Chapter Text
Sunset gasped as she opened her eyes, finding herself staring up at a canopy of leaves. She quickly sat up and took in her surroundings. There was nothing but dense forest all around her, bushes, trees, and the occasional chittering of insects and the caws of birds.
“What…where am I?” Sunset slowly rose to her feet and scanned the area one more time. “Hello! Applejack! Rainbow Dash! Rarity! Fluttershy! Pinkie Pie!?”
There was no answer, which made her worry even more.
Okay, calm down, Shimmer. First thing’s first.
Sunset reached into her pocket to use her cellphone, but paused when she felt it wasn’t there. She went into her left pocket and found something. When she retracted her hand, Sunset found a thumb drive. It wasn’t like any USB drive she had seen before. It was turquoise in color, sparkled, and had a blue colored connector at the end. In the center of the USB drive was a symbol. She could distinctly make out that it was a unicorn, but it was shaped funny. Sunset patted herself down to look for her cellphone but felt another strange object. The former unicorn unhooked something from the back of her belt and was now staring at a buckle that resembled a unicorn.
“What is this stuff? I don’t have my cellphone, but I have these things?” Sunset questioned.
No cellphone, no GPS, no idea where she was. With a reluctant sigh, Sunset decided to try and find higher ground in order to get an idea of where she was. Carefully, the older teen made her way through the dense foliage of the forest around her, swatting a few bugs that happened to fly across her, and getting annoyed by how many there were.
“Did something happen at the end of the Friendship Games? I mean, I remember taking Twilight’s hand and then…” Sunset stopped walking. “And then…what?”
She couldn’t remember. Sunset tried, but it felt like there was a gap in her mind, a huge gap, and it was frustrating. The former unicorn released an indignant snort (a pony habit she hadn’t quite gotten over) and returned to her walk.
There’s gotta be someone somewhere in this place.
Sunset, unfortunately, missed the upturned root on the ground and tripped over it. Which also sent her rolling forward until she landed onto a trail, back first. Sunset groaned, both in annoyance and a small amount of pain from her tumble. She laid there, sprawled out on her back, growling at her current circ*mstances.
Can this day get any weirder or more annoying?
“Uh…hello?”
Sunset opened her eyes upon hearing a voice. When she opened her eyes, Sunset found herself staring up at someone. It was a girl. She was wearing a hoodie that was half purple and half white. A pair of shorts with leggings, and white shoes. Her hair was dark brown, and her eyes were a lighter shade of brown. And for some reason, this girl was somehow dangling several feet above Sunset’s position.
“AAAAAH!!!”
“AAAAAH!!!”
Sunset bolted to her feet, jumping a couple of feet back as she got into a fighting stance. Which felt strange, she had self-taught herself martial arts, but that felt too practiced. But after focusing her attention on the girl, Sunset realized that the girl was not hovering of her own volition. From what Sunset could tell, her right ankle was ensnared in a tripwire trap.
“S-Sorry! I-I didn’t mean to scare you!” the young girl exclaimed.
What’s a kid like her doing out here?
“Uh, hey, what happened to you?” Sunset asked.
“Oh, uh, well, I was strolling along and then…well…I stepped in a tripwire,” she explained. “C-Could you let me down, please?”
“Sure…kid. Just…” Sunset looked at the rope that had wrapped around the young teen girl. It looked to be made of woven vines, which told Sunset that there was someone else out there. “Just give me a sec, I’ll look for where the rope it tied and let you down. I’d cut you down, but I don’t have anything sharp on me.”
“N-No problem! Be careful, though! I-I don’t know if there’s more traps,” she warned.
Taking that into consideration, Sunset followed where the rope led, and found where it was tied off. Sunset approached it, but stopped when she noticed something off. She bent down on one knee, scrutinizing the area in front of the stake where the rope was connected to. There seemed to be some disturbed earth, and some leaves scattered about, as if to hide something. Sunset smirked.
“Clever,” Sunset admitted as she stood up and casually walked around the spotted trap. “But not clever enough.”
*Snap!*
Sunset stopped in her tracks when she heard something, then several somethings rustling through the bushes. That’s when Sunset saw another vine rope quickly whipping backwards. Sunset looked down at her right foot just as the noose of the tripwire wrapped around her ankle.
“Oh, buck me…AAAAAAAAAH!”
The former unicorn was quickly snatched off the ground and taken into the air, where she now hung dangling next to the young teenager she was trying to help. Said young teenager noticed the annoyed look on Sunset’s face, along with the redness that was forming.
“Uh–”
“Not a word, please,” said Sunset.
The two girls hung there in the air for a minute before a word was spoken.
“So, how long have you been up here?” Sunset asked.
“Before you came along? Uh…five minutes.”
“Huh, so I guess you woke up before me. So, that means either this trap was set by someone who woke up earlier than us, or we just fell into the trap of whoever dropped us into this Faust forsaken jungle,” Sunset observed.
“Sorry, I should’ve tried to spot if there were more traps,” she apologized.
Sunset glanced at the young Latina and smiled at her as she said, “Hey, don’t worry about it. I’m madder at the person who set up these traps. I got full of myself back there and didn’t pay more attention. We’ll figure a way out of this; we just need to think.”
“AH-HA!”
Sunset and the young girl craned their necks, hearing a new voice. The bushes rustled and that’s when someone new popped up. It was another young teenage girl. She had a school uniform of which consisted of a purple skirt, a grayish shirt with a purple color, and coat of arms that had the letters “SJMS” printed on it. She had afro hair, light brown in color, and had dark brown eyes. She also had only one shoe on her left foot, while her right foot only had a sock on it. That same girl was also holding a stick that had been sharpened into a spear.
“Thought you could get the best of ol’ Anne, eh? Well, you didn’t! Now I – huh?” The girl, who apparently went by ‘Anne’, looked up at Sunset and her companion.
“Hi there,” Sunset greeted in a monotone.
“Oh, great! Can you get us down?” the other girl asked.
Anne shook her head and retorted, “And why should I? I haven’t seen anyone around for the last two hours, and now you two suddenly show up?”
Two hours? That means she’s been her longer than us. Although, granted, it’s only been a couple of hours for her, that’s still two more hours than me or this girl, Sunset thought.
“Hey, I know you’re suspicious of me and my friend here. But honestly, I think we’re all in the same boat. I just woke up not too long ago, and she says she woke up five minutes before I did. I don’t know what’s happening, but it looks like we’ve all wound up here against our will.”
“If that’s true, then we need to help each other and work together,” said the young teen. “Who or whatever brought us here must’ve done it for a reason, so let’s help each other out!”
Anne regarded the two girls in the trap, the one that looked like some bad girl, she was iffy on. But the other girl next to her, strangely enough, Anne felt less suspicious of her. She couldn’t quite understand why, but she did.
“Okay, fine, I’ll let you down. But I’m watching you two,” said Anne.
“No problems with that,” Sunset replied. “Be careful, there’s a pitfall trap near where the robes are tied. There might be more tripwire traps around it.”
“No, that was the only other one. I didn’t have enough vines to make a third,” said Anne as she casually strolled to the spot where the ropes were tied.
Sunset and Luz angled themselves just right, allowing them to watch as Anne walked over – what Sunset assumed – was a pitfall trap, but as it turned out the pitfall was a fake. Anne stuck her spear into the ground as she untied the rope and slowly let down the other young teen first. Once she was down, that same teen rushed over to where Anne was and helped her lower Sunset down so that she didn’t hit the ground. Now that she was back on her feet, both Anne and the other girl returned and stood before her.
“So, those were your traps?” Sunset asked.
“Yeah, I…I remembered how to make ‘em from this survival TV show I used to watch,” said Anne as she chuckled nervously, but then she paused.
“Huh, clever girl. And with all this happening, I didn’t get your name,” said Sunset as she glanced at the Latina standing next to her.
“Oh, sorry! My name’s Luz, Luz Noceda!”
“Anne Boonchuy.”
“Sunset Shimmer.”
Luz looked up at the older teen and said, “That’s a pretty name.”
“Wait, so is that you’re whole first name or is Shimmer your last name?” Anne asked.
Sunset was starting to develop some theories just based on Anne and Luz’s reactions alone, but answered, “You can just call me Sunset. For now, I think we need to take a minute and pool our information together. Anne, you said you’ve been here for two hours. Have you managed to find shelter yet?”
“Actually, I have.”
The place that Anne had found was a hollowed-out tree. It was big enough for all three of them to sit and lay in comfortably, with a wide entrance that gave them a good view of the forest’s distant tree line. The sun was starting to get low, so the girls made a campfire. Strangely, again, Anne knew exactly what to do when it came to starting one. She found some stones that were perfect for striking, and then used them to create enough sparks to start the fire. After giving it a few puffs of air, the fire caught on the leaves and branches they had gathered and turned into a warm fire. Sunset, Anne, and Luz sat in a triangle around the fire, trying to figure out where to go from here. The former unicorn glanced between the two young teens, who seemed to be staring at her more than each other, making her feel like the odd one out.
“I think we should get to know each other a little better,” Sunset suggested.
“Why’s that?” Anne asked.
“Considering that all three of us seemed to have just woken up in the middle of a dense forest, and sans our cellphones, I think we were possibly kidnapped on purpose. So, I think we should get some information on each other. There might be something that we share in common with each other, and that might be the reason why we were all taken. Location, interests, people we know, anything,” Sunset clarified.
Luz shrugged her shoulders and remarked, “I mean, it sounds reasonable. I don’t have a problem sharing.”
Anne sighed and replied, “Okay, fine. So, who goes first?”
Luz and Anne immediately looked at Sunset, which made the former unicorn chuckle as she figured that they were more curious about her own origins.
“Alright, alright, I get the hint, I’ll go first.” Sunset cleared her throat. “Bear in mind, what I’m going to tell you is probably going to sound…fantastical but keep an open mind.”
Luz and Anne nodded.
“Okay, well, my name is Sunset Shimmer. I’m seventeen, and I currently live in Canterlot City.”
Sunset immediately noticed the confused looks on Luz and Anne’s faces when she mentioned the name of the city she lived in. Nonetheless, she continued.
“Let’s see…I live alone in my own loft. I attend Canterlot High School, get straight ‘As’, I love gaming, playing the guitar, and I’m in a band with my friends.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait. You’re in a band?” Anne asked.
“Yep, we call ourselves the Rainbooms. I play second guitar,” Sunset mentioned.
“Dude, I play bass in a garage band with my besties! We’re called Sasha and The Sharps!”
Sunset chuckled, and snapped her fingers as she pointed in Anne’s direction. “Nice. What else? My friends’ names are Rarity, she’s a total fashionista, and has made a lot of clothes for all of us and has a generous soul. There’s Applejack Apple, the strongest girl in Canterlot High School, and a real country girl. She also works on her family apple farm and is a very honest person. Rainbow Dash is the jock of our group, a devoted athlete, and the captain of all girls’ sports teams in our school, loyal to a fault. Fluttershy, she’s the kindest girl you’ll ever meet, and she loves animals. Then there’s Pinkie Pie, if you’re ever feeling down, trust me, Pinkie is the girl you want to have at your side. She always finds a way to lift our spirits, either with a party, or a laugh. There is one more girl…but I’m not sure about her yet.”
Luz and Anne blinked when they heard all of that.
“Wow…t-that’s a lot of friends, and really diverse too,” Luz pointed out.
“Seriously, dude, how are you able to keep a group like that together? I can’t imagine you guys not butting heads here and there,” Anne mentioned.
Sunset laughed as she explained, “Oh, don’t get me wrong. We do butt heads more than once. But we respect each other’s differences, and more often than not, we manage to have a lot of fun together. And it’s because of how different we are that we’re able to get a lot of problems solved, different points of view and all that. And before when I was a unicorn, I was the magical apprentice to my original world’s ruler. Who is an immortal alicorn who can move the sun with her magic.”
Luz and Anne’s jaws dropped.
“I’m sorry, but did you just casually drop that you were a magical unicorn, and the magic apprentice of a sun goddess?!” Luz exclaimed.
“Yep,” Sunset confirmed.
Anne shook her head as she tried to process this information. “Okay, how, why, what?”
Sunset further explained that she was not originally a human. She was in fact a unicorn mare from the world of Equestria. A land filled with magical beings, and that the country she lived in was primarily inhabited by sapient ponies that were divided into three races of unicorn, pegasi, and earth ponies (basically ponies who had neither a horn nor wings). Sunset was told how she was of the unicorn tribe, and an excellent spellcaster, her talents recognized by the leader of their country, Princess Celestia.
“Wait, your pony kingdom is ruled by a princess? Was she not coronated or anything?” Luz asked.
“It’s…complicated. Queen sounds too…authoritarian, so instead, she goes by the title of ‘princess’,” Sunset explained.
“Sounds like it can get confusing, what with relatives and successors and all that,” Anne pointed out.
Sunset rubbed the back of her head as she said, “Yeah, which is why sometimes we refer to Celestia as the High Princess. Anyway, I was her apprentice for a number of years, and well…we had a falling out. Mostly on my side more than anything. She was trying to make me see the value and magic of friendship but believed that she was preventing me from achieving my full potential. I stupidly thought she was purposefully holding me back from becoming an alicorn like her, so that she wouldn’t have to share power despite all she had done to train me and…raise me.”
Luz and Anne had worried and sad looks on their faces.
“And…was she?” Anne asked.
“No, that was just my pride talking back then. So, instead of staying and talking it through like a couple of adults. I acted like a stubborn teenager and ran away to another world, where I discovered a parallel universe where – instead of ponies – humans were the dominant species, and I magic didn’t exist in that world. Not only that, but my body had completely changed into a human.”
Anne felt some familiarity with that story, like she had heard it before from someone she knew very well. Regardless, Anne asked, “Okay, so, say I believe you about being a magic pony or whatever. Then you can cast a spell or something and get us out of here, right?”
Sunset crossed her arms into an “X” formation and replied, “Sorry, no. While I’m not that powerful, I was stronger than most of my fellow unicorns back in Equestria. But I can’t use magic.”
“Can’t or won’t?” Anne inquired further.
“Can’t. When I became a human, I lost my ability to wield magic. A unicorn’s magic–”
“Resides in their horn, right?” Luz interjected. “If you turned human, then you lost your horn. Which means you lost access to your magic.”
“That’s actually right,” Sunset confirmed.
Luz now looked at Sunset with sympathy. “That must feel awful, not having something you were born with, and unable to use a power you’ve had since you were a child.”
“Yeah, I’d be underselling it if I said I didn’t totally freak out or have an existential crisis when it first happened. But then I decided to slap myself and focused on making up for my loss of magic by focusing on developing my intellect. And since I relied on magic to defend myself, I also developed my body by self-teaching myself mixed martial arts,” Sunset explained.
She’s a total badass, Anne thought.
She’s so cool! Luz thought.
“Anyway, that about explains everything for me. Who’d like to go next?”
“I guess I’ll go next.” Anne volunteered. “I’m Anne Boonchuy, thirteen. I live in Los Angeles, California. Um, let’s see…My parents own a Thai food restaurant called ‘Thai Go’, and I sometimes help out there, either serving the customers, helping my mom or dad cook the food, and of course, clean up at the end.”
“You can cook, Anne?” Luz asked. “That’s so cool!”
Anne blushed as she rubbed the back of her head. “I’m not a five-star chef or anything, but I haven’t had a customer complain, not yet anyway. I go to Saint James Middle School, a private school. And, while I don’t have five best friends, I have two. Sasha Waybright, she’s, like, the head cheerleader of our middle school, and the most popular girl there.”
“Ah, popular girl, been there, done that,” Sunset commented.
“Wait, you mean you’re not anymore?” Luz asked.
Sunset smiled, but it was a mixture of sadness and happiness. “I wasn’t exactly a good person when I first arrived in that world. I obtained popularity as a means to control everyone in my school, because I craved that power. But then I went through some things, and I – quite literally – crawled out of a hole I made for myself and decided to choose friendship over popularity. Still have a lot to learn, but I’m way better off than I was before. Not to be crass, but I was a total bitch back then.” Sunset shook her head. “Anyway, sorry. Keep going, Anne.”
“Uh, let’s see. My other best friend is Marcy Wu. She’s a total genius, smartest person I’ve ever known. And she’s also a gamer, and a total anime nerd,” Anne mentioned.
“Oh, I’m a gamer, too! And an anime otaku!” Luz exclaimed.
“Heh, you guys sound like you’d get along with my friends.” Anne hugged her legs to her chest as she sighed heavily. “We’ve always been together, the three of us. We’ve been friends since we were little, and we’ve kind of watched out for each other. Well, Sasha watches out for the two of us, and I mostly try to prevent Marcy from killing herself.” Anne blinked and looked up, noticing the expressions on Sunset’s and Luz’s faces. “Nononononononono! Not like that! I mean, Marcy can get so hyper focused that she just tunes out everything around her, which leads her to running into a whole lot of things. And sometimes falling into a lot of things. Clumsiest person you’ll ever meet.”
“Yeesh, that sounds exhausting,” said Sunset.
“…And terrifying.” Anne’s expression spoke of the horrors she had to face to keep her best friend safe. The Thai teen shook her head and continued. “Anyway, so, yeah. We’ve been friends for so long…and…I don’t know. Without them, I just sorta feel…lost.”
Sunset tilted her head a little as she showed Anne a sympathetic smile. “I can understand the feeling. I didn’t know how important having friends was to me, how it made me feel whole. I miss mine too.”
“Thanks, Sunset. Anyway, I’m also on the varsity tennis team, and…well…that’s it. Nothing to really brag about.”
Sunset raised an eyebrow when she heard Anne say that. She says she’s a varsity tennis player, can help run a restaurant, is best friends with a genius and a popular girl, she thinks she’s not special? Why do I feel she’s got some self-esteem issues going on?
The fiery haired teen focused her attention on Luz, which made the Latina blush for some reason. “And then there was one. Your turn, Luz.”
“Oh, uh, right! Um, uh, my name’s Luz Noceda, and I’m fourteen years old,” Luz informed.
“Aww, c’mon! I’m seriously the youngest one here!” Anne complained.
Luz and Sunset chuckled at the revelation, and honestly it was a little surprising to have that verified. With how resourceful Anne is, Luz figured her to be a little older or the same age.
“Um, I’m a huge fan of anime and fantasy. I live in Gravesfield, Connecticut. I live with my Mom. Let’s see…I’m also a fan of the ‘Good Witch Azura’ book series, kind of my fave,” Luz admitted.
“Wait…I think I’ve heard Marcy talk about that series,” Anne mentioned. “There’s another witch book series, called ‘Cynthia Coven’?”
“I’ve heard of that, too! More of an Azura fan, but Cynthia Coven!” Luz gasped in realization. “Anne, we could be from the same universe!”
“Well, that’s good,” said Sunset. “At least you two are from the same place.”
Luz waved her hand around in the air as she said, “Well…yes and no. If parallel universes exist, like your Earth and Equestria, then that also could mean that Anne’s universe and mine have the same people who make the same books. For all we know, there’s a Luz Noceda in her universe, and there could be an Anne Boonchuy in mine.”
Anne held her head as she commented, “Ugh, this multiverse stuff is giving me a headache, and I don’t see a pharmacy around here. Sorry, keep going, Luz.”
“Um, let’s see, I…I don’t really have many friends. I’m considered a ‘weirdo’ back home…so…yeah,” said Luz with a smile.
Sunset and Anne didn’t really like the way she said that, nor did they like the smile Luz showed them. It felt fake, like she as hiding how she truly felt.
“Oh…and…I guess I should tell you this, mostly because we don’t know how long we’ll be stuck here for, and I’d rather you guys not feel, awkward or unsure, around me.”
“Huh?” Sunset and Anne responded.
“I…I’m bisexual. So…um…if you guys feel grossed out, or afraid I might come onto you, I can keep my distance,” Luz explained.
Anne blinked.
Sunset blinked.
“Dude, what the hell are you talking about?” Anne asked.
“What?”
“Why would we ask you to do that?” the Thai teen clarified.
“Y-You’re not?”
“If we did, I’d be a total hypocrite,” Sunset informed.
Luz’s eyes widened as she looked upon the older teen. “You mean…you’re…?”
“In Equestria, the male to female ratio is kinda skewed towards females more. So, with that being the case, most ponies are more accepting of female-female or male-male relationships. In my case, I swing both ways.” Sunset smirked. “So, I get to enjoy the best of both sides.”
Luz blushed a little harder, and she felt her heart swell upon hearing how neither one of them were afraid of her nor were they disgusted with her.
“And I’m not really sure where I swing, I never gave it any real thought. But I know I’d never shun anyone who was different like that,” said Anne.
Luz teared up a little and wiped them away as she smiled back at them. “Thanks, you guys.”
“Alright, so, let’s assess. I’m from a different universe entirely. You two might be from the same universe, but there’s always a chance you could be from parallel universes,” Sunset summarized. “Now, that being said, what was the last thing you all remember doing before we arrived here?”
“I’d say, ‘This’ll sound weird’, but I think we’re beyond that now. After my book report went…a little overboard…my Mom decided to send me to a summer camp to help me…be more ‘normal’. But before I could go, I saw this adorable little owl with a bag in its beak. It had my book which I stupidly threw away, and so I chased after it. I followed it into this abandoned house out in the woods behind my house. And when I went through the door, there was a flash of light, and then I ended up here.”
“Huh, I was in the middle of a magical battle to save a friend. I remember being in a pillar of light, and then…nothing,” Sunset explained.
Anne rubbed her right arm, not sure if she really wanted to divulge the possible reason for her transportation here, especially if it meant that it would make these girls see her as a petty criminal after they shared so much.
“Anne?” Sunset asked.
“Oh, uh, I can’t remember much, but I do think I saw a flash of light too,” said Anne.
Sunset nodded and explained, “Okay, so, based on what we’ve divulged, I can’t really see a link between any of us. Not an apparent one anyway. We each have different interests, different ages, different origins, and different universes. About the only thing we can be sure of as far as some similarities is Luz and me being gamers, bi, and avid readers. Anne and I having some athletic background and musical talent.”
Now it was Anne’s turn to blush. “I’m not a professional or anything.”
“Not only that, but appearance wise, we’re totally different from each other.”
The girls couldn’t argue that. As far as Anne and Luz were concerned, their skin tone, hair, and eye colors were normal. Sunset, however, her skin tone was a kind of golden-yellow, and her hair looked like fire with the streaks in it. Green eyes weren’t uncommon, but Sunset’s eyes were a vibrant turquoise color, which wasn’t common.
“Question: Those streaks in your hair, are they…natural?” Luz asked.
“Yeah, my mane – er – hair has been like this since I was foal – ugh – baby! Since I was a baby,” said Sunset. “…Guessing I’m the odd one here, huh?”
“I didn’t want to say anything, but…” Anne let that hang in the air for a moment. “You do have an odd name, and appearance. Does everyone in your universe have vibrant skin tones and hair colors?”
“Yeah, actually, most of us do. Fluttershy is a shade or two lighter than me, and has light-pink hair, Rarity’s skin is porcelain white, and she has violet colored hair. Rainbow Dash has, well, rainbow colored hair, and has a cyan skin tone. Pinkie has curly pink hair, a few shades darker than Fluttershy, and her skin is, well pink.”
“An, uh, Applejack?” Luz asked.
“She’s blonde, a very light orange skin tone, and has freckles.”
“You live in a very colorful society, Sunset,” Luz observed. “Sounds like racism isn’t a thing there.”
“On that note, you said you lived in ‘Canterlot City’, what state is that located in your universe?” Anne asked.
“Huh? If I remember right, the upper region of Sea Saddle,” Sunset answered. “It’s close to the ocean so my friends and I can drive to the beach, and we have vast forests around us too.”
“…Sea…”
“…Saddle…?”
Sunset blinked innocently as she looked between the two younger girls. “Uh…did I say something weird or…what?”
Luz and Anne raised an eyebrow at each other, not really sure how to put it.
“Doesn’t it sound a lot like Seattle? As in Seattle, Washington?” Anne asked.
“I wasn’t sure, but when you sound them out, it does sound similar,” Luz responded.
“I’m missing something, aren’t I?” Sunset asked.
Luz decided to ask, just to verify her theory. “Um, Sunset, what’s the biggest city in your country called? The human world version.”
“Oh, well, it’s the same as the one Equestria, it’s called ‘Manehattan’.”
“And what’s the name of the human world country that you currently live?” Anne inquired.
“Amareca.”
Luz and Anne looked at each other and nodded.
“Horse puns?”
“Horse puns.”
Sunset titled her head to the side, still confused.
“It’s fine. We just realized that you’re really from a parallel Earth,” Luz answered.
Sunset chuckled. She figured that might be the case. “Well, anyway. Until we can figure out who or what dragged us here. We need to help each other. And in my case, I’m officially responsible for the two of you.”
“Whoa, why? I know we shared a lot, but you still hardly know us,” said Anne.
“Well, I’m older than you two. Technically speaking, I am an adult, mentally, anyway. When it comes to my physical age, I’m one year off from being a ‘legal adult’, but whatever,” Sunset explained. “Anyway, like I said, I’ll protect you two. I promise.”
Luz felt her heart skip a beat as she looked at Sunset. The way she took charge, her confidence, and her kindness, she was just…
“So cool,” Luz dreamily whispered, before clearing her throat and saying, “Cool! That’s cool! Thanks, Sunset.”
“Heh, no problem guys.” Sunset looked down at their little campfire and noticed the flames were getting a little low. “Hey, sit tight. I’m going to go grab some more firewood. And maybe some food while I’m at it.”
Luz and Anne watched as Sunset walked away into the forest and left the two of them alone. However, when Sunset did leave, Anne turned her attention to Luz and gave her a cheeky grin.
“W-What?” Luz asked.
“Well, well, well,” said Anne.
“Aaannne…”
“Well, well, well, well, well.”
“You’re being weird, Anne. And that’s coming from the resident weird girl,” Luz stated.
Anne shrugged her shoulders. “Just making an observation. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Uh-huh, sure.”
Anne’s grin faded as she let out a long sigh and looked out into the forest. “Do you think we’ll find a way out of here? I mean, we’re each from different worlds, literally. And we got dropped into some unknown forest in the middle of nowhere. And no cellphones whatsoever to help us figure out if we’re even on Earth or somewhere that has cell reception. What if we have to live here for the rest of our lives?”
Luz sighed as well but smiled reassuringly at Anne. “I don’t know. But at least we’re not alone. We have each other, right? Plus, we can’t lose hope. There’s a reason why we were all brought together. You, me, and Sunset. I don’t know if you trust me or Sunset fully, but I’m willing to trust you both.”
“How? I mean, yeah, we shared a lot. But how can you trust me like that? I could be hiding some shady things; did you ever think about that?” Anne asked.
Luz rubbed the back of her head as she chuckled nervously. “Well…that is a possibility. But we’re not going to get anywhere if we’re suspicious of each other. Sunset was open about her past, the good and the bad, she’s way more mature for it. I think we can learn a lot from her.”
“So, you want to follow Sunset’s lead?” Anne asked.
“Do you have a better option? It’s either that or you or I lead, and I don’t have that good a track record when it comes to ‘leading’ anyone,” Luz answered.
Anne took a moment to think about that, and honestly, Luz had a point. She was not leadership material. Sasha was the leader of their trio, and for good reason.
“Good point. I mean, either we trust each other, or we die out here,” said Anne.
“That’s the spirit!”
Meanwhile, Sunset was standing behind a tree, listening to the two girls as they spoke to each other. She smiled contently, glad that they were at least willing to put their trust in her. Sunset meant what she said. She was the oldest here, and she had a responsibility to look after those two.
As much as I want to get back to my friends, those girls are too young to be out here in this kind of situation. They’re at least Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo’s ages, Sunset thought. Regardless, if nothing else, I have to make sure Luz and Anne make it out of this place and back to their families.
“Now, let’s get that firewood, and see if we can find anything for us to eat.”
Sunset walked through the forest, thankfully she didn’t have to walk too far to find some fruits that were hanging from a tree. Although it would’ve been better if they had some protein, this would have to work for the time being. As Sunset gathered the fruits, she saw a ray of moonlight shooting through the canopy of branches and leaves. Sunset walked towards the ray of light and looked up into the night sky. And when she did, she realized something about their new environment that she didn’t earlier. Mostly due to the three of them focusing on their current situation, and not the other things that were strange about this place.
“There aren’t any stars…”
There was bright full moon shining in the night sky. However, there wasn’t a single twinkling star to be seen. And in a jungle environment like this, away from any majorly populated area, the sky should be filled with numerous stars. But there were none. It was just a burgundy-colored sky with a bright orb of white light that, at least, appeared to be the moon. Sunset narrowed her gaze, feeling even more uneasy about where they were.
