Episode 7 - A Rest Before The Storm

Moonshine looked around and quickly understood that he was in the void of his dreams. Next to him, a mist in the form of a woman's body perched in his shoulder as he fell into the dreamless abyss.

"I'm unimpressed with you."

"Hum..."

"Can't you see how much effort I'm putting into you to grow strong?"

"Nothing happens without effort..." - Moonshine replied as he looked at the dark - "I'm with you only for a day and almost die."

"Yes, you're right, but..."- the formless woman mounted, getting face to face with the young man - "I gave you power, but I need payment for it."

"What?"

The dreamless abyss shined, and Moonshine found himself in the middle of the encampment of Canterlot as a formless mist danced around in front of his eyes, distorting everything he saw.

Flames darting from side to side in a maniac dance of destruction, the sky blacked by the smoke emphasized the cries of pain and desperation in the voices of his friends.

"Help us Moonshine!"

"Why do you let us die?"

As the emotional pain reached its peak, Moonshine dropped to the ground, kneeling and trying desperately to silence the voices that tried to reach him with his hands.

But his efforts were for nothing as the shouting of fears and madness still echoed in his mind.

A great crash was heard by him, shaking the ground and making the young man look at the structure newly formed in his front between his tears.

A big and sturdy tree was broken, and the walls that protected the people are no more, around the leaves that left the branches of the enormous tree, countless insectoids revealed themselves.

Walking slowly over the tree, a figure that froze Moonshine blood was walking step by step was his mother in the same attire she used so many years ago on that fateful day.

At each step, her clothes seemed more dirty, more tattered, her beautiful skin started to darken, and a filthy stench reached Moonshine's nose; as she was closing the gap and approaching Moonshine, he could see the blood sipping from her belly and mouth.

She approached his face in a morbid smile.

"Why did you let me die?"

Moonshine Screamed, but no one would ever hear him, as a laughter echoed around his dreamscape.

Canterlot High, infirmary

Apple Jack awoke after her friend's intervention, and, most important, her temperament was calmer than before.

Pinkie could feel in her hair strands that the country girls didn't drop the subject, but the bulk of her fury had subsided.

"AJ, why did you do that?"

"..."

"You promised me that you would do this!"

"It wasn't a pink promise..."

"Screw this, AJ, you almost fought Rainbow there" - Cheerilee was there treating some patients, and in all her years she had never seen Pinkie so angry. - "You know how hard it is to maintain our little peace here?"

"..."

"Sorry, I didn't hear you." Pink spoke, approaching Apple Jack.

"S... Sorry, Pinkie..." - Apple Jack was trembling under the blankets, small tears were sprouting from her eyes that she tried to hide with her hat - "But Moonshine is like a son to me, and when I discovered about Twilight orders..."

Pinkie Pie seated by Apple Jack's side, comforting her friend.

"We all know that you have been taking care of him ever since what happened... to Luna..." - Pinkie took a sip of air - "But you are not alone, we all love him, and Twilight would never send him in a dangerous mission."

"So why did he almost die."

"Because of something we would never dream of. He found Sunset. SUNSET!" Pinkie almost shouted the name.

"But she left so many years ago... HOW?"

"Cool, right. And i have no idea HOW" - Pink lifted her thumb to Apple Jack - "Tonight I will make a party for her and Moonshine. Of course, Scootaloo too, she helped the rescue."

"so we will finally know what happened that day that everythin' changed..."

"Yep."

"and where are they, i mean, moonshine, sunset and scootaloo?"

"You don't need to worry." With three fingers up, the energetic woman almost jumped from the infirmary bed - "Moonshine is in your house taking a nap, he used too much magic without being ready. Sunset is eating, it seems she hasn't done this for a time and is scootaloo..."

Pinkie pointed to a bed in the infirmary, and there was Scootaloo sleeping without a care in the world.

"So, when Sunset will tell us her story?"

"Twilight told us to unite at 5 PM in her office."

Apple Jack nodded, and a small smile formed in her mouth, finally she felt as if everything that happened was leading to somewhere.

"Now if you excuse me, I have a party to plan. Later!"

Apple Jack stood there alone, seen her friend run as if there was no tomorrow.

Canterlot encampment - Canteen

Sunset was oblivious to the world around her, as many people were walking around doing their daily tasks. She was seated in a wooden stool, and in front of her there was a plate filled with food. Real food, something she hasn't had for many days.

Ever since she fled Equestria, she had been in a constant state of fear, and everything she had been the cloak she used to hide herself till the portal and her trust compass. Even so, it was for nothing. She had been followed by those brutes dogs or, even worse, them...

"SUNSET, IS THAT YOU!?"

A happy voice called her, bringing her from her stormy thoughts, and when she looked, she couldn't believe her eyes. A strong man stood in front of her sporting an armor made of some kind of blue and yellow leather, a goatee adorned his face with his electric blue hair and eyes.

"Can't be..." Sunset spoke, astonished.

The man quickly closes the gap between the two and gives her a tight hug, quickly separating afterwards and taking another stool next to Sunset table.

"I can't believe the rumors are true...wow!" - Flesh Sentry checked Sunset body in a glimpse, but she caught him.

"I know what you did... and it is strange." - Sunset leaned forward at the table - "Everyone here has developed and aged, I should have to do the same, but my body here looks like one of the tanagers!"

"Yes... This is kinda strange..."

"Yeah... you can say this... you really developed since the last time I saw you... wow, you REALLY chance!"

"Of course, I would change, it has been more than seventeen years since you left here..."

"WAIT, THIS CAN'T BE POSSIBLE!" - Sunset shouted as she stood up, everyone in the canteen looking at her. -"EVEN IF I WAS YEARS IN THE OTHER SIDE, IT COULD'T TAKE TOO LONG!"

Flash just shrugged. As a new voice joined the scene.

"You better believe, Sunset."

"Rainbow?"

"Yeah, long time no see." - Rainbow came from behind the people working, her voice lacked the common bravado that Sunset was used in her time in Canterlot High. Rainbow just toked another stool and joined the table.

"I don't know what happened to you, but, ever since you left everything got..." - Rainbow stretched her arm, showing everything around her - "Crazy."

"She is right... everything changed..." Flash complemented.

"We have been fighting for our lives for years now, and when everything seemed to come to a new "normal"..." - Sunset felt as some kind of anger toward her from Rainbow - "You show up... like you did many years ago, and almost looking the same as when you left..."

"Rainbow, I can explain!"

Rainbow just slouched back and relaxed, closing her eyes.

" Look, Sunset, I don't care about all this nerd stuff, but I warn you." - Rainbow opened her left eye - "Don't put my friends in danger or else..."

Sunset didn't need a hint to know what Rainbow was talking about, she could feel the shiver at her former friend's warning. With her words out, Rainbow stood up and stretched, and as she was walking out, she spoke once again.

"Sunset, better eat your food soon, will get cold. And Flash" The guy almost jumped on his feet when she mentioned him— "show her the place. Just remember to take her to the main build at five."

" Yes, captain." - replied Flash, making a continence signal.

"Captain?"

"Yes... long story. I will tell you during the tour."

"Deal." And sunset resumed eating.

Sunset walked by Flash's side as he explained to her, in a really shallow way, how everything got together and how the small town of Canterlot, this place she was in, was born.

She knew that that information was essential for her next steps, but her mind couldn't concentrate on his word. She felt as if she was watched by everyone around her, but each time she looked around trying to find who or what was watching her, all she could see were people going around their daily business.

"- And this is why we have to separate our forces with Crystal Prep... Sunset?" - Flash concluded, looking at Sunset and quickly understanding that she heard nothing about what he said.

"Sorry, Flash... Many things happen, and my mind is crazy right now..."

"I know..." - flash put his hand on her shoulder - "Them, let's do things like this."

"What?"

"I will give you the abridged version of how the town works, and then you can prepare yourself for the interview with the principal."

"Deal."

The duo started walking again, bringing back the attention of the bystanders. Flash pointed then at something far way.

"You see, this place was built around many blocks of the city, but our population is really low. You can see where our area ends by looking at the protective walls around here."

"Wow... incredible, even from here I can see their tops!"

"Magic can be fantastic and fearsome, you know..."

"What you mean...?"

For a moment Flash was silent, his goatee and hair floating slightly with the soft breeze.

"Sunset... I was one of the first of us to fight the things that came when the world got crazy... I saw things eating my friends..."

"Sorry..."

"Don't be. Their sacrifice is what made us have this place in the first place... but let not stop here. Come with me."

Sunset looked at where Flash was heading and instantly recognized the building. It was Canterlot High, even the mirror in the front stood with the statue of the great horse, but at the same time, it was different.

It seemed as if the construction had been damaged and repaired many times, and enhanced to receive the hardest of the blows. To confirm, Sunset quickly concentrated in her eyes and, as she expected, the structure was enforced by magic.

"This is the main building of the town, and where everything comes and goes from. If you want to find anyone, you just need to come here"

Sunset continued ogling the former school in silence, so Flash continue.

"Northwest from here is the farmland where the folks found a way to grow crops and tame some of the beasts after the first wave of monsters. Apple Jack is the head of the group."

"To the North East you will find the"industrial"complex, Pinkie lead the group with the help of Mister Turner. She is crazy, but she can make really good weapons and clothes."

"South west we have the housing area, the major part of people here live there. The guard force help us to maintain the order. By the way, Rainbow Dash is the leader of the guard."

"And to the South East -"

"Okay, I understand... wow, you all really build a home here."

"It was the only way to survive." - Flash just replied. - "Now, go to the main building. I believe there will be a hunting party soon, and I want to go."

"Really?" - Sunset seems a little confused - "I was thinking that you would love to catch up with me..."

"Beside the fact that we're walking for more than twenty minutes, and you ignored me for the greater part..." - Flash flashed a big smile to Sunset, as he took the path to the farmlands - "You are just too young for me right now. Sorry."

"Yeah... Too young..." Sunset stood alone facing the building she was used to frequenting daily, and taking a deep breath, she proceeded inside.

Inside a small room, two people looked through the window with great interest while a third one was sitting in a chair and carving some kind of animal of wood.

" So, Sweetie, what can you tell about her?" - Asked Rainbow harshly.

"She can use magic, but just the basic..." - Sweetie put her finger on her chin as if thinking, talking to herself - "She used too much magic just to charge her eyes, so she can't control it... maybe some kind of visual magic?"

Rainbow Dash was furious, she wanted answers. And she would get them. In an impulse, she hit the wall by her side, prompting the attention of both co-ocuppants in the room.

"I can't believe you all will just let this fake sunset walk around freely!"

"But, captain, these are our orders!"

"Buck the orders!"- Rainbow shouted - "This thing may even be a bug! How can she be so young when we..."

"Captain, please, calm down!" - Sweetie pleaded.

"You know what, I will go there and break that fake mask of her and -"

"Nope." The big man in the chair rose up, letting the wood carving of a dog fall to the ground. Behind the tattered cowboy hat he was using, his green eyes could be felt "You won't."

"Ooooh, the big strong guy will try to stop little me?"- Rainbow Dash spoke in a mocking tone -"You know I can take you on!"

"Await till the meeting, then do as you wish."Big Macintosh's voice was strong and direct to the point, and the worse part was that Rainbow knew he was right. She would have to wait.

"So be it."- Rainbow Dash resigned herself -"But if she shows any sign of hostility... I will crush her. ”

Author's Note

Next Chapter:
Episode 8: A Glimpse of Truth