//------------------------------//
// Reflecting on Family History, Part 1 
// Story: Sunset Rekindled 
// by EldritchNexus 
//------------------------------//

Sunset Shimmer and the others were all led to a parlor where they could recuperate from their long trek through the desert. While they were there, Crimson Blade decided to talk to his grandchildren.

"So, how come we never met you until just a couple days ago?" Radiant asked, curiously.

"Because there was a misunderstanding, and I was led to believe that you two, along with your parents, were killed by the Changelings that attacked your home." said Crimson Blade, solemnly. "I was so distraught when I found out about this that I wanted to have revenge on their whole species. But when I approached Princess Celestia in Canterlot about this, she refused to allow me to lead a squad of royal guards to hunt them down. Then I..."

He paused uncomfortably.

"Spoke out against her, and she tried to send me away from Canterlot Castle." said Crimson. "But then I lost my temper and assaulted the two guards that were ordered to escort me out, and injured them along with four others that were sent to arrest me for attacking the first two. It took half the castle's garrison to finally restrain me. I wound up serving eight years in the very guard station I once commanded."

"Wow." said Radiant. "Sounds pretty intense, gramps."

"But when did you join the Neo-Templars?" Sunset inquired. "And for that matter, why?"

"Because between the apparent loss of my only daughter and her husband and children, and being incarcerated for such a long time, I had completely lost faith in Princess Celestia." said Crimson. "So after I was released from prison, the first thing I did was seek out the templars, since I believed they were the only ones that could truly understand my situation. I started over from scratch, rising through the ranks like any other soldier in any other army. Eventually, I was assigned to the Auxiliary division of the templars, which took over the ruins of Fort Echidna and came to be commanded by Zanzibar Firewing, who was one of my superior officers when I was still a royal guard."

"Really, how did working with those maniacs seem like a good idea?" asked Sunset,

"Well, the templars aren't all like the ones that you and your friends and family encountered at the fort." said Crimson. "In fact, the majority of them are remarkably civilized and well-disciplined, especially for a group that's vowed to remain independent of Equestria's alicorn-ruled society. They are, however, even more dangerous and competent than the chaotic and criminally insane Auxiliaries."

"But don't you know where the Neo-Templars have their strongholds?" asked Sunset. "I mean, besides Fort Echidna?"

"Not too many, but I do know they aren't just a military force." said Crimson. "They are actually led by a politically-oriented civilian hierarchy called 'the Neo-Ministry for Equine Divergence', or 'NOMED' for short."

"Huh, when you spell that backwards..." said Sunset.

"Yes, I'm aware of it." said Crimson. "But the NOMED acronym is rarely used amongst our members. We mostly prefer to simply call it 'The Ministry'."

"So who's in charge of this...Neo-Ministry?" asked Sunset.

"I don't know for sure." said Crimson. "But I know its hierarchy is commanded by a Prime Minister, who is effectively the commander-in-chief of all Neo-Templars, military and civilian. Then there are five lesser Ministers, who are pretty much fit the role of mayor or governor of a templar-controlled region. There are also three council members attached to each of the lesser ministers, and play the same role to the Ministers as the Ministers play for the Prime Minister, but on a smaller scale. The Auxiliary divisions, however, aren't commanded by any of the political leaders, but to military officers that answer to the council members. Zanzibar Firewing answered to some Councilwoman in Dodge Junction before she was elected Minister of that area."

"Councilwoman?" repeated Sunset. "Don't you mean Councilmare?"

"Well, as you and Radiant no doubt saw, we--I mean, they--employ more than just ponyfolk into their ranks." said Crimson. "Along the lines, someone in the Ministry decided to make the ranks seem more politically-correct when we started electing non-equines as politicians."

"Wait, did you say Dodge Junction?" asked Radiant. "That town's run by the templars?"

"Yes." said Crimson. "I've never been there myself, but they're apparently the only templar-controlled settlement in all of Equestria willing to conduct any kind of business with the princesses' citizens. But because of this, they have to scrounge up their own supplies and material since the other templars won't send any of their own to them. They don't even have much in terms of weapons and armor, so they'd had to go on without either, except in cases of emergency. This did, however, make it easier for them to conceal the fact that they're templar citizens."

"And Princess Celestia's okay with all this?" asked Radiant.

"Well, the citizens of Dodge Junction are certainly very friends with Celestia's subjects, and even let them have jobs and own homes there." said Crimson. "In fact, I heard that some find it hard to tell the citizens that are templars apart from the ones that are Royalists--which is what templars call the alicorns' subjects and other loyalists."

Crimson sighed.

"But...but I'd rather not say anything more about the templars." said Crimson.

"It's okay, grandpa." said Sunset.

"So why don't you tell us about something else?" asked Radiant Dawn. "Maybe what our mom was like when she was younger."

Crimson sighed happily.

"She started out innocently enough." said Crimson. "She was a very shy but very adorable filly that blossomed into a strong, beautiful mare. In fact, she took more after me than I ever could've imagined."

Scarlet Blaze approached them.

"My father wanted me to be a priestess at the Grand Synagogue of Baltimare." she said to her children, joining in on the conversation. "In fact, I was training to become one when I met the stallion that would be my husband."

Golden Sun joined them.

"Excuse me, if I may..." he said politely. "But apparently Scarlet here was apparently more interested in becoming a royal guard than a priestess."

"I was going to get to that, dear." Scarlet said to her husband.

"Sorry, sweetie." said Golden Sun. "Please continue."

"Yes, but I didn't just resign like that." said Scarlet. "Let's say I decided to have a little fun with it."





TWENTY-FOUR YEARS AGO...

Golden Sun and Scarlet Blaze stood together at the Grand Synagogue's main altar. Golden Sun was wearing a bluish-black suit while Scarlet Blaze was wearing the green-and-gold hooded dress-robes traditionally worn by the priestesses of the synagogue. The doors swung open and the rabbi stomped in angrily.

"What do you think you're doing, Sister Scarlet?!" he growled.

"Getting married, you old windbag!" Scarlet said. "I'm madly in love with this stallion, and I'm not going to make him mine!"

"Priestesses can't be married, Scarlet!" said the rabbi.

"No, but priestesses can marry a couple." said Golden Sun. "It just happens that Scarlet is both the priestess and the bride."

Scarlet looked down at him.

"What do you say, professor?" she said, slyly.

"Actually, Scarlet..." Golden Sun stammered. "This is actually a very bad mistake that I'm gonna regret--."

"Regret this, honey."

Scarlet hastily bent her cowled head down and licked Golden Sun's lips. Golden Sun licked Scarlet's own lips, and their tongues locked together, slipping into each other's mouths. As blasphemous as the context seemed, it seemed like nothing short of bliss to the newly-wed couple. As soon as they stopped, the rabbi scoffed.

"There." said Scarlet, with a deranged stare in her eyes. "Now you're all mine, you wonderful little pony."

She seized Golden Sun by the torso, stood upright, and she smashed a nearby bottle laying on the floor with her hoof. Golden Sun pretended that he was trying to squirm away.

"That's enough, Scarlet!" the rabbi shouted. "It's bad enough that you forced this stallion to marry you, but now you're making a mockery of the ritual. Release him and get out of here, before I call the guards!"

"Scarlet, please." said Golden Sun. "Would you just cool it? We're married now, that's all that matters. Don't make yourself a criminal!"

"As far as I'm concerned, dear: You're only a criminal if you get caught." said Scarlet. "Now come along, so we can leave."

Scarlet's horn glowed, and Golden Sun found himself being levitated on the back of his wife. He found himself clinging to Scarlet's neck as the tall mare galloped down the aisle and jumped clear over the rabbi, and shattered the glass front doors as she sped through them.

"You know, your father's going to be very angry when he finds out about this." Golden Sun panted as he climbed off, as soon as Scarlet stopped at Baltimare's train depot.

"I know, isn't it great?" Scarlet laughed, as she dropped her hood back and let her flame-red mane blow in the wind. "I don't plan on sticking around this place, anyway. I wanna go live with you now, husband. At your place in Vanhoover."

"Um...okay." said Golden Sun. "But...I've still got a job here! I'm a professor, after all!"

"Well, bring me to your home and come back here." said Scarlet.

"Ah...okay, Scarlet." said Golden Sun. "But I'd appreciate it if you kept a cool head from now on. Perhaps you could stay at my home near Vanhoover."

Scarlet rolled her eyes like a bored adolescent.

"I'll just tell everypony that I was accosted by a...gorgeous rogue."

Scarlet started to laugh.

"A gorgeous rogue whose wiles were no match for the cleverness of Professor Sun." she said, airily.

Scarlet batted her eyes, as she reared her hood over her head once more, hiding her red mane from view.

"You silly little stallion." Scarlet nuzzled against him. "Are you sure you don't just wanna get rid of me?"

Scarlet's was beginning to bend over him, in such a way that his muzzle would be covered by the flaps of Scarlet's cowl.

"Please." said Golden Sun, quickly. "I'm worried about you, and about our child..."

"Oh, don't worry." said Scarlet. "The little tyke's not even born yet. But I guess I could take it easy...until it's out of my system."

She put a hoof to her belly, which was slightly bulging and pulsating underneath her outfit.

"Golden Sun, you may be a smart stallion, but not even you could understand how lucky you are to have me for a wife." said Scarlet, her lips tucked into a grin. "And you're worth everything that's happened."





PRESENT DAY...

"And just eight months later, Radiant Dawn was born." Scarlet finished her story, turning to her son. "Yeah, I was actually close to two months pregnant with you when I married your father. So what that old windbag said about my children not being born with that Blessing or whatever really didn't mean a thing."

Sunset Shimmer, Radiant Dawn, and Crimson Blade all looked at Scarlet with shocked expressions on their faces. totally lost for words.