Once, there was an explosion, a bang that gave birth to all life as we know it. And then, came the next explosion…one that I may have ultimately caused…
Once, there was an explosion, a bang that gave birth to time and space. Once, there was an explosion, a bang that sent a planet spinning in space. Once, there was an explosion, a bang that gave birth to all life as we know it. And then, came the next explosion…one that I may have ultimately caused…
When the Death Stranding occurred, everything changed. After voidouts and terrorist attacks, Sunset Shimmer had to witness the deaths of her friends and live with the regret. Five years afterwards, she lives on collecting bounties until remnants of the old government come and recruit her with a simple and yet not so simple task: reunite the world and make it whole again.
Once, there was an explosion, a bang that gave birth to time and space. Once, there was an explosion, a bang that sent a planet spinning in space. Once, there was an explosion, a bang that gave birth to all life as we know it. And then, came the next explosion…one that I may have ultimately caused…
Once upon a time, the earth had been covered in roads and highways, used by cars day in and day out. Now, those roads were gone, lost to nature and reduced to mere dirt paths, only used by wildlife or, in rare cases, anyone trying to get to the next town. The sounds that had filled the air were also gone, replaced by the sound of birds, or the wind, or an occasional storm if it passed through.
The peaceful air was suddenly interrupted as the loud sound of a motorcycle roared through the valley. The rough terrain was no hindrance for the bike itself as it and its rider drove alongside a winding river. The driver itself was dressed in a small but durable rain jacket, gloves, and cargo pants while sporting a nice pair of sunglasses. Her hair was flowing in the back in the wind but she didn’t care.
As she approached a large hill, she took her foot off the gas and let the motorcycle idle before it came to a stop. She killed the engine and propped the bike before stepping off. She grabbed a bag that had been fastened down, strapping it on before grabbing the rifle that had been sitting next to it and sliding it onto her shoulder. Lastly, she checked the handgun that was holstered on her belt and checked the full clip, also making sure a round was properly loaded into the chamber before placing it back into its holster.
She made her way up the hill and upon reaching the top she laid down in the grass, grabbing a pair of binoculars. Below her, almost half a mile ahead, she could see a settlement. However, these weren’t civilians stuck out in the wilderness. These were bandits, thugs willing to pray on vulnerable communities.
After the Death Stranding, communications had been lost between the major cities and for every city that was still standing, they were out for themselves. Because of the sudden change and the sudden threats that came with it, everyone stayed in one place. At least, most people did. She was different, she was willing to brace the suddenly harsh environment if it meant being able to pay for food and a roof over her head.
Looking through the binoculars, the settlement was nothing to brag about, but judging by the number of shacks, she guessed there were at least two dozen of them. Going in guns blazing wasn’t an option considering her weaponry was limited. Fortunately, she only needed one of them.
The leader of this band of thugs was only known as Desperado and witnesses could only identify him by the scar across his right eye. Sure, it made him sound intimidating but she knew well enough like most bandits, he’d let his underlings take the fall before he gave himself up. As such, she knew the best way to smoke him out.
She noticed what looked like a munitions dump about fifty feet from the encampment. Right next to it was a truck, the back of it facing towards her. She pulled out her handgun and looked down through the iron sights. It would be a tough shot but she knew exactly where the gas tank was located on that model and all she had to do was angle her shot precisely.
She pulled the trigger and the shot rang out. She wasn’t used to taking shots like this but she left with few options. Fortunately, she was rewarded with the sight of the truck exploding and the resulting explosion was enough to light up some of the ammunition inside.
The sudden explosion and the sound of bullets firing off would make the bandits think they were being attacked by a large force and if her thoughts on bandits were true, they wouldn’t even think of trying to fight back. Of course, losing all your supplies would be enough to demoralize any force.
As she predicted, the bandits were caught with their pants down and while many were running around in a panic, others were hightailing it to anywhere that wasn’t there. She then saw one man step out into the middle of the encampment, trying to calm everyone down. Her target.
She had gotten out her rifle and was looking through the scope when he appeared. She could now see him clearly and the scar gave him away. He had been dumb enough to stand in an open area, making him an easy target. Lucky for him, she wasn’t aiming for his head.
She pulled the trigger but it wasn’t a bullet that fired out. A bolas fired out at high velocity and she got to witness the humorous scene of Desperado suddenly fall to the ground. She then got up and after shouldering her rifle, she calmly made her way down into the valley.
The bandits had been scared shitless and never considered going back for their leader. Still, she had her pistol drawn just to be safe. She could hear Desperado grunting and cursing as he tried to break out but the material around the two weights was strong enough to hold a horse down.
Eventually she caught his attention and he faltered slightly. “W-Who the hell are you?” he demanded.
“Oh Desperado, you’ve been causing the people in Canterlot a lot of trouble recently,” the woman said. She then looked around the camp. “Though I guess after today that won’t be the case.”
“Wait…oh fuck…” Desperado’s face suddenly paled. “You’re that woman…Sunset Shimmer? Listen, I got connections, I can get you more money than what they’re giving you, whoever they are.”
“Yeah?” Sunset asked, crossing her arms. “That right?”
“Yeah…you let me go, you have my word. I know better than to double-cross someone like you, I ain’t that stupid.”
“Hmm…funny you say that,” Sunset replied as she walked up to him. “I recall what you did just two days ago. You and your little band of goons were causing chaos but you failed to see there was a little girl in the middle of the road. By the time your driver noticed, he had already run her over. That little girl’s parents had to go out of their way to the nearest cremation furnace just to keep the entire city out of danger. So no, I’d have to disagree and say no, you are pretty stupid if you think I’m here for the money.”
“W-Wait, what are you going to do?” Desperado asked, his eyes widening.
“Me? Nothing really,” Sunset said as she pulled out a small device. She then stuck it onto his back. “You’re just gonna be asking plenty of questions back over in Canterlot.”
“Wait no-!” His words were cut off as he suddenly vanished. The device on his back was a beacon of sorts and once attached, it would send him all the way back to the police station in Canterlot. Certainly better than having to carry him all the way back.
Sunset looked back up as the sky was starting to darken. It was getting late and it looked as if a storm was coming in. If she hurried, she could make it back just in time before the timefall would hit. Taking one last look at the remains of the camp, she made her way back to her bike.
Sunset knew she was running out of time. She had the bike going at max speed and with how dark the sky was getting, it wasn’t going to be enough. She could survive the storm but it could do serious damage to her equipment, especially her bike. Also, if Timefall was coming, they would be showing up as well.
Timefall was the natural phenomena that took place almost everyday, though calling it natural was a stretch. As the name suggested, if the rain touched anything organic, it would speed up time for that single object: plants would grow and die and in Sunset’s case, if it touched her it would age the cells in her body. In other words, getting caught in the rain was a literal death sentence…if the BT’s didn’t get to you first.
Sunset had only a few encounters with the creatures - whatever they actually were - at a distance but she knew what would happen if they got a hold of her. Then again, in her case, it’s not like they would be able to do much. Other people wouldn’t be so lucky. Just like my friends…
The thought had distracted her long enough to make her miss the sudden deer in her pathway. Sunset suddenly veered to her left, falling off and rolling as her bike went skidding in front of her…only to fall off the side of a cliff. “Fuck!” she swore loudly as she got to her feet and quickly ran over. Unfortunately, the drop down was too steep for her and by the look of it, her bike had been totaled. She groaned loudly as she looked back towards the deer, who was running off. “Piece of shit!” she yelled back at it.
Yelling and brooding wasn’t going to do her any good now. She could see the outskirts of the city ahead but the storm was almost upon her. At least she still had most of her equipment, her weapons especially. Now she had to find shelter.
She grabbed her binoculars and scanned the area. There weren’t any cave structures but she did see a structure ahead, a Timefall structure to be exact. They were rare to come by but some kind soul had the heart to put one out for would-be travelers.
She made her way over, quickening her pace as she could feel the drops start to come down. She was at least able to make it before the downpour came. All she could do now was wait the storm out.
Sunset sighed as she dropped her stuff and sat down, her knees to her chest. That was going to be a big setback for her. Bikes weren’t as big to come by nowadays and they certainly weren’t cheap. Until she could afford a new one, she’d have to stick to jobs closer to Canterlot.
She glanced outwards, seeing vegetation grow and die before her eyes. It’s been like this for five years now, and she had been doing this for almost as long. It wasn’t always like this. Before, life had been simple and all she had to deal with was magic infiltrating into this world from her previous world. That was before Manehattan. Before she lost her closest friends.
As much as she tried to forget, she could remember the scene vividly. The seven of them had just finished their first semester of college and the six of them (Twilight wasn’t able to come because of some special project she had been working on) had gotten together in Manehattan to have lunch. Little did Sunset know that would be the last time she would ever see them.
It had happened without warning. One minute they had been eating and chatting about events during the last three months, the next it was like a bomb had gone off in the entire city. No one had survived that incident and Sunset should’ve been among them, and yet, she woke up in the middle of a crater.
Sunset reached into one of the pockets on her jacket and pulled out a photo of all seven of them. It had been five years since that event, five years since the beginning of what had been called the “Death Stranding.” In other words, the beginning of yet another mass extinction event.
Sunset could still remember vividly what happened the first time she “died”: She woke up in what looked like an ocean and yet she wasn’t drowning. She didn’t quite understand the details, but the best way to put it was she was in limbo, her soul separated from her body. Most souls were to carry on to the afterlife, but not her. To some, it would be a blessing, and an excuse to be reckless, but not to Sunset. Why did she have to stay behind while her friends got to move on? She had theories, but nothing concrete. Oddly enough, her body had been there as well and as soon as she reconnected, she found herself in the middle of that crater, all that remained of Manehattan.
As for Twilight…she put it on herself to find a solution. Unfortunately, it was that first year that put a heavy strain on their friendship. Twilight had been amazed that Sunset alone had survived the attack, even more so that she was unscathed. Naturally, she wanted to run tests. Sunset reluctantly agreed, though at the time she was overwhelmed by everything that happened.
Sunset suddenly felt the hairs on her neck rise as a chill suddenly went down her spine. They were here…of course they were here. BT’s, “Beached Things” as they were called, were from another plane or dimension, supposedly the afterlife. Now, as the name suggested, they were beached in this dimension, though still tethered to their own world.
Sunset held her breath, covering her mouth completely with her gloved hand. For whatever reason, BT’s were blind to those of the living, reacting more to sound than anything else. Getting killed by a BT would only be a minor annoyance to her but the void out would be anything but minor.
She could see the handprints in the mud in front of her. It was coming closer, almost as if it already sensed her presence. Her heart was starting to race, both from anxiety and the fact that she was forcing herself not to breathe.
The BT stopped in front of her, almost as if debating whether to get closer. Soon, the handprints moved in a different direction away from her. Sunset waited a few minutes before she suddenly breathed out. She had been fortunate this time, usually they came in small groups. But she knew they wouldn’t be gone for long. The rain had stopped and the sun was beginning to poke through the clouds. Now was a good time as ever to get going.
As Sunset made her way into the city, a transport vehicle passed her on the road. Probably another body to cremate, she thought. She made her way to the small shantytown near the hospital. Her place of stay wasn’t much, compared to the apartment she used to have, but it was small and private and that’s what she wanted.
She noticed someone was making their way towards her, but seeing how he wasn’t armed with anything, she allowed herself to stay calm. “Sunset Shimmer?” the man asked. His uniform told Sunset he worked with the Canterlot Security Force.
Sunset sighed. “What is it?” Surely he wasn’t here due to a complaint.
“Apologies for bothering you, but I’m here as a messenger. A friend of yours requested your presence. She…doesn’t have much time left and she wanted to see you before she…” The man trailed off, looking a bit uncomfortable.
Sunset massaged her temples. “Alright, but you don’t need to escort me, I know where to go.”
“Understood. I’ll let them know you’re coming.”
Sunset waited til the man left before stopping by her shelter and dropping off her equipment in a small locker. She then made her way towards the hospital, her feet suddenly feeling heavy. How long had it been since she last visited. Too long it seemed. Ironic, considering the hospital wasn’t far from where she lived.
As she entered the building, she could see doctors and nurses walking this way and that. She took the elevator to the third floor. She walked towards the reception desk and the woman behind it glanced at her, giving her a small nod. Sunset nodded in return and made her way towards the hospital beds.
She could see two doctors in front of the room she needed to go to. They were trying to keep quiet but Sunset could hear them anyway. “We did everything we could,” the first doctor said. “The cancer spread so quickly we just weren’t able to combat it. It’s a miracle she even survived this long.”
“How long does she have?” the second asked.
“A few hours at best. We’ve administered painkillers so when she goes…”
“Excuse me,” Sunset said, startling the two of them. “I’m here to see her.”
“Oh…of course, she’s resting now. She-”
“I know,” Sunset said before going inside. The first thing she noticed was light music playing in the background. Second was the sound of an EKG beeping softly. Then Sunset looked over and saw who was laying on the bed, her eyes closed as an oxygen mask was covering her mouth.
Sunset walked over and glanced at the person before her. She was breathing, but rather shallowly. Her body looked diminished compared to a mere five years ago…back when she was still Sunset’s principal.
Celestia opened her eyes and as soon as she looked over to Sunset, a smile crept onto her face as she slowly took off the mask. “Sunset…it’s good to see you.”
“Celestia,” Sunset merely said, nodding slightly.
“I hope you don’t mind the music,” Celestia said as she slowly sat up on the bed. “It always reminds me of Luna, makes me think she’s here with us now…and maybe-”
“I heard the news,” Sunset interrupted her, not wanting to hear her say it. “I’m sorry…”
“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Celestia said as she grabbed a remote, turning off the music. “I knew my time was short…I just really wanted to hang on for as long as I could. I’m not afraid to die though…cause I’ll be seeing my sister soon and I know she’s been waiting.”
Sunset could only look away. Luna had unfortunately been at the wrong place at the wrong time. There had been a terrorist attack in one of the smaller cities and she had unfortunately been caught up in the impending voidout. While Celestia had put on a strong face, there was no doubt she had been grieving for a long period of time. That had been over two years ago.
“Sunset…” Sunset looked up and Celestia was staring at her directly, her smile now gone. “I know this must be difficult for you to watch. You lost some of your closest friends and now…well I know I may not be considered-”
“Don’t.” Sunset was trying really hard to keep her emotions in check but each minute it was growing more and more difficult. “Don’t you dare say you’re not important.”
Celestia’s smile returned and her eyes started to glisten. “I’m…overjoyed to hear you say that. But Sunset, you know you’re not alone. You still have people here that care about you, whether you know it or not.”
“I know…I just…how can I look them straight in the eye after…why is that they had to die but I’m still here?”
“I don’t know…but what I do know is that none of them, those that are gone or still here, would never hate you for that. They want you to keep living. Which reminds me…” Celestia looked towards the door, looking troubled. “I overheard some of the doctors saying that Mare has been rounding up a large number of supplies and materials, something about bringing us all back together and all that. I could be wrong but…I think they need your help.”
Sunset scoffed and looked away, crossing her arms. “What, rebuild the country? How? How the hell can we go back to what things were? People can’t leave their homes without being attacked by BTs, and the Timefall would destroy anything developed within a matter of days. The world is fucked and…”
“You still blame yourself for all this?” Celestia asked.
“What else could it be?” Sunset countered. “I came from another world, a world that brought something that never should have existed here, how do I know that that didn’t lead to all this?”
“I suppose you wouldn’t,” Celestia conceded. “But you have to understand, if we don’t come together, if we don’t find a way to adapt, we won’t survive. If you really feel you are to blame, don’t you want to do something about it, to fix it?”
Sunset had been caught off by that response. “I do…but I don’t trust her. Everyone has their own agenda.”
“Perhaps…or maybe she wants what many of us want.” Celestia suddenly started coughing and as she grabbed a cloth, Sunset could see specks of blood. She took deep breaths when she finished, looking back at Sunset. “But what matters is what you want.” She was quiet for a few moments. “Sunset…I have to be honest…with all the stories you told me about your former teacher…how she’s, well, me I guess…I kind of felt insecure how I could possibly compare to her. It sounds selfish of me to ask but…was I able to help in anyway, after all these years?”
Sunset went over and kneeled down next to her bed, taking the woman’s hand. “You did, both of you…and I’ll always be grateful,” she said with a small smile.
“That’s all I needed to know…” Celestia smiled as she put her other hand over Sunset’s. “Just know Sunset, we’ll always be with you…” She closed her eyes slowly.
Suddenly, Sunset could hear the beeping on the EKG start to slow. “Wait, Celestia-!”
“Shh…” Her eyes were still closed but Celestia’s smile widened. “Just remember to always cherish what you do have, and whatever happens, I know you can overcome any obstacle.” She took a deep breath. “Alright Luna, I’m ready when you are…”
It took only a few moments before the EKG flatlined and Sunset could only stare as she watched her former principal, her friend, pass on. She slowly got up, folding Celestia’s hands gently, making her look at peace before reaching down and kissing her on the forehead. As she stood up, she could feel a tear streaming down her cheek.
“Keep her safe, Luna,” Sunset said softly as she looked towards the ceiling. “I promise…I’ll live on, for all of us…”
Sunset didn’t wait for the nurses to come into the room. She had already said her goodbyes and there was no reason for her to linger. In a matter of hours Celestia’s body would be taken to a crematory and burned. That was the fate of anyone who passed nowadays, to prevent them from becoming BT’s themselves.
“Sunset?” She was already heading down the hall when someone called out to her, causing her to stop. She recognized that voice all too well. She turned around and saw a woman close to her age smiling back at her, though it looked like a sad smile. The pink streaks in her purple hair gave her away immediately.
“Twilight.” Sunset’s tone came across as neutral and that was how she was feeling at the moment. She should’ve been happy to come across her closest friend whom she hadn’t seen in almost two years…should’ve been but her feelings were mixed at best.
“I just heard what happened and…I’m sorry,” Twilight said, looking down. “We never really talked much back when I was at school but…she was always so kind and she helped a lot with-”
“Twilight.” Sunset said her name again but this time there was more emotion in her voice. “I…it’s not that I’m not happy to see you I’m just not in the mood to talk.”
“Places to be?” Twilight had a slight smirk on her face. “I know you’re always busy but unfortunately this isn’t a social visit. I’m here to retrieve you.”
Sunset’s eyes narrowed. Of course it was that obvious. “Whatever Mare wants, I’m not interested. She says she wants to fix the world but how far is she willing to go for that?”
Twilight sighed as she crossed her arms. She was wearing her lab coat, a coat that she now wore as a badge of honor. “You’re not going to even let her explain what she wants?”
“I don’t have to hear it. Listen…I know the last time we spoke things went…south between us but you don’t have to play the hero. You don’t owe these people anything.”
“I know, but these last two years we’ve made huge breakthroughs. I can spend all day telling you what’s been going on. You know, if you ever wanted to catch up.”
Sunset sighed. “Do I really have a choice here?”
“Oh you do, but I think we both know what’ll happen if you refuse.”
“What, you’re going to drag me there?”
Twilight smiled sadly. “Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. I’m afraid I won’t be able to talk in person.” Her figure suddenly shimmered. “Work has kept me busy and…in the lab unfortunately.”
Sunset looked away for a moment. “If I decide to come, will you consider that an apology…?” She looked back at Twilight. “For all the stupid shit I said?”
“I’ll think about it. So, you know where to go?”
“Yeah…I know where to go…”
There was a time long ago when Town Hall was merely seen as a building that stood as the seat of government that seemed cold and yet still approachable. Now, the former remained and the latter was completely gone. Armed troops surrounded the entrance to the building, which in itself has been expanded to show as a reminder that here, it was the only form of government still standing.
The guards had apparently been anticipating her for when she arrived they didn’t give so much as a nod in her direction as she went inside. A woman younger than her soon escorted her to the Mayor’s office and upon opening the door, Sunset could see the mayor wasn’t alone.
The first person who she saw was Twilight, who at the moment had been talking to the mayor directly. Opposite her was an older woman with a rigid face. Sunset of course recognized her and only knew her by her last name, Harshwhinny. Before the Death Stranding, she had been head of the organization in charge of the Olympic Games, and now she was ultimately Mare’s second-in-command.
“Miss Shimmer, nice of you to finally join us, and unarmed as well,” Harshwhinny said with a testy tone.
“Sorry, just came from the hospital, didn’t have time to bring anything,” Sunset replied back with a smile. Harshwhinny could hear the sarcasm in her voice and gave a dismissive sniff.
“I apologize for the sudden urgency, I just heard the news,” Mare said, bowing her head. “I can only hope that Celestia has gone off to a better place.”
“So what’s so important that you had to drag me into it?” Sunset asked. “And don’t bother sugarcoating it, if it didn’t involve me possibly getting killed, I wouldn’t be here in the first place.”
“Oh believe me, we wouldn’t have you here if that were the case,” Harshwhinny replied.
“Now, now,” Mare said somewhat sternly. “You are right Sunset, we do need you for this mission and, well, I’m afraid you’re really the only one who can pull it off.” Sunset said nothing so she continued. “As you know, because of what has happened, we’ve essentially been cut off from the rest of the world. Even worse, our own country has been fragmented. No longer are we a nation, but merely a handful of cities, cities that can’t even communicate with one another remotely.”
She pressed a button on her desk and a 3D hologram of a map appeared, showing Canterlot and some of the neighboring cities. “When the Stranding began, all communication was essentially lost and the only way to get messages across was on foot. Since then, with the Chiral Network we have been able to get new supplies and materials and even establish short-range communication, but it was still not enough. Then, about a year ago, Twilight here was able to make a breakthrough.”
“The Chiral Network works much differently than the kind of networks we had in the past, so essentially I was starting from square one,” Twilight explained. “I was however able to convert chiral waves into a useable frequency, much like radio waves. It took a lot of time but I was able to establish a transmitter that used these waves to establish a new means of communication across each city. The only problem was…I hadn’t quite been able to connect them all together.”
“To put it simply, connecting all the cities together would require huge bandwidths, bandwidths we didn’t have at the time,” Harshwhinny continued. “However, Miss Sparkle was able to create a…uh, what did you call it again?”
“A ‘D-Bus’,” Twilight replied, pressing the bridge of her glasses to her face as she revealed a rectangular piece of metal the size of a packet of gum. It was connected to a metal chain. “It’s not the most creative name, mind you, but essentially it works like a USB device and…well it reminded me of a domino, hence D-Bus.
“Anyway, this little piece of metal contains a program that when activated in each city, will essentially expand and increase the Chiral Network’s bandwidth. In other words, we’ll be able to establish connection with each city and be able to wirelessly send materials and supplies.”
“Which brings us to you Sunset,” Mare said, her eyes focused on Sunset now. “As you can probably guess…”
“Doing this requires crossing through BT territory,” Sunset replied as she crossed her arms. “And because I’m the only one who can survive voidouts…”
“We tried to send out teams before but…they never made it past Fillydelphia,” Mare continued.
“Terrorists,” Harshwhinny added. “One group in particular.”
“Who are these assholes?” Sunset asked.
“Homo Demons, their so-called creed is ‘Nuntius mortis,’” Twilight answered.
“Envoy of death,” Sunset translated. “They know the world is ending, might as well bring everyone with it.”
“They’re not just some cult,” Harshwhinny said sternly. “They’re organized, and even if they’re mostly hired guns, they’re not stupid.”
“Now do you see why you would have to go it alone?” Mare asked.
“Anyone getting killed would be a liability…and if it’s just me I can probably sneak by them undetected,” Sunset said in thought. “You’re assuming I’ve already agreed to this. Why should I?”
“I won’t pretend to know what you’ve gone through,” Mare said as she went up and put a hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “But I believe if your friends…the ones that didn’t make it, were here, they’d want you to do this.”
Sunset shrugged off her hand. “Let me get a couple things straight. If I do this, I better be rewarded handsomely for this. Second, I’m not doing this for you. For all I care, you can all go fuck off. But I’ll do it…”
“That’s all I ask,” Mare said with a small smile. “Now, I probably don’t have to tell you this, but it’s not going to be as simple as making your way to each city. Not everyone will trust the idea of a ‘new network’ and they certainly may not trust establishing a new government, so it may take more than words to convince them. Now then, Miss Sparkle will escort you to the R&D lab and get you all you need for this mission. We’re counting on you Sunset, and thank you.”
