//------------------------------//
// Daystar Manor, Part II 
// Story: Sunset Eclipsed 
// by EldritchNexus 
//------------------------------//

Radiant Dawn was taken off-guard by Ghost's teleportation spell, and found himself hurdling to the ground, a couple miles above what appeared to be a forest. As he fell, he attempted to think of a spell that he could perform to get him out of this mess. But he wasn't able to think of any: He couldn't levitate himself to slow down, he didn't know how to teleport, and--

"Why couldn't I perfect that flight speeeeeelllllllllllllllll?!" he shouted as bounded down through the sky.

Suddenly, he realized what was immediately below him: His own home, Daystar Manor. Thinking quickly, he tried to find something on the roof that could break his fall.

Sunset Shimmer, who was looking out the window upstairs, saw the large orange-red body of her brother falling from the sky. She gasped, and instinctively raised her head to use her telekinesis. Radiant Dawn slowed down shortly before hitting the ground, but not as much as Sunset would've liked. Radiant hit the ground hard, and laid immobile in the grass. Alarmed, Sunset teleported outside, and went to her brother's side.

"Radiant, are you okay?" Sunset asked urgently. "Please, say something!"

Radiant made no response.

"Come on, Red..." said Sunset, "Don't tell me you're--"

Suddenly, one of Radiant Dawn's ears began to twitch, and he tilted his head up slowly.

"Oh...hey, Sunny." he said, groggily.

Sunset Shimmer's lips curved into a smile. She knelt down to hug Radiant's neck.

"I'm happy to see you're okay." said Sunset.

"Likewise, little sis." choked Radiant, whose neck was tightened by his sister's grip. "C'mon, could you...lighten up? You're...choking me!"

Sunset Shimmer pulled back, and blushed a little.

"Red, can you walk?" asked Sunset.

"Of course." said Radiant, who slowly climbed back up.

Just as quickly as he rose up, though, he stumbled back, and yelped in pain.

"On second thought, this could be a little difficult." grumbled Radiant.

"Don't worry, I can get you back inside." said Sunset.

Five minutes, Radiant and Sunset were both sitting in the spacious living room of the manor, drinking glasses of milk. Radiant Dawn was sitting with several bandages on his back-left and front-left legs and chest, and was wearing a copper bath-robe.

"Just like old times." said Radiant, half-smiling. "You and me, living together in this old place."

"Yep, it sure is." said Sunset, smiling as well. "But still, we've got a mission to do while we're out here."

"True." agreed Radiant Dawn, nodding slowly. "Still, you can't blame a stallion for being nostalgic."

"Nor can you blame a mare." added Sunset Shimmer.

"Right." chuckled her brother. "That you can't. So, what should we do now? Should we go back to Vanhoover?"

"Of course we should." said Sunset. "But not yet, though. Not in your present condition. We should wait for help to come to us. You know, in case we get intercepted by more Changelings."

Radiant nodded slowly.

"Alright." he said. "Just promise you won't run out on me without me knowing. Okay, Sunny?"

"Okay, Red." agreed Sunset. "So would you like me to make anything for you, bro?"

"Sure." said Radiant. "How about some tomato soup?"

"Sure. I'll be back in a little bit."

Sunset went into the kitchen, and later returned with a warm bowl of soup, which Radiant eagerly gulped down in less than five seconds.

"Wow, you sure have an appetite." said Sunset.

"Nah, I just had a sudden craving for tomatoes." shrugged Radiant.

"I see." said Sunset, casually. "By the way, did you notice that I cleaned the place up for you?"

Radiant looked around, and saw that the living room was spotless. 

"Wow, you did a pretty good job." said the stallion. "Shame that I didn't really have a sense of cleanliness the last time I was in here."

"Did you ever think of hiring a housekeeper?" asked Sunset.

"Unfortunately, I don't have much money for that." answered Radiant Dawn. "I've only got enough bits for food, clothing, and stuff like that."

"Maybe when this is all over, we can find someone to help keep this place neat." said Sunset.

"Maybe." said Radiant. "I wonder how the others are doing right now."

"Don't worry." said Sunset. "I'm sure they're fine."

Radiant yawned.

"I love ya, Sunny." he said, bending back.

"I know ya do, Red." Sunset replied.

"It's so great that we're both here...in our old home." Radiant's eyes started to water. "Like we used to..."

He looked out the window, and remembered how he used to go outside and play tag with Sunset, and how his mother would take him outside in the early morning, just to watch the Sun rise in all its divine radiance. His copper eyes shed a lone tear that slid down his left cheekbone. He started to sniffle after a while.

"I'm sorry." he said quietly. "I've just had...so many great memories here."

"I don't know." said Sunset. "There's a lot of memories that just made me hate coming back here."

"I know, our life here wasn't perfect." said Radiant, heavily. "But darn it, we did our best. Those years weren't the happiest, either."

He turned to look at Sunset.

"But they were worth it to be here with you." he told her.

"I...I was happy to be here with you, too." said Sunset. "You're the best brother I could ever ask for."

"Nah...I could've been better." said Radiant, with a soft chuckle. "But there's no replacing a sister like you. I don't care how far you run away from me, or what you do...you'll always be my little sister. And I'll always be with ya..."

"Always?"

"Always."

Radiant yawned.

"Well, I'm gonna take a nap." said Radiant.

"Okay, Red." said Sunset. "If you need me, I'll be right upstairs."





Later on, Sunset was reading through her father's spellbooks, when Radiant suddenly shouted for his sister to come down to him.

"Red, what's the mat-"

"Shh! Sunny, there's something out there." whispered Radiant, pointing towards the window next to the front door. "My leg's still in pretty bad shape, so you'll have to check it out."

Sunset crept up to the window, and peered through the glass. She gasped when she saw it: Long Rim was wandering around the grounds of the mansion.

"I can't believe it." she muttered under her breath. "Oh, boy. This is bad. This is...very bad."

"What's wrong?" asked Radiant, who overheard Sunset.

"Red, do you remember that armored monster that was with those Changelings fifteen years ago?" asked Sunset. "The ones that attacked us, I mean."

"Yeah. What about it?"

"It's prowling around in the garden, as we speak." said Sunset.

"What's it doing?" asked Radiant, visibly alarmed, but attempting to be cautious.

"Nothing really." Sunset said as she inspected the creature's movements. "It's just...pacing around. Either it's bored out of its mind, or it's looking for something."

"Or someone." said Radiant. "You think it likes eating ponies?"

"I don't know." said Sunset. "And I don't wanna find out, either. Let's go upstairs, and get to bed. If we turn the lights off and keep things quiet in here, it won't go looking for us."

"That's a good idea, sis." agreed Radiant Dawn, who then moved his head to telekinetically extinguish the candlelight in the room. "You should close the curtains yourself, Sunset. You can see what that thing's doing out there while you do it."

Sunset Shimmer went back to the window, and saw that Long Rim was now seated in a patch of tall, untamed grass. Its head was moving left and right, looking blankly at its surroundings. Sunset carefully timed her telekinesis, and pulled the curtains shut when the creature's head was turned away from the direction of the mansion. The other curtains followed suit. The two unicorns quickly went upstairs, and retreated to their parents' bedroom.

"It feels so strange being in here." said Sunset, after shutting the door with her telekinesis.

"I know what you mean." said Radiant. "I miss them so much."

"Me, too." said Sunset. "But there's still hope we can find them again."

"Right."

"We know that mom's accounted for." said Sunset. "Of course, we've got only the word of a megalomaniac to go on."

"There wasn't a single lie in Umbriel's words, Sunny." said Radiant, sternly. "I am confident that mom's in his lair right now."

"But what about dad? Whatever happened to him?" asked Sunset.

"No idea." said Radiant. "He could still be out there, sis. He's probably just as worried about us as we are for him and mom."

"I just hope that mom's alive the next time we see her." said Sunset. "If there is a next time, I mean."

"Hey, don't say that." said Radiant, tucking his large body underneath the coverings of the bed. "Mom's a tough mare. She's what made me the good, protective brother I am now!"

"Good night, Red." said Sunset, smiling warmly. "I love you."

"I love you, too." said Radiant. "Good night, Sunny."

The two siblings laid together on the bed for a while, perfectly blissful.

"Oh, Red." Sunset sighed as she lay against her brother. "I've forgotten how warm your body is..."

She leaned further, then caused Radiant to cry out in pain.

"Oops! Sorry, Red."

"It's okay." said Radiant. "Really."

Sunset tried leaning again, but Radiant twitched and yelped.

"Uh...maybe I should go in the other room." said Sunset. "You look like you're in pain right now."

"Okay..."

Then Sunset decided to go to her own bedroom, and slept in there for the remainder of the night.





Meanwhile in Canterlot, Umbriel was sitting in his cell, reading through the book given to him by Princess Luna. Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and Ghost was standing beside his master.

"I have looked all over for you, sir." said Ghost. "Do you have any idea how many rooms in how many cities I've teleported myself in and out of to find you?"

"Were you seen at all?" asked Umbriel.

"Maybe once or twice, but never by anyone important." said Ghost. "Not that it would matter anyway. They're too far from here to do anything about it."

Umbriel chuckled a little.

"A good point, Ghost." he smirked.

"So, are you ready to be teleported back to your lair?" queried Ghost. "You're missing out on a lot in Vanhoover."

"Not yet." declined Lord Umbriel. "I have plans here in Canterlot, and I plan to see them through."

"Are you sure?" asked Ghost. "But you're in the custody of the princesses! They could arrange your execution at any moment! At least let me teleport you out of this cell!"

"No, Ghost! My plan requires me to stay in this cell until the proper circumstances reveal themselves." said Umbriel. "But your arrival is most convenient. I am in need of your services at this time."

"What shall I do, my lord?"

"Take this book." said Umbriel, levitating his book before Ghost's pale face. "Read page one hundred and forty-nine."

Ghost's horn glowed, and the pages flapped to the right until he reached the page in question. Then the white Changeling began to read through it.

"How in Tartarus am I supposed to get the Alicorn Amulet?!" he exclaimed, indignantly. "I don't even know where the blasted thing is!"

"The last known sighting of it is in Ponyville." said Umbriel. "Start your search at the Golden Oaks Library."

"But that's where Princess Twilight Sparkle lives, isn't it?" said Ghost.

"Exactly." said Umbriel, flatly. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Not at all." said Ghost, grinning sinisterly. "This will be exciting."

And then he teleported away. A guard entered the room just after the flash of light faded away.

"Umbriel, what are you doing in here?" he demanded. "You'd better not be stirring up trouble in here!"

"Oh, not at all." said the Changeling lord. "I was just brushing up on my history."

"I see." said the guard. "You'd better keep quiet in here, or you'll be history!"

"Oh, I am so worried." said Umbriel, feigning cowardice. "Please don't do anything nasty to me, kind sir!"

"Well, okay." said the royal guard. "My shift is coming to an end, anyway. You'll hear from my night shift counterpart the next time you act up, and he's even less tolerant than me!"

And then the guard left the room, and sealed the cell door.

"If you think he's intolerant, you'd better hope my sister doesn't catch wind of this." snarked Lord Umbriel, before muttering quietly: "Actually, forget about it. You'll wish my sister was here. What I have planned will be much worse than anything she could ever brush out!"