Eye of the Storm

by Doodle Note

Chapter 3: Accusations

After lunch, Sunset thanked the family for inviting her and departed. She would admit that she was thankful for that little girl who had brought her to her house for lunch. But then, she decided to stay in the village until tomorrow, for she believed there were still some people who still need saving. That was when night began to take its place after the sun went down, meaning that mobs will be appearing at night. Sunset decided to take refuge in a tall tower while her horse was on the ground surrounded by a fence so she could be protected by the mobs that try to attack her.

While her legs swung from the balcony of the tower, she looked up at the full moon and said, "Hey, Luna... As you already know, it has been two years since I left Equestria. You may already know this, but leaving home was the biggest jump for me. But, hey. At least I'm okay now."

Sunset chuckled, but silence filled the air as she looked at the moon. But then, she let out a sigh. "Look. Things aren't the same here. I have to admit it, I miss you guys. Two years of living here and all I get is my new friends disbanding for new and important responsibilities. As for me, I have nothing better to do. So, I just decided to wander around the Human Island for now. It's boring, being alone."

"Hey!" An unfamiliar voice from below shouted.

Raising an eyebrow, the ember-haired female looked down at the bottom of the tower. Below, she was seeing a dark-skinned man wearing a gray suit with a black belt and his hair was trapped in a black beanie. In his hand was an iron shovel and his whole attire looked dirty as if he worked with coal. The man gestured at her to come down, and she did by standing on the roof of the tower and jumping off, falling until her feet hit the grass. Meanwhile, Sunset's horse let out a neigh of surprise and the man flinched, dropping his shovel after she landed on the ground.

"What the heck were you doing up there?" The man asked, his eyes wide, but full of concern.

"Talking to the moon," Sunset answered as she dusted herself.

"You're crazy..."

"You think so?" She raised an eyebrow again, only getting a nod from him. "Eh. I've been called crazy before. I'm not from around here, after all."

"You're not from around here?" The man repeated.

"I was from another island," Sunset explained. "It's more different than this one. More complicated to even explain. You wouldn't understand..."

"No, I wouldn't." He shook his head.

"I thought so..."

Everything suddenly fell silent between Sunset and the man, who stuck out his hand to her and said, "Name's Griff."

"Sunset Shimmer." She said, shaking his hand.

"Y'know," The man known as Griff said. "I've been hearing rumors about a teenager whose unique trait is her ember hair."

"Then, why are you here?" Sunset looked at him.

"When I saw you on that tower, I thought you would be her. And if I'm right, that man you have encountered ages ago went crazy after that moment. He said something about you being a witch."

"Me? A witch?" Her breath hitched, and she got another nod from him. "Witches aren't real..."

Griff let out a soft chuckle. "You'd be surprised, kid. I've encountered too many in my lifetime."

"Yeah, right." Sunset rolled her eyes. But then, she heard a strange sound in the distance. "What's that sound?"

Griff raised an eyebrow before he and the ember-haired girl turned to their right. From the distance, they were seeing several dots of yellow and orange light. Both raising an eyebrow, Griff and Sunset looked at each other, then back at the lights. But then, the lights began to grow bigger and are starting to appear with silhouettes of people. But as the two looked at them carefully, a realization hit them. From far away, they were seeing a crowd of people approaching them with torches and pitchforks. Every one of them was shouting a word neither of them could decipher. But despite his confusion, Griff knew exactly what he had to do. He grabbed Sunset by the wrist and ran straight for the tower with her, and he didn't stop until he and the girl were hiding behind it and standing in front of a cellar door.

"Griff," Sunset whispered. "What are you doing?"

He didn't answer. All he did was unlock the cellar door with a key that dangled from his neck and opened it. Without saying a word, he grabbed Sunset and pushed her into the cellar. But before he could close the doors, she stopped him by blocking them with both her hands.

"Griff, what's going on?" She wanted to know.

"I don't know." Griff shook his head. "But if I'm right, then I have to keep them away from you."

"By stuffing me in a cellar? Are you mad?!"

"Listen to me. This cellar can lead you to a mineshaft that is rumored to have an abandoned Nether portal down there. If you enter the Nether and find the nearest portal, it will bring you to your next destination. And who knows? You might even bump into some old acquaintances of yours."

"Do you at least have a map?"

"I do." Griff nodded before reaching into his pockets to pull out a rolled-up map. "With enough experience, I was able to search for that mineshaft and make a map out of it. I was even able to draw a path so the next person I meet can find it themselves. But since a young face like yourself came along, the path is now yours to watch over."

Nodding and understanding his words, Sunset took the map from his hands and said, "Thank you, Griff. Even though we just met, I still thank you."

With a nod, the short-bearded man grabbed the doors and closed them. From inside, Sunset heard Griff lock the door from the other side. Thought she was prepared because of him, she wasn't ready to leave just yet. She needed to hear what was going on outside first. She had plenty of questions: why was there a mob and who are they after? Through the hole of the cellar doors, she could see Griff being cornered by the angry mob. Then, Sunset could see someone walk out of the crowd with both his hands behind his back. She gasped quietly. It was that man from the saloon. The same man who tried to flirt with her and the one who called her a mutant.

"Percy?" Griff raised an eyebrow.

"Griff, my man!" The man known as Percy exclaimed with both his arms wide open. "How's it going, man?"

Sunset's eyes widen at both men. "Griff, you know that moron?" She mumbled quietly.

"Percy," Griff raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here this late?" He turned to the rest of the mob. "Shouldn't you all be sleeping and avoiding mobs?"

"Maybe." Percy stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I have to be frank with you. Have you seen a young gal ye tall, fire-like hair, bright teal eyes and wears a cloak everywhere she goes?"

"Why would you look for someone like that?" From what Sunset could tell, Griff knew what his friend was talking about. He was only pretending to be confused.

"Well, I may have a theory about what she is. She's a witch!"

In response, she put a hand over her mouth, for she realized why the kind man shoved her into the cellar in the first place.

"A witch?" Griff raised an eyebrow and got a nod from his friend. "My friend, you're just being delusional. There's no way that a young teenage girl could be a witch."

"Think about it, Griff!" Percy threw both his arms up. "I know exactly what I saw back at that saloon! She used her magic on me twice! And, who knows?! She must have put a curse on me or something!"

"Percy, please. Just calm down and go home. We'll talk about this in the morning."

All of a sudden, the man with the cowboy hat let out a guffaw. "You think what I'm saying is nonsense, Griff? It's not nonsense! I've seen it with my own eyes! There is a witch hiding in this very village who might destroy us all with her creepy dark magic! She must be annihilated for the sake of our children! For the sake of our future. For the sake of our gosh darn lives. She must be destroyed for good! Once we find her, we will set her ablaze and we will burn her alive!"

With that, the rest of the mob let out a scream of agreement. Meanwhile, Sunset's teal eyes widen. Deciding that she had seen enough, she gained the courage to leave. She turned around to make her way through the cellar. But once she began walking, everything went darker. So, she decided to light the way with her magic. In her right hand was an orb that glowed a bright red. But as soon as she began to walk again...

"Hey! What's that light in the cellar?!"

Sunset's breath hitched when she heard the loud mob approach the cellar doors. She saw both the doors move, but it didn't even open for them to gain access to the inside of the cellar. She sighed with relief, but that feeling went away when both cellar doors were broken with an ax. That was when she decided to run off for the sake of her safety. She did hope Griff was right about the path she was traveling through right now.