//------------------------------// // Sweet Dreams // Story: Equestria Louds: Of Secrets And Superstitions // by EquineAvenger //------------------------------// The Humane 5 were walking down a hallway of Canterlot High. None of them looked very happy. Then they saw someone standing in a dark corner of the hall with her back turned to them. After a moment, they recognized it as Sunset Shimmer and their spirits were lifted. Huge smiles started forming on their faces. “Sunset! Sunset, you’re back!” Pinkie Pie ran happily over to her friend with open arms. But she was cut short when Sunset turned around to face them. She didn’t have a warm and welcoming face of a friend. Instead her eyes were glowing red, she had a couple of blood veins on her forehead that looked like they were going to burst, and her teeth were clenching really hard, any harder and they might break. It was a face of pure rage. Everyone went from happy and excited to utterly terrified. “S-Sunset, what’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked nervously. “I tried to be nice!” Sunset said angrily as she walked toward the Five who proceeded to take a few steps back. “I tried to be your friend! I even saved this entire school one time! And THIS is how you all repay me?!” “Sunset please let us explain ourselves,” Rarity tried to calm the angry red and yellow haired girl down but to no avail. “No matter what I do, everyone will only see me as a horrible monster!” “But Sunset-” Pinkie tried to explain but the furious Sunset just ignored her. “Well if it’s a monster you want?” Sunset pulled something out of her jacket that made everyone’s eyes grow wide with terror, Twilight’s crown. “Then it’s a MONSTER YOU’LL GET!!!” “SUNSET NO!” Applejack screamed, but it was too late. Sunset placed the crown upon her head and began to transform. After a moment, the magic and dust had cleared, and to everyone’s horror, Sunset Shimmer had once again turned into the terrible she-demon like she did during the Fall Formal. The newly transformed demon girl cackled as she inspected her form. Then without another word, she used her magic to levitated several rows of lockers out of their places and hurl them at the five girls. The girls instinctively ran for it and all of them barely managed to dodge the flying lockers by darting left into another hallway. The noise made by the flying lockers drew the attention of several students and teachers in the hall. Suddenly, the demonic Sunset flew into the hall that the Humane Five had just entered and everyone started running and screaming. Demon Sunset used her magic to enchant backpacks, lockers, and even custodian equipment into attacking the panicking people, all the while laughing. The three young Crusaders cowered in a corner as Demon Sunset approached them. She took out her phone, aimed it at the frightened girls, and took their picture. Once the flash from the phone’s camera had died down, the Crusaders were gone. Demon Sunset looked at her phone’s screen and laughed at the sight of the three little girls she had trapped in Anon-a-Miss’s newest blog. The girls ran out of the school to where the school statue and portal were located. Screams could be heard from inside and classrooms looked like they being set on fire. The Humane Five suddenly spotted Twilight Sparkle who was about to enter the portal back to Equestria, for some reason she didn’t look fazed by the obvious chaos that was going on behind her. “TWILIGHT!” Rainbow shouted trying to get her attention but she didn’t respond, so all five of them ran toward her. “Twilight, where are you going? We need your help!” Pinkie called to her. Twilight turned to face them with an emotionless expression on her face. “I’m going home. What’s it look like?” She said indifferently. “But you can’t go yet! Sunset Shimmer has turned into that she-demon again, and—” “That’s no longer my concern.” The five girls were shocked to the core when they heard this. “What do you mean this is NOT your concern?!” Rainbow said angrily, “Of course it is! Sunset’s gone mad again and is destroying everything, you have to help—” “Last time Sunset was doing horrible things to innocent people, she had to be stopped then,” Twilight retorted, “This one you all brought upon yourselves!” “So yer just gonna leave us?!” AJ asked visibly horrified. “Sorry, but this is your problem now.” “But why? I thought we were friends?” Fluttershy asked with tears in her eyes. “So did I,” were the last words Twilight said before she disappeared into the portal. “No, no, no, no, NO, NO, NO!” Rainbow cried as she pounded her fist against the statue wall for the portal to open, but it was too late, it was gone and Twilight with it. Suddenly, Demon Sunset crashed through the front doors of the school and was hovering in the air. She spotted the Humane Five cowering in front of the school statue. “So long, my dear FRIENDS!” She yelled as she raised her hands above her head and created a giant fireball, all the while laughing. Then with all her might, she hurled the ball of fire right at the five frightened girls who braced themselves for the end. “AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!” Raindow cried as she nearly jumped out of her bed. She calmed down and took a moment to catch her breath. She looked around and found that she was not at Canterlot High, but back in her own bedroom. It was all a nightmare. After settling down, the rainbow-haired athlete went right back to sleep. Although, she felt lonely and empty. Despite trying to act tough for everyone, deep down Rainbow felt extreme guilt and longing to see her once dear friend again. Back at Sweet Apple Acres, the Loud family weren’t sleeping well themselves. Lynn Sr. and Rita were struggling and making uncomfortable noises in their sleep. After a moment, both parents woke up and found themselves back home in their own bedroom. “Lynn, I just had the strangest dream,” a confused Rita told her husband. “Me too, honey,” Lynn replied. “Lincoln ran away and we met a group of strange multicolored teenagers.” “That’s exactly the same dream I had!” Rita said in amazement. “Talk about coincidence.” Later that morning, Lynn and Rita called their ten daughters down for breakfast. However, they noticed someone was missing. “Girls, where’s your brother?” Rita asked. “I think he’s still outside, dudes,” Luna answered. “Outside?” Rita was confused by this answer. “Oh no!” both parents said in unison as they started to remember certain current events. “Lincoln?!” Rita said as she hurriedly opened the back door in the kitchen. To everyone’s surprise, Lincoln was standing outside in his orange pajamas with his hand being held by a gruff looking middle aged woman wearing sunglasses and a business suit. “Child Services!” the woman announced in a gruff and serious voice while holding up a badge to confirm her identification. “We received a report that an eleven year old minor had been kicked out of his home by his own family.” Then she snapped her fingers and suddenly hordes of police officers surrounded the area. “You’re under arrest!” Lynn and Rita both gasped in shock and horror as they found themselves facing a very angry-looking judge in a very dimly lit courtroom. “Mr. and Mrs. Load,” the judge said in a deep intimidating voice mispronouncing their family name. “Um, it’s Loud,” Lynn Sr. timidly corrected the judge, who ignored him and continued. “Have you anything to say before your SENTENCE is carried out?” Both parents trembled nervously in their seats unable to think anything to say that could help them get out of this frightening predicament. “Mom! Dad!” Lynn Jr. whispered to her parents. “Don’t worry, just plead insanity and they’ll let you off easy.” “I hear ya, LJ,” Lynn Sr. smiled agreeing to his fifth daughter. Then both parents then got on their knees and started desperately pleading insanity like their athlete daughter instructed. They even made goofy faces to try and make it more convincing. The judge’s expression soon changed from angry to confused. “Well, considering the motive behind your crime, I guess you two are a little insane,” the judge said. “Therefore, you two won’t be sent to prison.” Hearing that made the family all cheer in happiness. “Instead, you will be sentenced to shock therapy while your nine eldest daughters will be sent to a youth detention center.” “WWWHHHAAATTT!?!” the whole family suddenly exclaimed in surprise. “Oh crud!” Lynn Jr. said realizing her idea just backfired. Some bailiffs began escorting the girls away while others escorted the parents away. Soon both Rita and Lynn Sr. found themselves strapped in electric chairs with the wired caps fastened to their heads. “Has the governor called yet?” Lynn nervously asked the guard who was sitting next to the switch reading a magazine. “No, I’m afraid not,” the guard casually replied. “Hey, can we get this over with? My kid’s piano recital is in twenty minutes.” Then he flipped the switch and continued reading his magazine while ignoring Lynn and Rita’s screams of pain as electricity flowed through their bodies. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!” Lynn Sr. screamed as he nearly jumped out of bed. But then he caught his breath and let out a sigh of relief as he looked around the room and realized it was just a bad dream. He then turned to his wife who was still sleeping. “Hey Honey,” he whispered to her gently trying to wake her up. “Rita?” His whispers finally managed to wake her. But when she turned to look at him, her face wasn’t that of his beautiful human wife, it was the face of the ugly squirrel suit that he and the rest of the family had forced Lincoln to wear. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” Lynn started screaming again as the squirrel’s big ugly eyes stared creepily into his. “Lynn? Lynn? Lynn!” he heard the voice of his wife calling him. Then he woke up and found himself in the real bedroom he and Rita were sleeping in. He looked up and saw his wife leaning over him with a concerned look on her face. “Lynn, are you okay?” “I’m fine, Rita,” he assured her. “Just had a bad dream.” “Was it about Lincoln?” “Yes, actually.” The Loud matriarch lay her head pack on her pillow with an expression of great sadness on her face. She missed her only son so much and regretted all the things she did that drove him away. “I miss him so much, Lynn.” “I miss him too,” Lynn said trying to comfort her. Lynn looked as if he was feeling more guilt than his wife. Both he and Lincoln were the only males in the family. He was supposed to be a good role model for him, someone he could trust and relate to in an ocean of girls. But he failed miserably. “But I’m sure we’ll find him and when we do we’ll make things right.” “I just wonder where he is right now. He’s probably out there cold, alone, and feeling like the most unloved person in the world.” The dreadful thought brought tears to Rita’s eyes. At Sunset Shimmer’s place, both Sunset and Lincoln were sleeping soundly. Sunset slept in her bed while Lincoln slept comfortably on the inflatable mattress in the living room. Both had warm expressions on their faces as they shared the same dream. In the dream, both Lincoln and Sunset were skipping through a beautiful field of daisies as they felt the warm rays of the sun shine down upon them. Then Sunset sprouted bright wings and took off into the sky with Lincoln holding her hand. They both laughed together as they soared through the beautiful blue sky high above the ground. “Lincoln,” Sunset said to the boy. “You’re the best friend anyone could ask for. And that’s no secret.” “And Sunset,” Lincoln replied. “Anyone would be lucky enough to have someone like you as a sister.” Both giggled affectionately at one another as they continued flying through the air. Back in the real world, both sleepers smiled happily as they continued dreaming believing that everything was finally alright with the world.