//------------------------------// // Welcome to Fort Echidna // Story: Sunset Rekindled // by EldritchNexus //------------------------------// Radiant Dawn slowly opened his copper eyes, to find himself laying sideways and chained by his hooves to a stone-cold floor in a dark underground chamber, not too different from the prison cell he was in when he was taken to Lord Umbriel's Vanhoover stronghold. His body was still aching all over from the dynamite explosions, but at least the ringing sensation had worn off. However, the strange silence didn't make him feel any better. In fact, he was afraid that he might have gone deaf. "Ugh..." he groaned. "Where the heck am I supposed to be?" He sighed, knowing that he could at least hear himself. Then he groaned again when he felt a sharp pain in his left ribs. "Boy, I feel like garbage." he said. "Oh, that's nothing compared to what I had to deal with as a royal guard." said a voice. Radiant looked up, and saw Royal Commander Firewing standing over him. By all rights, Radiant should have been furious and struggling to get back at him for what he did. But he was too fatigued and confused to argue. "What d'ya mean?" he asked instead. Firewing put his front-right hoof around the front-left, and slowly unclipped three latches on the hoof's armor plating, that Radiant didn't notice until just that moment. Firewing removed not only the armor, but the entire hoof by doing so. "What the...how?!" Radiant sputtered, confused. "This happened to me when I was just a sergeant." Firewing explained. "It was a routine peacekeeping mission in the Smokey Mountains. My squad was ambushed by minotaur bandits, who wiped out half my team, and captured and mutilated the other half. One of them even sawed off this hoof, and bit and stabbed me several times in my ear." He pointed to his right ear, which Radiant just noticed was at a jaunty angle, and was scarred and bruised. "So I had to have prosthetics added here and there." continued Firewing. "Boy, I'm sure sorry--Agh!" Radiant coughed. "Sorry to hear that. But what happened to the minotaurs?" "Another squad of royal guards arrived and arrested them." said Firewing, sourly. "They were taken to Canterlot, and put on trial...and just received a prison sentence." He spat on the floor, bitterly. "Me and my soldiers were tortured disfigured beyond any hope of conventional recovery, and those fiends just got fifty years in prison. That's when I first realized that Princess Celestia wasn't worth serving for long." "But...fifty years sounds reasonable enough for..." "Those monsters deserved nothing less than an equal punishment!" Firewing snapped. "After what I both witnessed and experienced, they deserved a fate worse than death!" "This guy's clearly nuts!" thought Radiant. "Better not do anything to make him mad...yet." Radiant decided to change the subject. "So...where the heck am I, anyhow?" asked Radiant. "Fort Echidna." said Firewing. "The very first stronghold of Equestria's Royal Guard. Or, so it was. It was abandoned long ago...at least, officially. But unofficially..." "You renegades are using it like your own private club-house." "And it only took the disposal of one pesky Changeling for us to completely take it over." said Firewing. "But why are you turning traitor now?" asked Radiant. "Why would you serve somepony like King Nelphyn?" "I have my reasons, and they're better than senselessly risking my life for Princess Celestia." said Firewing. "Fine, I'll take your word for it...I guess." Radiant Dawn muttered, then continued aloud. "But where are the other guards that were captured? Where's Lightning Dust?" "If you mean the blonde pegasus, she's in another cell with the rest of those clueless fools." said Firewing. Lightning Dust laid in another cell, and Sigma and Canopy were tied up, right across from her. "Looks like you guys finally know what it's like being somepony else's prisoner, huh?" she smirked. "You're one to talk." countered Canopy. Lightning Dust looked at her chest, which had a rope tied around it that bound her wings in place. "Okay, ya got me there." said Lightning, sheepishly. "So you two've been here for some time now. What are these renegades like?" "They're all completely insane." said Canopy. "All of them." "They ac' lik' a buncha sav'ges, cover 'emsel'es in war-paint, and..." "They eat meat!" both Changelings said at once. "All the time!" "Dude, that's messed up." said Lightning, disgusted. "And that's not even getting into what they actually do." said Canopy. The cell door started to rattle, and an earth pony stallion in crude tribal-looking armor peered through the bars at Lightning. He was munching on a turkey leg as he did so. "Hey, blondie!" said the jailor, who was talking even as his mouth was full. "If these Changelings are givin' ya a hard time...you can join me in my bunk! Lotsa fun! Heh, heh, heh..." Then the jailor backed away. As soon as he was out of sight, Lightning shuddered. "I hope Radiant's okay, wherever he is." "And whatever would a bunch of royal guards be doing here, anyway?" asked Canopy. "The princesses sent us to help you guys escape from the renegades." said Lightning. "Well, yo' sho' doin' a good job, 'en!" snarked Sigma. Lightning Dust just looked at the Changelings, unamused. "Maud?" asked Nose Nip. "Yes?" replied Maud. "Thank you for coming to Canterlot." said Nose Nip. "I...love you. More than any other mare I've met." "Thank you, that's nice." said Maud, flatly. "You are a nice pony, Nose Nip. I appreciate all that you've done with me." "And I appreciate that you can appreciate what I do." said Nose Nip. "Unlike a certain sompony." He turned to Frosty and Sunflower, who were chattering about something. "So, den I says to him 'Look, buddy! I got three mo' customers behind ya, so if ya don't have what you were lookin' fo', then get outta here!'" Sunflower was telling Frosty. "But he just kept goin' on and on! I jus' wanted ta kick his flank to da curb!" "That's a very funny story, Sunflower." said Frosty. "No, the part where I really did kick his flank to da coib...that's what was funny! That'll teach him to hold up a line at my store!" "Sure is." chuckled Frosty. Frosty and Sunflower continued to chatter noisily about Celestia-knows-what for probably a half-hour, when suddenly the front door swung open and Teddy barged in. "Guys!" he exclaimed, out-of-breath. "Big trouble! Sunset--help--please!" "Teddy, do you mind?" said Frosty. "We kinda have a double date right now!" "Are you kidding me?" groaned Teddy, frustrated. "Sunset Shimmer's going to be fighting renegade royal guards, and you didn't even do anything about it?!" "I'm sure Trixie or--" "None of her friends with her!" said Teddy. "And apparently Lightning Dust and Radiant Dawn are also involved with fighting those royal guards." "What?!" said Nose Nip exclaimed. "Why didn't Sunset say--" He turned to Maud. "I'm sorry, but we're gonna have to cut this date short." he told her, regretfully. "It doesn't have to end." said Maud. "I could come with you." "You...you would?" asked Nose Nip. "But wouldn't you rather go back to the rock farm?" "I'm sure my family won't mind if I went away for a while." said Maud. "Besides, I like to spend time with you." Nose Nip blushed. "Look, I wanna help 'em as much as you guys..." said Frosty. "But I just wanna take it easy and just have a date without something weird going on. I mean, I guess it depends on where this is happening." "Sunset said it was happening near Baltimare." said Teddy. "Baltimare, huh?" asked Sunflower. "I think I'd like ta go there, actually. I had a few things to get for my store from there, anyways." "So you're coming, too?" asked Frosty. "I don't see why not, little man." Sunflower batted her green eyes. Frosty nervously scratched his mane. "We still ought to find the others, though." said Teddy. "Umm...right!" Frosty nodded quickly. "I...the Great and Powerful Trrrrrrixie...!" Trixie Lulamoon announced to her crowd. "Will have to cut this show short!" Teddy rushed onto the stage, disrupting Trixie's magic show. "Sorry, folks! But we've got some technical problems, and the show will have to be postponed!" Several audience members groaned in dismay, since they genuinely wanted to see Trixie's show, as they left. "Teddy, how dare you interrupt Trixie's performance!" Trixie exclaimed, annoyed. "How dare you just let Sunset Shimmer go off on her own to fight renegade guards?!" countered Teddy. "And Radiant and Lightning are out there, too!" said Nose Nip. "Wait, Sunset was serious?" Trixie said, her eyes wide open. "Then Trixie shall go where she is needed!" "Thank you, Trixie!" Teddy shouted in relief. He sporadically grabbed Trixie, and kissed her so hard that Trixie's hat fell off her head. Trixie stood there for a second, blushing and then reddening with anger. "You...kissed me?!" Trixie fumed. "Oh...I'm sorry, Trixie." Teddy said quickly, realizing what he just did. "I do all kinds of stupid stuff when I get excited!" Trixie sighed, and closed her eyes. "When we're done helping Sunset, I'm going to let you have it." she said, flatly. "Understand?" "Yes!" quaked Teddy. "Just don't hurt me in the mean-time!" "Ugh...that was revolting!" Pressure Point said, leaving his hospital for his apartment. "I hope I never have to do one of those ever again as long as I live!" Teddy and the others passed by him, when Trixie stopped. "Cousin, we are in need of your assistance." said Trixie. "Sunset Shimmer, Radiant Dawn, and Lightning Dust." "And why should I help you guys again?" asked Pressure Point. "I just got done doing a C-section, and it was not pretty!" "Fine, if you want to just stay and clean up the afterbirth..." said Trixie. "Okay, okay." said Pressure. "I'll come along. But don't expect me to do any more favors!" Teddy and the others went to the apartment of Sunset Shimmer's parents. Teddy knocked on the door. "Come back later, please!" Scarlet's voice called from inside. "Please! This is an emergency!" said Teddy. "Your kids are in terrible danger!" There was a loud rustling, and rapid hoof-falls and Scarlet Blaze swung the door wide open, wearing a stained green bathrobe. "What's going on?" she spoke quickly. "Where are Radiant and Sunset?" "Probably half-way to Baltimare." said Teddy. "Radiant and Lightning were sent with some guards to fight some renegades near that city. And then Sunset went after them." "She what?!" Scarlet exclaimed. "And you didn't try stopping her?" "I tried to, but she and that Saddle Arabian guy left before I could!" said Teddy. "Well, at least Felix is with her." said Scarlet. "But still, we need to do something about this!" "Our thoughts exactly, Scarlet!" said Nose Nip. "Just wake your husband, and meet us at the Summerstar! I'm flying all of us to Baltimare by sunrise!" "Got it!" Scarlet nodded, then shut the door. She went into the bedroom, where a sweat-covered Golden Sun was laying on his back on the mattress, panting. "Husband, let's go!" Scarlet said, urgently. "But I'm so tired, Scarlet." Golden Sun panted. "If I lift another weight, I might have a heart attack!" "No!" said Scarlet. "I mean, we need to leave! Our children are in trouble in Baltimare!" "B-Baltimare?" Golden Sun sputtered. "What in the world would they be doing there?" "Long story!" said Scarlet. "We need to get ourselves dressed and ready to leave! We're going on the Summerstar!" "Right!" said Golden Sun. "I oughta get my books! Maybe we'll need them."