Unfinished Story Settings with Sunset Shimmer

by SamRose

Unnamed SunLight Story - Prologue

Author's Note:

SILENT PONYVILLE 3 SPOILERS BELOW

With that said, this is the only story in this compilation that doesn't take place in the Equestria Girls universe in anyway, but instead, takes place in the Silent Ponyville universe!

Basically, this story would be a story that takes place after Silent Ponyville 3, and if I was going to write a Silent Ponyville 4 (I am currently not planning to) it would take place in-between the stories, like Too Shy for a Rainbow and the Rainbow's Surprise. And it would, of course, be a shipping story between Twilight and Sunset.

I'm posting part of it in this compilation because while I like the set-up, you guessed it!, I was just sort of meandering with the story having no idea how I was going to fully get the two to connect as lovers, what the over-all conflict of the story would truly be, and getting all the little moments in my head done right were just driving me up a wall and so it's sitting in my WiPs waiting for good ideas to come to me.

I really would like to come back to this one and finish it as a proper story, but I just have to come up with the story for it. Maybe one day.

Prologue

The cold, icy sting of the harsh blizzard stung the side of her face. Her face mask made for poor protection from the elements, but she didn't need it to last long. The blistering winds made her cloak whip and howl in the air behind her, and flakes of snow kept smashing against the goggles around her eyes.

She didn't have long to wait, the attacks had come like clockwork so far, there was no reason to believe this one wouldn't be the case as well.

As if on queue, a howling roar echoed across the frozen plains before her, trumping the winds own noise and shaking the very air around her. The snow and ground beneath her hooves began to tremble and the cold air grew thicker around her. She squinted her eyes and stared into the distance, looking through the thick winds and snow.

While difficult to see, the unmistakable black gaseous smoke began to form on the horizon. It bundled together first, before taking on a relative shape. It drew closer as it's form grew thicker, stronger, forming a head in the cold winter air.

A loud hissing voice and bright glowing green eyes appeared through the smoke and snow, the head of a dark unicorn stallion finally emerging. A voice, as loud as the roar echoed above all other sounds, dripping with antagonistic venom.

“Crystaaaaaaaaals....”

This is what she had been waiting for. Her horn lit up, her magic channeling through her body and into the focal point at the top of her head. A small hole in space opened to her side and a golden handle emerged from the tear in space. Her magic grabbed hold of the handle and pulled hard, a slash cutting through the air before her. A regal black blade hovered in place, the snow passing by it as if the blade repelled the cold.

The raging smoke beast let out a hissing laugh as it drew closer, seeing the black blade but unafraid of it's sharp edge. An incorporeal being had no fear of physical objects, it mow her down and break through the barrier that sat just a few feet behind her.

She would never let it have that chance though. She raised the blade over her head, aiming it straight to the sky and waiting for the creature to draw closer. The monster picked up speed, billowing it's smoke out to it's sides to create a wall of danger to trap it's opponent within. It would capture anyone that stood before it and snuff out it's life, absorbing their magic and become even more powerful.

The stallion's head was mere feet away, the billowing smoke beginning to surround her. The stallion laughed diabolically, his entire essence about to wrap around and consume the mare that dared to stand before him. In that next moment, the light was snuffed out and she was cradled in a cage of darkness.

A sphere of magical energy exploded outward, momentarily dispersing the smoke in random directions and letting the light shine through once more. The sphere of magic crackled and shook, bending and warping the very space around them. The regal black sword stood as the epicenter of the spell, the ground and air around her shook with the very presence of the spell, and soon it's effects were felt.

The snow in the air and the ground had frozen in place for just a moment, before they began rushing towards the center of the spell. The magic sparked from her horn, the strain of such powerful magic affecting her reservoirs. Gravity magic was no simple feat, but the success of her plan hinged on it working.

Her horns were glued to the ground thanks to her magic, but her hair and cloak were being pulled up towards the center of the spell. Snow and smoke began to be consumed, the ethereal magic of the monster swirling towards the sword. He let out a bellowing roar as his form was compressed, every writhe of the shadow smoke was an attempt to escape the suction of the gravity spell that was failing.

One last shriek roared out as the magic smoke filled the regal blade, the gravity spell collapsing into the small space in the same shape as the blade. The combined properties of the sword's natural magic storing capabilities and the raw power of the gravity well spell kept the monstrous stallion sealed within her blade, unable to escape so long as she could maintain her magic.

However, she wouldn't have to hold it for long.

“GIRLS! NOW!” Her voice cried out. It carried through the barrier behind her, where five mares stood ready and on point. Hearing the voice of their friend, they each craned their heads up towards the sky as a necklace on each of their necks began to light up. The hum of magic stirring within the magical artifacts.

A beam of light shot forth from each necklace, connecting the five girls, before firing out through the barrier and striking the sixth member, who wore the connecting piece of the artifacts as a crown on her head. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the magic flowing within her, putting the final part of her plan into motion.

A familiar spell brought itself to her mind, one so powerful it carried a seal just to unleash it's full strength. She knew what she needed to do to unseal it, and she focused her mind on an old memory.

“Ah-hah! I knew I'd find you here!” She looked up from her book, a familiar green dragon walking over to her. “Head buried in a book as usual. You haven't forgotten your promise right?”

A sheepish laugh and a bit of blush in reply. He puts his hands on his hips and let's out a huff.

“We're going to the movies remember? You promised you'd go with all of us! Plus it's my birthday, you can get your nose out of the dusty books long enough to celebrate that right?” The dragon asks with a sassy smile.

Of course she couldn't back out, it was his birthday. She agreed and he broke out in a big smile.

“Awesome! Let's head out then! The movie starts in an hour!” He starts to head out, though she takes a moment to put the books away. He stops and turns, “Come on Twilight, let's go! I'm so excited I don't want to miss a second of it!”

Twilight Sparkle's eyes opened, shining with the pure vibrant white light of her magic combined with her friend's. The seal on the spell broke open and it's power flooded her mind. The sword that contained the smoke beast shook and roared as it tried to escape it's fate, but the power of Twilight's magic combined with the raw power of the element's ensured this was where it would meet it's end.

The regal black sword was surrounded in a coat light, shining bright light a newborn star. Twilight concentrated all of her strength into that light, sliding each piece of the spell into place until it was ready, and it draw forth all of her magical energy as she cried out it's name.

“EXCALIBUR!”

A loud, pained roar of the smoke creature echoed throughout the snowy field as the bright sword engulfed the being trapped within the sword. The magic of the elements was siphoned directly into the spell, and in moment the roar disappeared as the spell shattered every part of the being.

Then, in an explosion of light the spell cascaded outwards, engulfing the entire land in it's divine light. The flash of light faded just as quickly as it came, and the violent and harsh winds began to calm. The blizzard slow to a gentle snow fall, the wind returning to a casual breeze.

The light around the black sword faded, the magic dissipating as it fell from the air and embedded itself into the grassy ground below it. In the small circle of snow where gravity had eaten the snow, Twilight stood panting heavily as the effects of Merlin's spell began to show.

Her theory had been correct though. The Sword of Light spell was intended to drain the user of all it's magic, a literal last resort trump card when all else failed. The more magic directly poured into the spell, the more powerful the results. The end result though, was a unicorn that was left exhausted and powerless. With no mana left in their body, it would only be seconds before exhaustion would consume their consciousness.

However, by using the Elements are a catalyst, she was able to consume their magic for the spell, limit how much of her own magic was drained, and would be able to summon forth a version of the spell that was however powerful as she desired it to be. The elements were a nigh-infinite source of magic, not even Merlin's spell could drain them of that.

The results of this live-test had not only proven successful, it had worked far beyond her expectations.

The violent King Sombra was truly dead. Every last trace of his magical energy had been destroyed with the Sword of Light spell, and the Crystal Empire would be free from his threats.

With a deep breath, she lifted a hoof up and removed the cloth over her mouth and lifted the goggles off her eyes. Her eyes stared up at the calm snowing sky as the realization of what she'd done didn't bring her much comfort.

She had done exactly what was expected of her.

Twilight Sparkle was the savior of Equestria. She had stopped eternal night, she had put an end to chaos, she had stopped the world from being consumed by an eldritch fog, and she had just saved everyone from a tyrannical rule by King Sombra. She knew that she was supposed to be feeling some sense of elation, some sense of joy from it all, that she would be rewarded simply for her good deeds.

And yet she felt none of that joy.

She took a deep breath and let out a slow sigh, before igniting her horn and lifting up the regal black sword once more. A quick scan confirmed that there were no traces of dark energy left, and she pocketed it within her magical reservoir once more.

She sat down on her haunches and smacked her hooves against her cheeks to get some feeling back in them. Then she forced a smile on her face, doing her best to make it look as natural as possible. Even if she wasn't feeling it from the bottom of her heart, she was still going to put on a good face for her friends.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Even with Sombra gone, the curse that plagued the crystal ponies had still lingered in their hearts. However, with the immediate threat of complete and utter destruction avoided, it was easier to focus on the needs of the empire's citizens and looking into how to lift the curse. It hadn't taken very long to find a history book about the empire, with it's magic being fueled by the love of it's citizens. With that in mind, the first Crystal Fair in a thousand years had begun with all of Twilight's friends attending to the festivities.

When they had been informed about the Crystal Heart, a search took place for it and before the sun had set the item in question was found. The citizens were overjoyed with the return of the kingdom's most prized possession and their love quickly filled the kingdom.

As the sun fell, the kingdom of crystals was alight, the bright torches of magic and flames filled the city as the citizens celebrated late into the night. It was a celebration of happiness and joy, at the end of a thousand years of torment and pain, of returning to a home they didn't even know they'd left behind. Everyone was enjoying themselves, singing or dancing, playing music or telling stories, the whole town was alive with glee.

Everyone was happy, everyone except for Twilight Sparkle.

The lavender mare stood at a balcony of the crystal castle, overlooking the brightly lit town as it's citizens danced in the streets. Foals were playing games, adults were joining in, her friends were ensuring the events were going as intended, everything couldn't have been going better. And she was happy about that, truly she was, but she couldn't bring herself to feel happy on the occasion.

“I thought it was weird that I didn't see you down there enjoying the festivities.” Twilight's ears flickered as a voice spoke up from behind her. Turning her head, she saw the regal pink princess approaching her, a gentle smile on her face. “It's not like you to not be enjoying your time with your friends.”

“I just had a lot on my mind I guess.” Twilight shrugged before turning to look back at the kingdom's citizens once more. “Everyone's in such a festive mood, but I'm having a hard time making myself feel festive. I'd rather just watch from a distance than be a wet blanket for everyone.”

“I'm sure they wouldn't see it that way. Even if you weren't at your best, they'd still be happy just to have you around.” Cadance's voice seemed to hum with her words. The princess walked up to the railing and joined Twilight in leaning against it, looking down at the citizens as well. “Everyone in town is grateful for everything you and your friends did for them, you know. You all truly are their saviors.”

“I guess I'm just not feeling it then. I mean, I've saved Equestria for the fourth time, hurray.” Twilight rolled her eyes, turning her head away from Cadance. There was sass in her voice, but Cadance knew it wasn't directed at her. “In a few months I'm probably going to end up saving all of Equestria again as well. It's my destiny to be it's savior right? I'll do what I need to do for the good of everyone I love, but that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it.”

“Hm...” Cadance murmured as she thought over Twilight's words. “Honestly? To me, it doesn't sound like you're being very honest with yourself.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked, turning to Cadance with a raised eyebrow.

“It sounds to me that saving Equestria isn't what's eating away at you. You're the type of mare who would do anything for her friends and family, it's why you were willing to jump head first into danger today to make sure no one got hurt.” Cadance inched her way closer to Twilight, opening a wing and wrapping it around the smaller mare. “No, it sounds like something is clinging to the back of your mind and dragging everything else down. Getting to the root of the problem could very well help you deal with these issues.”

Twilight fidgeted a little under Cadance's embrace. The sensation was warm and comforting, but she wasn't sure if it was what she wanted at the moment. She bit her lip hesitantly as she thought her words over in her mind, before finally letting out a quiet sigh and leaned into her foalsitter's coat. She just leaned against the older mare for a little before finally speaking up.

“It's kind of stupid...” Twilight reluctantly admitted to herself. “Not because the reason I'm this way is stupid... But that I should be doing better by now.”

“How so?” Cadance asked with a seemingly motherly tone.

“It's been months... And it's not like I've avoided the subject or anything. I've been open and honest with my friends about it, but it doesn't exactly help matters. There are still nights where I cry myself to sleep because I don't feel any sense of closure... Where so many small things just remind me of what's missing from my life, that I know it can never be replaced and just...” Twilight's voice hitched as she squeezed her eyes shut. “...I'm always reminded of how much I miss him...”

“Oh Twilight...” Cadance breathed quietly, turning her head to nuzzle her sister-in-law. “You shouldn't rush coming to terms with it if doing so only puts you in a worse place. That's when you need the care and love of your friends the most.”

“I'm getting tired of feeling like I have to though...” Twilight shook her head, letting out a sniff before raising a hoof up to her eyes and rubbing them. “My friends help and they care so deeply, and I am happy when I'm with them. But I always end up back here, always feeling like I can't move on yet, that I'm somehow not allowed to. Spike wouldn't want me to be feeling this way, my friends want me to feel better, but I just... I can't.”

Twilight felt powerless to finally let some of the pent up tears she'd be holding on to out. Even with her friend's support she felt so miserable. She didn't want to be this way, she wanted to go back to being the happy mare she remembered. The one who laughed and could take ridiculous things so seriously, who freaked out over test schedules instead of who she might let get in harms way in the next fight. It felt as if her whole world had come crashing down around her and there was nothing she could ever do to pick up the pieces.

Cadance embraced Twilight in a hug for several minutes, letting Twilight silently sob. Once Twilight's crying had finally started to calm down, Cadance gently began to caress Twilight's head and back with her wing. Twilight remembered the sensation from when she had her panic attacks as a child, and the simple motion was soothing her nerves. She leaned in more against Cadance, feeling a lot of her energy drained.

“Finding your own way to come to terms with the loss of a loved one is different for everyone.” Cadance finally spoke up, a gentle smile on her face. “I never knew my parents, at some point they had left my life and I never really questioned it. After all, I had the love of my two grandparents who raised me like I was their own and I was overjoyed and happy with them as my parents. But, at some point it came time for me to move to Canterlot to begin my Princess training under Princess Celestia. That was how I ended up in Canterlot, and how I ended up foal sitting you.

“While I was doing my training, I only got to see my grandparents a few times a year. They didn't have the strength to make the journey to Canterlot, so I would go see them. I was gone from home for three years, when I got word from town that they had passed away quietly in their sleep one night.” Cadance shook her head, a somber smile on her face. “Of course when I heard the news I was devastated. I rushed back to my home and found out it was true. They had passed away and I hadn't been there to say goodbye.

“They had left me everything in their will, but it honestly wasn't much. A few nicknacks and anything that remained in the house. I ended up giving the house to a nice family in town that needed it, and the nick-knacks are stored in a nice place back at my room in Canterlot. But for a while I was truly devastated by their loss. I didn't know what to do with myself, and there wasn't any amount of consoling in the world that could help me out of my depression.” Cadance eyed Twilight curiously, who was looking up at the Princess with curious, though bloodshot eyes.

“What changed?” Twilight managed to croak out quietly. It was a look Cadance hadn't seen in Twilight since she was a foal, and Cadance felt a hint of nostalgia over it.

“I ended up finding love, Twilight.” Cadance chuckled softly, turning to look up at the night sky. “In my darkest of hours, your brother showed up and helped pick me up. Even when I was rude to him and bit his head off more than a few times, her saw past the hurt mare and helped me to become who I am today. I still miss my grandparents, they meant the world to me. But I found something that could make me happy in a similar way that they used to, and while nothing can replace them, I was able to move on knowing they would look at me and be proud if they saw me today.”

Twilight was quiet for a moment, thinking Cadance's words over before closing her eyes and lowered her head to just rest against the older mare.

“I doubt I'd find someone to fall in love with that easily though.” Twilight murmured quietly, just enjoying the comfort of the moment.

“It doesn't necessarily have to be love though.” Cadance gave Twilight another nuzzle. “I think you just need to find something that can give you that kind of happiness. It could be something with your friends, it could be some kind of project, or it could indeed be finding someone special to love. You're a smart mare Twilight, I'm certain whatever you put your mind to, you'll solve it with ease.”

“I certainly hope you're right Cadance.” Twilight let out a yawn as she began to feel drowsiness begin to come over her. It had been a fairly stressful day and it was getting later, she could turn in for bed soon.

However, she was going to enjoy Cadance's company just a bit longer before she turned in.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The train ride the next day had taken longer than any of them had expected. The next morning had them helping clean up the aftermath of the party, before being seen off by pretty much everyone in the empire. By the time the train had finally taken off to Canterlot it was mid-afternoon, and the train didn't arrive at Canterlot station until just as the sun was setting.

“I can't wait to share these Crystal Empire treats with the Princess!” Pinkie bounced along, the hallway, carrying a take-home box of treats atop her head. “They have such a unique flavor! I bet she's never had anything like it before!”

“Ah reckon that might be true, it hasn't been around for a thousand years after all.” Applejack remarked with a smirk.

“She may have tried it once a long time ago, but I'm certain she'll enjoy tasting them again.” Fluttershy remarked with a smile.

“I just want to give the Princess our report and head to bed.” Twilight let out a sigh as she tried to crack her neck. “It's been a long two days and I'm ready to sleep it off.”

“That makes sense, you really kicked Sombra's butt with that spell of yours.” Rainbow remarked, doing a quick circle overhead as they approached the ornate double doors to Celestia's throne room. The two guards that stood before nodded to the group and the twin doors opened up, leading them down the long red carpet to the throne. Sitting in her usual spot was Princess Celestia, surprised but happy to see the group walking into her chambers.

“Welcome back girls. I take it things went well?” Celestia asked in her usual tone.

“Yes your highness.” Twilight said with a short bow. “When we arrived the Crystal Empire was under attack by King Sombra, his soul was bound to an ethereal smoke that he had conjured. However, we were able to eradicate his presence from the region. Princess Cadance and Prince Shining armor are now attending to the Empire's citizens.”

“And we brought back cake!” Pinkie bounded up to Celestia, holding out the box of treats to the large alicorn.

“Well, that is all good news!” Celestia smiled, grabbing hold of Pinkie's box and opening it up. She eye'd the delectable treats and started to lick her lips, but reminded herself that she was still on official business and gently stashed it to the side of her throne.

“I'll be certain give you a fully detailed report by tomorrow Princess, but for the moment I'd enjoy getting some rest.” Twilight was almost a little too quick to explain.

“Of course, after all you've done you've earned your rest.” Celestia nodded her head, “And you may use the spare rooms in the castle to rest. I look forward to hearing the full report.”

“Thank you Princess. Let's turn in for the night girls.” Twilight turned to her friends, who all nodded in agreement. They turned and began to leave.

“Twilight.” Celestia spoke up, Twilight stopping in her place. She watched as her friends continued to head out, knowing she was going to be left with the Princess. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves, and turned to face her.

“Yes?” Twilight asked a little hesitantly.

Celestia had a bit of a weary but hopeful smile on her face. “I was hoping that tomorrow you could give me your full report in person, rather than on paper. I'd enjoy hearing it straight from you.” Twilight turned her head, wanting to avoid Celestia's eyesight. She bit her bottom lip as she felt the anxiety growing in her heart. She knew what the Princess was trying to do with that request, and she wasn't sure if she was ready to face that.

“...Is that an order Princess?” Twilight tried to sidestep the issue, carefully glancing back at the older mare.

Celestia's face slightly fell, but she never lost that smile of hers. “No, of course not.” Celestia said calmly, closing her eyes. “Report to me however you are comfortable.”

“Then I will, thank you Princess.” Twilight gave another short bow before leaving the hall.

~*~*~*~*~*~

There was only one thought racing through her head as she tumbled through the swirling vortex of magical energy: land on her feet. And to her credit, her advice had worked, for the most part.

She had landed on two of her limbs., however she didn't stay that way. Her front two legs flailed in the air as her internal balance was thrown askew and she ended up tumbling forward, landing with a hard thud as she stared up at the ceiling above her. It wasn't exactly the graceful return she had predicted.

She quickly glanced to her sides and saw that the room she had wound up in was empty and she counted her luck for that. The last thing she needed after that embarrassing stunt was to have enter a fight while flatfooted.

With a twist of her body she quickly rolled over and laid on her stomach. She turned her head and looked over herself once more. Amber coat, red and gold mane and tail, four solid hooves and no clothes to be seen. Yup, she had returned home alright.

“Weird... I thought I'd feel better than this.” She quietly murmured to herself before standing up on four legs. She lifted each leg up individually, flicked her tails and ears, and rolled her neck around. Her movements were a little stiff, but old instincts were very quickly coming back to her. It was just like riding a bike, you never truly forget how to, you just get rusty.

The most important test came next. She closed her eyes and concentrated, an old feeling of magic channeling through her body coming back to her. She concentrated on the rush of magic and remembered structures of spells in her mind. While she hadn't thought about them in a while, memorizing them for so long made them easy to recall. She opened her eyes and looked in front of her, as a small flame quickly began to form.

A simple fireball spell, one of her old specialties, and still as strong as ever. The warm fire burned gently and she could feel the heat against her face. The sight of her old magic brought a smile to her face before she quickly snuffed it out of existence. Her magic was as powerful as ever, it had rusted even less than using her own body had.

That was perfect, it meant she didn't have to wait long to execute her plan.

She examined her room once more, now more comfortable with her situation. She blinked in surprise as she recognized it, it was the same room that she had seen just before she had left. She turned and faced the mirror that acted as the portal to the world she had just left, in the same spot as when she had found it all those years ago.

“Some things never change, huh Princess?” She remarked with a confident smirk, before turning towards the room's door and walked towards it. If she really was still in Canterlot Castle, than that made it all the easier.

Walking up to the door she channeled her magic into her horn, closed her eyes, and pressed it against the surface. A gentle pulse of nearly undetectable magic burst forth from the room acting as a radar. Judging from how dark it was in the room, it was likely night time in the castle, which meant that the royal guard would be patrolling the halls at this time. That schedule worked to her favor, as she needed one at this moment.

The gentle spell pulsed a few times, telling her of all the objects in the room before her prey walked into it's perimeter. A unicorn soldier was walking down, doing a casual sweep, most likely with a light spell cast from his horn. With no one else in immediate view, he would be perfect.

She waited until the guard had walked just passed the door, and started her second spell. A quiet hum swam through the air, up and to the guard's ears. He stopped in place as he flicked his ears to hear better, turning his head from side to side. She continued to use her spell and the guard's body began to lightly wobble, as he lifted a hoof up to his mouth to covered a wide yawn. She pushed the spell just a little harder and the guard soon found himself crawling down to his stomach. He let out another yawn, before his head began to hang and sleep overcame him.

With a smirk she released the spells and quietly opened the doors to her room. She quickly looked left and right, making sure no one else was coming, before grabbing the sleeping guard with her magic and dragging him into the room. Once alone, she looked him over making sure he was indeed still asleep.

“Alright, just got to remember how it went now.” She murmured to herself, the spell had always been complicated and her time away from magic wasn't about to help that. She concentrated on the intricate workings of the spell, feeling it channeling through her horn, before lowering it to the guard's head. With a gentle tap, she felt her magic connect to his consciousness and a flash of light filled her sight.

Several screens began pouring into her vision, images of the guard's life rushing past her at an incomprehensible speed. There was so much information to sort through she needed to give to sift out the useless information.

First she focused on the spell filtering out personal memories of the guard, anything with family or friends were useless information. Next she focused it even down even more, searching for any information pertaining to Celestia, Celestia's Personal Protege, and any powerful magical artifacts that he would know about in his lifetime.

The flower of screens slowed to a small trickle, and now they slowly moved past her vision. The memory scan spell was working like a charm after all these years, she was impressed with herself that she had succeeded at it so well.

Then again, of course she had, she hadn't been personally chosen as Celestia's personal protege for nothing.

She focused on the memories from the last few years, told the spell to cut out anything with Celestia that only involved casual greetings, casual meetings, and anything that had no value, and copied his memories into her own.

With the spell broken, she flung her head back and let out a sharp breath, reeling from basically installing the guard's memories into her own mind. It took a moment for her mind to sort through the memories and put them into the proper place, a process that was a bit more painful than it really should be. However, the moment the spell ended her eyes popped open with the new information.

“So...” The mare glared at the dark ceiling above her, gritting her teeth, “She replaced me that easily huh?”

The image of a lavender mare standing next to Celestia was now burned vividly into her mind. She knew it was a possibility, that while she was gone Celestia would choose another to receive her tutelage. However, seeing the reality of the situation was very different from having thought about it.

She was livid. She had been chosen because she had earned that distinction, she had worked so hard to be better than everyone else, that she had so much more potential and power than them.

And then here was Twilight Sparkle. A mare who just waltzed into the castle, and with a single display of magic, usurped her and took everything away from her while she was away.

“...Hmph...” She snorted, venting her anger through her nostrils before letting a wicked grin grow on her face. “In the end, it doesn't matter.” She said aloud to herself. After all it was true, she had returned to Equestria with the plan of hiding out until she could get her hands on some powerful magic or artifacts and show Celestia that she could be far more powerful than she ever could be.

...Well, it'd be getting her hooves on them now, but the point remained the same.

However, Celestia having a new protege made this all the better. In the guard's memory, Twilight Sparkle was wielding one of the Elements of Harmony, powerful artifacts that were thought to be lost. It seems Twilight had found them and gotten them to work for her. Which meant that Sunset would very easily get the artifact to work for her as well.

Starswirl's writings on the element's had been very clear. The elements were sources of nearly unlimited magic, capable of being controlled and used by those who tied closely to the emotion the element represented. However, if the elements were ever to be taken out of this world, and into an alternate universe, their magic could potentially run wild, quickly tying themselves to the nearest conduit of magic and entrusting all of it's power to them.

The easiest way for her to obtain ultimate power was to take the Element of Harmony and jump back through the portal with it. Then, amass her power there, learn how it works, then come back through and conquer Equestria. It was a solid plan, and all she needed to do was steal Twilight's element.

Fortunately for her, the guard had gotten a good look at it as well. A crown with a star in it, that would likely be with Twilight in the room she slept in at the castle tonight. This really was her lucky night. Not only had hte portal opened up so she could return to Equestria, she knew very well that the fake regalia used to crown the 'Princess' of the Fall Formal looked exactly the same.

Her plan was going to involve a few more jumps back and forth through the portal tonight, but it'd be worth it. She'd replace the real crown with the fake one, amass her power, and conquer Equestria just like she'd dreamed of for so long.

“I'm coming for you Twilight Sparkle, I hope you're ready to see what a true protege can do.” The mare chuckle quietly. With a quick turn of her head, the mare once more jumped through the portal.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The hallways of Canterlot Castle were either a lot quieter than she remembered, or she'd always caused such a commotion that they couldn't help but be boisterous. Either way, sneaking around the castle was proving a little more difficult than she had predicted. While she still remembered the layout perfectly, the guards seemed to be perfectly spaced out, making it hard to maneuver at just the right time to not be noticed or heard.

She had grabbed an old window curtain and quickly reworked it into a robe to help conceal her presence further, reducing her noise and visibility dramatically. So far it had been doing it's job wonderfully.

Not to mention it just felt a bit wrong to not be wearing something after years of being forced to wear clothes. Even if ponies didn't normally wear clothes.

She watched as another guard rounded a corner and she dashed across the hall, closer to her target. Looking around the corner, she could see the door of her target. Looking back and forth, it seems she had caught a break, the last guard was out of sight and no one was taking his place. That meant she had a straight shot to the room.

Taking her chance, she raced for the door and came to a quick stop in front of it. With one last look around, she raised her hoof and gently pushed the door open. It opened without resistant, only letting only a quiet creak, quieter than she had expected. Stepping into the room she quickly scanned it, spotting the usual furnishings of a Canterlot Castle guest room.

Under the covers of the bed was a lump of lavender and purple that was unmistakably Twilight Sparkle. From the memories she had gathered, she had returned to the castle with the Element of Harmony, that meant she likely still had it with her in this room. Her horn lit up and she let out another very gentle wave of magic to quickly sweep the room.

Almost instantly, her magic pinged back with a positive result. The item she was seeking was currently stashed away in the bedside table. She had to blink at that. Twilight Sparkle had really kept one of the most powerful and potentially dangerous weapons in Equestrian history in a bedside drawer? The arrogance of that was even beyond her, but she wouldn't know for certain until she saw it for herself.

With quiet steps, she made her way over to the drawer and eyed it suspiciously. Igniting her magic, she grabbed hold of the drawer and carefully slid it open to not make a sound.

Clear as day, sitting within the drawer was Twilight's Element of Harmony. She did everything in her power to not make a sound about that and simply lifted it up and out of the drawer. If Twilight was going to make it this easy, she wasn't deserving of the item in the first place. She lifted the fake crown out of the saddlebags she had brought along and gently placed it into the drawer. With the same careful touch, she closed the drawer.

Looking up at Twilight's sleeping form, the mare was still sound asleep, the bed slowly rising and falling in time with her movements. She couldn't help but smirk at how easy this was. All that was left was to leave and pass through the portal. She turned to leave, heading towards the door she had come through before stopping in place.

Standing in front of the door was a lavender mare with a purple mane, looking tired, annoyed, and rather ticked off from having her sleep interrupted.

“I have to admit, this one is a new one. Stealing my Element of Harmony from right under my nose? That has to either be the gutsiest thing I've ever seen, or the dumbest.” Twilight glared at the cloaked mare in her room.

“Wha- But how-!?” The mare asked confused, looking back at the bed and seeing the still sleeping form on the bed before looking back at Twilight.

“Simple body double spell. You triggered my alarm spell the moment you entered my room and I set it up immediately. Or did you really think I was going to leave my room unguarded?” Twilight raised an eyebrow accusingly.

“Heh, well then, for a minute there I thought this wasn't going to be fun.” The mare smirked broadly, lighting her horn up. Her intent was to teleport out of the room and start making her way down the hallway back to the mirror room.

What happened next was not what she intended though. Instead of teleporting away, her body suddenly quintupled in weight and every muscle in her body was struggling to stay upright. Her eyes widened as she grit her teeth, trying to keep herself on her hooves and focusing on her magic, but the weight of the gravity spell was interrupting her every thought.

She struggled to lift her head up, to lock eyes with Twilight and stare her opponent down. Instead, all she saw were the cold eyes of a mare who didn't care that she might end up hurting her. Defeating her was the only thing she could see in Twilight's eyes, without any sign of mercy left.

She couldn't help but laugh at that. She wanted to have fun with her opponent, to revel in how much of a superior student she was, and yet within seconds she had been immobilized with such an intense, high level spell. She let the gravity spell push her to the ground, falling down to lay down on her stomach and grunt.

Twilight's next spell was far more simple. With her rendered immobile by the gravity spell, she couldn't resist Twilight's chaining spell. The lavender magic wrapped around her hooves and horn, and solidified into solid bindings, restricting her magic and movement drastically. With her properly locked up, the gravity spell was dispersed and she could breath normally again.

“Now tell me, who are you and what did you want with my Element of Harmony?” Twilight stomped her foot on the ground, glaring down at the captured mare. The mare could only let out another laugh at that, finding the whole situation so insanely absurd.

“It should be obvious what I wanted your element for after I tell you who I am.” She flicked her head back, letting the hood that had been covering her head fall back so Twilight could see her fully. “My name is Sunset Shimmer, and I am Princess Celestia's former personal protege.”