When Sunset had finished crying, she gave herself time to recollect what happened an hour ago. Not only is she behind with retrieving the Elements of Harmony, but she lost her one and only mentor. Sunset was uncertain on what to do next and all she could do was wallow in pity.

"How are you holding up?" Tempest asked, putting her hoof on Sunset's shoulder.

"It is so unreal. I tried to warn her. How could the ooze get to her? I should've went back to the Crystal Empire. If I had been there, none of this would've happened." Sunset lamented.

"There was nothing you could have done, Sunset. The Anomaly is everywhere. No matter where you turn, it will always find you. Me and Grubber could barely escape Kluge Town without getting ourselves mauled by its residents and the hippogriffs over in Mount Aris." Tempest comforted.

"Even so, I would have been able to at least send a signal to somepony. Anypony that would be able to save Princess Celestia." Sunset said in a sad tone.

"I know, Sunset. And you have every right to be sad. But we can't stay here. Those creatures or those freaks will not stop until every last one of us ponies are dead. Which includes your mission to find the Elements of Harmony. Would Princess Celestia want that from you?" Tempest said while looking Sunset directly in the eye.

“Tempest…” Sunset responded in a defeated tone.

“Do you even know where Mount Aris is?” Tempest asked while keeping eye contact.

“Northeast…?” Sunset weakly responded.

Groaning from her uncertainty, Tempest grabbed Sunset’s hoof and said,

“I’ll take you there. But know that I will only take you to the path where you can get there. After that, you’re on your own.” Tempest directly said.

"Me and Tempest are trying to get away from this ugliness, so we're not gonna stay here. You can come with us if you want. No ooze anywhere outside of Equestria. At least I hope so…" Grubber said with uncertainty.

“I understand.” Sunset said as she tried to get off the ground.

“How about we rest for awhile until you can at least walk?” Tempest suggested, sitting Sunset down once more.

“Fine. But we’re leaving once I can stand up.” Sunset said as she sat near the campfire.

"Okay…" Tempest agreed as she sat near the campfire as well.

"By the way, how did the cave get shut in…?" Sunset asked, looking at the destroyed entrance.

"It's a long story…" Tempest asked, scratching the back of her head.

So Tempest cleared her throat and started explaining to Sunset about what happened while the latter was unconscious and Grubber was cooking their meals. Pretty soon, it built up to more stories told by Tempest. Every last adventure she had, every small detail, Sunset listened. She was mesmerized by every last horrific deed that Tempest listed, but the more she paid attention, the more she realized that they were more alike than they realized.

“You know… I used to be evil as well.” Sunset confessed.

"Don't worry. I had a feeling you were hiding something. After all, I used to serve under the Storm King." Tempest said before touching her broken horn.

"I hope you don't mind if I ask you a question." Sunset said, giggling nervously.

"Yeah? What do you want to know?" Tempest asked.

"What happened to your horn…?" Sunset sheepishly asked.

Hearing this, Grubber ran and hid behind some rocks, fearing that Tempest would lash out at Sunset. But instead of saying something, Tempest just touched her horn and lamented,

"I lost it to an Ursa Minor."

"I guess that explains the scar on your eye. What happened?" Sunset asked, leaning in to hear her story.

Tempest cleared her throat and started explaining to Sunset about how she lost her horn. Going through every small detail, She told her new friend about how she used to be a gifted unicorn before losing her horn and joining the Storm King. Then she got around to Twilight and her friends, telling her that meeting them has changed her life for the better and deciding to settle back in Equestria after all that has happened.

“Wow. And I thought I was evil…” Sunset said in amazement.

"I'm not very proud of my accomplishments, but that's what I did. And later on, I decided to spread the word of friendship with my friend, Grubber. But then all of this happens. Just what could've caused all this?" Tempest said while trying to keep the fire burning.

"I dunno, but there is something I need to tell you about Twilight." Sunset said as she leaned closer to Tempest.

"Is something wrong, Sunset?" Tempest asked as she faced the unicorn.

"I'm not sure if this is true or not, but I've been hearing rumors that she and Pinkie have been smuggling the ooze into the Crystal Empire."

"What!? Why would they do that!?" Tempest furiously asked.

"Your question is as good as mine. But Starlight told me to trust nobody and I dunno what to think." Sunset answered.

"Then why are you telling us?" Tempest asked, starting to feel suspicious.

"'Fess up, pony!" Grubber urged.

"Because you two and I could be the only three creatures left in Equestria and I'm the only one who can retrieve the Elements of Harmony." Sunset said.

Just then, they heard a creak in the rocks, startling the trio.

"Did you hear that?" Sunset whispered.

At first, it all seemed quiet. Just then, the rocks toppled down and in front of them appeared a mutated ursa minor. It was tall and hulky with large amounts of muscle, and it had eyeballs everywhere on its face. It had no lips and its mouth contained rows of teeth.

“Friend of yours?” Sunset asked, feeling unnerved by its appearance.

“Don’t talk! Just run!” Tempest urged before she turned around.

Following her advice, Sunset picked up Grubber and started following after Tempest. The Ursa Minor chased after the trio deep into the cave. Keeping ahead of the monster, Tempest looked around for something to stop the creature in its tracks. Looking ahead, she saw light at the end of the cave.

"Sunset, can you use your horn?" Tempest asked as she ran.

"I think so. Yeah." Sunset answered.

After making it to the exit, Sunset looked up and saw rocks hanging from the ceiling. Wasting no time, Sunset fired a shot at the rocks, causing the entrance to collapse. The Ursa Minor tried to get through, but its efforts proved fruitless as the rocks crushed it.

"We need to keep running. It could come back any minute." Tempest urged as she pulled Sunset away.

Doing as she said, Sunset ran away with Tempest, awaiting what new challenges lie ahead.

Author's Note

Small Update: I took a look at the votes and it stands 5-2. So I will be prioritizing Spike's Polygamy Wedding before I work on any other story. However, I will still find time to work on my other projects and I have plans on doing an AU Profile for Luna. Plus, I need the time required to writing the Origin Story with the best quality that I can deliver. Double plus, it's been a long time since I worked on a Spike Story like this. But now that the PSA is out of the way, enjoy this long-awaited chapter.