharge, zapping him as he screamed, followed by toppling over onto the floor of the gazebo as he groaned.

"I believe I may have an idea as to what may have happened, based on my limited knowledge…" Rook noted as he crouched down and reached out to the weakened Darkstar. All of a sudden though, a pink flash of light enveloped him, causing the Revonnahgander to reflexively pull back as he shut his eyes. When he opened them, he saw that his defeated foe was completely gone. "And I believe those suspicions are confirmed…" he said with narrowed eyes, standing up.

"Rook!" Max's voice called out, getting his attention as he turned to see the human Magister jogging up to the gazebo alongside a few other officers, "Are you alright?" he asked in concern.

"I am fine," Rook assured, "Although, Darkstar has disappeared…" he pointed out in confirmation, "What of Sunset and Rojo?" he inquired.

"We've already gone and detained Rojo at the bank," Max replied, "But Sunset wasn't there…" he mentioned.

"Huh…" the Revonnahgander sighed, "That can only mean she is headed for Slade…" he concluded.

"Then let's hurry," the human Magister insisted before they hurried off. Meanwhile, Sunset let her wave through the wind as she stood in front of the warehouse in the city suburbs, having transformed back to normal. Her heart was beating fast as sweat trickled down her face. After how her previous bout against the masked villain had gone, she had every right to be nervous. But she steeled herself, walking inside. The moment she entered, the warehouse door came down behind her in a loud bang.

"AH!" she yelped in surprise.

"Sorry about that…" Slade's voice echoed, getting her attention as she immediately looked around for a sign of her foe, "I didn't want anyone interrupting us for a while," he confirmed, standing atop the rafters above. He hopped down in a three-point landing with his staff drawn, taking to his feet.

"Thanks for the invite, I guess…" Sunset responded, ponying up in a flash of amber light before taking on a ready stance, "But I'm sorry to say that this is where it ends," she declared firmly.

"Hm," Slade huffed, "I don't doubt that you could stop me," he admitted to her surprise, "As I said earlier, you have untapped potential," he pointed out, spinning his staff into a firmer grip, "And I want to see more of it…" he added.

"Okay, I'm not falling for this," the Equestrian Magic user proclaimed, thrusting her arms out to fire off sparkling red beams of light. Her masked foe ducked to evade them, charging at her. She ceased her beams, teleporting away in an amber flash just before Slade could strike with his staff. He turned to his right, seeing her reappear. He reached down to his belt, pulling out a trio of disc-shaped objects. He flung them out at her, with them drawing blades to appear like shuriken. Sunset yelped, narrowly managing to roll away from them. She barely dodged her enemy's staff again, getting to her feet and cloaking her hands in a sparkling red light.

For every blow Slade tried to deal her, she was able to counter with her magically-coated fists. He could see that she was different from when they first fought. He withdrew his staff, kicking her in the stomach before landing a left hook to her head, knocking her to the floor upon her hands and knees.

"Ugh…" she groaned, slowly bringing herself back up.

"Your teachers…" the masked villain began, "The ones who helped make you what you are now…" he continued as the Equestrian Magic user got to her feet, turning to face him, "I wonder what they would think of you now…" he commented, narrowing his eye behind his mask. Sunset blinked in surprise, followed by letting a growl escape her lips as she fired another beam of amber light from her right fist. Slade easily weaved aside to dodge it, closing in and landing a relentless flurry of blows with his fists.

The red-and-yellow-haired girl tried to counter them, but was quickly finding herself overwhelmed, ultimately backed against a wall. She was about to end up struck, but quickly managed to teleport herself away again in a flash of amber light. Anticipating that however, the masked villain tossed another disc to his right. At the very moment the Equestrian Magic user reappeared, the disc flew by her face and exploded in a bright flash of light.

"AAAHHH!" she screamed, falling to the ground and tumbling to a stop upon her stomach. She winced from the burning feeling in her blinded eyes, trying to push herself up. Slowly, Slade walked over to her.

"Your teleportation works only on sightlines, so blinding you is an obvious choice," he noted, spinning his staff into a firm grip, "And yet you didn't think to care for that sort of weakness…" he mentioned callously, "How disappointing," he commented, about to strike the red-and-yellow-haired girl. However, her ears perked up, enticing her to roll aside to avoid hitting hit by her foe's weapon. She then fired off a beam of amber light at him with her eyes still shut. He crossed his arms to block it as he didn't have time to dodge, slowly getting pushed back before being sent crashing into a wall.

"Got more than just my eyes to work with…" Sunset remarked, standing back up as she was able to regain her vision, shaking her head.

"Impressive," Slade complimented, dusting himself off as he brushed his left arm, "Seems your teachers would be proud," he mentioned.

"Talking about my teachers? My friends?" the Equestrian Magic user listed off, "What, you wanna try and be one?" she inquired, narrowing her eyes.

"Perhaps," the masked villain responded to her surprise, "I'll admit, my main purpose here is a bit more nuanced," he admitted.

"Don't see how more nuanced trying to take out Ben is…" Sunset retorted, firing off more beams of light. This time though, Slade rolled away from them, followed by pitching his staff out at her. She stopped it by surrounding it in a sparkling red light, leaving it just a foot away from striking her face. However, that allowed for her masked foe to charge in and attempt a straight kick. Luckily, the Equestrian Magic user teleported away in a flash of amber light again, with the staff dropping back onto the ground.

"It isn't just about Benjamin," Slade noted as he reclaimed his weapon, "It's about heroes and those who think they're so self-righteous, so above even themselves," he pointed out further, "He was going to be the example," he added, while Sunset was hiding above upon the rafters.

"So now what's your plan?" she asked. Slade looked upward, narrowing his lone eye. He pitched his staff like a javelin, making the Equestrian Magic user gasp before she rolled aside and started falling from above. However, she smirked as she brought her hands together, enveloping them in an amber light before bringing them down onto the ground, creating a shockwave that blew her masked foe back. He brought himself to a stop just before hitting the wall, chuckling a little.

"I guess now I'll have to see if you're like the rest," he decided, now drawing a pair of twin swords from the sheaths at his back.

"Oh, come on…" Sunset grumbled, seeing him charge at her. She engulfed her hands in a sparkling amber energy once more, using them to catch his right sword upon him swinging it at her. He then thrusted his left one out, but she disappeared in a flash of light to avoid it. However, the masked villain pivoted around and threw the blade in his left hand. The moment the Equestrian Magic user reappeared, she narrowly managed to duck to avoid getting pierced through the skull, as the blade instead ran through the wall.

She sighed with relief, followed by using her magic to hold off her opponent as he swung his blade at her. He grunted, pushing against the force of her energy slowly, inching his lone blade closer to her. She found herself brought down to her left knee, strained from holding the masked villain back. This was a challenge she had never faced before. And truthfully, it was one that she felt was deserved.

Part of her wondered if she really earned the opportunity to be friends with people like those in her home universe or in any other after all that she did. Those doubts always crept into her mind. Was it worth it?

She determinedly opened her eyes, gritting her teeth. In another flash of amber light, she disappeared. Doing so freed Slade's blade from her magical grasp as he stepped forward and swung, only swiping the air in his foe's place. He scoffed.

"It's as I said earlier…" he noted, readying another disc in his right hand, rearing it back, "You're far too predictable…" he pointed out. All of a sudden, he found himself struck from the left side, causing him to lurch. He widened his eye to see Sunset there… for a split-second. She disappeared again and reappeared in front of him, landing a punch to his chest while having a red, sparkling energy shroud her right fist. The blow made her foe slide back. Before he could think to retaliate, he found himself kicked from behind, falling to his knees while dropping both his disc and his sword. The former floated away while encased in a sparkling red aura, being caught in the left hand of the Equestrian Magic user.

"Thanks for the advice," she remarked with a grin as Slade stood up, "Guess you're not a bad teacher yourself…" she presumed as she shrugged her shoulders.

"I knew you had potential…" the masked villain remarked. He reclaimed his sword as he dashed out at his opponent. She flung the disc out at him, letting it explode in another flash of light. He had shielded his eye with his left arm, bringing himself to a stop as the Equestrian Magic user had disappeared. "I'll be happy to teach you more if you're willing to put in the work," he noted, his voice echoing through the warehouse.

"Nah, I'm good," Sunset responded, "Besides…" she continued as the masked villain suddenly found himself encased in her magical aura, making him gasp, "I think I've put in plenty tonight," she proclaimed, stepping out from the shadows with both of her hands encased in the sparkling red light. With a grunt of effort, she threw her arms down to her right, telekinetically flinging Slade into a nearby stack of crates against the wall, causing them to burst into splinters upon impact.

Sighing out of exhaustion, the Equestrian Magic approached the ruined crates, keeping her hands encased in magical energy in the event that her foe was still willing to fight. However, she blinked in surprise upon noticing the sparks of electricity from the clearing cloud of dust. As it finally settled, she widened her eyes to see that Slade's right arm and left leg were in pieces… of metal and wiring.

"You're… not the real Slade?" she inquired in surprise.

"No, but you've peaked my interest," the masked villain's voice echoed from behind her, causing her to whip around to see him slowly approaching her, "That android was designed to replicate my fighting style expertly, even perhaps surpass me," he told her, "The fact that you beat it is quite a feat," he mentioned in a complimentary tone. Sunset narrowed her eyes onto him.

"So now what?" she asked, "You gonna fight me yourself?" she presumed.

"No," Slade answered, holding his arms behind his back, "I've seen what I needed to," he affirmed to her surprise, "Benjamin's found a good assortment of friends in the wake of being with the Titans…" he noted on, "He's lucky to have someone as clever and dedicated as you…" he added, walking past her.

"You really think I'm just gonna let you go?" she inquired.

"You will," the masked villain responded, "Because thanks to me, that little undercity's been cleaned up for the time being from any trouble," he pointed out to her surprise, "You're welcome," he remarked, walking off.

"Uh, hey!" Sunset yelled, ready to fire a magical ray of light squarely in his back. But he didn't turn to face her, merely walking on as the warehouse door slowly opened up. She could've fired at any moment, but didn't.

"Oh, and one more thing," Slade said, coming to a stop just at the entryway, "There'll be others looking to fill my place," he pointed out, "So don't rest on your laurels," he advised. With that, Sunset ultimately transformed back to normal. She watched the masked villain depart and disappear down a dark alley.

"Huh…" she sighed, falling down onto her bottom. The moonlight outside shone down onto her, enticing her to look out at the night sky. It was a beautiful sight, making her smile. At that moment, several lights flashed on, making her flinch as she shielded her eyes with her arms. She peeked out to find that the luminosity was coming from the headlights of her boyfriend's Proto-TRUK, as he hopped out from it.

"Sunset!" he cried out, hurrying over to her.

"Hey, Blonko…" she greeted, slowly getting to her feet. He went ahead and helped her up as he grabbed onto her right arm.

"Are you alright?!" he asked immediately in concern, "Where is Slade?! Did he—?!"

"I'm fine!" Sunset quickly interjected, holding up her left hand, "I… kinda beat Slade…" she mentioned with a shrug. The Revonnahgander blinked twice.

"What do you mean by 'kinda'?" he questioned with a tilt of his head.

"I take it that's what she means," Patelliday chimed in as he and Max approached, with the former pointing towards the remains of Slade's android.

"Slade tricked you with a robot?" the human Magister inquired.

"Uh, sorta," Sunset replied, "He was here the whole time watching me fight it," she told her colleagues, "After I won, he showed up and said that it was like I was fighting him," she mentioned on.

"And where is he now?" Max asked.

"Gone in the wind," the Equestrian Magic user replied, "I don't think he's gonna be causing us more trouble, though," she admitted with a smile.

"That is good news…" Rook noted in agreement.

"Still, not getting our bad guy's kinda a red flag…" Patelliday noted.

"Ah, we'll let it go for now," Max decided, crossing his arms over his chest, "Knowing Slade, he'll disappear and come out again later," he presumed, "Driving him off was probably the best call in the end," he admitted, looking over to Sunset and smiling, "You did good," he told her as she blinked in surprise, "I'm sorry for not trusting you," he apologized additionally.

"Hey, I'm sorry for getting into trouble…" the Equestrian Magic user retorted, "I guess someone's gotta be the stubborn one with Ben not around…" she joked, earning laughs from her colleagues before they departed. Watching them from afar with a curious eye was Slade. He turned and wandered back into the shadows, inwardly hoping to meet Sunset again someday.

X

"You guys fought Slade?!" Ben exclaimed in shock upon hearing the story back at Plumber Headquarters from Rook.

"Not only that, we drove him off," the Revonnahgander pointed out, "It was admittedly difficult," he added in confession, sipping on a smoothie through a straw.

"Whoawhoa, hold on!" the Omnitrix bearer yelled, "Why didn't you call us?!" he asked frantically. Both he and Rainbow had returned from their successful mission to put a stop to whatever Yokai was planning, as a few days had passed since the events of Slade's arrival in Bellwood. "I mean, if Slade was really here causing trouble, I could've helped!" the Omni Force leader proclaimed.

"True…" Rook agreed, "But you and Rainbow had an important mission of your own, did you not?" he retorted in question.

"Well… yeah, but…" Ben tried to argue, only to sigh with exasperation, "I'm just glad you guys made it out okay…" he noted.

"They're not just okay, babe," his girlfriend chimed in as she approached alongside her fellow Equestrian Magic user, "Sunset totally kicked that Slade guy's sorry butt!" she pointed out excitedly as she nudged her friend with her right elbow.

"I technically took out a robot, not the real deal…" she noted in correction.

"A robot you said duplicated his fighting style," her boyfriend added, taking another sip of his beverage.

"Heh, true," Sunset confirmed with a chuckle.

"So what now?" Rainbow asked curiously, "Another round of awesome alien butt-kicking?" she presumed with a grin.

"I believe you and Sunset are to be heading back to school as of tomorrow…" Rook responded to her surprise.

"Aw…" she groaned out.

"Didn't realize we'd been gone that long…" her fellow Equestrian Magic user admitted sheepishly.

"Don't worry," Ben chimed in, "Rook and me'll hold down the fort 'til you get back," he promised. Sunset chuckled again.

"I'm sure you will," she affirmed. The Omnitrix bearer blinked in thought for a moment.

"Hey, Rook?" he called out, getting his partner's attention, "You mind me and Sunset having a minute?" he requested.

"Oh, uh, not at all," he responded, "Rainbow and I will uh… um…" he tried to say, unsure of how to best phrase it.

"Get out of your hair?" the rainbow-haired girl guessed.

"Yes, that," Rook confirmed with a snap of his fingers before departing alongside Rainbow. Sunset blinked in confusion before Ben approached her.

"Sorry things got dicey for you and Rook while we were gone…" he apologized to her.

"Oh, seriously, it's no problem…" she assured with a wave of her right hand, "I mean, it happens a lot, doesn't it?" she presumed.

"Heh, yeah," the Omnitrix bearer chuckled in agreement, "You know…" he continued, "you don't have to feel like you owe me anything for helping you out in the past," he told her, much to her surprise, "I just want you to be… well, happy, I guess," he said, "You deserve it," he noted. Sunset let off a smile after a moment.

"I know… but that doesn't mean I'm not gonna do my best for my best friend's sake," she pointed out.

"Who? Twilight?" Ben assumed, only to earn another laugh out of the Equestrian Magic user, as she started walking off, "Wait, seriously who?" he asked again, jogging after her, "Rainbow? Rook? Applejack?" he listed off. Sunset kept smiling, glad to have her best friend beside her. And with him and the others, she'd be happy.

And so brings an end to Sunset's little story after becoming a part of the Omni Force. Friendship knows no bounds it seems. In Sunset's case, those friendships are the most important thing to her.

Now you may be wondering why Ben and Rainbow were absent during this ordeal. Well… that's a story for another time.

I'll be seeing you!

ENDING

Insert "Raise" by Chilli Beans

Opens during the wintertime at Canterlot High, with Sunset alone in a classroom. She's writing letters to Princess Twilight in her journal, reporting on what's going on in her world. She glances outside to see the falling snowflakes, smiling happily. As she reads what Twilight wrote back to her, the classroom door opens. She turns and smiles to see her six friends there as well.

Later, the group of girls goes out onto the snow-covered soccer field to play a ballgame, with Rainbow easily maneuvering her way around Applejack and Rarity. However, the ball gets taken away from her as Pinkie slides in and kicks it away to Sunset. She strikes the ball, sending it flying into the net on the other side, earning a rouse of cheers from her friends.

A while passes before Sunset goes back to her apartment, twisting the key into the lock and opening the door. She's suddenly met with a spray of confetti, making her yelp in surprise. She then blinks to find several of her friends inside, including the likes of her Omni Force teammates. Ben leads her inside as she smiles with teary eyes, thankful to have everyone there.

We go through various scenes of her gaming against Fluttershy and losing gracefully, while Rainbow rolls her eyes in frustration, battling against Alain in the backyard as his Charizard faces her Lopunny, giving Applejack advice as Kyoya lurks in the background curiously, and laughing with Luffy as they dance and sing karaoke together. Sunset steps outside for a bit, letting out a cold breath. She looks up at the snowflakes still falling down, letting one land and melt in the palm of her left hand.

She thinks back on her various adventures throughout the multiverse. Between helping Fairy Tail fight against the corrupted Celestial Spirits, fighting the likes of Charmcaster at Friedkin University, or battling the Donquixote Family with Law and the Straw Hat Pirates, she looks back fondly on the memories she's shared with them. Someone else exits the apartment, coming up beside her and putting a hand onto her shoulder. It's Ben, who smiles as he holds up a paper bag. Sunset cracks a smirk before they laugh.

A while later, the pair sits atop Mount Rushmore in Ben's universe, enjoying an impromptu dinner of vegetarian chili fries along with a few other things. They look out to the horizon as Omnitrix City is being built. Sunset smiles as the air waves through her hair, looking forward to the future. Because no matter how strange or tough it is, she'll always have her friends right beside her.

END ENDING

And that finally wraps up Sunset's chapter! I know it's been a while since this story updated, so I'm glad to have come back with a chapter for a character I like. Sunset was really fun to watch in the Equestria Girls series, and I hope that it gets revived one day. But until then, we'll see what happens!

Thanks for reading, everyone!