//------------------------------// // Disturbing the Peace, Part 1 // Story: Sunset Imperishable // by EldritchNexus //------------------------------// "Who the heck are you?" said a mare that emerged from the front door. She was middle-aged, had a cream-colored coat and a crescent-like light brown mane with a thin violet streak. "Topaz?" Scarlet Blaze said aloud. "Scarlet?!" gasped Topaz. "You...you're alive?" "Yep." nodded Scarlet. "But you haven't aged a day!" said Topaz. "What happened? You look the same as you did when you last lived here! That was...twenty-something years ago." "It's a long story, Topaz." said Scarlet. "What are you doing in my dad's house?" "Yes, I would definitely like to hear an explanation." added Crimson Blade, approaching Topaz. "Woah..." said Topaz. "Mr. Blade? You're...out of jail?" "That's right." said Crimson Blade. "But don't worry, it's all in the past. Do you live here now?" "Actually, yes." said Topaz. "I've been living here for some time now. When you got arrested, your house was seized by the government and open for rental." "I can't believe it..." growled Crimson. "But I bought it." said Topaz. "Out of respect for you and Scarlet. I had given Scarlet a hard time when we were fillies, and I thought that watching over your house here in your absence would--" Topaz paused. "It's okay." Crimson told her. "But don't worry, I kept all your stuff here. Barely touched a thing, in fact." Topaz fumbled. "I bet you'll wanna come in." "Topaz, who's there?" called a stallion's voice. Out walked an earth pony stallion that was very familiar to Scarlet. "Thunder Lee!" exclaimed Scarlet. "Ms. Blaze!" Thunder gasped. "I...I didn't expect to see you here." "Oh, Thunder...you know Scarlet?" Topaz asked, curiously. "Of course." Thunder nodded. "I met her and her family in Las Pegasus a couple months ago." "Thunder Lee?" asked Crimson Blade, puzzled. "The actor." sighed Topaz. "We've been dating since last week." "I've been taking a break from working on a movie with Quick Shot." said Thunder. "I found some comfort with this lovely mare." Topaz blushed. "Oh, Thunder." she giggled. That afternoon, the four were in the kitchen enjoying some of Topaz's cooking. While they ate, Thunder Lee was describing his latest movie to Scarlet and Crimson. "So in the next scene I filmed, I had to whip a bunch of stacked crates to make them fall on my opponent." he told them, holding up his front hooves for the sake of putting it into perspective. "I was supposed to be careful not to hit the other actor, who was this close to the spot I was meant to hit. Took me seven or eight takes before I got it right. I thought I was going to get sued when the whip left a gash on the fellow's left cheek." "I bet he was pretty mad, though." said Scarlet. "You'd bet right." nodded Thunder. "I'm just fortunate he was a stunt double and not the real actor, or I would've really gotten in trouble." Then Scarlet decided to change the subject. "Thunder, have you...heard anything about Lionel Summerset lately?" asked Scarlet. Thunder frowned. "Not really." he said. "Well, I heard that he might be going on probation some time in the near future, but that might only be a rumor. I hope it's just a rumor." "Why? What happened?" asked Crimson. Thunder and Scarlet told Crimson about the whole incident with Summerset in Las Pegasus. "How loathsome." said Crimson. "How is he not serving a life-sentence for the things he did?" "No idea." said Thunder. "I reckon that Summerset's clever enough to devise an alibi or two, or could bribe his way out of anything. He's got lots of friends at the Las Pegasus garrison of the Royal Guard. I should know, since a lot of there were planted there by Summerset himself, or paid to look the other way." "Excuse me." Scarlet cleared her throat. "I'm going to be taking a look around the house. You know, to...catch up on some old memories." "That's fine, Scarlet." Topaz assured her. Scarlet climbed out of her seat, and went downstairs into the basement. As she suspected, all her old things--and her father Crimson's--were stored down here: Photographs, trophies, medals, toys, and outfits. She gasped when she found the same pair of thick eyeglasses that she wore as a filly. "Oh, that was so long ago." sighed Scarlet. "Where did the time go?" That last sentence sent a jolt from her subconscious. She remembered the spell that Golden Sun had tried to use on the Changelings that attacked their home almost sixteen years ago. The one that had been deflected back at her by Ghost, and displaced her from Equestria for fifteen years. "I can't believe I didn't think about it until now." said Scarlet. "What was that spell supposed to do, anyway? I'm going to have to talk to my husband about this, first chance I get." The train continued on along Equestria's countryside. Pressure Point and Maud Pie sat still and (in Maud's case) silently in their compartment. "So...collect any strange rocks lately?" Pressure Point asked, idly. "No." said Maud. Pressure Point rolled his eyes. "Why is everything taking so long?!" he thought. THE NEXT DAY... "Princess Luna?" Prince Naurius said, as he hovered around the alicorn princess, who was laying in her bedroom. "What is it?" she asked. "Uh...I wanted to thank you again for letting me stay at the castle." said Naurius. "You mentioned this five times already." said a wearisome Luna. "You need not mention it again." "Sorry." said Naurius. "So, uh...been keeping in touch with Sunset Shimmer and her friends?" "I was just sending a message to Sunset Shimmer through her dreams." said Luna. "But unfortunately, she was woken up before I could finish." "Awww..." said Naurius. "Tell me, Naurius." said Luna. "Are you absolutely sure that your family knows that you're away?" "Don't worry, I got it covered." said Naurius, tapping his front hooves together nervously. Naurius knew that his sister Dana would never let him run off somewhere, so he had to devise a plan to hide this. Naurius was clever, much like his father Umbriel. Before he left, he had Glitch disguise himself as him and take his place. Of course, it was forbidden for Changelings to disguise themselves as each other, but at least Glitch's mental instability wouldn't get him punished too harshly if his cover was blown. "Did you clean your room yet, little brother?" asked Princess Dana. "Singer, singer, weapon let me hear my door." said the false Prince Naurius. "What?" "Heh, heh...sorry." he chuckled. "I think I got a little delirious for a moment there. Maybe I'm suffering from a cold." He pretended to cough. But on the fifth cough, his head swelled to twice its size, and he opened his mouth as if to let out a cartoonish burp. However, instead of making an actual burp, he made a noise like TV static, but mixed with the sound of a door being repeatedly slammed shut. "I told you to stop hanging around Glitch." said Dana. "That freak turns annoying little brats like you into brainless rejects like him." She sighed when Naurius failed to respond. "Sigma! Canopy!" Dana called out. Luna looked at Naurius, who was twitching nervously. "What is the matter?" "Nothing, nothing." said Naurius. "Naurius, I've been curious about something ever since I first saw you and your sister." said Luna. "Yeah?" asked Naurius. "If you and Dana are Umbriel's children..." said Luna. "Then where is your mother?" "Uh...it's kinda complicated." Naurius started to chuckle nervously. "She and my dad aren't really on speaking terms with each other. In fact, I don't think they ever married. Me and Dana were both...accidents. Especially Dana." He started to excrete sweat all over his chitin-like hide. "Of course, Dana would kill me if she ever knew that." he muttered under his breath. "So your parents never married each other." Luna said, flatly. "And seldom even see each other. That...certainly explains a few things about your father." "Like why he always talks about you?" asked Naurius. "...Yes." said Luna. "He seems to harbor some sort of interest in me, and I'm not sure why." "Do...do you think my dad might...like you?" asked Naurius. "He likes something about me, but I doubt it has anything to do with romance." said Luna. "One can never tell how Changelings really feel about something. They tend to be manipulative and--" "..." Naurius stared. "Sorry." said Luna. "No, no. It's okay." said Naurius. "My sister always accuses me of lying to her at least two or three times a day. Especially when all I'm saying is 'I love you, sis.'" "There's obviously some dysfunction in your family." said Luna. "No joke, right?!" cackled Naurius. "The only one in my family that doesn't seem to have a problem with me is my cousin Pupa. And she's...well, I don't wanna say what she is; it would be very rude of me. Anywho, I'm gonna leave you to your...princess stuff." He zipped out of the room before Luna could say another word. Trixie and Teddy were going along the street, with the Manticore and Umber Hulk in tow. "Trixie, did you really need to get me this...thing?" asked Teddy, as the Umber Hulk drooled on his tail. "It keeps lurching over me, like it could bite my head off any minute." "Sorry, Ted." said Trixie. "I didn't really have a choice; it was a mandatory two-for-one sale." "Are you sure?" asked Teddy. "Because I really think you'd be better off keeping it--" "No, Teddy." snapped Trixie, under her breath. "It belongs to you now. There's no way I'm letting that hideous thing be even remotely associated with me." The Umber Hulk started growling at the Manticore, which cringed. "And I really don't want it to hurt my Manticore while I'm trying to train it." Trixie added. "Okay, okay." said Teddy. "I'll do it for you, baby. But you owe me for this." Suddenly, the ground started to rumble. "Keep it down back there!" Trixie yelled at the two creatures. But she looked back and saw that they were perfectly motionless. However, the pavement behind them started to crack apart. "What the--" The ground burst skywards, and something emerged from the rubble. Something long, black, and serpentine. A building just a few blocks away collapsed, and an identical creature emerged from the wreckage. Both of them seemed to look down at their surroundings, and then sprang forth to attack. "Oh, horse-apples." Teddy muttered.