Sunset in the gods

HALF A YEAR AGO

“You've been hitting the log all day, why don't you rest a little?” Timber says.

Sunset was very tired so she didn't notice the god's presence. “You don't have to worry, besides I need to get better quickly.”

“Why? If you take it easy, you'll only need seven years, and you'll be a great swordswoman in five years if you gain experience in some battles.”

“How many years will Shining and Flash need?” Sunset asks as she continues to hit the log.

After thinking about it for a while Timber answers, “Two years.” Timber notices that Sunset stops hitting the tree trunk and then she collapses tiredly on the ground. “I see that hurt you more than the training with Fluttershy, but you don’t have to worry, those two have talent, it just means that it will take you longer to reach their level.” Then Timber notices something. “Can you let go of the sword?” He asks her seriously.

Sunset tries to open her hand but she can't. “I don't know why I can't let go of the sword.” She says tiredly.

Then Velvet, who was nearby watching Sunset's training, comes over to help her. "Your Majesty should take better care of yourself." She says as she looks at Sunset's hands, which are covered in burst blisters.

“You should listen to her, although the healing faction will be able to fix it, if you are careless you could delay your progress, besides not being able to drop a sword is as dangerous as not being able to hold one.”

“How much talent do I have compared to Shining and Flash?”

“You have no talent.” Timber said. “Although I think you should dedicate your effort to something else.” The god noticed Sunset’s frustration, who was still lying on the ground from exhaustion. “There are simply people with talent and people without talent.”

“Not having talent doesn’t mean anything, I just have to try harder.” Sunset says, “A long time ago I dedicated myself to something I had no talent for and I still became the best, someone even told me that I had a great future ahead of me.”

“And what happened?”

“I was scammed, I was made to believe that I had a great destiny and they lied to me.” Sunset noticed that Timber remained silent as if he knew that he touched on a delicate subject. “Why are you training humans?” She asked in order to change the conversation.

“Because Discord asked me to.”

“But if Discord hadn’t asked you?”

“I suppose I would train them too, why do you ask?”

“I've seen you train us and I can tell the difference between when someone does something because they want to or because they were asked to.”

Timber smiles slightly. “You're right, why do you train so hard? I don't think you do it because Discord asked you to after what you told me.”

“If I told you it's to gain power, would you believe me?”

“Power is only a means to achieve an objective.”

“There was a time when power was my goal, actually it still is but now...”

“An aura master once told me: to be strong one must know weakness, from weakness comes fear, fear is the result of not wanting to lose something, and whoever has something to lose will feel driven to be strong and be able to protect that something.” Timber said. “Sunset Shimmer, queen of the fallen kingdom of Equestria, what do you want to protect?”

Sunset thinks of the slaves in the mines, when they all fell to their knees, putting their faith in her and the group that accompanied her to the Fallen camp. “I made a deal.” She sees Velvet’s worried look, but Sunset knew how much to say and how much not to say. “Part of that deal is to help what’s left of Equestria, but part of me is doing it now because I truly want to help them, and that’s why I ask: What can I do to become stronger?”

PRESENT

Sunset analyzed her opponent, he was almost twice her size, with a muscular body, even though the guy looked cocky Sunset could see the scars on his body that showed he had resistance to cuts and that he didn't bother to defend himself much, so she began to analyze the environment trying to find something that could be useful.

“A girl?! Really?! Bring me a real opponent!” The man shouted.

“He's right.” Sunset said indifferently. “From what I know, they bring the most dangerous and strongest people you can find here.” Sunset then shows an arrogant smile. “And they only bring me this excuse as an opponent of... I have no idea what you are.” She says feigning disappointment.

The man's anger was building up, Shining Armor and Flash got a little nervous and prepared to defend Sunset just in case but a look from Sunset told them not to get involved.

“Forget what I said, I will destroy every piece of your body.” Sunset’s opponent drops the wooden sword. “With my own hands.”

“Everyone remember that we don’t want any dead, the first to surrender or if I judge that you can’t fight anymore then the fight ends.” Said a guard who was going to act as referee. “Now both of you take distance.” When Sunset and the opponent moved away the referee raised his hand to give the signal. “start!”

As soon as they started, Sunset's opponent ran straight towards her to attack her, but Sunset dodged him, but her opponent never stopped attacking.

"I can see the fear in your eyes, girl!" The opponent shouted.

But it wasn't fear at all, Sunset was surprised, she had trained her body with the animals of the goddess Futterchy, she had trained sword handling with the god Timber a renowned warrior among the gods, she had understood the handling of the aura thanks to Diamond Tiara, she even had a violent fight against the god of the Wrath Faction Scorpan and compared to all that every movement of her opponent seemed slow.

“I guess we shouldn't have worried so much.” Flash Sentry said.

“That's true, but she has to incapacitate him in order to win, and she can't if she just keeps dodging.”

Sunset then moves away from the opponent and quickly throws her wooden sword at him, hitting him right between the eyes.

“Damn you!” He screams, as the blow left him somewhat disoriented. “I don't care about the rules! I'm going to kill you!” And quickly he tries to catch Sunset.

But Sunset was expecting that and makes a discreet movement with her fingers causing her telekinesis to slightly move the opponent's foot causing him to fall, then Sunset takes advantage of the opportunity and while the man falls she uses her wooden hand to hit him directly in the head and leave him unconscious.

Then the referee just hands her a small wooden tablet with a number written on it. “You will be number two thousand and thirteen.”

“You say that as if that number were my name.” Sunset said, also noticing that he apparently didn't like Sunset winning.

“It's not worth learning someone's name here unless they survive their first 'hunt.'” He replied.

Sunset wanted to know what he meant but decided not to ask, while she waited for Shining and Flash she began to observe others who were also arriving from a fight and she wondered what the reason for it all was, why did Scorpan bring them? Why did he separate them and measure their forces? Why did they bring criminals?

“What number are you?” Flash said, having arrived. “I am the two thousand and forty-five.”

“I am two thousand thirteen,” Sunset replied.

“And I am two thousand two hundred and fifty.” Shining Armor said, who had also arrived.

“What's strange? What kind of order do the numbers assign us?” Flash asked, and then he saw that the guards just reached into a bag and pulled out a random tablet.

“How did your fights go?” Sunset asked.

“I don't want to brag.” Flash said proudly.

“But you're going to brag anyway.” Shining Armor interrupted.

“Yeah, but back to the topic, the fight was easy.”

“Like the world moved slower.” Sunset said.

“Exactly! How did you know? Did it happen to you too?” He asked a little puzzled.

“Yes, I suppose the training we had with the Fallen was more effective than we expected.” Sunset said.

“In retrospect we trained with beings that surpassed human capabilities which makes fighting humans feel more relaxing than fighting gods.” Shining Armor said.

Sunset remembered how Celestia taught her magic, she remembered how the princess taught her to get the most out of such a simple spell and she thought that if she had learned from a normal unicorn she might not have achieved such potential.

“Those who have already finished the test will be sent to barracks!” A guard shouted while pointing to the place.

As the three of them headed to the barracks, a woman with violet skin and cream-colored hair approached. “Hi, friend.” The woman said. “I think I have a message for you.” The woman noticed Sunset’s suspicious look. “Sorry for the rudeness, my name is Rolling Thunder and I’m sent by Lightning Dust.”

“I understand, but why is she sending me a message? Also how do you know I'm the one Lightning Dust is looking for? I didn't even tell her my name.”

“I know, that's why she just told me to look for a redheaded girl and if you haven't noticed you're the only redhead around here, it seems you made a good impression on the boss.” She said pointing around. “Plus you look like someone important.”

“Do I look like someone important?” She said a little bewildered, when she was going to ask Flash and Shining about that comment she noticed that one was on her left and the other on her right and realized that it seemed that the two were escorting her. “It doesn't matter, although I didn't expect to have left a big impression on her. What does Lightning want?”

Rolling Thunder approaches Sunset and whispers in her ear. “Tonight we are going to escape.”

Sunset, Flash and Shining managed to reach the barracks and saw how the prisoners were settling in while the three of them moved away to talk about what Rolling Thunder told them.

“I think it's a little suspicious.” Flash said.

“I agree,” Shining said. “We barely arrive and we are already presented with an opportunity to escape.”

"Do you think this is a trick or something?"

“Maybe, I'm not sure it's a trick but we've already seen this city, it's so big that it even has a double citadel, we're in the middle of the desert and it would be a four-day trip, an escape like that and on a large scale would take many months to plan, plus they're including more people on the last day before the escape, Your Majesty, what do you think we should do?”

Sunset had remained silent thinking about the situation, this time it would not be like in the mines, she had to think of another method for an escape, that an opportunity had presented itself to her seemed like a stroke of luck. "Rolling said that we should meet her before nightfall and that at that moment the escape would begin, we will accompany them."

“Are we going to abandon the others?” Flash asked a little surprised, while Shining remained silent with a cold look.

“No, we are not going to escape and we are not going to abandon anyone, we are just going to accompany the group that is going to escape.” Those words only made Flash confused and Shining simply did not understand. “I want to see the escape route to know our options, then we will come back and make our own plan.” Although Sunset was tempted to escape at that moment she decided not to do it, it could be said that she did not want to abandon her subjects but there was another reason, the truth is that she had come to love the people who had accompanied her during her trip, it could be said that it is friendship. “We entered this city together and we will leave here together.”