Sunset Shimmer was both awestruck and horrified to find herself staring straight at her childhood home, for the first time in more than eight years. So many memories were flowing through her subconscious. She went back inside, and turned on the lamps. She noticed that there was a lot of junk scattered on the floor; apparently, Radiant Dawn was a sloppy housekeeper. She decided to go back upstairs, and looked around again.
She decided to go into her father's study room. She found herself flashing back to her youth:
SIXTEEN YEARS AGO...
Golden Sun was translating a spellbook that he had acquired from a merchant in the city. Normally, he did not at all like to be disturbed when he did this. He heard a small hoof knocking on his door.
"Radiant, daddy's busy!" Sun shouted back. "Go play with your sister, will ya?"
"Dad, it's me!" said the four-year-old Sunset Shimmer.
Using his telekinesis, Golden Sun decided to open the door to let his daughter into the room.
"Hey there, kiddo." said Golden Sun, turning his head. "Are ya lonely?"
"Kinda." said Sunset. "Could I sit in here with you for a while?"
"Well, of course you can." smiled Golden Sun. "Sit anywhere you like, Sunset."
The filly with the red-and-blonde mane sat on a stool next to her father. Sunset couldn't help but climb half-way onto her father's desk to see what he was writing down.
"Wow, that looks pretty weird." said Sunset, looking at the symbols. "It's kind of like something out of the Daring Do books."
"Hmm...Daring Do wishes she could decipher stuff like this." said Golden Sun, with a casual smirk. "I could figure out the mechanisms of the Storm Tower way before Miss Do could even figure out how to get inside it. I'm just that smart."
"Wow, you could really do that?" asked Sunset.
"Of course, my little angel." said Golden Sun. "I have a major in five different subjects and speak three languages, two of which are archaic or dead. You can thank my years of learning and teaching at Baltimare University, plus my own travels around Equestria for that."
"Can I take a look at what you're working on?" asked Sunset.
"Sure you can." said her father.
Sunset stood up on her hind legs, and examined the archaic symbols on the tile that Golden Sun was examining. She then looked at his notebook to read the translation.
"Dad, the words don't really make any sense." said Sunset. "'Earth, Wind, Fire, and Air'? But 'Air' and 'Wind' are the same thing, aren't they? Where's 'Water'?"
"Really?" asked Golden Sun. "Because I could've sworn they said--"
Then the cream-colored stallion chuckled lightly, when he realized that he had mistranslated a set of runes on his papers. He promptly used his telekinesis to scribble the proper translation onto the next sheet.
"Of course, I tend to exaggerate my skills at times. Still, I'm probably one of the smartest ponies you'll ever meet in Equestria. And I'm sure you'll be one of them, too!"
"I think I'd like to start now, then. Can I go look at your spellbooks, daddy?" asked Sunset.
Golden Sun looked at his daughter, who was looking at him with big puppy-dog eyes and a quivering lip.
"Please?"
"Umm...sure thing, but only one." said Golden Sun, grinning. "I wouldn't wanna hurt your little unicorn senses."
Golden Sun levitated a book from his shelf, and laid it on Sunset's lap. The little filly started to skim through the pages in a casual manner.
"Ooh, this looks pretty neat." said Sunset, pointing at a Dancing Animal spell. "Too bad we don't have any pets. I think I could pull that off."
Golden Sun turned to look at what Sunset was reading.
"Huh." he nodded. "It sure does. In fact, I think maybe you could try hypnotizing some cats some time. Of course, you'd never be able to do it here; I'm afraid I'm simply allergic to them."
Then Sunset frowned.
"But don't fret, Sunset." said Golden Sun. "I'm sure there's something you and I could do together. You're a smart little girl. Pretty soon, you'll be even smarter than me!"
"You mean it, daddy?" asked Sunset Shimmer.
"I sure do!" nodded Golden Sun. "You've got my brains, and your mother's beauty. I can tell you'll be going places when you're older."
PRESENT DAY...
"Well, I sure went places." said Sunset, mumbling to herself. "I'm not too proud of it, though."
She decided to go back to her old bedroom, and saw that she had old spellbooks scattered all over the place, leftover from her father's collection. Deciding she might be able to make use of them now that she was a fully-grown mare, she went into her father's study to grab a knapsack, and went back to her room to collect her books.
"I'm going to have a lot of catching up to do here, I can tell." said Sunset. "But first, I think I should try and find out why Ghost sent me back here."
Then she slung her knapsack on her back, and went downstairs to the front door. She cautiously looked outside to see if anyone--or anything--was waiting for her out there. But she didn't find any Changelings, ponies, or any other creatures outside. Sunset deduced that she was sent there by accident.
"Ghost must've intended to teleport me back to Umbriel's lair again." Sunset mumbled. "Nopony even knows I'm here. Well, since I'm already at home again, I'd might as well take the opportunity to get myself settled in."
She used her telekinesis to lock the doors and windows, and went upstairs to sift through her old clothing. Of course, most of the clothing she would've had would have been outgrown. She chuckled as she found a pink bow-tie that she wore on her tail when she was a filly.
After a while, Sunset Shimmer decided that she'd might as well take the time to take a bath. She went into one of the manor's bathrooms, laid down in the bathtub, and washed herself happily. She realized she hadn't really taken a bath in months. Usually, the bathwater in her apartment in the human world was too hot or too cold. Either way, it was also too expensive for her to spend as much time as she would've wanted, since the landlord charged a lot of money to his tenants for using up the water. But here, she had no restrictions, since no-one was around to stop her. She could bathe herself into the night if she wanted to.
But of course, Sunset didn't have the time to do this. After (what she assumed to be) twenty minutes of bathing, she climbed her drenched amber-coated body out of the tub, and telekinetically fit a purple bathrobe and matching slippers onto her body. She strode back to her bedroom, and carried her knapsack down to the living room. After brushing her mane and tail, she looked into her knapsack, and found, to her surprise, a copy of Daring Do and the Storm Tower.
"Well, I guess I could take the time to read through this old thing again." mumbled Sunset. "At least until something else happens."
Meanwhile in Canterlot, Princess Luna and Star Shield were conversing with each other.
"Captain, what is the status on our prisoner?" asked Princess Luna.
"Your majesty, Umbriel is being unusually quiet." said Captain Star Shield. "He has hardly eaten any of the food we have offered him."
"That is not too unusual." said Luna. "I don't expect that Changelings would be accustomed to the delicacies of pony-kind. Still, I would rather not let him feed on the more...conventional desires of a Changeling."
"But of course, your majesty." said Captain Shield. "Whatever should we do about him, though?"
"Double the watch on him." answered Luna. "And can we spare any men to send to Vanhoover?"
"I'm afraid that all my other guards are busy undergoing a training regiment with Sergeant Firefly." said Captain Shield.
"And my Shadowbolts are occupied in a training session of their own with my Lunar Guard." said Princess Luna.
"But still, I am certain that Lieutenant Dawn and Sergeant Dust will manage to keep your student safe." said Captain Star Shield.
"I have faith in them, too." said Luna. "Perhaps I should check on them some time, though."
Meanwhile in Umbriel's lair, Scarlet Blaze was being escorted into a holding cell by Sigma and Canopy.
"Yo'll do just foyn in he', Blaze." Sigma told her. "Maybe you'll find it a lot easier to sleep 'round here if ya stay in solitary."
Scarlet said nothing, but wore an unamused expression on her face.
"You're awfully quiet." said Canopy, observantly. "Changeling got your tongue?"
"Maybe she got a bad taste in her mouth. It ain't easy being one of our prisoners." said Sigma.
Scarlet Blaze growled a little.
"What's your problem?" asked Canopy, who noticed the sound "I mean, apart from the obvious.".
"Just stop talking." said Scarlet. "I'm really not in the mood for your prattling."
"Oh, that'll be just fine." said Canopy, telekinetically opening the cell door. "Once your inside, you'll get all the peace and quiet that you want. Now get inside!"
"Fine." said Scarlet, bowing her head as she went into the room; the cell door was made with average-sized ponies in mind.
She laid her body down on the bed at the far end. After a while, she heard a rustling on the other side of the cell door. Scarlet opened her green eyes, just in time for the cell door to open up. General Synthe went into the room, flanked by two smaller Changeling drones.
"I see the lady is alright?" asked Synthe, mockingly.
"What do you want with me?" asked Scarlet, getting back up.
"I simply want a word with you." said Synthe.
"Where is the rest of my family?" asked Scarlet.
"Your son and daughter are both in Vanhoover." said Synthe. "They fought off some of my agents yesterday, on the train there. You would be proud of them, I am sure."
Scarlet sighed, knowing that her children were safe. But she still glared at the disfigured Changeling.
"And my husband? What have you done to him?!" she demanded.
"You are in no position to interrogate me, wench." said Synthe. "Speak softer, or my soldiers will force you to be silent."
"Why don't you quiet me yourself?" asked Scarlet.
Synthe lowered his battered head.
"Look at my horn." said the Changeling general, angrily. "Look at it! It's broken! I can't perform magic with it! If only that accursed master of mine would do anything about it, I would gladly cast a spell to bind that insolent mouth of yours shut!"
"Then what's stopping me from blasting you with my own, fully-active magical horn?" questioned Scarlet.
"How about the fact that I have troops stationed throughout this complex, that could swarm you the moment you try to pull anything?"
"Fine." said Scarlet, sighing to calm herself down. "Just tell me where Golden Sun is, please?"
"The heck if I know." shrugged General Synthe. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to start asking you questions."
"Then do it." scowled Scarlet Blaze. "I don't have all day."
"I just found out that one of Lord Umbriel's agents, Ghost, has been compromised." said Synthe. "Before he was captured, though, he performed a teleportation spell on your daughter, Sunset Shimmer."
"Really?" Scarlet tilted her head. "So has she been captured, too?"
"I believe she was meant to be captured." said Synthe. "Unfortunately, she wasn't brought here. She may have been sent off-course somewhere. So I would like to know where your home can be found?"
"Why don't you ask your master about it? He attacked it fifteen years ago, after all." questioned Scarlet.
"Because he is not here at the moment." said General Synthe. "And only two other Changelings survived your defense. One of them, Hopper, has been killed by Ghost--the other one, who is in captivity. Oh, and there was also Sigma, but he had amnesia a few years ago, and forgot all about it."
"Wow, really nice teamwork you Changelings must have." snarked Scarlet.
"Enough!" snapped Synthe. "Tell me where your home is!"
"Kiss my flank, you freak." defied Scarlet.
"So you're going to be sassy about it, huh?" said Synthe, unamused. "Now I can see where Sunset gets it from."
"Actually, I think I'd give my husband credit for that." said Scarlet. "It really pays off to live in a house with an intellectual like him."
"Either way, I was given the 'honor' of being subjected to your daughter's sharp wit a while ago, back in Fillydelphia."
"You mean she knocked your block off, right?" quipped Scarlet Blaze.
Synthe said nothing, instead struck Scarlet in the head with a plated front hoof.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'." said Scarlet, scratching the bruise.
"Forgive me. I prefer to be more civil around members of the opposite gender." said Synthe. "But then, I remember that the opposite gender contains sassy members like you, Sunset Shimmer, and that rude pegasus known as Rainbow Dash, or hopelessly incompetent blowhards like Queen Chrysalis. I will return when I regain my composure."
"Well, I won't hold my breath for you." snarked Scarlet, who seated herself on the bed, crossing her front hooves and wore a smug expression on her face as she watched Synthe and his guards leave her cell.