//------------------------------//
// The Maroon Mare 
// Story: Sunset Eclipsed 
// by EldritchNexus 
//------------------------------//

Outside the doors of Daystar Manor, a lone unicorn stood tall and lean under the overcast sky. She had a shocked expression on her strong, beautiful face, and was looking around the grounds of the estate. She couldn't help but notice that the yard was largely unkempt, and mostly vacant. On the other hoof, it also looked as though the building had been renovated a few times.

"What in Equestria is going on here?" she wondered. "Golden Sun, what kind of spell did you hit me with, anyway?!"

There was no response. The mare looked around, but there wasn't another living being in sight.

"He's probably inside, that miserable little-" she began, then stopped. "Wait a minute, where did those creatures go? I swear I killed two or three of 'em! I don't even see any debris anywhere! Was that what the spell did: Repair the house, and remove dead creatures?"

The unicorn used her telekinesis to open the doors to the estate, and called out for Golden Sun. She went into the study room, which was vacated, and the shelves were missing a few books. She decided to check the bedroom to see if Golden Sun was sleeping in there, but didn't find him. She did, however, notice the signs of a largish pony, even bigger than her, having recently slept there.

"So first he hits me with a spell I don't even know, and then he invites somepony to sleep in our bed without me knowing!" she grumbled. "Well, I guess I'd better check to make sure that he didn't leave any marks on my face."

She telekinetically lifted up a handmirror from a nearby dresser, and held it up to her face. She studied herself carefully, but she still looked as she did before the spell had struck her. She had a maroon coat, emerald eyes, and a lovely red-golden mane. The mane was flat at the top, braided into a long twisted ponytail at the back, and had bangs that stood evenly in an flawless rim above her brow, with the exception of a single wiry lock that dangled beside the long red horn on her forehead.

"Now it's time to see where that husband of mine is." she mumbled. "And then where those kids of ours are."

She went to the walk-in closet, and searched for an outfit to travel in. To her dismay, she found almost none of her outfits. Instead, she found stallions' clothing, and in sizes bigger than her own. She continued searching the wardrobe, until she found one outfit that belonged to her: A silk, hooded green cloak with four matching shoes. The red mare slipped her hooves into each shoe, donned the cloak, and instinctively lifted the hood onto her head.

The mare went outside, and trotted down the road to look for any signs of life. The woods were quiet, and the tension was thickening. Once in a while, the maroon mare heard the rustling of leaves or snapping of twigs. She nervously peered out, and performed a flashlight spell with her horn to check under the dark canopy of the surrounding trees. She saw a dark shadow passing underneath, and she assumed a vigilant pose, in case it headed towards her. She was beginning to perform a barrier spell, when she suddenly heard the beating of wings and a familiar loud buzzing noise.

All of a sudden, the maroon unicorn felt a set of small hooves land on her back. She gasped out in surprise.

"Is that you, S--" she began, when she was interrupted by a loud clicking noise that came from above.

She felt something long, hard, and pointy jab the back of her hooded head. It felt like a unicorn's horn, but it was very rough and twisty. Then she heard a hollow voice speak to her from behind, and a rancid stench filled the air.

"Stay still, unicorn." the voice rasped. "Or I'll cast a very nasty spell on you."

"What is the meaning of this?" demanded the statuesque unicorn, angrily to the perpetrator behind her.

"Stay still." commanded the voice. "I'm going to fly around and take a gander at your pretty face."

Suddenly, the mare felt the hooves lift off her green-clad back, and she heard the buzzing again. She saw a small dark equine shape of average pony size land in front of her. When she saw the ridges on its head and the insectoid wings on its back, the unicorn realized it wasn't really a pony, but another of those creatures she had encountered earlier. The creature looked up at her hooded face, and moaned with satisfaction.

"Well, it looks like I hit the jackpot." the creature said to her, huskily.

"So, you things can talk?" asked the mare, raising an eyebrow.

"That's right, my pretty." it said to her. "And since I can talk, I have to say: I really like your mane."

The maroon unicorn cringed, shifting her head uneasily inside the hood. She was appalled at the idea that this...whatever it was...was displaying an interest in her. She found herself snarling and twitching her lips.

"Oh, come on!" she groaned. "Why couldn't you just be one of those country-ponies?"

"I can fix that!" said the creature, with a feral grin.

Suddenly, it was consumed in a green flame, which dissipated and revealed a buck-toothed earth pony wearing a plaid neckerchief.

"Ya know, yer mah-tee purdy, darlin'!" it said to her, with a thick drawl.

"I was kidding." said the mare, narrowing her green eyes. "What in Equestria are you creatures supposed to be, anyhow?"

Then the country-pony was enveloped in another layer of green fire, and the black insect-pony emerged. He let out a very sickening cackle.

"My, you must live a sheltered life." said the creature. "But you're a unicorn living anywhere that isn't Ponyville or Canterlot, so that's to be expected."

The mare was fuming audibly.

"So, what's your name, pretty pony?" asked the insect-pony, whose horn started glowing with a green aura. "Tell me, or I'll freeze the fur off your bones!"

"If you'll leave me alone, then fine." said the unicorn. "My name is Scarlet Blaze. Now get away from me."

Suddenly five creatures nearly identical to the first dropped down around them.

"Uh-uh, Miss Scarlet." said the original creature. "You're going to have to explain to us what you're doing on Changeling territory!"

"It'll have to wait." said Scarlet, lowering her cowled head.

Her horn began glowing with a yellowish-orange aura. With a single swish of her horn, the six Changelings were blasted away from her by a cluster of fireballs. Then she heard even more buzzing noises above her. She lifted her head, and saw at least a dozen more Changelings led by a larger white-bodied individual, all looking down at her from the tree branches. Realizing she was outnumbered, the mare bolted in the opposite direction, fleeing into the forest. The newly-arrived creatures landed around their fallen comrades, and saw Scarlet Blaze disappear into the darkness.

"Lord Umbriel will love to hear about this!" sneered Ghost wickedly, turning to his soldiers. "Search the woods! Don't let this one escape!"





Outside of Canterlot High, Sergeant Craw was ranting on to Lieutenant Sigma.

"I can't believe them!" Craw snarled. "What is Umbriel thinking?!"

"How'd that meetin' go, Craw?" asked Sigma, curiously.

"Captain Umbriel won't discharge Ghost." said the sergeant. "That psycho pulled a gun on me, and he won't even get demoted for this? Is this some kind of practical joke?"

"Well, I'm sure the Cap'n 'as his reasons." said Sigma. "Still, ya got a good point. We were even ordered not to hurt anyone here, and he still started that fight, plus tried to attack those poor girls? That's just nuts!"

"At least he won't be posted at the school anymore, so at least there won't be any students or teachers caught in the action the next time he acts up." commented Craw.

Suddenly, Craw heard the radio in his mask crackle.

"Sergeant Craw, this is Captain Umbriel." said the voice.

"Yes, sir?" Craw asked, uneasily.

"Our satellites have detected seven or eight armed foot-mobiles in your vicinity." responded Umbriel's voice. "We have been unable to pinpoint their affiliation, but they aren't heavily-armed enough to be Diamond Dogs. Could you and Lieutenant Sigma investigate this?"

"Give me a fix on their location, and we'll be there in a heartbeat." said Craw.

"They are traveling westwards along Dodge Boulevard. It's only two blocks away, so you should be able to intercept them."

Craw gulped when he remembered that this was the street that Sunset Shimmer's apartment was located on. He gestured for Sigma to follow him down the street, until they came to Dodge Boulevard. Taking a turn to the right, the two armored men saw a small group of biker-looking types strolling towards them. They were carrying handguns, switchblades, and a number of makeshift weapons in their hands or on their belts. They suddenly stopped when they noticed the armor that the two Syndicate members were wearing. Sigma cautiously raised his sub-machine gun, and pointed it warningly at the interlopers.

"Halt!" he said to them. "We are the Chrysalis Syndicate! State your business, or you will be fired upon!"

One of them, a young woman with short, spiky platinum blonde hair calmly raised a hand in acknowledgment.

"Don't shoot." she said. "We don't mean any harm to Canterlot High or your Syndicate."

Recognizing the woman, Craw approached her.

"Gilda, is that you?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's my name." she said. "We were coming to tell you guys that the Diamond Dogs were holding some of my boys hostage in a warehouse downtown."

"Which warehouse are we talking about?" asked Craw. "Because there's a whole bunch of 'em downtown!"

"The abandoned one at 102 Colton Drive." said Gilda.

"Thank you." said Craw. "By the way, might I ask what the Gryphons are doing here in Canterbury, instead of Junction City?"

"Well, some of us decided to take a cross-country trip." answered Gilda. " We stopped here for a while, but then those stupid Diamond Dogs attacked us and ran off with some of our friends. Ever since, we've been trying to get back at 'em for what they did!"

"Well, at least we know the other end of that gang war going on here." Craw said to Sigma, before turning back to the Gryphons. "Alright, if you guys want to do something about the Diamond Dogs, you can lead us to their location."

"Fine by me." said Gilda. "Our motorcycles are just down the road. You can ride with us."

Meanwhile in the palace of Canterlot, the party was coming to an end. Radiant Dawn and Lightning Dust emerged from the crowd of ponies, both sweating and panting heavily. Sunset Shimmer and Trixie had already gone up to their bedrooms, and the other guests were already leaving to return to their homes.

"Wow, Radiant." breathed Lightning, who was out of breath. "That...was some killer dancing right there. You're a natural."

"Yeah, I amaze even myself sometimes." said Radiant.

"So, you ready to go to bed?" asked Lightning.

"I can't right now." said the unicorn. "I'm a member of the Night Guard. My shift will be starting soon."

"So you're going to be up all night?"

"Pretty much. But once the sun comes back up, I'll be free to do whatever I want. Considering I've been mostly fighting, traveling, and partying for the past twenty-four hours, I suspect I'll be sleeping for most of the day tomorrow."

"Well, I wouldn't blame ya; I'm pretty tired, myself. I'd say that I'd see you in the morning, but you'll be sleeping by then. Anyways, I'll just say good night to you."

"Good night, Lightning." said Radiant Dawn, with a salute.

Lightning Dust trotted up the stairs, and went to her bedroom, which was across the hall from Radiant's. When she opened up the door, she found Captain Star Shield standing in front of her bed, with his wings spread out. She noticed that his eyes were shut. She trotted up to him.

"Um, sir?" asked Lightning. "What's up?"

"Ah, forgive me." said the middle-aged pegasus, opening his eyes. "I was taking a moment to think about something important. This was the only room that wasn't taken or about to be taken. I suppose this is your room?"

"It is." nodded the blonde pegasus. "So, what were you thinking about?"

"I am growing old." said Star Shield, sadly. "The battle in Fillydelphia took a lot out of me. And now, my shift shall begin again. I just needed a moment to rest myself before I went out to go through my usual routines. I hope you will excuse me for entering your room without you knowing."

"Hey, that's fine." said Lightning. "I only just came into this room for the first time."

"Well, I hope you enjoy it." said Star Shield. "This used to be my own room when I first became Captain of the Royal Guard."

"Really?" Lightning Dust tilted her head. "That's pretty interesting. Where do you sleep now?"

"In the western section of the lower levels of the palace, where it is nice, quiet, and dark." said Captain Shield. "It is also where Princess Luna and most of the Night Guard sleep. That's where Lieutenant Dawn would be sleeping, too, if it weren't for special privileges given to him by the Princess herself. Apparently, he doesn't like to be away from his sister for too long, so he sleeps right next door to her on this wing."

"That's all very interesting." said the young pegasus. "I oughta ask Radiant and Sunset about that tomorrow. Good night, sir."

"Good night, Miss Dust." said Star Shield, in a kind manner. "Duty calls. I'll see you around, kid."

Star Shield left the room, and Lightning Dust got into her bed to sleep the night away.