The silent drive stretched into the night as everyone in the Canterlot High bus began to settle in. Many students wound up needing to co-sleep due to the lack of space.

Sunset, Fluttershy, and Kyle, with supervision by one of the former, rotated in shifts as a couple of hours went by...

"So, how far's this rendezvous? I didn't think it'd take this long..." Kyle said.

"It's up by the shore, right by a city called Townsville. And yeah, we can't risk those whack jobs finding us. It's been a bit of a drive, but we're almost there, now... we should be seeing the others soon." Sunset answered.

Kyle nodded, stretching and nodding. He made his way back to his seat and decided to try and get some sleep...

As he began to let sleep envelop him, the others focused on the road ahead.

"So, I think that when we meet up, we focus on getting to Equestria... that's what we should've done from the start." Sunset said to Fluttershy, leaning over her.

"Y-yeah... yeah, maybe."

"I mean, it's not like we'll have too much trouble, some of us were already in Equestria, and I was born there. There'll be an adjustment period, but..." She started talking as the realization hit her.

"Oh, shit, Fluttershy, can you take the wheel real quick?"

She nodded, and the two quickly swapped as Sunset ran to her rucksack and desperately searched inside it.

"Come on... where is it?!" She whispered to herself.

She continued shifting her items around, desperately searching for the book...

She felt the spine of the journal and desperately yanked it out.

"Thank Celestia..." She uttered, almost ripping the book open.

Hello Twilight,

There has been a... development. Do NOT use the portal again. CHS was taken by very bad people... I don't want to know what they would do with Equestria. Hell, destroy the thing if you can. We'll find a way to that island and go from there.

-Sunset

Satisfied with her quick thinking, she closed the book, making her way back to the driver's seat, where Fluttershy's pupils were like needle pins as she slowed the vehicle to a stop. Sunset looked out to see what had scared her, and she saw a scorched and still-burning school bus...

From Canterlot High.

"...Fluttershy, get us off this road... right now."

Rapidly nodding, Fluttershy took a hard right off the main road. With the sharp turn, Rarity jolted awake and spotted the burning bus.

"Uh..." She started, seeing Sunset signaling to her to stay quiet.

Rarity nodded and took a seat, now wide awake and aware.

As their cautious drive continued, they spotted a nearby apartment complex. Fluttershy briefly glanced at Sunset, and they both shared an affirmative nod. As they got closer, they noticed that the building was owned by "Morbucks Inc.". Another glance was shared.

"Ever hear of a company named 'Morbucks Inc.'?" Sunset asked Rarity, who shook her head.

"Never... unless..." She hesitated, thinking hard...

As Rarity lost herself in thought, the bus was put in park, and the headlights were shut off. Kyle slowly came to, noticing that the bus had been stopped.

"We there, already?" He asked.

They glanced at him, and Sunset shook her head.

"There's... a roadblock, so we're staying here for the night and figuring it out in the morning."

Kyle nodded, stretching and making his way to the front.

"Well, I'm slept up, so want me to help make sure it's clear?"

The girls looked at each other, some more tired than others.

"Sure... I could use some sleep, myself." Sunset said.

"Me, too..." Fluttershy yawned.

"I can help if you'd like... I don't think I'm going back to sleep any time soon." Rarity said.

With that, Kyle, Rarity, Scootaloo, and Tender Taps armed themselves and entered the complex's ground level.

"So, what was the roadblock?" Kyle asked as he shut the door behind the group.

Rarity jumped and turned to Kyle...

"Oh, uh... it was a wreck of some kind. Unfortunately, I didn't get quite the best look at it..."

Kyle nodded, noticing the mysterious name on the wall of the reception area.

"Morbucks Inc... hmm."

Rarity took a moment to ponder that name—she knew it from somewhere, but she just couldn't put her finger on it...

Kyle looked at it in complete astonishment, trying to figure out the decision behind that name...

Before he could, angry screams filled their ears as a pack of three zombies rushed toward the group.

"Don't worry, I got them..." Rarity groaned, hesitatingly sending three gem spikes into them.

Once she was done, Rarity looked down at her Geode and noticed it was beginning to glow. She groaned as she considered taking it off for a moment...

Kyle heard her and turned to see the glowing gem.

"Hey, is your thing alright?"

"Yes, it's fine... we've just been using them too much lately. The last time that happened, they started operating on their own."

Kyle's eyes widened for a moment.

"Oh, no, no! It isn't your fault! None of us counted for a Caribou assault, that's all. We just have to take it easy for a few days, and things will be just fine."

Kyle sighed in relief, and the group moved on to the staircase.

They made their way through the different rooms, each utterly zombie-free.

"This place is pretty clear..." Scootaloo said.

"Yeah. But these things like to hide..." Kyle added.

However, the apartment building was completely clear when they reached the top floor. Not a single zombie, save for the ones on the ground floor...

"Well, shit. Guess we're staying here for the night." Tender Taps shrugged.

Kyle glanced around the bottom floor as he heard Taps let out a yawn.

"Yeah... guess we are."

With that, the group made their way back outside and signaled everyone on the bus to enter.

Sunset opened the door and turned to Fluttershy and Rainbow.

"Drive this bus as far off-road as you can... make sure no-one sees it. Then, Rainbow, when she's done, get her back here."

Rainbow nodded, and the two started the bus back up, driving it onto the road.

Inside, the group each separated into different rooms. Kyle sat out over the first floor, leaning on the railing on the first floor, overlooking the ground floor.

"You're welcome to sleep, Kyle." Rarity said to him.

Kyle shook his head.

"I'm good... I've gone with a few hours of sleep before."

Rarity slowly nodded, processing the information.

"Okay... then allow me to keep watch with you." She said, grabbing a chair and sitting next to him.

The two watched over the entrance, Kyle setting the stock of his M16 on the ground.

"Rainbow and Fluttershy should be back by now..."

Rarity leaned over the railing.

"I'm sure they're alright. Perhaps they're trying to find the best spot to put the bus."

Nodding, Kyle leaned back.

"So, what was the deal with Applejack and Dainn? She seemed pretty angry at him."

Rarity jolted, stammering to find an answer.

"W-well, he and... he... Let's just say that he was a bad influence on Applejack's little sister."

Kyle hummed, beginning to see the bigger picture.

"So, he groomed her?"

Sighing, Rarity nodded.

"Yes."

A deep sigh was his only response.

"It was quite an ordeal... Applejack was a mess, and as far as we knew, that was the end of it."

Kyle let out a deep sigh.

"I can't begin to imagine... this was out of nowhere, I'm guessing?"

Rarity paused and sighed.

"Well, Apple Bloom was a bit of a delinquent in the past."

"Yeah, I heard a little bit about that... Anon-A-Miss?"

Rarity sighed, dreading hearing that username again.

"Yes... that chicanery. Not only did she orchestrate it, but she dragged my sister into it... All to get back at Sunset."

That made Kyle's head turn.

"Why would they try to get back at Sunset?"

Pausing, Rarity sighed.

"... Let's just say that Sunset was not always the person she is now..."

Before Kyle could ask more, a rainbow blur entered the main entrance.

"We're back!" Rainbow said, setting down a blushing Fluttershy.

The two made their way up the stairs as Kyle waved to them.

"How'd it go?"

"It went pretty well... we hid it up as best we could--"

That made Kyle worry.

"Wait, why are we hiding the bus?"

The three struggled to form a response, but before they could find one, spotlights flashed on them from outside the entrance.

"Step out of the building, now!" A booming voice echoed.

Everyone in the building quickly woke up at the sudden commotion, countless doors being opened.

Kyle glanced out of the window and noticed several silhouettes hidden by the light—they all seemed armored with rifles shining on them.

"Military...?" He asked herself as he looked toward the others, who were all now awake.

Sunset made her way towards the others, looked out the building, and then returned her gaze to Kyle. She nodded to him, and they each started making their way down.

"Exit the building, now, hands on your head!"

One by one, the survivors began exiting the apartment's safety, each looking toward their potential captors...

The team quickly found themselves surrounded by armed soldiers wearing all-gold armor. As they circled the group, one of them pulled out a device from his side, which started beeping as soon as he turned it on.

"They enhanced?!" One of them asked.

He approached the group, scanning for the highest source, and found the girls.

"Yep! These six..."

The device hovered over Kyle, and the machine went off again.

"...and him!"

Kyle glanced around for a moment.

"Wait, I'm not--"

He was quickly cut off as a bag was placed around his head and pulled away.

Author's Note

Yeah, you were wondering what the other tags were for, weren't you? One of the cons of putting more emphasis on these arcs, it'll take longer to get into the real juicy stuff... but we're just about there now.