Anonymous in Nu-Questria 2

You passed several vehicles going the opposite direction on the way back to the encampment. None of them tried to stop you, and none of the creatures even looked your way. They seemed to be in a hurry to get to the lake.

The setting sun casts an unnatural beauty to the desolate landscape as you drive through it. It almost seems peaceful without the rolling claps of thunder.

As you arrived at the base, you noticed most of the creatures on base were either scrambling to load up trucks, or gathered in small groups to stare in awe at the sky. None of them paid you any mind, too focused on the disruption of their lives to see you walking right in.

You found the ponies back at the bunkhouses. There were no longer any guards posted outside.

“Sunny!” Izzy exclaims, being the first to spot her as she walks into the bunkhouse.

“Sunny! Anon! You’re back!” Hitch exclaims.

“Oh my wing feathers you’re a sight for sore eyes!” Pipp says.

“You made it! You actually did it!” Zipp says.

Izzy runs up and immediately hugs Sunny. She hugs her back. You smile warmly at the sight.

The other ponies crowd around you and Sunny. Their relief is palpable.

“What did you find? What happened?” Zipp asks.

Sunny leans back from the hug with Izzy.

“It’s... a long story. I’ll tell you later, but for now, I’m just really glad to see all of you.” She says.

“So does this mean we can get out of here? What about Zelina?” Hitch says.

“Zelina won’t be bothering us any more.” Sunny says.

“Huh?” Hitch says.

“She no longer has any reason to. The storm is gone.” She says.

“Yeah! We noticed. I’m guessing you had something to do with that.” Zipp says smugly.

Sunny nods. “More or less.” She says.

“Well who cares about the storm! Let’s get out of here! I really need a shower...” Pipp whines.

Zipp nods. “Yeah, you’re right. We had some ideas. We could-”

Zipp is interrupted by the sound of heavy footfalls coming from the doorway. You spin towards the open door to see a dark figure clad in a trench coat and a wide brim hat step across the threshold.

You tense up for a moment. The bipedal creature reaches a black paw slowly towards his head. He then removes his hat slowly and holds it to his chest.

You see the face of the black bipedal cat, Nails. Yet his thin, yellow eyes show a hint of remorse, which instantly puts you off guard.

“S-Sunny. Sunny Starscout.” He says.

“Y-yes?” Sunny says, turning to him.

“I’m... sorry. I’m sorry for everything.” He says. You notice tears in his eyes, and his arms shakes as it holds the hat to his chest.

“What you’ve done... You’ve saved us. You’ve saved me. We can finally go back home. You don’t know how much you’ve done for all of us. Please. Let me pay you back.” He says.

Sunny looks a bit confused, but she steps forward any way.

“It’s okay, Nails.” Sunny says. “I’m not a savior. I’m just trying to do what’s right. You don’t have to-”

“No, you don’t understand. You don’t know how long we’ve worked to get rid of the storm. It was the last thing keeping us here. Thanks to you, I can finally go back and see my cubs.”

He hangs his head down and rubs his fingers over his eyes. He takes a moment to collect himself. You glance at the ponies, but they seem enraptured by his sudden vulnerability.

“And seeing as how it was my fault your airship got shot down in the first place... I need to make it up to you. It’s only right.” He says.

The ponies exchange furtive looks with each other. Sunny looks at you. Knowing that he seems sincere, you shrug and nod. Then Sunny takes a breath to rouse confidence in her tone.

“Well, that sounds like something a good person would do, Nails. Does that mean I can consider you a friend?” She asks.

Nails lifts up his head and nods once. “Yes. I’m your friend now... I should have listened from the start.”

He smiles politely, showing as little of his canines as possible.

“Great!” Sunny says. “In that case, we need your help getting back to the east coast. Can you help us?”

Nails’ ears perk up as she says this. He nods almost a bit too enthusiastically.

“Yeah. I can do that. I have a friend that drives on the supply lines. He knows the roads out east. He’s a good guy, honest. Real discreet, too.” He says.

You figure this is a guy that smuggles things around for him. Oh well, better than nothing.

Sunny nods. “Very well. So you’ll have him take us?”

“Yeah! He can get you out as far as the mall. Even a little bit further if I ask him. It’ll get you out of the restricted zone.” He says.

“Excellent. Then that’s just what we’ll do.” Sunny says.

She turns with a smirk to the rest of the ponies. They light up with thankful grins.

“Alright. So who’s up for a road trip?” You say.

“Yeah!” The ponies say in agreement.

And so you had your exit.

Before you knew it, you were all huddled in the back of a supply truck as it made its way down the rough, bumpy roads leading to the east. The ponies all sat with excited grins, whispering softly to each other as you huddled in blankets behind the boxes of cargo.

The truck rode on through the night. The ponies were all exhausted. You were too, but you felt too anxious to sleep. You kept an eye out as the ponies snuggled in woolen blankets and drifted off to sleep one by one.

You couldn’t get the image of Twilight’s skull out of your mind. You tried to ignore it. Like Sunny said, what’s done is done, but that doesn’t mean it’s over. Her legacy is inscribed on the drive in your pocket. Her great and terrible legacy is waiting to be discovered, but in all honesty you’d rather not know.

But Sunny will want to know. She won’t give up.

You take the drive and look at it in the dim moonlight that seeps in through the back of the truck. The glints of gold trim and smooth, alabaster surface on the drive do not suit the contents of the device.

Sunny picks her head up suddenly and looks at you.

“Can’t sleep?” She whispers to you.

She lets out a silent yawn. You quietly tuck the drive back into your pocket.

“Yeah.” You say.

There’s a silence as Sunny looks at you with half-lidded, tired eyes from across the truck.

“I can’t stop thinking about it, Sunny.” You say.

“I know. I’m still trying to comprehend it all myself.” She says. “But that drive she gave us... that has to be the key.”

You glance over at the slumbering ponies. Izzy and Pipp are leaned against each other. Hitch is next to you, cuddled up in a corner with Zipp leaning her head on his shoulder.

“When are you going to tell them?” You ask.

“Soon. Once they wake up.” She says.

“Oh.” You say.

You slowly look over to Sunny, who yawns again and runs a hoof over her mane.

“What about those creatures, Sunny? Do you think they’ll just leave you alone after what you did?” You say.

“Well, I’m not sure.” She says. “I suppose Zelina might hate me for a while, but she doesn’t really have any reason to go after me. I don’t have alicorn powers any more.”

“Hmph. Maybe.” You say. You suddenly recall another time where magic crystals got removed from a certain group of ponies long ago.

“But are you really sure giving up the crystals means you can’t use them again?” You ask.

Sunny tilts her head. “I mean, yeah. Twilight created them to pass down her power to other ponies.” She says. “What you mean?”

“Nothing.” You say. “Just forget about it for now.”

Sunny smirks a bit and shakes her head slowly.

“You’re a strange one, Anon.” She says. “But I like that.”

You smile and lean back against the wall of the truck. Sunny shifts a bit under her blanket, and then carefully opens it as she sits up on her hooves.

“Well, I know one thing that might help us... uh, sleep a bit better.” She says.

She creeps over towards you, wearing a bashful grin. You quirk an eyebrow in response.

She puts a hoof on your crossed legs. “Will you... hold me, Anon?” She says.

You feel a warmth in your chest. Something you have not felt for a very long time. To hold a mare in this way, especially a mare you love, is a treasurable thing indeed.

You uncross your legs and open your arms to her. She sits down and leans back into you. She lets out a soft, breathy sigh as you wrap your arms around her and pull her close.

She’s warm. Warm as the sand on a sun-covered beach. Almost instantly, you feel a sense of peace wash over your mind. Twilight’s haunting visage is no longer there. Only her.

You continue to hold her like that until sleep ebbs at the corners of your mind. Sunny starts to breathe slowly and rhythmically as she loses consciousness.

She trusts you so much, right from the bottom of that pure little heart. You find yourself drifting off too. You trust her the same.

The next morning, Sunny explained the entire story to the ponies as the trip went on. In quiet, solemn dignity, she told the ponies the fate of Twilight Sparkle, and everything she had become.

The ponies were shocked, but supportive. They weren’t as in to Equestria’s history as Sunny, so you knew they did not fully understand the gravitas of what happened. Yet still, they listened respectfully to every word, and they learned the truth.

Zipp examined the drive that Twilight gave you. She said that it looks compatible with their technology, but it requires an old style of port to access. She would need to try and find a computer that would work with it back home.

Sunny discussed the next steps with you and the ponies. In the end, she decided to have everyone travel to Zephyr Heights. Together, they would work on finding a compatible computer, and also figure out the best way to release the information to the public. Perhaps on a website. Perhaps in a book. But whatever they learned, it would be for the betterment of ponykind.

Still, the drive burned a hole in your pocket the entire trip. You kept thinking about it, but at the same time Sunny kept your mind at ease.

When you finally made it to the edge of the restricted zone, the truck stopped and the driver got out. He was a hefty walrus creature with a detached gaze. You all piled out of the truck, and the creature threw a backpack full of supplies at your feet.

Then, he just got back in his truck and drove off.

You were all still tired and had a long way to go, but for the moment it felt very freeing to be out of the area.

The road to Zephyr Heights was long and uneventful, but eventually you all made it. You set up in the secret hangar once more and started to get to work.