//------------------------------//
// Sweetie Belle 2 - Walk of Fame 
// Story: Dawn of a New World 
// by KingBrony 
//------------------------------//

It began to rain.

Sweetie Belle knew her sister hated the rain, but she continued on all the same. She had a weird look in her eyes, and an even weirder look in her mane. It was the least unkempt thing she had ever seen on her sister. But, when Sweetie Belle would ask her sister what was wrong, Rarity would just smile and keep moving.

Spike wasn't too worn by the recent "adventure", but he did seem to be concerned for Rarity as well. He would always be by her side; if she needed anything, Spike would get to it right away. As soon as they entered the city, Rarity's stomach began to grumble. Spike showed up a few seconds later with a freshly picked fruit.

The city itself looked as dismal as ever. Sweetie Belle remembered staying here before, when Pinkie Pie's leg was caught in the sign. The rain made the city look even more depressing. As it began to pick up, Sweetie Belle covered her head.

"Rarity!" She cried as she felt the droplets. Acid rain.

Without hesitation, Rarity broke off in one direction. "Come with me!" She called as the filly and dragon ran. Over a hill, Sweetie Belle saw a train station - the same train they took to get to Las Pegasus in the first place. She remembered the outfits Rarity had made for them before they set out on their journey. Sweetie Belle wished they had never left Ponyville. We could all have lived on the Apple Farm, safe from everything.

Rarity jumped into the train and emerged with her rain outfit. She had a filly-sized one in one hoof and Spike's fedora in the other. Sweetie Belle slipped it on and made her way into the train.

If anypony came by after they abandoned the train, they didn't take anything. All of the outfits were still there. One for each pony in their group. Sweetie Belle saw the one Rainbow Dash wore. When Rarity saw it, she tried to keep herself from crying.

"Rarity..."

The unicorn broke into tears as she began wailing. "I am such a terrible sister and friend!" She cried out. "I lost them all, and I don't know if I can protect you any longer!"

Sweetie Belle frowned. She had grown a lot since the world ended. She felt taller than before, and her horn grew a few inches. She felt grown...but now, she is looking at her sister. The filly knew her sister had a knack for the dramatic, but she could tell that Rarity was genuinely hurt right now, sprawled on the floor like a baby. She approached her sister and gave a big hug.

"You are protecting me, Rarity. And, I will protect you too."

The sky roared.

Rarity stopped her sobbing and looked into Sweetie Belle's eyes. Even her eyes looked uncouth. The unicorn smiled and hugged back. Spike joined in soon after, and the three sat in silence. 

The train was cold and damp, but Sweetie Belle felt safe in the hooves of her sister. Even though Rarity was classy, she did want to look out for her sister. Sweetie Belle's stomach began to rumble as loudly as the sky, prompting Rarity to step back. "We should go find some food."

As she entered the city, Sweetie Belle grew even sadder. They were in the northern part of the city, away from the restaurant that Twilight and Rainbow Dash had encountered those ponies. The rain was heavy, but Rarity's outfits were still able to keep the three dry. Sweetie Belle prodded along, staring at the rain droplets as they hit the ground. The filly's hoof hit something hard and metal as she passed a ruined building.

"What?"

Sweetie Belle turned around to see what she hit. It was just a broken sign with an arrow pointing to the east. She disregarded it and kept moving.

"Now...where can we find some...Aha!" Rarity ran to a building that once was a café. The broken sign above the door read "Café Pegasi". It was a sandwich shop and coffee house, but time had not been kind to the humble shop. The inside was trashed, rummaged through by scavengers. The walls were stained with dust and dirt, and the floor tiles were uplifted, revealing grass and vines piercing the floor.

The kitchen was all but cleaned out. Small scraps of food and coffee beans littered the tables and floors. Rarity searched through all of the cabinets for anything edible. Spike opened the refrigerator up and found a few fruits, all dried out and overripe. Rarity took them all the same.

"I am no chef, but..." She said as she got to work. Rarity took care not to use magic as she chopped the fruits up and placed them into a bowl.

Sweetie Belle jumped in. "Can I help?"

Rarity laughed. "No, darling. Go stand over there." She pointed to a corner of the room. Sweetie Belle lowered her head and made her way. There was a weird odor in the room, something Sweetie Belle could not place. It was not strong enough to burn her nose, but it lingered in the room. If Rarity could smell it too, she didn't give it any thought. Sweetie Belle grew even more curious about it, but eventually shrugged it off as rotting fruit or something.

"Done!" Rarity yelled as she produced three bowls of fruit salad. They were not the best-looking Sweetie Belle had ever seen, but it was still food. She accepted her portion with a smile.

The three made their way to a small table near the front of the café. Sweetie Belle sat down and went to work on her bowl. The fruit had a dry, yet sweet taste. It was something she never tasted before. Not exactly the best, but it was enough to keep her tummy from growling. Rarity slowly ate hers, while Spike was done in a few minutes.

"Spike, what an appetite you have!" Rarity cooed as the Dragon wiped his mouth. He stared back with a sigh.

The sky roared again.

This time, Sweetie Belle's ears pricked up as she heard it. "What's that?" She asked, but nopony heard her. Rarity and Spike were busy staring at each other.

"You know, Spike..." Rarity said quietly. "...Given the circumstances and what's happened..."

"Yes, Rarity?" Spike said slowly, sighing as he did.

Sweetie Belle stuck her tongue out and walked to the window.

"Rarity, you know I've always..."

"If we ever get out of this situation..."

The filly stared out the window and looked to the sky. It was still raining, but the clouds were all twisted up in a circle in one location. She looked at it sideways for a moment before realizing what it was.

"The sleepers..." She said quietly at first, then repeated with force.

Rarity and Spike snapped back into Equestria and ran to the window. The sky grumbled and cackled as gray figures dropped from the sky. They were Sleipnir, Sweetie Belle knew, but they were all tiny. None of them were as big as the ones that ate the princesses and Rainbow Dash.

At that moment, Rarity's element began to glow. "What's happening?" Rarity yelled before looking up again. She backed away from the window. "Look out!" She yelled.

Sweetie Belle turned for a moment to see her sister, then turned back to the window. What she saw made her duck.

The Sleipnir crashed down onto rooftops, roads, and right into the window the three were looking out of. There were two, then three, then seven, and then the window cracked. By that time, the three had run into the kitchen. Sweetie Belle could hear whinnying and neighs coming from all directions as Rarity opened the backdoor. The three ran into an alleyway that led down a narrow path. The gray forms cluttered the orange skies as the three charged through trash cans and debris. "Rarity!" Sweetie Belle yelled as she began to fall behind.

"I will not lose you again!" Rarity yelled as they emptied onto the streets. The Sleipnir were flying all over the place, looking for anything that moved. When they spotted Rarity, Spike, and Sweetie Belle, they all turned their heads.

The Sleipnir were diverse. Some looked hideous, while others looked very nice. However, they all had bloodlust in their eyes. Each one had eight hooves and a long tail. In place of a cutie mark was an arcane mark. Sweetie Belle didn't want to know what it meant. Another thing was that none of them had wings. They seemed to just float around. They did not possess horns either. Some would glow; when this happened, Rarity's element would shine and make sounds. The unicorn didn't wait to find out what it meant. She scooped Sweetie Belle up and ran away from the beasts. 

The ensuing sound was something Sweetie Belle would never forget. It was a cross between braying and screeching. The Sleipnir all chased the three. Spike did his best to keep up as Rarity jumped over obstacles and rubble. Sweetie Belle clung to her sister's neck. Rarity cut left and right in an attempt to outrun her chasers, but they always kept up.

After exiting another alleyway, Sweetie Belle saw what was only known as the walk. Rarity even stopped for a second to bask in its beauty, but continued running. The walk of fame was a street of Las Pegasus devoted to important ponies. The tiles that lined the sidewalk all carried a star and the name of some famous mare or stallion. Sweetie Belle noticed two tiles for both Princess Celestia and Luna. The surrounding buildings looked glamorous even though they were ruins; most were fancy restaurants or theaters. One building on the end was called House of Mirrors. Conveniently, it was not as destroyed as the other buildings, and might prove a useful tool to escape.

"Aha!" Rarity yelled as she galloped straight towards it. The Sleipnir followed closely behind. The inside was filled with various mirrors, of all shapes and sizes. It took a moment for Rarity to find where she was going, but she managed to elude her pursuers. Of the hundred or so that followed, only a dozen went in. They crashed into the mirrors or got lost, leaving the three to hide within the maze. Rarity trotted along before tripping over something on the floor - a trapdoor.

It was fairly dark in the hole, but Sweetie Belle could see it lead somewhere - hopefully somewhere safe. She jumped off of Rarity's back as the three sat down to rest. Rarity was panting like never before. "I hope I never have to do that again!" She said breathlessly. Sweetie Belle took a step and found a few mirrors down in the hole. The little light that shone bounced off the mirrors.

The hole was not entirely intact. On the other side, there was a crack in the ceiling that showed the world above, right in front of the House of Mirrors. Sweetie Belle approached it and saw the swarm of Sleipnir outside. They were chattering and roaring as they searched for the three tasty, moving objects. After a few minutes, the chattering died down as they wandered off. Sweetie Belle could see the sky clear up; both the rain and the ominous cloud were gone.

"Do you think it's safe to leave?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Spike spoke up. "I'll go check." He said as he climbed up the ceiling. 

Rarity called for him. "Spike, no! It's too dangerous!" But, it was too late. Sweetie Belle and her sister watched the hole for what seemed like hours. It was too quiet.

After a few minutes, Spike popped his head back down the hole. "All clear!" He called.

Outside, the walk of fame looked very disheveled. Nopony would ever think of this street as one of glamour and fame. Sweetie looked in all directions for any signs of life. There was nothing around.

Rarity held her sister. "I know where we can go." She said as she looked east. "The beach!"

Sweetie Belle looked at Rarity. "I don't know..." she began, but Spike was already walking in the direction of the Santa Mare-ia Marina. Sweetie Belle groaned before prodding along.

The marina served as both an amusement park and a fishing dock...at least, it used to. The dock was destroyed and most of the amusement rides were knocked over and rusted. The beach itself, however, looked fairly clean.

Rarity ran into the water after throwing her outfit onto the soft sand, followed by Spike. Sweetie Belle felt very cautious. Normally, she was much slower to grasp concepts than her filly companions, but the recent events changed her.

Why is the beach so clean if the rest of the city is...

That's when she heard it. There were sounds of drums and singing off in the distance. They were very faint, but Sweetie could make them out. They were coming from the north. As she turned her head, she could see a distant stream of smoke rise from behind some buildings.

Somepony's here.

"Rarity!" Sweetie Belle called to her sister, who was busy playing with Spike in the water. "Of all times you decide to acknowledge Spike's love for you, you choose now!?" The filly began to run for her sister, feeling the soft sand on her hooves.

Any thought of the smoke from the buildings left Sweetie Belle's mind as she approached her sister in the water. There was something much different about Rarity; She was much less formal than she used to be. Here she is, playing in the water with a dragon. Sweetie Belle thought. She would never do this before. The salt water got into much of her mane and tail, but she still laughed as she splashed Spike. As Sweetie Belle approached, Rarity decided to splash her as well.

"Got you!" Rarity yelled.

Sweetie Belle beamed at her sister for a moment before laughing. "I'll get you back!" She yelled as she jumped into the water, splashing both Rarity and Spike.

The three were having much fun splashing each other and laughing. The sky was clear as the orange sky created a somber mood. If there were any Sleipnir still in the city, they were nowhere near the three having fun in the water.

As all good things must come to an end, so too did the fun in the water have to stop. The three grew hungry again, prompting another expedition for food. The journey this time took them to the marina. Rarity was able to find a stall filled with fruits. It was blocked off by a fallen ride, which was the reason it was untouched. Spike was able to squeeze in and collect enough for the three to eat.

"Rarity?" Sweetie Belle said after taking a bite. "Will we ever see the others again?"

The white unicorn paused for a moment before speaking. "I most certainly believe so. We can get through anything!" Rarity said as she lifted her apple.

"But..." We're not together anymore. And Rainbow Dash is... Sweetie Belle saw her sister smiling and didn't want to ruin the mood. Instead, she smiled back. "Good!"

"We're not going to stay in the city long, are we?" Spike spoke up. He wanted to be with Rarity for as much as he could, but not here in this destroyed city. "Maybe we can find a nice location near a bunch of gems!"

Rarity smiled. "That would be nice. We can relax, safe from those...beasts."

Sweetie Belle was about to add to the conversation when she felt a sensation to sneeze. As she did, a green bolt shot from her horn and into the sky. Doing so killed the talking as the others fell silent.

"Sweetie Belle!" 

"I'm sorry!" Sweetie panicked. She knew that those monsters were attracted to magic, and I just used some.

Rarity immediately looked up and around. There was nopony in the immediate area, but she grew cautious. "I think it's time to call it a night. Or day, whichever it is."

The three found a small hut on the pier to sleep in. It was pretty cozy, though cramped. Sweetie slept against a wall while Rarity and Spike each took a corner. Sweetie Belle tried her best to close her eyes and sleep, but all she could think about was the magic she used.

What if they find us?

Sweetie Belle eventually had a dream. She was back in Ms. Cheerilee's classroom. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were there as well, and the three were laughing. Then, she saw the other ponies: Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash. Sweetie Belle felt happy that everything was back to normal.

However, Rainbow Dash suddenly turned into a Sleipnir. The sky grew dark and the others disappeared, leaving Sweetie Belle with the monster. It began to chase the filly, who broke into a gallop as quickly as possible. However, she tripped and fell, leaving her fate to the beast.

Sweetie Belle woke up to screaming. She stirred a moment before realizing what was happening. I'm being carried by a stallion. Rarity's voice could be heard. "It wasn't us, we're just traveling! We'll be gone as soon as possible!"

"Don't think we're dumb! We saw a bolt of magic. It was the filly, right? If so, we need her."

Sweetie Belle's heart grew heavy. They want to take me away, the Sleipnir. As she looked up, she saw a group of stallions instead. They looked like any other pony, but they were very dirty and sneaky-looking. One had a black robe on while the others wore nothing. Rarity and Spike were each being carried by a stallion. Sweetie Belle tried to thrash around, but she felt weak.

"Don't be afraid." One of the stallions said. "We're just trying to find out who made that magic a while ago. You see, we need a pony who can make magic. If ya tell us which of you did it, we won't harm you."

"What for?" Sweetie Belle peeped. She didn't really want to know the answer.

The robed pony spoke. "It's a secret, but I can tell you that it would be a great help to us and our ponies. A lot of the unicorns in Equestria were killed by the Sleipnir. Some didn't realize what their magic did until it was too late."

Sweetie Belle was speechless. She didn't trust these two at all and looked to Rarity. She looked defeated, bruised and hit. The filly thought that if she told, they would drop Rarity and Spike and let them go. I will do it. I have to be brave.

"Fine! It...it was me! I made the magic! Will you let them go?" Sweetie Belle heard Rarity's voice before she could say the words herself. The ponies turned and smiled.

"Good!" The robed pony exclaimed. "And yes...we will not harm these precious ones." 

"So you'll let them go?" Rarity said in a panic. 

The robed pony laughed. "I said we won't harm them. You're all still coming with us."

Sweetie Belle began to scream. Her piercing voice caused her captor much discomfort. "Shut that filly up!"

A large blunt object hit the back of Sweetie Belle's head. She grew faint, lastly seeing Rarity in tears as they were all carried toward the cloud of smoke..