Gold Vine silently fumed in her study as the previous nights events ran through her head. It was a simple task. Gather intel on her target's life and habits then use it to find the perfect time to strike. Granted, this was adjusted from the usual tactic of eliminating them in a mostly public setting due to outside interference constantly getting in the way. As such, the kill would need to be done in the mare's own bed. A matter that should've made the kill as typical as could be in her line of work. At least, it would've if the filthy cloud trotter had seen fit to live in the slums of the city's lower districts like she was meant to be. The fact that she lived in the same building as Princess Celestia filled her veins with hot lead every time it came to mind. One of many factors she attributed to her failure last night. That, and incredibly bad luck.
***
The room was pitch-black as Gold Vine crawled across its vaulted ceiling, a minor gravity spell doing a bulk of the work her clawed hoof-covers couldn't. Casting a glance at the ground, the source of her ire slept completely unaware of her imminent demise. Gold Vine's rage spiked at the injustice of it all. The fact that such an inferior pony got to live in the lap of luxury was a crime against nature. And criminals needed to be punished. Her horn glowed a faint orange light as she delicately weaved her magic into a metal tether to the ceiling as she lowered herself to the ground. She hit the ground a little harder then she intended, but pushed the minor slip to the back of her mind as she closed in on her prey.
Pure hate flowed through her veins as she stared at the sleeping Pegasus, a poison-tipped dagger pulled out of its scabbard at her hip with her magic. A maniacal grin formed on her lips as she took a moment to marvel at the killing tool. Solid mithril with a fine coat of Basilisk and Manticore venom, nothing could survive a direct strike from it as it's lethal payload dripped onto the floor. As she stood over her target, her rage mixed with her self-righteousness into a euphoric venom of its own as she aimed the blade at the Pegasus' neck. She was death itself. A reaper coming for the soul of one who wronged her just by merely existing. Never before had a potential kill filled her with so much joy.
Before she could deliver the killing blow, the room was flooded with light as a door opened. She turned and locked eyes with the one pony she hadn't expected to see so soon; the Pegasus' misguided lover. She stared at Gold Vine in shock for a second before righteous fury took its place. She quickly tried to plunge the dagger into her prey's throat, only to find her weapon caught in the other Unicorn's magical grip. In less then a blink, the weapon was crushed to literal oblivion. Only the tiniest trace of matter that Gold could feel in her magic told her the fate of the dagger as she leapt away from her target. As she did, a narrow beam of light-blue magic sliced the air in front of her and carved a deep gash into the wall opposite the enraged Unicorn. As she landed, part of her face covering fell away, revealing her face to the other mare. The mare's anger spiked and as her magic flowed through her horn like a azure fountain of flames, the room's temperature rose to that of a sauna. Sensing the danger, Gold threw herself out the nearest open window and teleported away to a nearby safe-house. As she sat there in the dark, panting in fear, she felt what it was like to be hunted. She knew what it was like to be prey.
***
A furious shriek blasted past her lips as she slammed her hoof through a display case on one end of her study. The pain and trails of blood that crept along her foreleg meant nothing to her as red-hot rage surged in her soul.
Afraid? I was Afraid!? HORSEFEATHERS! I am the Flower of Death! The Iron Reaper! The Vine That Hangs! Death is my servant and eternal lover! I! Fear! NOTHING!!! Least of all the horse of a cloud trotter living beyond her station!
Slowly, her snarl turned into a twisted grin as madness started to replace her rage, a manic stream of giggles filling the room as it grew.
She will come for me, she thought as wailing laughter flooded the room. Let her! I'll kill her too! I'll kill them all! Everypony who dares stand against the noble Vine Family shall be given the gift of death!
A yelp of pain mingled with her manic laughter as she tore her hoof free from the shattered glass, splattering blood across her expensive lavender carpet. She didn't care about that. All that mattered were her plans for her targets, each running through her muddled mind in more gruesome designs by the second. Never before had a kill been more personal to her or filled her with such pleasure upon conception.
Suddenly, a titanic surge of magic filled the air around her, snapping her far enough out of her mania to kill her laughter and bring a confused frown to her muzzle. The room seemed to twist and warp around her as she took in her surroundings, giving her a sense of vertigo as even the plush carpet beneath her hooves melted into the ground and turned into cold stone. In a mass of swirling color, the walls and decorations blurred out of existence. A landscape of formless color took their place over a land of solid rock that continued for eternity in every direction. As she looked up, she was greeted not by her ceiling, but a pitch-black sky with a massive obsidian-colored moon surrounded by the shine of an eclipsed sun as well as an intersecting pair of rings made of crystals and scrolls. Five furious surges of magic surrounded her and tore her attention away from the astronomical anomaly. Four Alicorns and one Dreconequis surrounded her, each taking a point around her in a manor similar to a compass ten feet wide while Discord lazily floated in a circle above them all. At the north, Celestia leveled a cold glare at Gold that was almost a mirrored image of the one her sister aimed at the Unicorn from the south. Contempt decorated Twilight's face as she stared at Gold Vine from the east while her sister-in-law looked a step away from tearing the mare's throat out from the west. Discord's face was unreadable as he orbited them, seemingly more interested in watching then contributing to the scene.
A faint smile formed on her lips as she stared at him. One that she quickly killed as she gave The Princess of the Sun her undivided attention.
"Your Highness," she said, bowing. "To what do I owe the honor of the High Court's time?"
Celestia's eyes narrowed, then with a tone as cold as an arctic gale she said, "Lady Gold Vine, you stand accused of attempted murder of a HIgh Royal's suitor. A crime that has not been attempted in over one hundred-thousand years in Equestria's history. How do you plea?"
Gold Vine faintly flinched. While that was a fairly steep claim, she knew it was a load of rubbish. Neither of her targets had any romantic connections to the Princesses, she made sure of it when she observed them the past couple of days. As such, she knew that as far as that claim was concerned she was safe. Any other crime that was brought against her she knew would be dealt with by the very same being that hovered over her. A fact that made her more confident than she had any right to be, considering her circumstances.
"Not guilty your Highness," she frowned. "I would never dream of taking from my betters. Why, my family has been nothing but loyal to the Crown since its inception. To take from a Hight Royal would be tantamount to treason for me."
"That is exactly what it is," Luna said, tone even colder than her sister's. "Lady Gold Vine, you may claim ignorance, but your actions have been nothing short of horrendous. You cannot fool us, demon. Your guilt is as blatant as a bee sting."
Gold Vine leveled a brief glance at Discord and leveled a wide smile at the gathered mares.
"Even if one among you had chosen to claim the cloud trotter, there is nothing you can do about it."
"What makes you say that?" Twilight asked, tone and face void of emotion.
"Well, I was given permission to carry out the kill by one of your own members of power," she said smugly, flashing Discord a sly smile. "I suppose that's what happens when you give your power to a being that can see sense every now and then."
A savage growl slipped past Cadence's muzzle as she turned her head up towards Discord. Before she could say anything, he snapped his fingers and a muzzle clamped around her head.
"Now, now," Discord tsked as the Princess of Love struggled to tear the restraint off of her face. "No need to jump to conclusions everypony."
With that, he smirked as he slithered to the ground next to the smiling Unicorn.
"Yes, she came to me to receive permission and I did supply her with weapons, but I never said she could kill anypony."
Gold Vine gave Discord a confused frown.
"Excuse me? We agreed that-"
"Agreed?" he said walking around her like a wolf to cornered prey. "My dear, I never said you could do what you wished. I merely said that your proposal held my interest at the time. Hard not to considering how close I've become to old Sun-butt."
Gold Vine's eyes widened as realization struck her. It was true. Not once during their meeting had he told her that her request was accepted. And if what he just said was anything to go by, she had also offered to kill somepony that he had taken a shine to! The fear she felt last night was nothing compared to what filled her as she stood before the five most powerful beings in Equestria.
"A-Alright," she gulped. "Fair enough. But that doesn't change the fact that I never raised a hoof against anypony of your cast."
"I'm afraid you have," Celestia said, then looked at Discord. "Let her in."
With that, Discord snapped his fingers and a door appeared on the edge of the High Royal's circle. When it opened, Sunset stepped into the circle. Gold Vine gave the Unicorn a confused glare as she placed herself at Celestia's right, a cold mask of resolution covering her face as she locked eyes with the Noble.
"As is tradition, any crime committed against a HIgh Royal is to be met by a punishment of the HIgh Royal's choice. My daughter has decided to follow that tradition and pass judgement upon you in a manner agreed upon by all present."
Daughter? Gold Vine thought, staring at the Unicorn in question.
"Lady Gold Vine," Sunset said, snapping her out of her musings. "By my power as a HIgh Royal, I sentence you to trial by battle. Effective immediately!"
As she said that, a bolt of magic shot out of her horn. Gold Vine narrowly avoided the bolt and jumped into a battle stance. Shock quickly switched places with excitement as she channeled her magic. A trial by battle was one of the oldest forms of punishment among the Canterlot elite. The rules were simple; two Unicorns entered an enchanted ring and battled. No outside interference was permitted or possible thanks to the ring and it was over when only one Unicorn was left standing. The winner took all of the loser's assets and titles while the other was left to die if they weren't dead already by that point. It was one of many ways the Vine Family had managed to maintain its power and influence over the years, as well as how Gold Vine had managed to take control of the family. Her father was such a foolish and trusting pony.
The power of a HIgh Royal? PERFECT!
A wicked smile spread across her muzzle as she fired a bolt of orange magic.
My family will be eternal! With one kill I will be able to turn this country into what it was meant to be from the start! Sunset casually blocked the bolt with a partial barrier and returned fire with a small barrage of bolts that Gold dodged.
LET EQUESTRIA'S NEW GOLDEN AGE TAKE FORM!
Gold Vine's smile turned manic as she channeled her magic into a much more complex series of spells. Seconds later, thorn-covered vines burst out of the ground and coiled around Sunset like a mass of serpents. Suddenly, a swarm of knives materialized above her before descending on her with the ferocity of carrion birds. A wild chuckle escaped Gold's lips as she stepped towards the trapped pony.
"Daughter of Celestia? Don't make me laugh. Any Unicorn that would lower themselves to courting a filthy cloud trotter isn't deserving of her station. Though I suppose I can't fault you too much . Floramancy and Tetromancy are my special talents after all."
As she said that, she stared lovingly at the anvil covered in golden ivy that graced her flank. A light chuckling from beneath the vines and knives grabbed her attention. Slowly, wisps of smoke snaked their way outside of the cocoon as the air steadily grew hotter. Suddenly, the plants burst into flames as the knives hissed away into melted slag while Sunset stepped out of the flames, a confident smile decorating her muzzle as she glared at her stunned opponent.
"Plants and metal huh? Good thing Pyromancy's my talent then."
Gold Vine blinked, then let out a furious scream as she conjured a whole slew of razor edged vines to attack. Sunset simply stood there and obliterated them at the last second with a tornado of fire before retaliating with a series of fireballs. Gold blocked with a wall of magically summoned iron before launching a cannonball made of the same material. Sunset gathered some of the fire from her former prison around her hoof and pored enough magic into it to turn it from orange to white as she let out a battle cry and slammed it into the projectile. The ball of iron shattered like glass as its remains scattered across the battle field. Gold let out a frustrated hiss as she conjured a platoon of spears from behind her cover and fired them at her. Sunset caught the closest one and used it to knock the rest of its group aside then charged it with her magic before firing it back at its caster. The spear exploded like a missile as it blasted a quarter of Gold's shield to dust. Smiling, Sunset grabbed the rest of Gold's spears and loaded them with her flames before repeating the previous attack. Seeing the incoming assault, Gold Vine conjured a dull vine to pull her away from her soon-to-be-destroyed cover. A second after she was clear, the wall was blow to smithereens by a rain of burning hellfire. Clenching her teeth with rage, she grabbed the biggest chunks of her defense with her magic and molded it into a crude form of armor around her body as she charged in to attack. Sunset fallowed suit, coating herself in fire as she closed the gap between her and her opponent. Both mares attacked with everything they had, bucking, punching, and head-butting with the fury of wild beasts as they struggled to break the other. While Sunset's flame armor protected from the worst of her opponent's plows, it didn't prevent all of it as bruises started to cover her body like leopard spots. Gold's armor was a bit more sturdy, but she wasn't use to using it in a prolonged fight. A fact that became more apparent as her movements turned sluggish under the iron's weight. Both mare's knew that they could't keep this up for long and began planing their next moves.
Sunset delivered an uppercut that knocked Gold back a few steps and gave her the opening she needed to make her final move. All the flames around her quickly poured into her right hoof and formed a small tempest of white flames. With a roaring battle cry she threw her hoof forward, ready to deliver the final blow. At the last second, the armor around Gold's muzzle retracted and with a smug grin she spat out a dense purple cloud into Sunset's face. Her eyes and throat burned on contact with the poison, forcing her into a coughing fit and breaking her concentration just enough to cancel her spell. It was then that the sound of metal ripping through meat filled the air.
At first, Sunset didn't know what had happened as time seemed to stop around her, then she tasted copper on her tongue as blood trickled past her lips. Her breathing came in quick gasps as she looked down. A puddle of what looked like quicksilver sat below her, trails of her own blood mixing with the metal. From its center stood a series of sharp tendrils that were plunging into her from below. Sunset stared at Gold Vine, smug superiority the last thing she saw before the world turned black.
***
Darkness. That's all Sunset saw as she wandered the infinite void around her. She felt hollow as she made her way through the great nothingness. Empty. She lost everything all over again. She failed her mother. She failed Derpy. She failed her friends. She failed. Failed.
".......No....." she muttered, stopping. "No......No.......NO! I'm not done yet! So what if I died?! I refuse to accept that! I've got way too much left to do! I've just managed to get back on my hooves again! I will not let it end like this!"
She stared out into the void, a harsh glare aimed into its heart.
"Hey death! You hear me!? FUCK YOU! I don't care if this is my time! Get out of here right now and send me back before I drag you out here and make you!"
"Well said hatchling," a deep voice laughed.
Startled, Sunset spun around to face the voice and was greeted by the last thing she expected. Towering over her was a massive gold dragon. He was the size of a castle and covered with hundreds of deep scars from battles both long forgotten and recent. His eyes were a brilliant sky-blue and filled with a strength matched only by its warmth as he beheld her. A kind smile graced his lips as Sunset stared at him in wonder.
"Wh-Who are you?" she asked anger replaced by reverence.
"I have many names," he chuckled. "Some only exclusive to you, but you may call me Polaris."
"Polaris?"
He nodded.
"Nice to meet you," she said with a bow. "My name is-"
"Sunset Shimmer, Daughter of Princess Celestia, and Bearer of the Element of Acceptance. Quite the achievements for one so young."
"Element of what?" she asked, head tilted in confusion.
He chuckled.
"That's not important. What is is getting back to the living and ending that mare's madness."
Sunset nodded, a determined frown gracing her lips.
"And not just her. You will be forced to face against many more dangerous foes in the future. Each crueler and more conniving than you can possibly imagine. Fortunately, there are many who wish to lend you their strength."
"My friends," she smiled.
"Yes," he chuckled, "And family as well.
As he said that, he held up a claw and a small flame took form. Sunset squinted then gasped as she registered what was in the elder dragon's palm.
"A Phoenix feather?"
He nodded.
"A gift from your mother's pet at your birth and the only thing keeping you from crossing over completely. It also serves as a seal to your true power, a gift I left before your first breath. Should you accept it, you will be able to triumph over all who oppose you. None will be able to hurt you without feeling the rage of the sun on their flesh and bones. Will you accept it hatchling? Will you claim your birthright?"
Sunset paused, taking in everything Polaris told her as she stared at the feather. Then with a daring smile said, "I'll do it, but I'm not going to use that power just for me. My friends and girlfriend come first."
Polaris smiled, then said, "Repeat after me. On the ashes of my past-"
"On the ashes of my past-"
"I stand alone."
"I stand alone."
"With the weight of my loved ones on my back-"
"With the weight of my loved ones on my back-"
"I move forward-"
"I move forward-"
"To a new dawn."
"To a new dawn!
With that, the feather burst into golden flames and enveloped Sunset. With a flash of gold fire, Sunset vanished from the darkness of Limbo. As Polaris faded back into the Land of the Dead, he turned his head towards the empty heavens above.
"May you continue to make me proud, My Little Sun."
***
Gold Vine grinned manically at her handy work as Sunset's body went limp. She cast a glance to the audience of her deed, reveling in their shock and rage as she laughed. Her triumph was cut short when she felt a distortion in the air around her. It was faint at first, but quickly raised to magnitudes beyond anything the magically gifted could ignore as magic raged around the two Unicorns like a hurricane. Gold watched as the magic poured into Sunset's body, wild flames of every color and temperature vaporizing her mercury trap as her injuries fazed out of existence right before her eyes.
Suddenly, Sunset's body was enveloped in a rainbow cocoon of flames only to burst out into a chromatic display of power a moment later. Golden scales covered her legs up to her knees as well as her neck and barrel. Her tail resembled a peacock's as rainbow flames mixed with her tail hairs that matched the fire wings on her back. Her eyes glowed blue with power with slit pupils that matched the flames that surrounded her draconic horn. With a single flap of her wings, the battlefield burst into flames as her magic flared around her and her opponent. Gold Vine conjured her armor again as the flames raged around her, refusing to back down from her ambitions. Sunset stared at the Unicorn, eyes cold as she looked down on her like one would an insect.
With a voice as soft as silk and cold as ice, she said two words to the noble.
"Good bye."
With that, Sunset let loose her newfound magic, a feral roar filling the air as it tore through everything in sight. The ring barely held it in as the battle field was consumed by gold and white fire. A second later the ring shattered, both from the strain of Sunset's newly unleashed magic and the fact that one of the ponies within couldn't continue. Two ponies laid at its center, one covered completely in second degree burns and the other barely conscious from letting out so much magic in one go.
All the High Royals stared in shock, none able to process what they had just witnessed. Except for one. As Celestia ran to her daughters side, tears of joy and pride ran down her cheeks as she threw herself to the ground to embrace her. Sunset, now back in her normal form looked up at her mother with glassy eyes and an exhausted smile.
"Hey mom," she said weakly. "Let's never do that again."
Celestia burst out laughing at that and kissed Sunset just below her horn.
"My thoughts exactly my Little Sun."
Sunset smiled as she fell asleep in her mother's embrace. Meanwhile, the other High Royals gathered around them, questions heavy on all their minds. Luna was the first to find her voice.
"Sister, what manor of pony did you bed with to get such a daughter?"
Celestia chuckled, then said something that made them all fall to their haunches in shock.
"Who said Sunset's father was a pony?"