Songs of Innocence

Chapter 38: Waking Up

Sun's dream

That night, Sun found herself in yet another nightmare. But, oddly, it started exactly where the last left off. She was standing right in front of her childhood home, desperately trying to open the door.

"Sun!" Posey called after her. "Wait for me! Why are you running?!" She was running after her, still oblivious as to what had Sun suddenly running away from her best friend without any explanation. Sun remembered why she was, but thanks to the time she had between her last nightmare and now, she didn't feel as disgusted. But when she turned around to see Posey, Sun still cringed, knowing what she truly was.

Posey skidded to a stop as soon as she neared her "best friend", and with a face full of concern, asked, "What happened? Did you see something? It wasn't because of me, was it?" But Sun remained silent. Posey wasn't real, but she felt real. She was innocent in all of this, and didn't deserve to be sullied. It was just so hard not to tell her the truth - that she was just a pathetic comfort fantasy created by Sun.

"This is where we'll find the truth. What really happened." Posey said rather cryptically, staring into the humble family home standing before them.

"What are you talking about?" Sun was tired of new questions constantly coming in one after another, and she was on the verge of telling Posey to shut her mouth. But she was the key to unravelling the unicorn's true emotions, if her last dream was anything to go off of. 

"Are you joking with me, Sun?" Posey grinned. "I suppose it's kind of easy to forget with all of this Avalonia stuff. The thing is, your..." She paused, glancing at Sun, who became even more frustrated that she was refusing to answer. "...Never mind." Posey sighed, and immediately, Sun put her hoof on the door handle. Suddenly, Posey barked, "WAIT! Are you sure you want to go back in there?"

"Yeah, I think I do. Just what in Tartarus is in here?!" Sun shoved her hoof to open the door, with her agitation causing her to throw the door open. Inside the house was nothing. Sun turned to glare at Posey, but growling from somewhere within the darkness called Sun's attention back. To the two's horror, a single glowing red eye emerged from the pitch black, and it was staring into them with malicious intent. It never blinked or took its gaze off of them.

Liquid shadows began to leak out of the opened door, evoking a shriek from Posey. "SUN! RUN AWAY!" she screeched, as the shadowy globs grew human arms that grabbed all over her body. Sun was, in a word, terrified, and bolted from the spot. But she couldn't take her eyes off of Posey's eyes, wide open and welling with tears as she fell into despair, and in her panic, Sun ended up running behind the house instead of away from it.

Along with Posey's muffled screams, footsteps began to be heard, and they were getting closer and closer to Sun. She was stuck, unable to move, not because of being bound in-place by anything physical, but instead because of the paralyzing sound of Posey's blood-curdling screams. Sun only had one option left, and it was right next to her: a small pond.

Without any hesitation, Sun dived into the pond to hide, using the darkness of the night to help in hiding herself underneath the water. She held her hooves on her mouth as the unseen creature stomped around on the surface, searching for her. It didn't take long at all before Sun started to run out of breath, but she needed to stay under the water.

She drowned.

Sun awoke in her bed gasping for air. Thank Celestia, it was only a dream, as always. Obviously it was, but it was becoming harder and harder for Sun to remember that as they went on. And Sun knew that she'd seen that monster somewhere before - it wasn't Avalonia. It was... someone she knew.

Later that day, at Ponyville's train station

Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow, and Rarity stood on the platform, bidding Sun, Applejack, and Sunburst a temporary farewell. Everypony was excited for Sun.