Savior

by Sparrow9642

Escape

The trip had been short, the only products bought being enough garlic to feed an army of hungry soldiers that had a strange addiction to said product, two spray bottles, black hair dye, and two plain grey hoodies. Sunset had provided Twilight with the information and funds while she made the trip, Sunset surveying from above to be sure of Twilight's safety.

Twilight applied the hair dye first, jumping at the sight when she saw her reflection in the mirror. This was the first time in her life she had ever dyed her hair, so to see it outside its natural color was definitely a shocking sight.

Sunset had found it cute, but Twilight was already making a countdown for when her natural color would come back, thankful that it was only a temporary addition to her appearance.

Aside from that, nothing had happened the entire trip, and currently, only the putrid lingering scent of garlic chives being cut up and wringed into a liquid concoction filled Sunset's senses like a nonexistent enemy. In all honesty, the scent attacking her was an enemy, garlic being one of a vampire's greatest weaknesses.

She hissed at the essence like a displeased cat being disturbed from its peace, praying for Twilight to finish up whatever godforsaken potion birthed from a witch's brew she'd created in the small room.

Her fangs glistened as Twilight continued to mince the putrid vegetable, liquid seeping from its many pores into the spray bottles that Twilight had bought along with the many chives, dye, and hoodies. The process had been occurring for a good hour, and with a satisfying sound of Twilight tightening the spray nozzles, Sunset sighed in relief.

"Thank the Lord above," Sunset celebrated, her nose still plugged.

Twilight rolled her eyes.

"You know you didn't have to stay in the room, right?" Twilight questioned annoyingly. "You could've left at any time."

Sunset grunted.

"With elites within our perimeter, I wasn't going to take chances of ending up in a fight where I couldn't win, even if it's unlikely that they'd attack first."

"Understandable," Twilight agreed. "Now, you said that garlic is incapable of killing vampires, correct?"

Sunset nodded.

"Garlic only temporarily stuns my kind. The scent attacks our senses with an effect similar to shock for your kind. Like, how you'd react after being shot by a gun. It only results in a temporary stun that, for lower-rank vampires, remains in effect for five minutes. However, for higher-rank vampires like the elites, who are trained to counter the effects of garlic, the stun will only last about thirty seconds, so if you manage to stun one, act fast. You may not get a second try.

Their stun will also be different from a lower rank; they will still be mobile, but they're sight and focus will be inaccurate. You'll have a good chance to get out of their sight if you get out of sight within ten seconds. Remember, you only need to spray within their vicinity, similar to aiming with a shotgun; our sense of smell is much more powerful than yours, and it only takes the slightest contact to trigger a stun."

Twilight nodded in understanding.

"May I ask what exactly your plan is again? You weren't too... specific about it," Sunset requested.

Twilight smiled and nodded, playfully rolling her eyes.

"You're going to take my car as a diversion to fool these elites, while I take a bus or taxi to a place where we can meet after you take care of the elites. We'll use the hoods of our hoodies to hide our identities, so our enemy won't be able to tell us apart.

They'll assume me to take my car, which is why you'll be taking it, and once they pounce, you use the garlic to stun and take them out. Once the dust settles, we meet up where the bus will drop me off, which is the gas station closest to the exit of this town.

We'll each take a bottle for defense, and if all goes well, we can move to wherever you plan to go next. If we fail, we can say we gave a damn good try."

Sunset smiled, meeting Twilight's gaze with her sapphire-blue irises. Her hand met Twilight's own, tightening into an embrace of care and agreement. While Sunset wasn't in complete agreement with the plan, she knew that it was probably the best idea in this situation.

The embrace lasted for a good minute, up until they finally released the grip and proceeded to slip on their new plain hoodies, grab the vampire repellent, and spraying the room down with a massive amount of perfume to somewhat-cloak the sickening essence of garlic.

Before going their separate ways, they shared a short potentially-final kiss, and after pulling away, took off to separate exits of the building. Twilight took the front entrance, pulling her hood over her head and tightening it before stepping out into the open lobby. She got lucky yet again, nobody suspecting her shady appearance, and exiting out into the open world once again.

The many sounds of traffic and some nearby radio station playing some upbeat tune met her concealed eardrums as she eyed the bus stop across the street. Luck shone on her yet again, finding zero people occupying the area, and to that, she smiled and breathed a long sigh of relief.

Using the crosswalk, she found her way over to the bus stop and kept her head low as she waited for the city bus to arrive within the next five minutes.

---

Sunset used her vampire speed to make the trek back to Twilight's car as soon as she exited the side door of the building. She'd made sure to tuck away every strand of her fiery locks before exiting, pulling her hood tight over her head and tying the strings into a tight double knot.

With her identity concealed behind the darkness of the hood, she blazed her way to where she had parked Twilight's car, getting in fast and kickstarting its ancient metal heart to life. Guiding the metal trap out into the open, Sunset found her way onto the open road, her nerves shaking and non-existent heart racing in anxiety.

She took a deep breath in and held it for a few seconds, releasing it slowly and feeling her body calm a little as she continued to drive the legal speed limit. She wasn't so much anxious over fighting the elites, but moreover Twilight's safety. There was a heavy chance that this plan wouldn't work, seeing they were dealing with well-trained vampires.

Would they really assume Twilight to take the car? Would the garlic be enough to give Sunset an advantage over the elites? Was Twilight setting herself up for a trap?

She could feel her nerves starting to act up again, so she quickly repeated the same tactic as before, quickly reassuring herself.

"You can't protect her forever, Sunset. Eventually, she's going to have to defend herself, and that time is now, so it's best to just focus on what I need to do, and trust that Twilight can take care of herself, until we meet back up at the gas station."

A smile met her face, and she felt all of her anxiety falter as she continued to drive, moving onto the highway that led to the exit of the town. The highway was crowded with plenty of cars to avoid interaction with the elites, but she still had to worry about highway patrol officers, due to the fact that police were looking for Twilight's car.

She hoped that nobody would recognize the car and just did her best to follow the rules of the road, driving carefully and cautiously, up until she came to the main exit, and the number of cars slowly began to dwindle to nothing, to which Sunset responded by preparing herself for impact.

"Here we go."

---

The bus arrived as scheduled, and using the money Sunset had lended Twilight, she stepped into the rectangular vehicle with wheels and paid the driver the amount needed to travel to her destination.

The driver eyed her oddly, given her appearance of wearing a hood in the middle of summer, but seeing he had no say in the matter, he just let her pass and take her seat. Twilight sighed heavily, taking a seat near the back of the bus, and just keeping her head low.

It felt like forever before the bus started to move to its next destination, Twilight growing more and more anxious in her seat. Even as the bus started to move, Twilight's nerves continued to dance wildly; it was the first time in three days that Sunset wasn't by her side, and, despite living on her own constantly before all of this, she felt lost and scared.

The fear was due to the situation at hand, but the lost feeling was due to something she couldn't explain. It was odd and overbearing, and as she continued to sit, she suddenly had the urge to cry. She shook her head in an attempt to shake off the urge, but it only made it worse, escalating into something similar to nausea.

"Come on, Twilight! Pull yourself together!" she chastised to herself.

The urges only got worse and worse, but she fought it as hard as she could, somehow managing to keep her tears back and stomach contents at bay, up until something broke all of her focus entirely and washed away all of the urges.

"Odd time of year to be wearing a hoodie, isn't it?" spoke a voice across from her.

She didn't look, but she knew she had to answer, otherwise she look even more suspicious than she already was. Twilight cussed heavily in her mind, and out of desperation, gave the best lie she could.

"It's a medical disorder I have. My skin reacts badly to the Sun, so I have to keep my skin clothed," she lied.

"Oh dear, what an unfortunate fate," the same midrange male voice spoke. "However, what I find strange about that, is that for someone who resents the sun so much, you tend to spend a miraculous amount of time with one whose name resembles the sun. A sunset actually."

Twilight's heart plummeted like a stone. The plan had failed, and the worst possible scenario that could've happened in the entire situation was happening.

Even if she stunned him, there was nowhere she could run to; she was literally trapped in a hunk of metal that she couldn't exit at her own will.

She was doomed.

Shit!

"I'll give you credit, human, your plan was quite clever, but we elites are trained for such schemes, so it was easy to just split up and follow both of you. There's more power in numbers, and two against two is enough to outwit a vampire and human to us elites."

Twilight cussed in her mind again, realizing she had missed that one detail; of course they would split up and follow both! It's one of the oldest strategies in tracking someone!

She wanted to faceplant herself so hard, but she didn't; she needed to figure out how the hell she was going to get out of this, and so far, she wasn't seeing any way out. Her only saving grace was the fact that the bus was full of passengers, so she had awhile to think of some way out of this.

"Now, I am a vampire of mercy, and am willing to offer you a chance to just surrender," the elite proposed. "If you do, no harm will come to you or your companion. However, if you refuse, you will be submitted by a very painful tactic. You and I know very well you cannot fight a being of mass strength and abilities beyond your kind, so you'd have no chance to even defend yourself against me. This is my only offer, human, so will you take it or refuse like a fool?"

---

The road had become practically deserted by the time Sunset had reached the gas station. It had clearly been deserted for a good five years or so just by the condition of the outside of the building; worn paint starting to chip from the surface, windows covered by streaks of dirt and dust from rain and heavy winds, and the gas pumps looking as if they'd been beaten to death by a bat.

She pulled the vehicle up to the pumps closest to the entrance and got out of the vehicle to listen for any sign of the foe in pursuit. Focusing on the area around her, she heard nothing except the wind and the rustling of loose paneling hanging from the building's sides flopping in the mild breeze.

No wings or evident presence of the elites within her vicinity.

Her dead heart sank almost immediately, knowing the elites had caught on, and Twilight was in danger. She rushed back to the car, shifted into drive, and revved the vehicle out of the gas station's lot like a madwoman.

However, just as she made it to the road, something seized the vehicle in its tracks, a figure landing on the hood of the car with a bang, and smashing the windshield to nothing but shards. The impact stunned Sunset, lifting her from her seat and crashing back down with a thud, her head bouncing off the headrest of the seat.

Regaining her focus, she realized that she had been outsmarted, and she was going to have to fight her way out of this. She clicked off her seatbelt, opened the door, and looked out to the road. Standing before her was a casually dressed male. He was tall, mildly muscular, and his skin was pale as the moon's glow.

His hair was spikey and black as night, and as he stared at her with his crimson eyes, Sunset realized quickly that she was in for the most challenging fight of her life.

She couldn't make even a single mistake.

"Well, if it isn't Vladimir's own flesh and blood," the vampire spoke, his voice rich and ancient. "I won't lie, I never expected you to betray us over a casual human, but I guess I was mistaken."

Sunset just held her gaze with his, eying him with anger.

"And what do you even know about me?" Sunset countered. "I'm at least dignified enough to not have to rely on the royals for everything I need, like you. I lead my own life outside of the bullshit laws that our race is forced to follow; I'm not just another sheep to the shepherd."

"I don't need to know much to know exactly what you are, peasant," he insulted. "You were born a stubborn brat, and once your mother's head was put on the cutting board over your actions, you went rogue, thinking us the enemy, when it was your own fault all along."

Sunset felt a tinge of guilt strike her cold heart, knowing what he was saying was true, and that it was her fault her mother had ended up dead in the first place. However, she shrugged the guilt away with a single tear, and struck back at the elite with an even stronger truth.

"You're right. My mom is dead because of me, but I've accepted that fact and have redeemed it by doing what's right. My mom always hated you pompous freaks, and I know she'd be proud of me for what I'm doing!"

"Betraying your own kind? Now, I see where that spitfire attitude of yours comes from," he taunted with a chuckle.

"No, not betrayal. Proving that our "order" is all a lie and was created only as a way of controlling us to do what they want! That's the only reason why the royals eliminate rebels like me, because they know we can make a difference and turn the entirety of the vampire race against them! They silence us to prevent the real truth from being hear-

A sudden realization hit Sunset like a ton of bricks. She felt tears build up in her eyes like a breaking dam, knowing she'd just solved the real reason why the night of her conviction, Raz had enticed her mother into sacrificing herself for her.

She clenched her fists so tight that her fingernails had punctured her cold skin, and her anger grew with each second.

"You bastards...that's why…that's why she's dead!" she raged.

"What in the world are you even talking about?" the elite questioned.

"The royals knew of my mom's plan to stop the war they were trying to start as much as the rebellion she was building to take them down, and as a way to stop her, they forced her into a position where she had no choice but to spare my life for hers!"

Anger, rage, sadness; it all overwhelmed her in an unfathomable phenomenon all at once, her head down and tears falling like raindrops.

"You monsters! You're sick, twisted, and need to be shown no mercy, just as you did her!"

Her emotions grew higher and higher. More intense with each passing second, resulting in the elite taking a few steps backward. He couldn't explain why, but he was afraid. Afraid of Sunset in her current state, and upon Sunset's next action, he had every right to be shaking in his boots.

"YOU'RE GOING TO PAY!" Sunset raged, raising her head to where her face was visible, and upon the sight, the elite was thrown into absolute fear and shock.

Sunset's eyes were no longer the cool aqua color they usually were; they instead showed a raging gold that blazed like an untamed bonfire. Her hair seemed to share the same fiery blaze, her fangs glistening in the display of unadulterated anger.

A display that had never occurred before in Sunset's entire existence as a vampire.

This was something different.

She lunged at an immeasurable speed, meeting contact with her foe under less than even a second. The elite had no chance to react, Sunset collapsing into his chest and immediately following with the sound of cracking bones.

It wasn't just a few bones; it was the entire capacity of his chest cavity. Sunset had struck with an immense amount of force. A force that had made all of the experience, training, and reputation of the elite completely obsolete.

He was destroyed within seconds.

Sunset continued to strike nonstop, the hits dismembering all of his limbs and shredding his body to nothing but a gory and scattered massacre. The elite hadn't even had the chance to scream in pain during the entire onslaught; it had started and ended so quickly that no mortal could see it if they had blinked.

No mercy.

No remorse.

Sunset was done playing merciful. The royals had pushed her past her ability to control her emotions.

The scattered remains of the elite lay on the ground as the dust settled, and all Sunset reflected in the daylight was absolute rage.

She didn't care anymore.

The elite only muttered and grunted in defeat, too mutilated to repair themselves. Sunset stood above them high and mighty, and with one stomp to their head, the elite was no more and Sunset was victorious.

The essence of absolute rage didn't dissipate though as Sunset took to the sky with her wings extended wide and free. The car was pointless right now and her beloved was in danger.

She'd make them pay for everything.

---

The stops passed along with time for Twilight to escape from her current assailant, and with each stop, her nerves shook more and more severely. She had just remained silent in her seat the entire ride, devoid of any plan to escape her situation and the elite's presence growing more and more unsettling.

The bus had made it to the outside of the city, and was currently making a stop at a gas station in some small town that you could enter by taking one of the first exits off the highway; something Twilight didn't want, seeing the less people on the bus, the less chance she had at coming up with some miraculous plan.

More stops came, up until only a few remained, and the elite spoke up once again.

"Time is almost up, human. Will you or will you not take my offer of mercy? I don't need an empty bus to knock you out cold, so I suggest you answer me before the next stop, otherwise I won't hesitate to do so against your will."

His tone was serious and Twilight couldn't help but pray. She prayed for Sunset to somehow know she was in danger and show up to save her yet again, but deep down even she knew Sunset wasn't capable of hearing her pleas from miles away.

She had to either fight or surrender.

"I'd never surrender to a monster like you!" she answered under her breath.

"Then pain is what you shall receive, mortal," the elite answered, following with the sound of the bus coming to a stop.

"Perfect timing," he added. "Don't worry, the next time you awake, you'll be one step closer to death at the hands of Lord Molsken. Farewell mortal."

Twilight turned to see him as she gripped the garlic spray in her long hoodie pocket. He was a tall pale-skinned man dressed in a black coat and blue jeans, his eyes disguised by sunglasses and hair being long and bleach-blonde in color.

He fit the description of a vampire lord very well. All he needed was black robes and a cane with some fancy emblem as a grip and he would've fit it perfectly.

"Time to go to sleep, dear," he stated, lifting his right arm to strike.

Then he stopped instantly, and until Twilight looked toward the center column of the bus did she realize why.

Standing in the center of the bus was a hooded Sunset Shimmer, her face barely visible in the light of the bus.

Twilight was instantly surprised and relieved at the sight of her beloved, but then another thing caught her attention; the smell of garlic. Sunset had stunned the elite and what followed next made Twilight realize just how lethal Sunset really was.

Sunset threw a punch that struck the side of the elite's face, throwing him toward the back of the bus and breaking the hinges off the emergency exit door. Twilight was stunned at the sight, up until she remembered what she did to the bear, kicking it through the bodies of healthy and thick trees.

Sunset acted in quick succession, grabbing Twilight's hand and blazing down the aisle of the bus, into the open world once again. None of the occupants of the bus had even seen the cause of the emergency exit being destroyed, because the impact and escape from the bus had happened in less than a second.

They'd escaped unseen and without suspicion.

Sunset carried Twilight over her shoulder as she ran undetected for miles. She knew the elite wasn't dead, but that wasn't what she was aiming for; all she wanted was Twilight by her side once again. She ran until she knew she couldn't be tracked by the elite, stopping in an alleyway and letting Twilight back onto her feet.

Twilight was a little disoriented from the speedy escape, but her happiness overshadowed it, happy to be with Sunset once again. However, once she saw Sunset more clearly, a small tinge of fear and confusion made her hesitate in embracing her.

She saw that Sunset's eyes were now golden and her usual calm demeanor was absent. It frightened Twilight, feeling like Sunset was eying her as a meal rather than as a lover reunited with her beloved.

"Sunset, why are your eyes golden, and why do you seem so predatory towards me?" she spoke in fear.

"Huh?" Sunset finally spoke.

At the sight of seeing Twilight cowering in fear of her, Sunset felt tears build up, snapping back to reality.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry, Twilight!" she quickly stated.

Twilight engulfed her in a hug off those words, knowing Sunset was truly sorry. She wanted to cry at their reunion, but she held them back, knowing they weren't necessarily safe from harm, and they had to remain cautious.

"I'm sorry for leaving you!" Twilight stated.

Tears escaped Sunset's eyes as she pulled Twilight closer, reassuring Twilight in her current state.

"Don't be," Sunset assured. "You did all you could for both of us. There's no shame in that."

"I know, but… I missed you so much!" Twilight stammered.

Sunset felt a ping in her chest, knowing Twilight wasn't joking around. She still found it hard to believe that a human would've ever cared for her as much as Twilight did.

Pulling away from Twilight, she pecked her beloved on her warm and soft lips, her cold touch jolting Twilight's nerves. Twilight returned the subtle display of affection, feeling her sadness and guilt drift away in Sunset's presence. They pulled away and smiled at one another, up until Sunset broke the silence, knowing caution was still needed.

"Now what do we do, Sunset?" Twilight questioned.

"We fly," she answered simply. "I know a place we can go that the elite or Molsken won't even think about, and I think they can also help us. It's not far from here."

Having no better options and full trust in Sunset, Twilight agreed and took Sunset's hand.

"I trust you, Sunset. Whatever you have in mind, I'll follow it."

Ripping through the cloth of the hoodie and extending her long and ragged wings, Sunset tightened her grip with Twilight's hand and pulled her closer to her chest.

"Then hang on and don't let go of me. I have to fly fast to avoid being noticed by that elite."

Twilight nodded as assurance, then in a sudden flash of speed and gust of wind, Twilight found herself held against Sunset's chest above the clouds. For once, she was thankful she didn't have a fear of heights, knowing she was easily over a thousand feet high in Sunset's embrace. She just held on and didn't let go, up until they descended from the sky, down into a heavily wooded environment.

The landing felt like a rush, and as much as the view and feel of the flight was indescribable, she was happy to be back on the ground safely. Sunset released her beloved then folded her wing back into the safety of the hoodie, quickly eying the area and surveying the entirety of the wood with her enhanced senses.

She was relieved to know that the other occupants were either indoors or out hunting.

"Twilight, I need you to stay here while I make our newest acquaintance aware of our presence," Sunset ordered with a serious tone.

Twilight didn't argue.

"Okay," she agreed simply.

Sunset nodded.

"Shouldn't be more than a minute or two."

With that, Sunset disappeared into the thickets, up until she came to an ancient tree just beyond Twilight's vision.

She approached the healthy trunk of the mass and knocked in a certain pattern that was specifically assigned as a safety mechanism for Sunset's family. Silence followed the knocks, aside from the chitter-chatter of the woodland creatures speaking to one another amongst the foliage.

Eventually, a light pitter-patter of footsteps became audible from beyond the hollow door of the ancient mass. Sunset knew those steps well, and as they got closer, Sunset heard a familiar tune being hummed.

One her mother once sang to her as a child.

The door began to creak open, revealing in the doorway an average height woman with fiery red hair and glasses adorning her eyes.

She was just as Sunset remembered her, from her hair that radiated in the sunlight to her outdated attire dressed with a very strong perfume.

"Sunset!?" The woman squeaked excitedly. "What are you doing here, sweety?!"

Sunset giggled.

"It's good to see you too grandma," she greeted sweetly.

Comments

[zachary12]

nice work

[Revel Montaro]

Demon mode. Going to be hungry after a burst like that.

Hope Grandma has a snack stash.

[The Voice in the Water]

Glad they made it out alive. Still, Sunset going demon mode is concerning. Hopefully its an at will power vs. something more damning.

[GoldenStateBallers]

Glad to hear from you again, friend

[JCPCB]

The story is so intense 😃 can’t wait to read what happens next Great Job