Supernatural | Burning Ghost

by DerpymuffinAuthor

Go Home

Despite Sunset’s doubts, Rainbow managed to get the Impala out of the Welsh house and back onto the crumbling road. She grumbled about the broken headlight, but the Impala was miraculously still in decent condition. She, thankfully, did not fulfill her murder threat.

She did drive relatively slow.

By the time they were out of the woods, Sunset had patched up Shining’s leg best she could. It wasn’t broken, but there was a gash up the side from under the ankle joint up to his knee. It would need stitches, but Sunset didn’t want to try and apply them in a moving car. Instead, she just disinfected the wound best she could and wrapped it tightly. Rainbow pulled into the same gas station they had stopped by on their way to Hollow Shades.

Rainbow decided to use a Shining’s credit card she had available and she sent Sunset in to grab something to serve as their late dinner/early breakfast. Unfortunately, the drive-through was closed.

Sunset grabbed some beef jerky for herself and Shining and some candies for Rainbow, since she didn’t seem to have a taste for anything vaguely healthy. She grabbed the strongest over the counter painkillers in the gas station plus some extra water and a highly-caffeinated soda since Rainbow seemed insistent on driving the rest of the way to Canterlot.

Sunset took the opportunity to stitch up Shining’s leg while Rainbow filled the gas and then munched on her tiny breakfast.

“Why don’t we stay at the motel?” Shining asked, swallowing down a painkiller. Rainbow had refused to take any if they would make her drowsy. She was very determined to stay behind the wheel all the way to Canterlot.

“Sunset’s got an interview on Tuesday morning.” Rainbow hummed, leaning over her seat.

Sunset paused in putting everything back into the first-aid kit, realizing it was Sunday morning. They’d be at Ponyville in a couple hours, Canterlot before the sun would set.

“A job interview?” Shining turned to look at her. She felt trapped in the backseat, unable to duck away from Shining and Rainbow Dash.

“College interview. I could get a free ride next year.”

“Really?” Shining was painfully good at keeping his emotions out of his face. Sunset could only guess he was unhappy, at least a little, about how Sunset didn’t tell him.

“Yeah, she’s really into the whole normal life thing, now.” Rainbow hummed, resting her head on her right arm.

“But, what about Twilight?”

“What do you mean, what about Twilight?”

“Aren’t you gonna help us find her?”

“Yeah, ol’ cripple over here isn’t gonna be able to help much.” Rainbow gestured to Shining, who frowned at her.

“I… I want to help, guys, but-”

“But this life is more important?” Rainbow asked, voice harsh with judgement.

“Rainbow, leave her alone.”

“What- Are you supporting her, now?”

“Last I checked, you don’t decide things for her.” Shining’s voice was harsh, but not like he was about to rip into Rainbow for being an asshole.

“Now, how about you buckle up and drive?” He looked to Sunset with the hint of a smile. “I’m sure Moondancer is worried.”

Rainbow Dash huffed before properly settling into the driver’s seat. She didn’t buckle up like Shining had asked, but she did pull the Impala onto the street and continued driving, leaving Sunset stuck in the backseat with Shining. It seemed preferable to sitting up front with Rainbow, however.

Sunset tucked the medical kit under the seat before settling comfortably against the door and drifting off to sleep.

---

“And if I could,

I’d fly with you.

Baby, I would.”

Sunset woke up to the sound of a slow song, something extremely out-of-place when Rainbow was manning the radio.

Shining was sprawled out on the rest of the backseats, propped up against the door and his folded up jacket serving as a head support. He was snoring away. He looked peaceful, even covered in dirt and coagulated blood. Sunset could see the scars criss-crossing over his forearms in the light of the afternoon sun pouring through the window. Canterlot mountain appeared much larger from this distance.

“Baby let’s dance,

Cause I can’t fly,

But honey remember,

Enjoy the time

While you’re alive.”

Sunset slowly righted herself, noticing there was another voice, undistorted by the radio speakers.

“Oh, baby!

Let’s dance tonight.

Don’t stop, baby,

Except to hold me tight.”

Rainbow Dash was tapping along to the soft beats of the song on the steering wheel.

“And we’ll kiss til the sunlight.

Touches your face.
And do it all again tomorrow night.

Baby, I can’t fly.

But that don’t mean,

I don’t try.”

Sunset had never heard Rainbow sing along to a ‘sappy’ love song. She preferred the epic songs about gunslingers, cowboys, adventure.

Sunset waited until the song faded about before letting out a yawn to alert Rainbow to her.

“Hey,” Rainbow jumped in her seat. She glanced over her shoulder just a moment.

“Oh, hey.”

Awkward silence as Rainbow quickly shifted the radio to some other station in the middle of a guitar solo.

“We’ll be at Canterlot in about two hours.”

“Good… That’s… Good.”

“You figured out what you’re gonna tell Moondancer? She’s probably gonna want some kind of explanation for why you’re so roughed up.”

“I fell.”

“Yeah, like she’s not gonna question that.”

“I… I don’t want to lie to her.”

“Then don’t. Tell her the truth. It can’t be that hard, right?”

“It is when we’ve been dating for two and a half years.”

“Yeah… She’d probably kick you out faster than I can run the 50 meter dash.”

“Thanks.”

“... Hey, look, Sunset… About what I said. I… I know you really care about Moondancer and this whole college thing.” She gestured with one hand. “You… You’ve worked hard and shit, so… I get why you wouldn’t wanna get dragged across the continent on a search party.”

“Are you trying to apologize?”

“No! I’m- I’m just saying that I get why you’re not gonna come with us. I don’t agree or anything, but I can’t exactly stop you. Last time I tried, it didn’t really work out.”

“Yeah... Well, thank you… I think.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“... Any ideas on what I should tell Moondancer?”

“You went on a hike in the woods to reach your friends, that they’re relatively okay, and you fell like a dumbass.”

“Brilliant.” Sunset shot back, voice dripping with sarcasm.

---

Thanks to traffic, it wasn’t until the sun had set when they finally reached Sunset’s apartment. The time had been spent listening to old songs while the group recounted some bar stories. Hunting was kept out of the conversation as much as possible, which was weirdly easy now that Sunset had other stories, other experiences that she could recount. Rainbow added a handful of comments during those stories, but never something important.

Sunset felt her smile fall from her face as they pulled up to the apartment complex.

“We’re here.” Rainbow needlessly pointed out. The windows to Sunset and Moondancer’s shared apartment were dark.

“You guys gonna be alright?”

“Yeah. We’ll call you when we find Twilight.”

“I can have my friends look out for her, try and figure out where she went-- I- I can try and help from here.”

“Thanks. Guess we’ll be talking to you soon, then?” Shining asked as Sunset stepped out of the Impala.

“Yeah.”

“Let us know how your interview goes.” Shining adjusted himself in the seat.

“I will. And, Shining, be careful.”

“You too.”

With that, Shining pulled the door shut and the Impala continued on its way. Sunset watched for a moment before turning and heading up to her apartment where her girlfriend and her normal life along with her, awaited.

---

The hallways were agonizingly quiet, compared to the din of Canterlot’s major streets and the purr of the Impala’s engine that Sunset had unwittingly gotten used to again.

The clinking of the keys set her hair on end, the clicking of the door lock made her flinch, but once she was in the familiar surroundings of her apartment, her heartbeat settled.

“You’re being paranoid.” She flipped on the nearest light.

A plate of cookies wrapped in plastic wrap sat on the counter with a sticky note attached. In eccentric red writing, it said:

Congrats Moondancer!
Love, Minuette.

The wrap had been cut into and then retucked. Moondancer always thought plastic wrap was a nuisance to handle.

Sunset undid the plastic wrapping just enough to sneak a cookie before heading for the bedroom. She paused outside the bathroom, noticing the sound of the shower running. It was relatively early in the evening, Sunset shouldn’t have expected Moondancer to be in bed. However, with all the lights turned off, she had been.

For a moment, Sunset considered knocking to let Moondancer she was home. However, she also didn’t want to give her girlfriend a heart attack, so she didn’t.

Sunset let out a breath as she entered the bedroom, shoving the remains of her cookie into her mouth and dropping onto the bed. Soft and comfortable, unlike the motel bed or the backseat of the Impala.

Her muscles went heavy as Sunset relaxed against the bed. Her worries for Twilight, for Shining, it all blurred and faded as sleep began to sink in. Her nap in the Impala was insufficient.

A droplet touched Sunset’s face. She jerked her head, frowning. Was the apartment above her leaking? Another drop landed on her forehead. Followed by another one a second later. She opened her eyes, scowling at the ceiling.

Her heart lurched into her throat, a breathless gasp filling the silence.

Spread out above her, as if she was laying on the floor, was Moondancer.

A gash torn through her shirt, through her stomach. Red dribbled from her mouth, from the wound that was, by some sick power, clean. Her eyes were wide and glassy, hair clinging in wet locks.

Sunset wanted to throw up. Throw up, scream, cry, everything but all she could do was gawk in horrified silence.

And then, Moondancer went up in flames.

Sunset only managed to scream.

“MOONDANCER!”

She scrabbled, trying to shift upright on her bed. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t stop screaming. She couldn’t-

“SUNSET!”

She didn’t turn. Didn’t move, her body was coiled, ready to leap.

Her brain couldn’t decide to run for the door, or reach for Moondancer. Pull her from the flames in hopes she was still alive.
Rainbow made the decision for her.

Hands, cold, not as hot as the room, grabbed onto Sunset’s shoulders. The paint on the ceiling shriveled and burned, falling to the floor like black snow.

Sunset couldn’t fight. She could barely breathe, she just kept screaming and crying.

Some part of her wanted to stay, to help.

“Come on, we gotta go! FUck- fucking- fucking move, Sunset!”

Sunset staggered on the stairwell, distantly recognizing the screeching of the fire alarm.

There were other people, rushing, unaware of Sunset or just not caring. They just wanted away from the fire.

Rainbow pulled Sunset along through the throng of people until she was out in the cold, wet air.

Her legs gave out beneath her and Sunset dropped onto the wet grass. Her heartbeat was in her toes, her vision was blurring and pained. She couldn’t breathe through her nose, she couldn’t smell.

A gross mix of beef jerky and chocolate chip cookie filled her mouth, spilling onto the grass.

Sunset’s nails dug into her palms, shaking.

“Wake up.” She croaked, squeezing her eyes shut. “Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up!” She sucked in a deep, greedy breath, tilting her head up towards the sky.

“Sunset…”

“Wake… Up…”

“Sunset, hey,” a hand settled on Sunset’s shoulder. “Sunset, it’s not… It’s not a dream.”

Sunset tried to blink away the tears. Her knuckles had gone pale, pain aching in the very bones. She relaxed her fingers, revealing sharp red crescents dug into her palms.

“Wake… Up…” Sunset repeated anyway, her voice choking up as her eyes filled with a fresh wave of tears. She curled forward, burying her face in her hands.

Above all the chatter of the confused neighbors and residents, a high pitched wail ascended into the night.

---

Sunset sat in the backseat of the Impala, clutching a blanket around her shoulders. Shining was sitting behind her, watching as the firemen put out the fire flaring out of the windows of Sunset’s apartment.

Nothing would be left inside. Moondancer, her acceptance letter, all the past three years, burned to a crisp.

Rainbow walked back over to the Impala, where she’d just been talking to one of the police officers.

“They think it’s an electrical thing.” She announced once she was in earshot. “Something went wrong with the lighting in the walls, or the ceiling.”

“Damn…”

“It wasn’t an electrical failure.” Sunset’s voice was surprisingly even. Shining jumped in surprise at her sudden decision to speak. Sunset looked up to Rainbow Dash. “You saw her, right?”

Rainbow shifted awkwardly. “I just saw fire.”

“She was on the ceiling.” Sunset said, voice low.

“What?” Sunset turned to look at Shining. His face was deathly pale.

“She was on the ceiling. She was… She was already dead...”

“Just like mom.” Shining and Sunset said in unison.

“Di-” Rainbow cleared her throat. “You see it?”

“No.”

“But… Maybe Twilight did.”

“What?”

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Twilight ran off the same time as this bastard showed up.” Shining gestured to the smoldering apartment. “It’s gotta be connected, somehow.”

“Well, if it is him, we better find Twilight. Power in numbers and all that.”

Sunset looked up at Rainbow with a sort of resolve in her eyes.

“Let’s go find her and kill this son of a bitch.”

Comments

[Mythic Day]

Okay, so I finally got time to finish this and here's some continued speculation from my previous comment, Twilight is John Winchester, Rainbow is definitely Dean, Sunset is Sam, but they're not siblings, maybe Sunset and Shining are the siblings? I'm slightly confused as to how the family tree here works. Again I ask for the continuance of this story and say don't be afraid of going off the rails of both mlp and spn.

[DerpymuffinAuthor]

9410285
I definitely don't intend to fully follow the plot lines of either, mainly because it would be a sort of detriment to the characters and I want people familiar with SPN to feel like they're reading something fresher and not an MLP re-skin of SPN. I'm hoping I blend them together in a satisfying way, but my own pressures are somewhat scaring me off. I'm glad you like it as much as you do, though!