//------------------------------// // Luna's Student // Story: Sunset Eclipsed // by EldritchNexus //------------------------------// Princess Luna led Sunset Shimmer to the upper levels of the palace, and brought her up a causeway until they reached a large gateway that was built into the mountainside. "This is the entrance to the chambers of my bat-pony bodyguards." Luna explained to Sunset. "I heard about those." said Sunset. "I hear they only come out after midnight. Since I often slept through the nights, I've never had the chance to see one. Though, of course, that was when you were still locked up in the moon. So, do you have anything to teach me about them?" "Being the Princess of the Night, I am able to call upon them at any time I wish." said Luna. "Do you wish for me to demonstrate this to you?" "That depends..." said Sunset Shimmer. "How do they behave around other ponies? I mean, they're not going to attack me or anything, are they?" "Not necessarily." Luna assured her new student. "They're very passive, actually." "Then by all means, I'd love to see you do it." grinned Sunset. "Then we shall continue." said the alicorn princess. Luna faced the gate, and unfolded her wings. Her eyes began to glow with a pale white light, and her horn glowed brightly. The large doors were pushed open by her telekinesis. "Come to me, sentinels of the night." Luna boomed. "Your Princess commands you!" Her voice echoed through the long dark tunnel. It was soon answered by a flapping of leathery wings and a whooshing of air. Six winged shapes emerged from the darkness, and soared towards Princess Luna and Sunset Shimmer. The dark shapes dropped to the ground in front of the princess and her pupil, and stood in formation. They slowly marched simultaneously into the sunlight, revealing their features. Sunset was astonished by their appearance: Each of the six were pegasi, and there was no doubt about that. But they had the wings of bats, their ears were slightly longer than the average pony's, and their golden eyes had large slitted cat-like pupils. They were also wearing black and purple armor with finned helmets, bearing Princess Luna's insignia on their chestplates. One of them opened his mouth to speak, revealing his fanged teeth. "What are your ordersss, Princessss?" he hissed. "My new student is in need of a proper training area." Luna replied. "Can you provide one for her?" "Yes, your majesty." said another bat-pony, with a clear, posh voice. "We have an empty cave in our lair that will work perfectly for you two." "Very good." said Luna. "Sunset, follow me, if you will please." "Sure thing." said Sunset. Princess Luna and Sunset Shimmer ventured into the tunnel, escorted by the six bat-guards. The amber unicorn kept turning her head back, and noticed that the six bat-winged pegasi were gazing curiously at her. "Princess Luna, why are they looking at me like that?" Sunset asked her mentor. "I suppose they are surprised that somepony not of their kind is entering their home?" Luna suggested. "Or perhaps they are fascinated by the bright colors of your coat and mane. After all, they are not accustomed to interacting with brightly-colored ponies." As they traveled further on, the door was sealed behind them, and Luna's horn began to glow with a pale light, so that they could still see their way. They passed more bat-ponies of various shapes and sizes, but most were unarmored. Sunset even saw a few bat-foals amongst them. "Sunset Shimmer, we are here." said Princess Luna, pointing out a large, spacious chamber filled with various objects. The alicorn princess and her unicorn student stood in the center of the room, and faced each other. "Let us begin, shall we?" said Luna. "Let's." answered Sunset. For the next two hours, Princess Luna had Sunset practice with telekinesis, barrier spells, offensive spells, and finally teleportation. Sunset Shimmer, despite having been unable to use magic for most of the past two years, excelled at each course. After the session was over, Princess Luna brought Sunset back to the palace. "You know, I'm still a little nervous about being back in Equestria." admitted Sunset Shimmer. "Sure, you and Princess Celestia are fine with me here, but what if I'm not welcomed back everywhere else?" "Don't worry, my dear." said Luna. "We shall see to it that you are felt welcome. Tomorrow, we shall throw a feast in your honor." "Wow, that's just awesome." smiled Sunset. "And we shall..." "But Luna?" Sunset interrupted. "I'd rather not have Twilight Sparkle know that I'm here. At least, not yet." "Understood." "But, if it's at all possible, could you send a letter to..." Sunset began, surprised she was actually coming to this. "Yes, Sunset?" inquired the Princess of the Night. "My family?" finished Sunset Shimmer, after a deep breath. "I really miss my brother. I'd love to hear from him again." "Were you at all close?" asked Luna. "Kind of." said Sunset. "It's a complicated story. But I'm still a little tired from the training to explain it any further. Could you send the letter to him anyway? Nothing big. Just tell him that I'm okay, and that I haven't forgotten about him." "I sympathize with you, my student." said Princess Luna. "I shall see to this. Now good night, Sunset Shimmer." "Good night, Princess Luna." said Sunset, who proceeded alone to her sleeping quarters. That night, Sunset Shimmer suffered from a terrible nightmare. She was a human girl again in Canterlot High. But this time, she did not instill fear in the other students around her. In fact, they began attacking her at sporadic moments. She found herself surrounded by faceless teenage masses, all yelling at her for what she had done to them. The danger escalated to a higher level, when one of the larger students seized her, and violently shoved her against a row of lockers. Sunset sank back against the metal surface, cowering before the insane crowd that was ready to beat her to a pulp. "Please, don't hurt me!" she whimpered. "I'm sorry about what happened! I've changed now! I promise!" "Tough luck, you evil little harpy!" one of the featureless students yelled, in a distorted voice. "Now you're going to get what's coming to you!" "Let her have it, guys!" another student yelled, in a shrill shriek. The mob of adolescents began punching and kicking her furiously. Those that couldn't reach far enough to hit her just stood back and laughed at her misery. Suddenly, a familiar voice was heard on the intercom. It was the voice of Luna. "Attention, all students." her voice crackled from the speakers. "This is your Vice Principal speaking. I am reminding everyone that unprovoked attacks on your fellow students can result in suspension from school property." All the laughing students suddenly panicked and ran to their classrooms, but a few of the more persistent attackers remained behind. "Might I also remind you, students, that repeat offenders will face immediate expulsion, should they continue their attacks?" the voice of Luna said again. The attackers cowered in fear and ran away from the bruised Sunset Shimmer. Then, she felt herself being lifted gently to her feet...by Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna, the Princesses' human counterparts. "Are you all right, dear?" Celestia asked. "I just can't believe how students will behave these days. Good thing Luna brought this to my attention when she did, or I couldn't even begin to imagine how much of your body wouldn't have to be placed in a cast." Sunset Shimmer simply nodded, wiping blood and mucus off of her busted nose with the sleeve of her jacket. She was on the verge of falling over, but Vice Principal Luna caught her in time, and helped her out of the hallway. "Don't worry, student." she told Sunset Shimmer. "I'll take you to the nurse's office. She'll patch you up in no-time. I won't let anyone bother you without my permission." Sunset sat recovering in the infirmary, safe from the faceless teenagers. However, there was the sound of a loud bang! outside the room. An armored foot kicked down the door, and in came two men, wearing skeletal black armor with insectoid motifs. One of them approached Sunset immediately, and the two bright points of red light that sufficed for eyes were shining in front of her. The other's eyes had similar optics, except they were blue. There were spiked ridges running up along the brow region of their nozzled helmets. and their ribbed torsos glistened brightly in the light emitting from the hall. It was as though a pair of humanoid mosquitoes were looming over her, with the intention to suck her dry in one go. "You won't bother anyone, ever again." said the red-eyed soldier, who spoke with a distorted facsimile of Craw's voice. "It wouldn't have worked well between us, anyway." He and the other soldier slowly brandished pistols, and pointed them straight at Sunset Shimmer's surprised face. The false Craw squeezed his fingers to pull the trigger... Bang! Bang! Bang! Sunset woke up in her morning-lit bedroom in the Canterlot palace, when she heard the sound of hooves pummeling the door to her room. At first, she thought that Princess Celestia had changed her mind about letting her stay in Equestria, and sent her guards to arrest her. But then she heard the sound of voices cheering her name. “All right, already!” she spoke loudly over the incessant knocking. “I’m up! I’m up!” She got off of her bed, and trotted to the door, magically opening it to a pleasant surprise. “Sunset, remember me?” said a unicorn with an orange-red coat and a long orange mane. “It’s me, your dear older brother!” “Red Dawn?! Is that you?” Sunset exclaimed, tilting her head to take a quick look at his cutie mark; It was a pale reddish-yellow sun rising behind an ocean, just as Sunset Shimmer remembered. "That's right, little sis!" replied Red Dawn. "The two of us are back together again, as a family." Sunset Shimmer looked behind her brother, and saw that there was a crowd of unicorns in the corridor outside her room, cheering the two siblings on. Sunset recognized some of them right away, though it took some time for her to remember the rest. “I really wasn’t expecting company this early in the morning." Sunset said, overwhelmed. "And now, I see you have half of Celestia’s academy in front of me…” “Do you not like it, my new student?” Said the voice of Princess Luna, who came up to Sunset from the far end of the crowd. “In order to make you feel welcome here, my sister and I decided to send messengers to your former classmates and family members. Sadly, the only family member we could find or was otherwise available was Red Dawn.” "So even after all this time, my parents still aren't around." Sunset thought, bitterly. “Hey! Remember me, Sunset?” one of the unicorns attempted to speak over the commotion. “We sat next to each other in Magic Kindergarten!” “Don’t you remember when you beat me in a hoof-wrestling match?” another said. "How about we have a rematch, for old time's sake?" “I still practice that teleportation spell everyday, just like you suggested!” A third said, who raised her horn, and suddenly vanished and rematerialized right over Sunset Shimmer, who jumped back just in the nick of time. “I think it still needs work…Ugh!” Sunset Shimmer barely remembered Celestia's academy, as she was busy having flashbacks to her days at Canterlot High in the human world. Back then, the students never ganged up on her like this. In fact, they were outright terrified of her. Of course, that was all before that incident at the Fall Formal. But this was a somewhat refreshing, albeit still overwhelming thing to deal with at this hour of the morning. She was beginning to fume again, but repressed it to calmly speak to her former classmates. “It’s…nice…to see you all again after being gone for so long.” She stated in a low grumble. “But I have important things to do.” “C’mon, sis!” Red Dawn said, over the others. “What could be more important than walking with your brother around the castle, or---” “How about something as simple as getting some rest?!” Sunset Shimmer snarled, before using her magic to slam the door shut on the crowd. She was able to hear some disappointed remarks from the crowd outside. “Yep, she’s definitely back, alright.” Said the first male unicorn. “Now I remember why we stopped sitting next to each other in class.” “What a shut-in!” Red Dawn grumbled. “And I’m her brother, for crying out loud!” “I know, right?” said the amateur teleporter. “It’s like Twilight Sparkle all over again.” "Hey, don't say that like it's a bad thing!" the hoof-wrestling unicorn said. "Twilight Sparkle was a shut-in, too. But now look at her: She's a princess! Who's to say Sunset won't fare as well?" "Yeah, and then she'll probably abuse her new abilities to be a stuffy jerk to the rest of Equestria!" "I'm the brother of that stuffy jerk, you amateur!" Red Dawn shouted back. "Sure, and I should totally take that 'amateur' comment from the unicorn that couldn't cast a flight spell without making something explode?" the teleporting mare's voice retorted. "No wonder you two are never together: Sunset's probably embarrassed to be in your company!" "Then how'd you know that?" Dawn argued on. "Have you been talking to her at all recently? Is there even any indication that she didn't want me around her? You're the ones that have been screaming your heads off out here! Maybe she doesn't want you guys around?!" "Shut up, will you?" the first unicorn said. "You were the one that had us all come up here to begin with! You're just as guilty as us!" "No, you shut up, Pressure Point!" Red Dawn shouted back. "I wanted to come up here because I wanted to check on my sister's well-being! You and your stupid academy buddies just decided to tag along and harass Sunset for the heck of it with your stupid reminiscing!" "Dawn's got a point." said the hoof-wrestler to Pressure Point. "Where do you get off? You've been on their case for as long as I could remember. If you weren't such a good doctor and we weren't in the presence of one of the princesses, I'd kick you in the teeth for being such a jerk! And I'm not ashamed to say it, either." A few voices rose up in agreement, while others argued back. As flattered as she was that there were some in Equestria willing to stand up for her, Sunset Shimmer ground her teeth at the bickering, and shouted towards the doorway. “Can anypony get some peace and quiet around here?” she demanded, loudly. “I’ll give you all autographs or whatever you want later!” “Yes, my little ponies.” She heard Princess Luna say in support. “Sunset Shimmer has returned from a long and perilous journey to come back to Canterlot. I would advise that you all refrain from insulting my student while she is weary from her travels. And the same applies to her brother.” “I'm so sorry about them, Princess.” Said the voice of Red Dawn. “C’mon, everypony. Let’s not deny Li'l Sunny her rest.” There was a sound of several hooves clip-clopping away from the door, and going downstairs to the banquet hall. The door was engulfed with a glowing aura, as Princess Luna opened it to speak with her student. She strode in, majestically. “Forgive me, Sunset.” Princess Luna apologized. “I had told them to wait downstairs, but that brother of yours had gotten everyone else so excited when he found out where your quarters were…” “I understand, Princess Luna.” Sunset said, scowling at the wall in front of her. “I just have so much to get used to around here. When I lived in this room as Celestia’s student, I was usually left alone.” “Those ponies missed you, dear Sunset. You cannot truly blame them for behaving like that, can you?” “I suppose not.” Sunset admitted, before turning to face her new teacher. "But still, did you and Celestia really have to invite all my 'friends'--and I'm really using that term lightly right now--from the academy over here? I mean I can understand why you'd invite my brother, but why the others?" "Because we did not want you to feel as if we had all forgotten about you." said Luna. "Or at least, that is what Celestia told me when I asked her about it." "Yeah, but I think you and Celestia probably should've been more careful about inviting who'd remember me for the right reasons." said Sunset. "I mean, I actually was a bit of a know-it-all jerk when I was Celestia's student. And some of the comments they made just a minute ago don't make the memories any better." "I understand, Sunset." “So, what do you want me to do for you? Is there something you would like me to research? I haven’t been in the archives in ages.” “Not at this moment, Sunset.” Luna said. “But I do want you to do something that would improve your social behavior.” “Really?” Sunset asked. “And that would be…” “To go out, and make friends.” Luna said, simply. Sunset Shimmer was deep in thought at this task. Luna noticed this, and decided to elaborate. “Twilight Sparkle had told us that you claimed to be ignorant of the importance of friendship.” She continued. "Yeah, so she left me to be the lap-dog of the five girls I used to bully." said Sunset, with a hint of bitterness in her voice, before sighing. "Though to be fair: they actually did seem like nice people. They forgave me for the trouble I caused them, and I'm grateful for that. But something just didn't seem right. I felt like I didn't belong with them. I wanted to learn friendship my own way. But my attempts to make other friends in the human world failed miserably. It's one of the reasons I wanted to come back here." "Then I think you should try again." said Luna. "There are many other ponies in this world that also haven't realized the true values of friendship. I think it should be your place to go out and seek them. By befriending others like you, you would improve not only your own behavior, but theirs as well.” “Okay, Princess.” Sunset Shimmer decided. “I’ll play along. Let me guess: I’m going to Ponyville, right?” “No.” Luna shook her head. “I can tell that your relationship with Twilight Sparkle is still very tense. I will be sending you to Fillydelphia, instead.” “Fillydelphia?” “Yes. I believe that somepony there is in desperate need of a like-minded friend. One that surely you could offer them.” “Anypony I already know?” “I do not believe so.” Luna said. “But she shall reveal herself in due time.” “Fine, when do I get going there?” Sunset asked. “At noon, my student.” Luna answered. “It is already 8 o’clock in the morning. I have had the servants prepare a breakfast feast for your return.” “So that’s what they were all here for?” Sunset deduced, referring to Red Dawn and the other unicorns. “But, of course!” Twenty minutes later, Sunset and Luna found themselves seated in the banquet hall, alongside Princess Celestia., Red Dawn, and Sunset’s former classmates. Fortunately for Sunset, most of the ponies were too busy eating to say anything to her. But Red Dawn, who sat next to her, kept pestering his sister about where she was for the past two years. It wasn’t until Princess Celestia gave him a stern look that he finally stopped asking the question. After the ponies all ate their share of food, Princess Celestia stood up, with her wings expanded. “Everypony, it brings me great pleasure to welcome back my old student, and good friend: Sunset Shimmer!” she said. The unicorns all applauded Sunset’s return yet again. But since both of the Princesses were here to restrain them from crowding all around her, it didn’t seem as bad as before. “Thank you, Princess.” Sunset responded, in her most polite voice possible. “I haven’t eaten food as good as this in ages. I appreciate the effort you all put into welcoming me back to Canterlot.” “You he’rd that, ev’rypon’!” Red Dawn said, dizzy from all the apple cider he had gulped down during breakfast. “That right th’re is my wond’rfu’ sis’’r, the best unicorn in all of…” Then suddenly, he leaned too far back in his seat, and clumsily toppled over beneath the large table. Everyone in the room, even Sunset Shimmer, laughed. “Gee, thanks for that insight there, big brother.” Sunset said, looking down at her brother. “Oh, and don’t forget your drink!” She magically lifted Red Dawn’s glass of cider, and poured it down into her brother’s lolling mouth. When Red made a loud burping noise from under the table, Sunset dropped the whole thing on his head. Luckily, Red Dawn was able to catch it with his horn. “Brothers…who can figure them?” She shrugged to the others, with a deadpan expression on her face. Her fellow unicorns applauded and laughed happily. Princess Celestia took note of how Sunset Shimmer behaved around her brother, and vice-versa. She and Luna noticed how much of a contrast it was with Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor. As Sunset Shimmer was telling the others a story about how she witnessed a hydra losing a fight against a manticore, the two alicorn sisters conversed with each other. “Sister, are you sure that Sunset Shimmer will cooperate with you, and be able to appreciate the values of friendship?” Celestia whispered to Luna. “So then the stupid creature decided that it would be better to have its heads attack its enemy one at a time, instead of all at once. Can you believe that?” The princesses heard one of the unicorns speaking. “I mean, what’s the point of having so many heads if you don’t even have enough brains for one of them? I, on the other hand, have enough brains for many heads! Too bad no hydra will ever get any of it out of me!” "That's okay with me." said Sunset. "I think I've got more than enough brains of my own as it is." “I must try, my sister.” Luna nodded back to the white alicorn.