The Quickverse Chronicles

by Quick Fix

The Smallest Things (Sunset Shimmer)

Author's Note:

Part 7 of the Sunset arc and the final part within the chronicles. <Previous/Next>

As things stand, this is it for the chronicles. It's been a great writing exercise for me and world building for you guys, so I'm happy with how this all turned out. Thanks for reading everyone!

North-east Equestria
October 15th, Year 23 under the Four Princesses

---

She'd dedicated her entire life to proving herself to Princess Celestia. Trying to do her best for her mentor, for herself, and for Equestria.

How had it come to this?

Sunset Shimmer curled up a little tighter as she tried to keep some semblance of warmth in her body. A quick once over with her magic had sluiced the worst of the wetness from her coat but it didn't make her any more comfortable. All she could hear was the thundering of torrential rain as it smacked against the leaves above, a stream of droplets rushing to the ground just inches away. The only reason she wasn't still out in the storm was because she'd chanced across a hollowed tree to bunker down in, but that still left her cold, tired, hungry and with nothing in her possession but a useless pendant.

This had been her life for months now, moving across the deserted regions of Equestria, never staying anywhere she might risk encountering another pony. Right now she was in a strip of woodland that ran between Equestria's north-east coast and the Patchwalk Mountains beyond it. For a pony that had spent her foalhood days in Canterlot the change had been something of a shock, but it also brought her thoughts into clarity. She understood exactly why she had been put into this situation.

Because she, Sunset Shimmer, was an impulsive, overambitious fool.

It had been a little over three years since she had made the decision that ruined her life. A calculated yet desperate attempt to prove she could handle a threat better than even Princess Twilight could and earn her place back as Princess Celestia's protégé. The two years of hiding in the desert with a dangerous and certifiably insane unicorn had almost been bearable as she kept deluding herself that it would be worth it in the end, when she unravelled the setup she had so carefully established and brought Starlight Glimmer back to Canterlot as her prisoner. She had kept avoiding the obvious flaws, that breaking Starlight out had almost certainly not gone unnoticed and she was probably the most wanted pony in Equestria at this point.

And that was before her attempted coup had fallen apart.

Sure, she had won the resulting fight and brought Starlight down, but accidentally blasting Apple Bloom at the same time had undone all the rhetoric she had built up in her mind. How many would believe she was doing this to protect other ponies after that? She had fled in a panic rather than try her luck against the wrath of Pinkie Pie at the time, deciding to keep to herself until she could come up with another plan to get back in Celestia's good graces. All she had gotten instead was seven months of living like this, scraping by on a day-to-day basis, avoiding the dangers that still lingered in the wilds of Equestria. It was almost a mercy she had taken the pendant from the castle vault back when all this began, otherwise there would be nothing she could say she had to her name anymore.

Even as she ruminated on how far she had fallen, Sunset was suddenly flash-blinded by a lightning bolt that struck a nearby tree. She growled in frustration and pain, rubbing her eyes while her ears were filled with intense thunder overhead. Even though her vision was still largely white she knew she had to move back into the rain rather than risk being caught under another tree being struck. She carefully extracted herself from the hollow and headed toward the shoreline, keeping herself low and making sure her mane covered the chain wrapped around her neck.

As further lightning strikes rained down on the area and the torrential rain reached a new height, she cleared the trees and stared making her way down an incline that lead toward the water. She had seen cliffs in this direction before the weather had started to limit her vision, hopefully there was a cave to bunker down in. She was soaked to the skin in seconds though and with her mind focused on her destination rather than her footing, her hoof caught a mud patch and went out from under her. Sunset barely had time to register her front left fetlock twisting before she was on her side and skidding through the mud, coming to rest at the foot of the incline, the edge of the tide lapping at her body.

She couldn't bring herself to try and get up, even with rain now hammering down on her, weighed down by mud caking her coat and faint pain emanating from her eyes and leg. The fight was gone. There wasn't any point in so much as keeping moving. Even if she did find shelter it was impossible for her to see her life improving like. What else was there to do though? Her only other option at this point was trying to get to a town and surrendering herself to any guards or military personnel there. Maybe even straight to Canterlot to plead her case to Celestia personally...If nothing else, that would at least have a chance of her getting real food and medical attention.

Why hadn't she allowed herself to try this before? Determination? Pride? Fear that she would be an exception to the princess' tolerant punishments? The more she thought about it, the more she realised the answer didn't matter as much as the fact she had finally accepted an alternate option.

With a plan and faint hope coming back to her, Sunset forced herself back onto to her hooves, grunting as she gingerly tried her twisted leg. Although it was still fit to walk on, it seemed to have been a breaking point for something else. Not all the water in her eyes was from the rain now. As rough as she was feeling though, it wasn't enough to distract her focus from where she wanted to go. Her magic aura flared to life around her horn and in an aqua flash she teleported away. In an instant the world shifted from a desolate stormy coast to the heart of civilisation with only light cloud and a faint wind in the air. Sunset didn't even need to look to know she had brought herself straight to the gates of Canterlot Castle. She was home home.

Then her condition caught up to her again, leaving her stumbling slightly, legs shaking as she fought to stay upright through the weakness. Her sodden mane dropped over her eyes and her ears were ringing from the sudden influx of noise. Background city life was far louder than she remembered. Multiple voices calling, many moving toward her and only making it worse. The clanking of armour and weaponry. Of course, she should have expected her sudden arrival to put every guard in the city on high alert. By the time she managed to raise her head again, the sight of a dozen royal guards was there to greet her, all wielding speared aimed for her head and horn. It was an easy assumption that the same number again was behind her and quite possibly even more in the air.

"Sunset Shimmer..."

Even after all these years, Sunset recognised Bomber's voice. She raised her head further to see the pegasus stallion moving forward slightly among the guards facing her. She could also tell from his tone that he was struggling to maintain his professionalism in the face of actually seeing her again. No point in making things any more difficult.

"I know..." She said quietly, lowering her head again. "...I surrender."

The guards hesitated and looked among themselves for several seconds at her words, unsure if they should actually believe it. When Sunset didn't move at all though, they started to move in cautiously. She felt a trio of them place their spearheads along her horn to limit any magic use while another two held theirs on the back of her neck. Judging by the noise behind her at least half a dozen more ponies were moving directly behind her with their weapons trained on her back. They were taking no chances.

"Alright, she's secure," Bomber told the other guards. "Bring her through to the throne room, no further restraints though."

"Captain, are you sure that's wise?" One of the other guards asked cautiously.

"Princess Celestia's orders. If Sunset Shimmer returned without putting up resistance, we bring her before the princess without subjecting her to unnecessary detainment measures. Besides...She looks like she's been through enough already."

Sunset would have nodded if she didn't think most of the guards would have attacked her for it.

The walk into the castle was a slow one as her walk was limited by the feeling coming back into her bad leg. Even through all this, Sunset couldn't help but feel a little bad for tracking rain and mud through the spotless hallways. That thought allowed her to smile a little though, a reminder that she really was back and technically being allowed to walk through the castle at her own pace. The fact Princess Celestia had also made plans specifically for her return was another ray of hope, a chance that she would be allowed to try and explain why she had done what she did. And why she had been wrong to do so.

As she was escorted through the doors of the throne room she tilted her head slightly to get some of her mane out of her eyes and took in the spectacle. It looked like nothing had changed since she had last stood here with the same décor, the historical stained glass windows and the twin thrones at the far end of the room. Both Celestia and Luna were present, a point that surprised Sunset slightly. Maybe whatever discussion she was inadvertently interruption involved military affairs if the princess of the night was present. Then she saw the figure they had been talking to and her heart sank. Cipher. She quickly lowered her head again as she saw him turning to see what was happening. The princesses, she thought she could deal with even with the building shame in her heart. Having to try and explain herself to her father, now that shame was becoming overwhelming.

"Sunny...?" Cipher said warily at the sight of her. Sunset kept her head down, hearing him quickly trotting up to her. "Captain, what happened here?"

"She teleported to the castle gates in this state, sir," Bomber explained. "Per the princesses' directive we brought her here at once."

"Alright, you and your team remain on station at the doors. All other squads, back to your posts."

"As you wish, Colonel."

As the guards moved their spears away and filed out so only the eight ponies with Bomber remained, Sunset kept her head down, still not trusting one of the jumpier guards to overreact. Then she felt a gently hoof against her chin, lifting her head before brushing the rest of her mane out of her eyes. She blinked and focused again, seeing her father's crimson eyes taking her in. Eyes that radiated relief and were starting to tear up like her own.

"Twenty months..." He said softly, holding his hoof on her cheek. "I never stopped worrying about you that whole time and when we found no trace of you at Starlight Glimmer's compound...What have you been doing to yourself sweetie?"

"Making a lot of bad decisions," Sunset admitted as she brought her hoof up to his, simply enjoying this brief moment of both sides being glad to see the other again. "It just wasn't worth lying to myself about them anymore."

"I'm glad to hear it." Celestia said as she and Luna approached, Cipher stepping to the side for them.

Sunset looked up at the duarchs and despite how neither of them looked angry at her, their sheer influence had all the strength of will she had saved up skittering away into nothingness. She suddenly felt incredibly weary, the mud in her coat weighing her down, her bad leg starting to flare up again under her. She was able to move with the pain though, making it look like she was simply bowing to the princesses instead.

"Princess Celestia...I-I..." She panted, taking a second to try and compose herself again. There were so many things she wanted to say but only the most important actually came out. "I'm sorry."

"It is as much my fault," Celestia replied calmly as her horn glowed gently. "I repeatedly underestimated your determination and resourcefulness. While I can't say the results were harmless, the worst has been dealt with. Almost everypony you took in has been able to return home and Starlight Glimmer is willingly getting the help she needs."

As she was speaking, Sunset felt her whole body briefly glow the same comforting yellow as Celestia's magic. A moment later, a weight was lifted off her as all the mud and water stuck to her was lifted off and teleported away. While she still looked and felt a complete mess, the meaning of the gesture was not lost. Celestia still cared about her.

"While there is much to discuss on the matter, it can be discussed later," Luna added, stepping a little closer. "We have a far more pressing concern."

Sunset paused mid-nod. What could be more serious than her faux-cult and deliberating putting dozens of ponies in danger to engineer the defeat of one?

"The night you left, you took several items from a vault within the castle," Celestia explained, looking more serious now. "A pendant with an abnormally long chain was among them. This is very important, Sunset. Do you still have it?"

The pendant? What was so special about that? Nothing had stood out on the lonely nights she had spent studying it in closer detail. Then again, it was likely the princesses knew something she didn't. Sunset pushed herself back up to her hooves and took her mane in her magic, lifting it back and out the way. The pendant sat innocently against her chest, the chain wrapped once around her neck to keep it in place. Celestia breathed a small sigh of relief and leaned in to examine it while Luna stared at it with a sudden intensity.

"I don't even know why I took it," Sunset admitted. "I just saw it next to Starlight's cutie mark and...I don't know, I just felt like I needed to bring it with me."

"Worrying..." Celestia said as she took in the pendant fully before straightening up again. "But at least it's here. The risk this relic poses is beyond your understanding at present. I promise to explain once it is securely away again."

"I should have known. Do you think it messed with my mind to...You know what, I'd rather not know." Sunset mused as she quickly started to unwrap the chain with her magic.

"Wait."

Both Celestia and Sunset paused at the voice. It sounded like Luna but, off, somehow. Sunset looked over to the princess of the night and froze in surprise. Luna's stare had only grown more intense and her pupils had narrowed to near slits. Celestia saw it a moment later and gave a shocked gasp.

"Luna, no!" She cried, immediately placing herself between the two of them, forcing Sunset to take several steps back just to avoid being stepped on.

"Sorry, Vaeac," Luna said with a dry chuckle, her voice still carrying that smooth, dark tone.

'Vaeac? Who's-'

Sunset didn't have time to finish the thought as Luna teleported past Celestia and levelled her horn at the pendant. The princess's eyes went pure white and two streaks of her magic shot out, one connecting with the pendant, the other with Sunset's horn. Her mind suddenly felt like it was on fire, a surge of energy engulfing her. She screamed and tried to back away, the pain in her leg feeling like it was spreading through every cell in her body. No amount of attempts to flee, or throwing her head around, could break the tendrils of magic connections them though. She was vaguely aware of other sounds beyond her, Luna's screams mixing with her own, guards calling for backup...And a voice in the back of her mind, it's presence a sudden patch of calm in the agony she was enduring.

"They want to kill you for this. You have to use your power, fight back or you will die!"

That voice was a focus in the storm that her mind had become. It was all she could think to do. Then the magic link broke and Sunset's horn flared to life, her aqua magic tinged with sparks of black and dark blue as she fired blindly. A concentrated beam that tore into masonry and glass, showing the throne room with debris. Voices from the doors behind made her swing round and fire both rapid bolts and strong beams, fresh screams punctuating the air as her magic swept the area.

"Well done, defect. Now Just relax, let me handle the rest."

Sunset still couldn't think straight, could barely feel anything. The parts of her mind that weren't ablaze were engulfed in a cacophony of mixed pain, like ice creeping over the burns. The voice was still all she could focus on, all she could do. With a strained scream her magic attacks ceased and she put all the focus she had into teleporting. Anywhere, just not here.

---

Celestia dropped the shield she had thrown up the instant the beams of magic had started flying, but she could only start to move forward before Sunset teleported away. Everything was a haze to her, hardly able to even comprehend what had just happened. Her stupor was shattered by the calls of further royal guards arriving on the scene, shouts coming from next to her.

"Get medics in here now!" Cipher ordered as he stepped toward the incoming guards, cut on the right shoulder by broken glass but otherwise unhurt. "Somepony contact EDF command, scramble every available Recon Corps member to track down Sunset Shimmer and prep Task Force Harmony for immediate deployment! GO!!"

Celestia silently took in the devastation before her, waiting only until the Colonel had started to leave before turning to her sister.

Her heart stopped at the sight, knowing full well what it meant.

Princess Luna was stood stock still. Her mane flat, her eyes unfocused, her mouth held agape in a silent cry. Her coat colour fading from it's natural blue hue to a lighter, grayer tone even as Celestia watched. Then her body tension vanished and she collapsed into her sister's arms, unmoving. Her breathing was shallow and though her heartbeat could still be felt it was weakening.

Celestia held her close as she carried her back to the relative safety of the thrones, placing the tip of her horn against the base of Luna's and channelling a gentle flow of her magic over to her sister. Her eyes glanced back to the entrance where medical ponies were now treating the casualties among the guards, several rushing her way. She waved them away, knowing none of them could hope to save her sister. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the pendant lying where Sunset had stood, left behind in the chaos. A small thing that nopony paid any heed to right now. A small thing that may have ended the world as they knew it. For now, she closed her eyes and set her will into her magic, a simple plea echoing in her mind.

'Live, Luna. Please live.'

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Is this the first story in the Quickverse?

[Quick Fix]

9120526 This individual story is the second to last, for now at least. The Chronicles as a whole are technically the first story, though the first main story is Rising Above.