September 2nd, 1024 ALB. Ponyville, Equestria.
The doors of the train open onto the Ponyville train station, larger and busier after the wartime railroad expansion eight years ago. From the train coming from the Crystal Empire, Sunburst leaves, who comes, after a long time, to visit old friends.
Sunburst was and has also been one of the most important researchers of the Crystal Empire, as well as a representative of the empire's research system in Equestria and the Alliance; However, this visit was not for work, this is social.
He was welcomed with open arms, of course.
“Tell me, Sunburst, what have you been doing all these years? It seems like very important things, since you haven't visited here for how long? five years…” Twilight says, while they were playing Dragon Pit.
“Oh, mainly weaponry, it's the only thing the military is interested in, weaponry and spells are the only thing they know how to ask for. Besides, being a representative of the Crystal Empire in the Alliance takes up a lot of time.” Sunburst says, planning his next roll. "What about you?"
“Well, being the head of research alongside Fluttershy and Spike also takes up a lot of time, but we were finally able to meet again. Although it doesn't look like we'll be staying in Ponyville for many more days again.” Twilight says throwing her dice.
2.
“How about the other girls?” Sunburst asks, now rolling the dice.
5.
“Oh, well, as far as possible. The war wasn't easy for anyone, but they already live normally, compared to Fluttershy and me. To Fluttershy, her sanctuary is everything, but work is work, so she entrusts it to Discord most of the time. Rarity went to Manehattan for a few days on business, but decided to take the Cutie Mark Crusaders with her, Applejack went too, they will be back in a couple of weeks. Rainbow Dash is with the wonderbolts almost every day and Pinkie is still Pinkie.” Twilight says, after throwing a dice for her dragon to be trapped. "Heck…"
“What about Starlight, I want to know if she's having a better time after the New Manehattan disaster and the loss of Trixie.” Sunburst asks with another dice roll.
1.
It could be better, much better. She went to New Hoofington to investigate what happened two years ago. After Trixie passed away and the city was immediately evacuated, she was extremely affected by what happened; she has been, since 1020, obsessed with the incident, I don't know how her room is now that she lives there and resigned the Luna Nova Institute, and she no longer lives in Equestria." Twilight says.
“How difficult that grief must be for her, I don't want to imagine it; I sent her several letters of condolence, but she has responded little. What is certain is that the few letters she sends me are with the theme that it was not an accident and various conspiracies. She didn’t tell me she moved… I miss Trixie too.” Sunburst says, coming in rolling the last roll to win.
Suddenly, Spike enters with a letter in his claws.
“Hello, Sunburst, long time no see…” Spike greets before turning to Twilight.
“A letter from the Princesses, Twilight, seems like another situation.”
"What does it say?" Sunburst asks, curious.
“It seems that Starlight was caught by the New Marelander police trying to enter the New Manehattan exclusion zone. Dear Celestia, I knew she was obsessed with this, but I didn't imagine she was that much,” says the purple alicorn.
“Oh, Celestia, did she really tried that?” Sunburst says, very confused.
“Yes, she has. I've tried to convince her not to get obsessed, but she can't get over it... I've tried to convince her that it's not the way, but she doesn't seem to pay attention.” Raising her hooves to her face in anger.
"Yup... I think we'll have to change plans to go there, twi." Spike said, reading the letter.
“I'll go for her, maybe I can talk to her to make her see reason.” Sunburst offers.
“Will you? But you're on your days of rest.” Twilight says.
“It doesn't matter, maybe a childhood friend will talk some sense into her. I will do it… – Sunburst says, already decided on what he will do. – I will need her papers."
“Sure, they're in her room as far as I know.”
"Well, let'Š go and see." Said the orange unicorn.
When Spike brought the keys to open the room, they found a huge mess. The wall was full of maps, photographs, newspapers and articles; “Nuclear disaster in New Manehattan”, “Cover-up in the Dragon Islands?”, Accident in New Manehattan?” “Nuclear tests of the '16” were some articles that could be read.
“Wow, she really is obsessed with the topic…” Sunburst said.
“It was something I expected, really. We would all love to find the truth.”
“Bioacoustics, nuclear energy, crystals, earthquakes, electromagnetic pulses… These titles are strange, I only recognize a couple.” Says the orange unicorn.
“Wow, I don't recognize several either.”
“Here are the papers.” Spike interrupts, after opening a drawer.
“Thank you, Spike. It’s time to go try to convince her to come home.” Sunburst said.
September 6th, 1024 ALB. New Hoofington, New Mareland.
The road was long, and the flight was longer, but Sunburst finally reached the busy capital of “The Colony”, Sunset, bustling as always, before taking the last train of the day north.
New Hoofington was a small city, but quite busy, especially after the evacuations of New Manehattan, it has now become the center of operations for the United Ponies Alliance in this part of the world. Now only seen on the horizon of what was once a metropolis like New Manehattan, now abandoned to be reclaimed by nature.
The city police headquarters was not very big, but it provided a good security environment. There was Sunburst, sitting on one of the benches, asleep from the long trip here, however, he would be awakened by the electronic sound of the door that led to the cells.
With half-closed eyes, Sunburst only saw that the officer only brought a teenage colt, with some tattoos on him, whose father soon began to scold him and take him away.
As he watched the parents take their foal away, the orange unicorn began to lose his sleepiness and turned to look at the window again.
At that moment, an officer escorts a disheveled Starlight to her release, looking at him with resignation.
The Luna's night falls on the city, everything is calm. Starlight is being the one who guides her friend to her lodging, which was not very different from her room in Ponyville regarding to order and conspiracies.
“I appreciate you taking so much trouble to come here Sunburst, but why did you come?” While putting a kettle on for coffee.
“I was with Twilight, she told me how bad you've had it these last few years, I wanted to come help you get back home, get back the life you've lost, help you get over the loss of Trixie, for your sake.” Says the orange unicorn.
“I thank you very much, but I won't be able to get my life back until I know what happened there.” Starlight says, turning to the window where the New Manehattan skyline is.
“Please, Starlight, you can't live in the past. I will help you have a life.” Sunburst offers.
"No. – says Starlight, still looking at the city on the horizon. – Trixie is still there. To me, she will always be there. They evacuated us so quickly…”
They conversation was cut after the kettle started whistling.
Starlight reapproched to the stove to turn it off.
“You have to stop, for your own good… You still have great friends there in Equus, we still have a lot of life ahead of us, come with me and I will help you.” Sunburst says, putting his hooves on her shoulder.
The mare looked at him, conflicted.
The Celestia's Sun was beginning to rise from the east, beginning a new day for the inhabitants of New Mareland.
Sunburst was asleep, but he started to hear hooves trotting and talking. Getting up, only to see that Starlight was talking on a radio to somepony.
“Yes… yes… a boat… aha… I'll be there in an hour… aha… thank you.”
Starlight immediately begins to gather her things and gets up only to see that Sunburst is there watching her.
"What are you doing?" The orange unicorn asks, dismayed.
“I'm going back to New Manehattan, Sunburst, I won't take long-”
"I can't believe it."
"I have to go. I've come back here and wasted the last two years staring through barbed wire, thinking it was some military mistake or some horrible design flaw they were covering up..."
Sunburst just stared at her, skeptical of what happens.
“…One day, I met a guy, he has a cargo ship. Every day, he passes by the reactor site and I asked him to put up a couple of sonar buoys for me. – says Starlight, putting on a HAZMAT suit. – Two weeks ago, I was checking this thing like I do every day, two weeks ago I tuned it and… Dear Celestia , there it is; Whatever that thing was, whatever they are guarding so carefully, started talking again.
"Talking?" Sunburst asks, still skeptical.
“Yes, talking. – says Starlight, getting excited. – I have to go back to my old lodging, I need my old notes, records and notebooks, if they are still there. I need the data to be able to prove that this is not a fantasy, that I am not what you now think I am..."
Sunburst was now afflicted, he loved Trixie too. He knew his soul needs answers.
“I will find the truth… and I will end this. Whatever it takes.”
Sunburst, teary-eyed. “Why don't you let her rest, Starlight?”
"Because I sent her down there, Sunburst, I sent her..." He says, dismaying Sunburst even more. – This was not a reactor meltdown.”
“I don't want to hear it.” He says, remembering the dozens of letters about the topic she sent.
“I know, but we can't run away from this, we can't bury all this in the past, Sunburst. You know as much as the importance of this."
Sunburst, distraught, stares at Starlight.
September 7th, 1024 ALB. New Manehattan Exclusion Zone, New Mareland.
The Sapphire City, once a bustling city, was completely abandoned, huge abandoned buildings, streets where nature was gaining more and more ground; what was once the second most important port in the country was now an abandoned bay full of concrete, metal and rot. There were Starlight and Sunburst, in HAZMAT suits and oxygen masks, on a small boat, towards the shores of a city that the world forgot, frozen in time surrounded by danger signs.
Wide streets and avenues of abandoned buildings and vehicles, with no visible vestiges of what was once a thriving metropolis.
“This place makes my skin crawl, without a doubt. I never imagined that the New Manehattan that once existed would now become this.” Sunburst says, surprised.
Suddenly they see a group of stray dogs passing by, chasing something.
The mare remained quiet.
“Well, that's something, come on… where did you tell me you girls were staying?”
Starlight looked weirded out by the pack of dogs, so she took out her Geiger counter.
0.000
“Starlight, what's wrong?” Sunburst says, loonking back at her.
Without a word, Starlight puts her hooves on her mask and begins to take off her oxygen mask.
“No, no, no, what are you doing?”
Starlight just breathes in and out normally.
“I knew it!… the radiation in this place should be lethal, but there is nothing, nothing at all.”
"What?"
Upon arriving at the apartment, they began searching inside; Despite the weeds, the leaves, broken glasses and the noticeable deterioration, nothing has changed since that day.
Searching the many corners of the rooms, they find all kinds of personal items, including the many notes and data they were looking for, and a photograph of Trixie and Starlight, taken on some occasion at the Luna Nova Institute, Celestia-knows-how-long ago.
Starlight can only look at what once was. They were good times and she didn't know it.
She couldn't help but shed her tears when she found the old magician hat that Trixie always wore, even though she was no longer one.
“I'm so sorry, Starlight.” Sunburst says, moved.
“I’ll get to the bottom of this.” The purple unicorn says, determined, with tears in her eyes.
"I'm with you." The stallion says.
Suddenly, an engine noise began to be heard, while the wind blew the leaves outside.
"A helicopter?" Sunburst asks.
Walking outside, they see an UH-1 flying over towards the nuclear plant.
At the site they can see large tower cranes that illuminate something in the center of everything. A very complex installation, it seems.
"What are they doing? Are they rebuilding the plant?” Sunburst asks.
“I don't know, I've never seen something like…”
Starlight gets interrupted by the engines of a military vehicle that stops a few meters away, much to her disappointment.
“Stop there, Military Police, hooves up. Down!" The armed soldiers order them.
"Damn." Starlight says.
They are immediately arrested and handcuffed in the vehicle that quickly heads to the other side of the bay, towards the Nuclear Plant, at dusk.