Eye of the Storm

Chapters

Chapter 1: Alone
Chapter 2: Helping Hands
Chapter 3: Accusations
Chapter 4: The Mineshaft
Chapter 5: Return to the Nether
Chapter 6: The Dream

Chapter 1: Alone

Two years. It has been only two years since Sunset Shimmer left Equestria with the Order of the Stone. She could remember every single detail of those times. She remembered the time when she, Starlight Glimmer and Coloratura left their homeland for the first time to find the five humans who fought the humongous Wither Storm that attempted to eat the entire world. She remembered running from EnderCon to escape a swarm of Changelings and entering the Nether. After leaving the fiery realm and its monsters, they took the Order back to Equestria, where they were tasked to reunite the missing Guardians of Equestria. When they came back with them, they were sent to the castle of the Alliance of Darkness, who put the land at risk. Over there, they were caught by the Alliance and its leaders: Changeling queen Chrysalis, Master of Dark Crystals Sombra and the destructive Lord Tirek. The Alliance awoke the Supernova and it went wild, following the orders of the ones who awoken it. But with enough strength and trust within their hearts, they were all able to destroy the Supernova and save the land.

But that was only two years ago. Things have changed ever since that day. The rest of the Order of the Stone was given new and big responsibilities, forcing them to disband. For Sunset Shimmer, she was left alone. She had no one around her, having only herself to rely on. The loneliness was boring, she would admit that. Her only source of comfort was the memories she had with the Order. She remembered every adventure she had with them, her personal favorite is the one jumping into different worlds with Jesse, Petra, Lukas, and Ivor. Those adventures she went through kept her company and reminded her of all of the good things those humans have given her.

Right now, Sunset was in the middle of a dream. A memory, however. She was sitting on the roof of the fortress at night, watching as every light of the town she lived in was turned off. Her legs bent and her arms wrapped around them, she let out a sigh and looked up at the sky that was painted dark blue and decorated with sparkling stars and the full moon. Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching her and the source of them sat down. When she turned her head to the left, she was looking at Jesse.

"Are you okay?" The brunette asked.

"I'm just thinking," Sunset said in response before she looked back at the sky.

"Thinking of Equestria, huh?"

"Yeah." The tone in her voice was somber.

"Feeling homesick?" Jesse gave her a sad look.

"Maybe. Leaving Equestria was the biggest jump I had to take after all of that."

"I can tell it wasn't easy for someone like you. Leaving your friends and everyone else you knew back at home. Not to mention all of your favorite things."

"No, it wasn't." Sunset looked at Jesse. "Is this the same feeling you felt when you lost Reuben? Sadness?"

"Yeah." Jesse nodded. "To be honest with you, I still miss him. Nothing else in this world can replace him."

"Not even me?" The flame-haired girl smirked.

He chuckled. "Not even you. But that doesn't stop me from considering you as a friend."

"I feel touched."

Jesse chuckled again before he stood up and stretched out an arm for his fire-haired friend. "Come on. Let's go to bed. We had a long day."

With that, Sunset grabbed his hand and she was pulled up to her feet. Then, they made their way into the fortress. That was the end of that dream, for Sunset's bright teal eyes were beginning to open. Once she was wide awake, she let out a groan and pushed herself into a sitting position. Then, she looked around at her surroundings. For the rest of last night, she had taken refuge in a cave after it began to rain. The grass inside the cave was somehow comfortable for her to sleep on. When she looked outside, she sighed with relief when she found that it was breezy but bright. Standing up from the grass, she hastily gathered her belongings and stepped out of the cave to begin the new day ahead of her.

As soon as she walked out of the cave, she heard a loud neigh and turned to find a brown and white horse approaching her. She let out a chuckle once she was nuzzled by her steed, but she placed a hand on her muzzle for her to stop.

"At least I have you," Sunset said before she began to approach her horse's back.

Soon, her horse began to make her way down a path of dirt that was drawn in the forest. From her satchel, Sunset pulled out an apple to eat and a map, opening it to take a look at the path she was going down. For months after the Order parted ways, she was traveling around the Human Island, as the Equestrians called her current location, to protect those who can't protect themselves. She had made stops in villages, some of them being raided by bandits. Whenever she found a village in danger at night, she always had to fight the bandits herself. She would admit that fighting a horde of bandits was frustrating when she did it alone. She had scars from every fight she stumbled upon, each of them was hidden by the red cloak that she wore.

As her horse moved, she slipped the map back into her satchel and began to eat her apple. Then, she looked around at her surroundings to make sure that no one else was around. She sighed with relief and turned back to the road of dirt that her horse was walking down. After she finished eating her apple, Sunset reached for her pockets and pulled out a silver pocket watch, which was given from Olivia as a birthday gift. On the clock, it said 8:25. Nodding, she slipped the pocket watch back into her pocket and turned back to the dirt road.

After a long trip that lasted for at least three hours, Sunset found herself entering another quiet village. Over there, she stopped at a saloon, for she was parched from the moment she arrived. Jumping off her horse and tying a rope that was connected to its saddle around a nearby fence, she began to approach the set of double doors that blocked her way into the saloon. With a deep breath, she hastily pushed the doors open to gain access inside. When she stepped in, she suddenly got attention from everyone inside, those being the customers, the dancer, the pianist, and the bartender. Despite the eyes that were on her, she made her way to the bartender and sat down once she arrived. Then, everyone else got back to what they were doing before.

"Hello." The bartender said, putting an empty glass aside. "What can I get ya?"

"One glass of water." Sunset quietly said.

With a nod, the bartender pulled out another empty glass and a pitcher full of water from beneath his workspace. Pouring water into the cup until it was full, he put the pitcher down and slid the glass to Sunset, who grabbed it and began to drink the water from it.

"So," The bartender crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at her. "What are you doing here all alone?"

"I'm just wandering," Sunset said, putting the glass down.

"By yourself?"

"Unfortunately."

The bartender chuckled. "And you didn't consider bringing a friend?"

"I had friends." Sunset looked down at the glass and placed a finger on the rim. "They had to go their separate ways because they were given bigger duties."

"What about you?"

"I had nothing better to do. So, I decided to be a lone traveler."

"I see." The bartender nodded. "How long will you keep doing this?"

That was when she paused. Then, she let out a sigh and said, "I don't know."

"So, these friends of yours..." He leaned on the table. "What were they like?"

"They were all great friends, from my point of view." Sunset grinned. "They were always looking out for each other, staying by their side no matter what. They were all supportive, even to me. We went on so many adventures in the past. I remember every one of them like they were all yesterday. I wish I could just turn back time to relive those moments."

"You know you can't do that, right?"

"Yeah." Her grin turned back into a frown. "But, I do wonder how they are doing now. They probably miss each other."

"Don't worry, little lady." The bartender said, getting her attention. "I'm sure you will see them again one day. Being alone sure is boring, isn't it?"

"I can admit that." Sunset nodded.

As she began to guzzle down the rest of the water inside of her glass, she suddenly felt another presence approach her. After putting the empty glass down, she turned to her right. Beside her was a middle-aged man with a short beard and a tan trench coat over a black buttoned-up shirt, black slacks and boots, and a brown cowboy hat.

"Well, lookie here!" The man put on a smug grin. "A peculiar lass has entered this very saloon."

Sunset didn't say anything in response whilst the bartender crossed his arms and shook his head with both disappointment and annoyance.

"Not the talkative type, I see." The man chuckled. "That's okay. I bump into pretty ladies who don't talk much too. I somehow find it amusing."

Once again, the flame-haired girl said nothing. All she did was look away and stood up from her seat. Before she could leave, however, the man grabbed her by the left arm.

"Wait, where are you going all alone?"

Finally, it was the last straw. Sunset looked at the man with a death glare and his smug grin turned into a look fused with confusion and fear. Then, her right hand glowed a bright red and she put it to his chest. A pulse of magic sent the man flying through the saloon until his back pushed the pianist on his seat. The dancer let out a shriek of surprise and the whole saloon fell into silence. Everyone inside the saloon, including the bartender, gave wide-eyed expressions to Sunset as they watched her make her way out of the building. From the moment she stepped outside, she let out a sigh and turned to her horse, who was patiently waiting for her return. Grinning, she walked up to her steed and tied the rope off the fence so she can move freely again.

"Don't worry about me," Sunset whispered to her horse. "I'm fine. Let's get going, hmm?"

In response, the horse snorted. With the rope in her grasp, she began to guide her steed away from the saloon. That is until the man stepped out and looked at her.

"Hey!" He shouted, getting her attention. "How'd you do that?! Are you some kind of mutant or something?!"

Sunset rolled her eyes and blasted the man away with a red ball of magic that pushed him back into the saloon while screaming. "Don't call me a mutant. That's offensive." She said before she and her horse walked away from the saloon completely.

Chapter 2: Helping Hands

Sunset decided to stay in the village for the rest of the day, even after what happened back at the saloon. Right now, she was at the village's park, sitting down under the shade of a big tree watching as children were playing and running around with kites in their grasp. As she watched them, she grinned. Those children with kites somehow reminded her of Starlight Glimmer. It was said that she loved kites as much as anyone who owns one. Turning to her satchel, she reached for it and placed it on her lap before she opened it to pull out a brown journal with a red and yellow sun-like emblem on it, a pink and black pen clipped on the cover. Once she opened it, she flipped every page that was covered with her handwriting until she found an empty page. Clicking the pen, she started to write.

Thursday, March 16th

As usual, I'm alone. No one to watch over me, no one to pick me up when I fall, no one... It's just me, myself and I. There is my horse, but leave her as an exception. You already know this, but I still miss everyone. Jesse, Petra, Lukas, Olivia, Axel, Ivor, everyone. It's lonely, and I have to admit it. It still bothers me to this day. I wish everyone was here with me. But now that they have other important things to do, they can't be. Not right now, I bet not ever.

"Excuse me..." A voice of a small child suddenly caught her ears.

Sunset looked up at her journal, only to find a little girl with blonde hair that reached her mid-back dressed in a white dress that was wrapped with a pink ribbon and white flats. She was surprised to be greeted by a younger human, even on a lonely day like the one she is living through now. But somehow, her loneliness was slowly fading away because of her.

"Hello," Sunset said, closing her journal and slipping it back into her satchel. "What brings you-"

She was cut off when the girl held a fresh red apple in front of her. Sunset raised an eyebrow in confusion before she was struck with a realization. Taking the apple from her, she thanked the child and took a bite from it. Then, she patiently waited for the little girl to leave her. But instead, she walked to her side and sat down beside her.

"You seem lonely." The girl said.

"I am," Sunset said as she munched on her apple.

"Did you have friends before?"

Yeah, I did." She nodded. "But they all had to leave for more important things. We all had to go our separate ways, and they just left me all alone. I miss them all."

"I'm sorry..." The girl wore a face of pity.

Sunset let out a chuckle. "You don't even know me, kid."

Soon, silence fell between both of them before the girl stood up and said, "How about you come to my house for lunch?"

This made the flame-haired girl blink and look at her. "Wait, what?"

"I'm inviting you to lunch at my house." The girl smiled. "I'm sure my mommy and daddy will like you."

"But we just met."

"I know."

With that, the little girl was already taking Sunset to her house. Over there, the girl, whose name was Elise, explained to her parents about her encounter with her and how lonely she felt. So, her parents decided to take her in. Sunset didn't think it was necessary for Elise and her parents to invite her for lunch and to let her stay in their house. However, she decided to play along, for Elise's mother insisted on her staying for the sake of her health.

Right now, Sunset was already having lunch with the family. She was already stuffing herself with bread rolls, salad, and steak. Elise's parents were quick to notice her and her actions.

"Well," Elise's father said with a chuckle. "You seem to be very hungry after traveling for so long."

In response, Sunset nodded before she turned to find Elise's mother approach her with a glass pitcher filled with iced tea.

"More iced tea?" She said, getting a nod from the ember-haired girl and pouring more ice tea into her glass.

After her glass was full again, the ember-haired girl turned to Elise and said, "You didn't have to do this, you know."

"Well, that's our daughter." The girl's father chuckled again and ruffled his daughter's hair. "Always the helping hand, just like her mother."

Elise's mother let out a laugh. "Oh, stop it! You know helping other people is my passion!"

"I know, sweetheart." With that, he earned a peck on the cheek from his wife.

Meanwhile, Sunset grinned and looked down at her plate. "You know, this is exactly what I have been needing all this time. I was just waiting for a helping hand after traveling around the land for so long."

"Why were you traveling alone?" Elise asked, giving her a look of pity,

"Well..." She paused, and the whole table was silent. "Let's just say that I had these friends. I met them two years ago, and the first time I did, I was confused. I came from another land. It was nothing like this one, and it's inhabitants weren't ordinary people. They were like my first friends back then."

"What happened to them?" Elise's mother asked, sitting down on a vacant chair.

"We had to leave each other for more important things." Sunset frowned. "One of them became a mayor, two of them became a part of separate kingdoms, one of them was writing a book, and one of them became part of a mine of some sort. Me, I just decided to travel around and protect those who threaten others. I even got scars in the process."

"So, you were wandering around the land to save lives, huh?" Elise's father was becoming infatuated by Sunset's story.

"You can put it that way." She shrugged. "But I must admit, the journey does get lonely, and it gets boring because of it. I had no one else to turn to nowadays. I've known those other people for two years, and I wish we could just stay together."

"Will you see them again?" Elise asked, getting her light blue gaze.

"I don't know..."

With that, Elise's mother stood up from her chair and approached Sunset. Once she got closer, she placed a hand on her shoulder. The magical girl with ember colored hair smiled again, placing her hand on the one that grabbed her shoulder. A long while of traveling and she was finally getting support and comfort. But it still wasn't enough to fill the empty place within her heart, however...

"Don't worry..." Elise's mother said. "We'll be here for you."

"Thank you, miss." Sunset was feeling even more support, but she still missed all of her friends...

Chapter 3: Accusations

After lunch, Sunset thanked the family for inviting her and departed. She would admit that she was thankful for that little girl who had brought her to her house for lunch. But then, she decided to stay in the village until tomorrow, for she believed there were still some people who still need saving. That was when night began to take its place after the sun went down, meaning that mobs will be appearing at night. Sunset decided to take refuge in a tall tower while her horse was on the ground surrounded by a fence so she could be protected by the mobs that try to attack her.

While her legs swung from the balcony of the tower, she looked up at the full moon and said, "Hey, Luna... As you already know, it has been two years since I left Equestria. You may already know this, but leaving home was the biggest jump for me. But, hey. At least I'm okay now."

Sunset chuckled, but silence filled the air as she looked at the moon. But then, she let out a sigh. "Look. Things aren't the same here. I have to admit it, I miss you guys. Two years of living here and all I get is my new friends disbanding for new and important responsibilities. As for me, I have nothing better to do. So, I just decided to wander around the Human Island for now. It's boring, being alone."

"Hey!" An unfamiliar voice from below shouted.

Raising an eyebrow, the ember-haired female looked down at the bottom of the tower. Below, she was seeing a dark-skinned man wearing a gray suit with a black belt and his hair was trapped in a black beanie. In his hand was an iron shovel and his whole attire looked dirty as if he worked with coal. The man gestured at her to come down, and she did by standing on the roof of the tower and jumping off, falling until her feet hit the grass. Meanwhile, Sunset's horse let out a neigh of surprise and the man flinched, dropping his shovel after she landed on the ground.

"What the heck were you doing up there?" The man asked, his eyes wide, but full of concern.

"Talking to the moon," Sunset answered as she dusted herself.

"You're crazy..."

"You think so?" She raised an eyebrow again, only getting a nod from him. "Eh. I've been called crazy before. I'm not from around here, after all."

"You're not from around here?" The man repeated.

"I was from another island," Sunset explained. "It's more different than this one. More complicated to even explain. You wouldn't understand..."

"No, I wouldn't." He shook his head.

"I thought so..."

Everything suddenly fell silent between Sunset and the man, who stuck out his hand to her and said, "Name's Griff."

"Sunset Shimmer." She said, shaking his hand.

"Y'know," The man known as Griff said. "I've been hearing rumors about a teenager whose unique trait is her ember hair."

"Then, why are you here?" Sunset looked at him.

"When I saw you on that tower, I thought you would be her. And if I'm right, that man you have encountered ages ago went crazy after that moment. He said something about you being a witch."

"Me? A witch?" Her breath hitched, and she got another nod from him. "Witches aren't real..."

Griff let out a soft chuckle. "You'd be surprised, kid. I've encountered too many in my lifetime."

"Yeah, right." Sunset rolled her eyes. But then, she heard a strange sound in the distance. "What's that sound?"

Griff raised an eyebrow before he and the ember-haired girl turned to their right. From the distance, they were seeing several dots of yellow and orange light. Both raising an eyebrow, Griff and Sunset looked at each other, then back at the lights. But then, the lights began to grow bigger and are starting to appear with silhouettes of people. But as the two looked at them carefully, a realization hit them. From far away, they were seeing a crowd of people approaching them with torches and pitchforks. Every one of them was shouting a word neither of them could decipher. But despite his confusion, Griff knew exactly what he had to do. He grabbed Sunset by the wrist and ran straight for the tower with her, and he didn't stop until he and the girl were hiding behind it and standing in front of a cellar door.

"Griff," Sunset whispered. "What are you doing?"

He didn't answer. All he did was unlock the cellar door with a key that dangled from his neck and opened it. Without saying a word, he grabbed Sunset and pushed her into the cellar. But before he could close the doors, she stopped him by blocking them with both her hands.

"Griff, what's going on?" She wanted to know.

"I don't know." Griff shook his head. "But if I'm right, then I have to keep them away from you."

"By stuffing me in a cellar? Are you mad?!"

"Listen to me. This cellar can lead you to a mineshaft that is rumored to have an abandoned Nether portal down there. If you enter the Nether and find the nearest portal, it will bring you to your next destination. And who knows? You might even bump into some old acquaintances of yours."

"Do you at least have a map?"

"I do." Griff nodded before reaching into his pockets to pull out a rolled-up map. "With enough experience, I was able to search for that mineshaft and make a map out of it. I was even able to draw a path so the next person I meet can find it themselves. But since a young face like yourself came along, the path is now yours to watch over."

Nodding and understanding his words, Sunset took the map from his hands and said, "Thank you, Griff. Even though we just met, I still thank you."

With a nod, the short-bearded man grabbed the doors and closed them. From inside, Sunset heard Griff lock the door from the other side. Thought she was prepared because of him, she wasn't ready to leave just yet. She needed to hear what was going on outside first. She had plenty of questions: why was there a mob and who are they after? Through the hole of the cellar doors, she could see Griff being cornered by the angry mob. Then, Sunset could see someone walk out of the crowd with both his hands behind his back. She gasped quietly. It was that man from the saloon. The same man who tried to flirt with her and the one who called her a mutant.

"Percy?" Griff raised an eyebrow.

"Griff, my man!" The man known as Percy exclaimed with both his arms wide open. "How's it going, man?"

Sunset's eyes widen at both men. "Griff, you know that moron?" She mumbled quietly.

"Percy," Griff raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here this late?" He turned to the rest of the mob. "Shouldn't you all be sleeping and avoiding mobs?"

"Maybe." Percy stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I have to be frank with you. Have you seen a young gal ye tall, fire-like hair, bright teal eyes and wears a cloak everywhere she goes?"

"Why would you look for someone like that?" From what Sunset could tell, Griff knew what his friend was talking about. He was only pretending to be confused.

"Well, I may have a theory about what she is. She's a witch!"

In response, she put a hand over her mouth, for she realized why the kind man shoved her into the cellar in the first place.

"A witch?" Griff raised an eyebrow and got a nod from his friend. "My friend, you're just being delusional. There's no way that a young teenage girl could be a witch."

"Think about it, Griff!" Percy threw both his arms up. "I know exactly what I saw back at that saloon! She used her magic on me twice! And, who knows?! She must have put a curse on me or something!"

"Percy, please. Just calm down and go home. We'll talk about this in the morning."

All of a sudden, the man with the cowboy hat let out a guffaw. "You think what I'm saying is nonsense, Griff? It's not nonsense! I've seen it with my own eyes! There is a witch hiding in this very village who might destroy us all with her creepy dark magic! She must be annihilated for the sake of our children! For the sake of our future. For the sake of our gosh darn lives. She must be destroyed for good! Once we find her, we will set her ablaze and we will burn her alive!"

With that, the rest of the mob let out a scream of agreement. Meanwhile, Sunset's teal eyes widen. Deciding that she had seen enough, she gained the courage to leave. She turned around to make her way through the cellar. But once she began walking, everything went darker. So, she decided to light the way with her magic. In her right hand was an orb that glowed a bright red. But as soon as she began to walk again...

"Hey! What's that light in the cellar?!"

Sunset's breath hitched when she heard the loud mob approach the cellar doors. She saw both the doors move, but it didn't even open for them to gain access to the inside of the cellar. She sighed with relief, but that feeling went away when both cellar doors were broken with an ax. That was when she decided to run off for the sake of her safety. She did hope Griff was right about the path she was traveling through right now.

Chapter 4: The Mineshaft

As Sunset ran through the tunnel, she turned her head around to check if any of the mob was chasing. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw a shadow of a cluster of people behind her. Her eyes widen again, and she turned back to the direction she was running. She heard the loud shouts of the mob behind her, but she didn't dare turn her head around to look once again. After all, the man from the saloon called Percy and the angered villagers were suspecting her as a witch.

Sunset ran through every single pathway, searching for the mineshaft Griff was talking about. But then, she skidded to her feet from the moment she set her eyes on a rusty old mine cart. She gulped before turning around to find the silhouette behind her. Then, she looked back at the cart before her eyes looked at the rails. Her teal eyes widen when she realized the tracks were going down. Regardless, she ran to the cart and her hands grabbed it. But not before the angry mob began to close in on her.

"There she is!" Percy, being the leader of the mob, pointed his torch at the young Equestrian. "Burn the witch!"

She heard the angry crowd shout with anger, and it quickly motivated her to push the cart. She struggled, but she didn't blame the cart for the fact that it was old. But she didn't give up, for the rust cart was better than nothing. Finally, the cart's wheels began to move. She let out a sigh of relief before she started running with the cart in her grasp. Once she decided that the speed she had now was enough, she jumped into the cart, which began to go down in a quick motion. With her flame-like hair moving to the rhythm of the air striking her head, Sunset looked behind herself to see the angry mob stop at the tracks. She heard them grumbling before they walked away, officially giving up. But Percy stayed behind, his gaze glaring into her soul.

"I'll find you, witch!" Percy shouted, swinging his torch around. "And when I do, I'll burn you alive until you're nothing but ashes!"

Sunset felt chills go down her spine when she heard him give away a maniacal laugh before running away, flailing his arms around. Then, she settled down in her cart, letting out a sigh of relief despite how fast it was going. Suddenly, she fell asleep and had another dream. Another memory, perhaps. It was daytime, and Sunset was inside a forest, sitting down near a lake as Jesse skipped any nearby rock he could find. It was the day when Jesse wanted to take the newest member of the Order of the Stone to his favorite place in the forest. With a stick in her hand, she used it to draw a picture in the dirt. Meanwhile, her emerald-eyed friend spotted her and approached her. Hovering over her, he saw the drawing she made. It was a perfectly drawn self-portrait of herself.

"Looking good," Jesse said, getting Sunset's attention.

"You think so?" She gave away a nervous grin.

"I know so. That's a good self-portrait, Sunset." He sat beside her.

"I was bored. I didn't think I'd nail it."

"But, you did. I'm proud of you for it. You should be too." Jesse said, his warm grin giving her all of the comfort she needed.

"Maybe I should." Sunset shrugged.

"Still warming up to your new home, I see. I don't blame you. You know that, right?"

"I do." She nodded.

With a chuckle, Jesse gave her a gentle pat on the back. After that, Sunset's dream was disrupted when the cart hit something hard. The noise was loud enough to wake her up. With a gasp, she opened her bright teal eyes and flinched, looking around to find herself in a strange new area. Sunset curiously raised an eyebrow before stepping out of the mine cart. That way, she can examine her new surroundings. She found herself standing in a dark area lit with torches and a singular wooden door was seen in a stone wall.

The ember-haired youth quietly walked up to the door, and once she got closer, her right hand grabbed the doorknob and she twisted it so the door can give her access to the other side. As soon as the door was opened all the way, Sunset stepped through. She looked around the place she was unfamiliar with. It was a hallway, also lit up with torches, and there were visible cobwebs on every crevice of the place. Remembering Griff's words, Sunset squinted at her new environment. She turned back to the area where the mine cart was, and that was when she realized where she was.

"This must be the mineshaft Griff was talking about..." She said to herself.

Pulling out the map she was given, she opened it and her eyes looked at it. Looking at the map, she saw the drawn trail again, and it was pointing forward. When Sunset looked up from the map, her feet began to move. As she walked, the echoes of her feet tapping on the ground were the only thing filling the silence in the mineshaft. Besides all of that, she even heard the squeaks of mice scurrying across the dirt and dust in front of her and the wingbeats of bats flying past and above her head. All she could do was let out a sigh before she could continue.

Sunset was also wary of her surroundings while she followed the trail that was drawn on the map of the mineshaft. Knowing that her new environment was dark, she suspected that there will be mobs lurking through the shadows. If she wanted to be safe, then she will have to be armed. Fortunately, she was with her sword and her magic.

The ember-haired wanderer even took sharp left and right turns during her travels through the mineshaft. Her eyes went back and forth, one moment, her teal eyes pointed at the map and next thing she knew it, she was looking back at where she was walking. After a long journey of walking and looking around, she finally stopped, for she had found the only thing Griff told her to look for. In front of her was an obsidian circle with a wispy purple within it. It was a portal to the Nether, she figured.

Taking in a deep breath, Sunset slipped the map back into her satchel and looked back at the portal. As she readied herself for a hectic odyssey through one of the most dangerous realms of the world, she held on to high hopes. Hopes that she would come out of there alive. Hopes that she can continue her wanderlust in peace. Most importantly, she hopes that she could see one or more of her human friends again.

"Here goes nothing..." Sunset mumbled before jumping into the Nether portal, her expectations of the realm high.

Chapter 5: Return to the Nether

The Nether was just as menacing as Sunset remembered. The ground was red and almost resembled gravel and there were sparks of ember scattered all over the place. Lava oozed from the cracks of the walls and the ceiling, filling a pool of hot and glowing lava below the ground she was standing on. The environment was a deadly high temperature, so high it could even melt someone's skin as if it were wax.

Though she reminisced all of the memories she made with the Order of the Stone, the one in the Nether was what she could describe as literally hellish. Sunset remembered every single detail of the memory of her first experience in the Nether. She remembered being in a trail of minecarts that moved around like a roller coaster. She remembered her and Jesse being chased by ghasts and almost being burnt by the fireballs they spat from their mouths. She wanted to even forget how hot it was and how loud Coloratura screamed and clung on to Petra for protection. If there was another word for her experience in the Nether, it would be a nightmare. After all, she hated going here, even if it was against her own will.

"Why did Griff want me to go here?" Sunset mumbled to herself, cringing at her current environment. "This place is so...intimidating! I hate this place..."

Hearing a faint explosion from afar, the ember-haired girl turned her head to where it came from. Though she was curious, she decided it was best to avoid it.

"What's the point?" She wore a stoic expression. "I'm already here. Might as well start exploring..."

Soon enough, Sunset began to wander around the Nether, going through the tremendous heat and walking through dark corridors of Nether Bricks. As she walked through the realm that had a desert-like feeling, she trembled at every detail of the memory she had with the Nether. The crunching sound of the Netherrack sickened her and the faint sound of explosions from far away brought back a series of images she wanted to forget. Yet, she couldn't for each one of them was stuck in her mind like buried treasure.

After a long walk, she stopped at a wall of Netherrack and began to look around. "It's a dead end." She said until her teal eyes took a glimpse of a singular mine cart that stood on a railroad trail.

Sunset scanned the mine cart carefully before she shrugged and walked up to it, deciding that traveling through it would be faster. Once she got closer, she placed her hands on the silver cart's rim. Then, she began to push it until it was fast enough for her to hop into it and ride it. With the wind blowing through her red and yellow locks, Sunset sucked in a deep breath and exhaled, sinking into the mine cart. She was prepared for the worst to happen.

Sunset had forgotten how long she has been riding the mine cart through the Nether. She couldn't remember if she sat there for minutes or even hours. Nonetheless, she sat in the cart in silence, scanning the fiery environment around her. Once again, she grimaced at her surroundings and wrapped her arms around her knees. Then, her eyes looked down at the bottom of the cart. As she stared at the floor, her eyes became droopy and Sunset was now on the verge of falling asleep.

Soon enough, she was having another flashback dream about her time with the Order. In this one, she and Jesse were lying down on the grass after another dangerous mission filled with a series of risky tasks. Their faces were covered with spots of ash and cinder and their armor had plenty of scratches and dent marks. Sunset's hair was singed at the tips after getting almost burned by the flames from a burning building. Fortunately, the other members of the Order of the Stone saved them in time before the structure could collapse on them. Afterward, they decided to give the two some space.

At the time, both were gazing up at the stars, their faces showing exhaustion and their eyes droopy. Everything was silent until Jesse began to chuckle.

"Hey," Sunset slowly turned her head to the brunette at her right. "What's so funny?"

"I was just thinking about your reaction when those goons set that building on fire to kill us," Jesse said as he laughed. Then, he began to mimic the fire-haired girl's voice. "Sweet Celestia, they set the building on fire! We're all gonna die!"

"Oh, shut up..." She retorted, turning her head away. "I was scared for all of us."

"I knew that." Jesse shrugged. "You know, when I made you guys leave that burning building without me, I was sure that I was a goner. But then, you came back to rescue me and you didn't stop until both of us came out alive."

"That orphanage was still on the verge of collapsing, though. Maybe, if I wasn't so reckless, none of us would get hurt by the rubble. But if it weren't for the others for helping us out of there, we never would have made it alive."

"Hey," He said, pushing himself into a sitting position to look down at Sunset. "What makes you think you're reckless?"

"I just am," Sunset replied. "Neither of us would be in this state if I didn't do anything stupid in there."

"Hey, don't say that about yourself, Sunset," Jesse wore a sympathetic expression. "You're not being fair to yourself. Not only that, but you don't give yourself enough credit. We love you, Sunset. You saved your home from eternal darkness from the Alliance and now you're a member of the Order of the Stone. You should be proud of yourself."

She could only blink in response before she turned her head back to the sky. "Sorry, Jesse. I just can't stop thinking about what just happened. Also, I don't want anyone else to get hurt. Not even you or the others."

Sitting up, he grinned at the fire-haired girl and said, "I don't blame you, Sunset. You're just trying to protect us, I know. That's what I like about you."

"That I only want what's best for the people around me?" Sunset asked as she sat up as well. She earned a nod from him and all she could do was grin back and say, "Thank you, Jesse. I'm so glad I met you."

Suddenly, the flashback was interrupted when the minecart came to a hasty halt. As a result, Sunset gasped awake and rubbed her eyes before she looked around at her surroundings. She wanted to make sure that there were no monsters around before she can step out of the minecart. After finding none, she sighed with relief and stood up so she can get out of the cart. Then, she continued walking down the blood-red path, searching for an exit portal out of the Nether. She didn't stop searching for it until she finally stood before an obsidian portal that shined with a purple light that came from the rift. Letting out another sigh of relief, she approached it and as soon as she got closer, she immediately walked in, hoping to never walk into the Nether again. After all, she hated being there with all her heart.

Chapter 6: The Dream

Sunset gasped as soon as she fell out of the portal and into a shallow puddle of cold water. She pushed herself to her knees and turned around to find the Nether Portal standing behind her as it emitted a purple light. She pursed her lips and scowled at it before standing back on her feet as water began to drip down her body. Shaking the water out of her hair, she pulled out her sword and slashed at the portal, breaking part of it. With that, an explosion of light pushed her out of the puddle and onto a patch of grass. There, she lied on her back with her eyes on the stars after rolling over, her clothes soaking wet as they began to collect small particles of dirt.

Wandering was difficult, especially when you're doing it alone. When the Order of the Stone disbanded, Sunset was certain she would be fine all by herself. Boy, how wrong she was! From her first days of solitude, she has been chased, attacked, and nearly killed. But as those two years went by, they became normal for her. Events like those became so normal that she became paranoid and scared about them.

Being alone sucked, she realized long ago. Not only was she slowly going on the verge of insanity because of her loneliness, but she feels as if she can't rely on anyone else nowadays. Isolation was painful for poor Sunset Shimmer. She wanted to cry, but the thought of tears streaming down her face didn't cross her mind. If only she could turn back time to when she first met Jesse and the rest of the Order of the Stone. Yet, she knew that was impossible. After all, no one can return to the past, even if they wanted to.

With every ounce of her strength left, Sunset turned herself onto her stomach and pushed herself back onto her feet. Then, she dusted the grass sticking to her clothes before she started walking. Her body was tired and heavy, but her mind was racing with thoughts and memories of the past. The cold wind of the night didn't help her calm down, either. As her body began to shiver, she fought the urge to fall asleep.

Sunset didn't know how long she was walking, nor did she know what time it was. When that finally crossed her mind, she reached into her pockets and pulled out a small pocket watch. But when she looked at it, all she could do was sigh. The pocket watch wasn't ticking as it should, so she assumed it stopped working once it plunged into the water while it was inside her pockets. Putting the now-broken pocket watch back into her inventory, Sunset looked up at the moon. From the looks of it, she deduced it was around midnight. At this time, she should be sleeping. And that was exactly as she did, only to spiral into the strangest dream she could ever think of.

When Sunset opened her eyes, all she could do was let out a gasp of confusion. She somehow found herself standing in a black void that was dimly lit where she stood. All she could do was look around, not knowing what to say or do in the peculiar place she was in. With no other option in front of her, Sunset started walking, hoping she would find something like a house or even a person. As she walked, her head kept on searching and searching and then, she stopped when she found six familiar people standing before her.

In front of her were her old friends, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy. Those six girls were otherwise known as the Guardians of Equestria, handpicked by Princess Celestia herself. The girls were standing in a straight line, not paying any attention to Sunset, but instead were frowning at something.

"Girls?" Sunset said, raising an eyebrow at her old friends. "Is everything okay?"

Neither of them responded to her question.

"Twilight?" The fire-haired girl turned her attention to the former. "What's going on?"

Once again, there was no response. So, Sunset turned her head to the left to see what her friends were looking at, and what she saw unsettled her. Standing in front of her was a man dressed in shiny dark armor holding a scepter with a glowing blue crystal. Hanging from the helmet that concealed his head was long white hair that reached his lower back. His back was facing the girls who were watching.

But then, Sunset began to wonder what the man was standing over so she took a peek. Her breath hitched when she spotted Celestia wearing her golden armor, which was covered in scratches and dents. She was on both her knees as she looked down at what seemed to be a broken spear. Sunset could only furrow her eyebrows at the sight of it and then, her feet began walking up to the two. Once she was close, the fire-haired girl noticed that Celestia was gritting her teeth, whereas the dark-armored man had a toothy and sadistic smile on his face. Sunset raised her hand to touch the woman in golden armor. But before her finger could feel her head, she disappeared.

Sunset gasped in surprise and fell onto her rear before looking up to find that the armored man and the Guardians have also left her sight. Now, she was left in the void by herself, not knowing what to think. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and opened them again to find herself in a mountain setting. Sunset looked up to find the sky dark and thundering. Before she could stand back up, two armored men riding on Pegasi flew over her. Not knowing where they were going, Sunset immediately pushed herself onto her feet and started chasing them until she reached a ledge. She skidded her feet and looked down from the ledge and what she saw was war.

Soldiers in gold armor clashed against those wearing dark armor. Some used magic to fight while others only had their weapons or hands. Sunset even found men firing at each other using cannons and catapults.

"What is this?" Sunset muttered to herself. "What's going on?"

Then, she suddenly heard the sky rumble. Looking up, she spotted the dark clouds slowly shifting into a dragon-shaped beast with its eyes glowing white. Sunset watched as the beast flew downward to the golden-clad soldiers, devouring a large portion of them. She watched in horror as every soldier ended up being gobbled by the monster. Sunset decided to do something, so she formed a red orb of magic and chucked it at the beast. Once it hit its neck, it disappeared along with the battle that was being fought in front of her. Once again, she was back in the darkness with no one by herself.

Sunset gulped, not knowing what she was going to witness next. But then, a light shone behind her and she turned around to find five familiar humans. With a gasp, she recognized each face as Jesse, Petra, Lukas, Axel, and Olivia. Like the Guardians, their backs were facing her and their eyes were fixated on a bolt of lighting that connected the earth with the sky. Slowly, Sunset started to approach them, but before she could come any closer, an explosion emerged where the lightning bolt was. Then, a giant wave of smoke swiftly came in their direction. With a yelp, Sunset covered her face with her arms as the smoke wave moved past her. When she brought her down, the Order was gone as was the lighting bolt.

"Sunset Shimmer," a voice spoke, breaking Sunset out of her trance. "What you just witnessed was armageddon."

"Armageddon?" Sunset repeated.

"Yes, the end of the world."

"Who are you? Why are you telling me this?" she asked.

"Who I am is not important. Not now, at least." The voice paused for a brief second before continuing, "Sunset Shimmer, you must return to Equestria at once."

"Why?"

"Equestria is at risk of falling into darkness once again."

"Is it the Alliance of Darkness?" Sunset raised an eyebrow.

"It is far worse than the Alliance of Darkness," the voice replied. "It is the presence of a warlord called the Storm King. He is a threat to all of Equestria. If he isn't stopped, he will conquer Equestria and the rest of the world."

"What does he want?" she asked.

"If I only knew, but I don't. All I know is that only you and your allies can stop him."

"What do I have to do to stop him?"

"Return to Equestria at once. Sunset Shimmer, we need you."

Suddenly, the dark void was slowly engulfed in white light. With that, Sunset's eyes snapped open, but she was no longer in the forest.