Sunset Eclipsed

by EldritchNexus

Training Days, Part Two

In Canterlot, Red Dawn was being measured by a white unicorn with a swirly purple mane. She was fussing over his large build, and fumbling about with various rolls of measuring tape.

"Red, darling?" asked the unicorn. "Could you perhaps crouch a bit, so that I may measure your back?"

"Certainly, Miss Rarity." answered the orange-red stallion, bending down on his long legs.

"Oh, thank you so much." Rarity told him, measuring him from muzzle to flank. "There we go: Five feet and three inches. Counting the tail, eleven inches. Okay, then. I trust that the uniform will be completed in a few hours. Now, what kind of attire would you prefer?"

"How about..." Radiant meditated on the possibilities. "An all-black ensemble, with some brown and grey?"

"Are you sure about that, dear?" asked Rarity. "You look like you could benefit from some bright colors. How about some gold, or silver, or even green?"

"Miss Rarity, I'm joining the Night Guard." reminded Red Dawn. "I wouldn't look very professional if I went around wearing bright, cheerful colors."

"That's a good point." said the white unicorn. "I am glad to have been given the opportunity to offer my services to you."

"Well, I'll give you the payment when the uniform comes back properly." said the red-orange unicorn. "In the meantime, here's ten bits, so you can get yourself something to drink. The tavern on the way back to Ponyville has some good grape juice, that I think you'll love. And tell the innkeeper that Red Dawn sent you. He'll give you a discount."

"Why, thank you." Rarity said, with a humble bow. "I will return with the outfit, once it is completed."

"Thanks, Rarity." Red said to her with a nod. "Well, you know what they say: duty calls. I suspect that Princess Luna will want me to report to...wherever the Night Guard trains itself."

"Red, could I do something about your mane first?" offered Rarity. "It's rather messy, wouldn't you say?"

Radiant "Red" Dawn's mane was long, wild, and orange, with curls on the side, and red bristles along the back.

"Trust me, Rarity. It doesn't need any changes at all."

"But..."

"Nopony touches the mane!" snapped Radiant, before adding with a polite tone: "I mean, how would you like it if I went over and touched your mane and tried changing it, just because I didn't like it? I wouldn't like it very much. Would you?"

"Well, no." said Rarity. "I just thought that since I was making you an official uniform, I could take the time to straighten your mane a tad."

"My mane doesn't need any straightening." assured Red Dawn. "And I'm a little self-conscious about doing so, too."

"I understand, dear." said the young white unicorn.

"I like your mane, though." said Radiant. "It kinda reminds me of my sister's. Only, yours is somewhat tamer. Well, I've got to go down to meet the princesses."

"Good luck, Red." said Rarity. "And thank you for the compliment."

Radiant Dawn went downstairs, through the banquet hall, and journeyed through the castle in order to reach the throne room. When he went there, the door was flanked by two guards, including the pegasus guard that collected Radiant from Sugarcube Corner in Ponyville.

"Ah, yes. It's nice to meet you again, Red Dawn." said the guard. "Princess Celestia has been expecting you."

"She has?"

"Yes, sir." said the guard. "Princess Luna has informed Princess Celestia that you want to join the Night Guard. Isn't that true?"

"That's right." said Radiant. "So Princess Celestia wants to chew me out, right?"

"On the contrary, sir." said the pegasus. "She is delighted to see you have offered your services in a field you would be suited for."

"You don't have to call me 'sir', you know." Red said to him. "I'm not even on-duty yet. Who are you anyway?"

"Lieutenant Flash Sentry, at your service." introduced the guard. "I am Shining Armor's second-in-command."

"Wow, you're already a lieutenant? You must've been with the guard for quite some time, then."

"Actually, I've only been with my colleagues for a month now."

"Then you're the lucky one. I thought that a guard had to be on duty for much longer than that before they achieved such a high rank. What did you do to give you such a special honor?"

"Well, I'd love to tell you, but Princess Celestia wants you to speak with her immediately, and I'd hate to keep the Princess waiting!"

"All right." said Radiant. "I'll see myself in, then."

"Wait a moment." Flash suddenly interjected. "First, I'd like to talk to you...in private."

"Sure thing." said Radiant Dawn.

The two stallions went to a vacant corner in the hallway, and the pegasus started speaking.

"So, you're Sunset Shimmer's brother, right?" he asked.

"That's correct." verified Radiant, proudly.

Flash started sweating under his helmet.

"Well..." he said. "I'd like to say something about her."

"Yeah?"

"Look, promise you won't laugh, get angry, or start spreading rumors, okay?"

"Fine. Done and done. Now what do you have to say?" Radiant said, urgently.

"I haven't told anypony else about this..." said Flash, hesitantly. "But when Sunset Shimmer returned to Equestria a few days ago, I had an...encounter...with her in Princess Cadence's palace, back in the Crystal Empire."

"What kind of 'encounter' would that be?" asked the tall orange-red unicorn, curiously.

"I mean that she..." Flash Sentry nervously gulped. "She tried to seduce me."

Radiant just smiled down at the orange pegasus.

"Oh, that's just adorable." he said, casually. "My little sister's all grown up, after all."

"Radiant, sir?" Flash said. "I don't think she...actually had feelings for me. I think she just did it so that she could try and get past me without being arrested."

"Sure she didn't." snarked Radiant Dawn, blankly.

"Umm...sir?"

"Yeah?"

"I've been thinking..." said the pegasus. "When your sister comes back to Canterlot from that mission of hers..."

"What?"

Flash Sentry steadily took his helmet off, to shake the sweat off his short, spiky mane.

"I think I'd like to..." he said, now breathing heavily. "Ask her out...on a date. You wouldn't mind, would you?"

Radiant chuckled a bit, and patted Flash on the back with his hoof.

"Sure." he said to him. "You seem like a responsible stallion. I think Sunset Shimmer would just adore you."

"Really?"

"I have no idea." confessed Radiant Dawn with a subtle frown. "You can sure try, though."

"Thank you, sir." said Flash. "I owe you one."

"For the last time, you don't need to call me 'sir'." said Red Dawn. "I'm still off-duty. Now if you'll excuse me, I have that meeting to go to."

"Good luck, Red." said Flash.

Radiant waited outside the throne room, and waited for the doors to open, to find Princess Celestia and Captain Shining Armor waiting patiently inside the royal chamber.

"Ah, I see that the new drill instructor of the Night Guard finally shows his sleepy face." said Shining Armor.

"Sorry, I'm late...wait a minute." Radiant sputtered. "I'm a drill instructor? I haven't even done any work for the Royal Guard, and you're already having me train other guards?"

"That is correct, Red Dawn." nodded Princess Celestia. "Luna and I were discussing this while you were in your quarters. We both agreed that it wouldn't do somepony like you justice if you were to be looked down upon by your peers from the beginning."

"Well, I already told Luna I had finished my training," Radiant Dawn recounted. "so I wouldn't need to go train in any boot camp, right?"

"That's right, Red." nodded Celestia. "And now, Shining Armor shall lead you to the training area of the Night Guard."

"Let's go, Dawnie." said Captain Armor. "I think you'll love it."

---

In Canterlot High, Sgt. Craw and Cpl. Ghost were sitting about in Vice Principal Luna's office, with their masks removed. They were tasked with reviewing the security tapes they had collected on a small television screen. At the moment, they were reflecting on their last encounter with Sunset Shimmer.

"One thing's for sure..." Ghost commented, with a wicked smile on his albino face. "I'm going to have such a fun time giving the pony-girl what she deserves."

"And what do you think she deserves?" Craw asked his subordinate.

"To be put down like the sick animal that she is." guffawed Ghost. "What else would you have guessed?"

Craw shifted uneasily in his seat. He never really like Ghost, nor his insane methods of dealing with problems. In fact, he was having second thoughts about how he behaved towards Sunset Shimmer during their last phone call.

"You, know..." he muttered. "I'm thinking about how I reacted to Sunset being a pony."

"Yeah?"

"I think I might've...overreacted a bit."

"And I think you gave that freak the what-for, Sarge." sneered Ghost. "I heard every word of your little argument with Sunset 'Shoot-My-Head-Open' Shimmer. And trust me, I loved every syllable and vowel of it."

Craw shot a surprised, somewhat sheepish, look at Ghost.

"You eavesdropped on us?"

"Yep." said Ghost. "I relished in hearing Sunset Shimmer's panicky voice, so I decided to tune-in to your frequency using my helmet's built-in headset to hear what you had to say to her."

"Corporal, I'm honestly surprised at you...again!" groaned the sergeant. "Do you have any idea how many protocols you've violated by intercepting that phone call? I had her speak to me on that phone for a reason, you know!"

"Oh, just cool it! It's not like I recorded it, or anything." Ghost raised his hand to wave it nimbly. "Anyway, how do you think you should have reacted to Sunset being a unicorn in human shape?"

Craw shook his head, nervously.

"I don't know, corporal." he said. "But I kinda wish I found it out a lot earlier than when I did. Before..."

Ghost nodded with a mischievous look on his face.

"Before you started having...feelings for her?"

Craw glared back at him, almost blushing.

"Not necessarily." he shrugged. "In fact, I was considering the possibility of letting her in on my little secret. You know, about the Syndicate."

"Any why do you think that would be better than having feelings for her?"

Now Craw definitely blushed.

"Well..." stammered the sergeant. "I was thinking about...I don't know, perhaps recruiting her into the Chrysalis Syndicate."

"Wow, and this whole time, I thought you had a terrible sense of humor." Ghost burst out in laughter. "I mean, I don't question your decisions if I can help it, but I just have to say: that's probably the dumbest idea I've ever..."

"Sunset Shimmer wasn't your run-of-the-mill high school girl." snapped Sergeant Craw. "I figured that out, even before I found out what she really was! She had the potential to be a great asset to our organization. And now that I lost my temper over her being a unicorn, there's no way she'll work with the Syndicate, even if we do find her!"

"So, Sarge?" Ghost asked. "I'd just like to know...just how the two of you got to know each other."

Craw raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"You know, because I didn't join the operation until a week later." explained the corporal. "It's only fair that I get the full scoop."

"Fine, but I'll only tell you once." said Sgt. Craw. "And only because I want to get it off my mind, to someone I can trust with the information."

---

The following Monday, Sunset Shimmer was sitting by the statue in front of Canterlot High. She was staring at the crater that was made when she was defeated by the Elements of Harmony. Cement mixers had been refilling the hole since yesterday.

“I can’t believe I actually did that!” she said to herself.

“Are you okay, Sunset Shimmer?” asked Fluttershy, who had come back from passing out fliers for the town’s animal shelter.

“Not really.” Sunset replied. “I keep thinking that I should’ve gone back to Equestria with Twilight.”

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll be fine here…or maybe not.” Fluttershy hesitated. “Don’t worry, Sunset. I’m sure that portal will open again soon.”

“It only opens every thirty moons.” Sunset Shimmer told the pink-haired girl. “That’s more than two years away.”

“Oh, dear.” Fluttershy said. “I forgot. I’m sorry.”

“Just forget about it.” The reddish-blonde girl said.

“Forget about what?” said a voice that came from the left side of the statue.

Sunset Shimmer and Fluttershy turned to look at the source of the voice: A hardy-looking young man in gray and blue clothing. He was five inches taller than Sunset Shimmer, and he had shaggy brown hair that had a greenish texture in the middle. He sat down next to Sunset Shimmer, and started eating a slice of pizza that he was carrying on a small paper plate.

“Um, excuse me…mister.” Fluttershy stammered. “We’re kind of not allowed to eat food on school grounds.”

“Hey, I was in a hurry to get here!” the man said, shaking his head. “I had to take a train all the way from Junction City, and it was a very long ride. I also had to get here as early as possible. Therefore, I think I earned the right to eat this pizza!”

“Junction City?” Fluttershy asked. “Then you’re that exchange student that we heard about?”

“That’s right.” The stranger said. “And I’ll introduce myself to you when I’ve been introduced to everyone else. Now leave me to eat in peace, will you?”

“Okay. Sorry for bothering you.” Fluttershy said, walking into the building through the newly-built doors.

“Good riddance!” the man shouted after her.

"You know, I'm really not in the mood to tell you how wrong that was." said the voice of the other girl, gloomily.

Then the man turned to Sunset Shimmer, who was still sitting next to him. She was looking down at the ground, clearly upset about something. The man offered the other slice of pizza on his plate to her.

“You look like you could use something to eat.” He said, holding up the slice in front of her face, as if to hand-feed it to her.

“No, thanks.” Sunset Shimmer said, turning her head away.

“Come on. Try it.” The man said, who was now trying to stick the pizza in her mouth. “Trust me, you’ll love it!”

“If it’ll get you to leave me alone, then fine.” The red-blonde girl said, reluctantly.

He was able to get her to accept the pizza. She bit off the tip of the slice, and chewed it quietly. She took the rest of the slice, and chomped it down.

“Hey, that actually was pretty good!” she said, when she finished scarfing it down. “What was in it, anyway?”

“It’s a three-cheese special thin-crust.” The man said. “I stopped at a pizza parlor on the way into town. They make some of the best pizzas ever.”

“Well, thanks for the food.” said Sunset Shimmer. “So what’s your name? Mine's Sunset.”

“You can call me Craw.” Said the man. “As I was telling that other girl, I came here from Junction City, for that exchange program.”

“Well, Craw.” Sunset said, standing up. “I would like to continue chatting, but I have to get to my class.”

“What would that be?”

“I don’t know. Algebra?” said Sunset.

“Well, how do you like that?” said Craw. “That’s my class, too! We could go there together.”

Sunset Shimmer was usually opposed to being seen in the company of new students, but given what happened with Twilight Sparkle, and Craw’s generous offering of his breakfast to her, she was happy to make an exception.

“Okay, then.” Sunset said, walking towards the front door. “Follow me.”

“With pleasure, Sunset.” responded Craw.

They went through the door together, to see all the students getting supplies from their lockers. Many of them were glaring at Sunset Shimmer. Craw noticed this, and looked back at them with even greater intensity. Given how muscular he was compared to most of them, they backed down, and continued to their classes.

“Have you had any problems with the other students, lately?” asked Craw as they walked up a flight of stairs.

“Well, you could say that.” said Sunset, nervously.

“Well, I sure don’t.” Craw told her, when they reached the door that led to their class.

“Don’t what?” Sunset asked, peering into the room to see if the class was already in session.

“I don’t have a problem with you.” Craw said. “In fact, you seem like a very cool girl.”

“You don’t say.” Sunset turned her head, looking back at him with a subtle grin. “So, do you wanna hang out after class?”

“I don’t see why not.” Craw answered. “Maybe you could show me around the building some time, too?”

“Sure.” She nodded. “Let’s go in. We wouldn’t want the teachers to be mad at us for being late.”

Sunset Shimmer and Craw entered the room together, and sat next to each other at the far end of the class. The teacher noticed them, and gave a clap of excitement.

“Ah, you must be our new exchange student, Mr. Craw.” Said the teacher, Ms. Cheerilee. “And Miss Shimmer, it is so nice to see that you two have already made friends with each other.”

Sunset blushed, and turned her head away, as if to distance herself from Craw. The other students were focused on the new student.

“So, this guy’s here, instead of Flash Sentry?” asked Applejack, who was sitting in the middle of the class. “Well, howdy! Welcome to Canterlot High!”

“I bet you’ll be a ton of fun to be with!” said Pinkie Pie, who was sitting behind Applejack.

“Yeah, that’s nice.” Craw waved them off, before turning to the others in the classroom. “So, what do you guys have against Sunset Shimmer?”

There was an awkward silence emitting from the rest of the class. Many were clearly thinking about some reasons, but were afraid to speak them out.

“Craw, I think that matter should be taken up with Principal Celestia.” Ms. Cheerilee said. “Now please, students, we can’t let what Sunset Shimmer has done in the past prevent all of you from working to earn yourselves good grades!”

The class stopped mumbling, and decided to start taking out their notebooks and textbooks.

An hour later, Sunset Shimmer and Craw walked out of the classroom together. Sunset had a smile on her face.

“Thanks for standing up for me, back there.” Sunset Shimmer said. “Even if they’re right.”

“What exactly did you do that made them all look at you funny, anyway?” asked Craw.

“Umm…it’s kind of complicated.” Said Sunset.

“Well, we have a fairly long break period, right?” Craw questioned. “Why don’t we get to know each other a little?”

“Sure, Craw.” Sunset Shimmer said. “Let’s go to the library.”

They walked into the room together, and went up to a deserted level with a dusty floor. They both sat in some old armchairs in front of a tall bookcase. Sunset took a slow, steady breath.

"So, what's the 411 with those other students?" questioned Craw, trying hard not to sound like he was interrogating her.

"Okay, I'll come clean with you." said Sunset, with a low frown. "I...used to bully the other students here. I did terrible things during my time here at CHS. Stuff that, looking back, I wish I'd never done."

"Really?"

"That's right." nodded Sunset Shimmer. "I've stopped now, but I'm a little uncomfortable about going here anymore. I think that half the school wants to get back at me for the terrible things I've done."

"Did you think about transferring to another school?" suggested Craw.

"Nah." declined Sunset Shimmer. "I'm hoping to return to my hometown, someday. But I have to stay here in order to get the chance to ever go there again."

"Are you sure? I'm sure I could get you a plane or train ticket to get there."

"My hometown doesn't have any airports, nor are there any near it. And it's high up on a mountainside, so trains are out of the question."

"Where do you live, the Himalayas?" joked Craw.

"Very funny..." scoffed Sunset.

"Sorry, Sunny." said Craw.

"Uh, it's alright." said Sunset Shimmer. "It's a long story, okay?"

"Okay."

"Now, if you'll excuse me..." Sunset proclaimed. "I have to help clean up the gym. It's still got decorations left-over from the Fall Formal, and I really need to get it all out of there before Phy Ed. starts."

"I bet you could use some help with that."

"Not really. I've got Snips and Snails to help me clean up." Sunset assured him. "Besides, It's just not in me anymore to make the new student pick up after somebody else."

"Sunset, I want to help you." replied Craw. "Honestly, I've done community work in the past. I could use the exercise. And I'd hate to leave a poor girl like you to do all that work."

Sunset smiled again, her green eyes beaming.

"Thanks, Craw!" she happily exclaimed, excitedly wrapping her arms around his strong torso. "You're so sweet!"

Then the tall, muscular young man tapped Sunset's shoulder, beckoning her to step back.

"So, how about I lead you over to the gym?" she said, blushing.

"That would be nice."

The two went back down the stairs, outside of the library, and towards the auditorium.
----

When Sergeant Craw finished telling Corporal Ghost about the story, the corporal started guffawing.

"Wow, Sarge." he laughed indignantly. "I had no idea you were such a casanova!"

"Just shut up and cut the chatter, corporal." growled Sgt. Craw, picking up a gas-powered pistol off of the Vice Principal's desk, and pointing it at Cpl. Ghost's smug face. "Consider yourself lucky that I want her dead as much you do. Otherwise, I'd put a bullet between your eyes for that remark, and lickety-freakin'-split!"

"I doubt that." said Ghost, shaking his head. "I don't think anyone could hate those ponies as much as me."

"You've probably got that right." said Craw, putting the gun back in the holster on his armor. "Now, let's continue analyzing those security tapes, before Captain Umbriel chews you out."

"Chews me out?" Ghost chuckled. "I think he'd like to do the same to you, even moreso, if he found out you were the one delaying the two of us."

"At ease, corporal." said the sergeant.

The two armored men continued checking the playback on the security cameras. Suddenly, they could hear raised voices outside the room, hurried footsteps of someone sprinting past the door, and the sound of lockers being bashed loudly. At first, they suspected that it was Captain Umbriel or one of his men checking the lockers, when they suddenly heard static from their helmets, which were resting on an unused armchair. Craw and Ghost put them back on, and tapped into the radio frequency.

"Attention, all personnel!" said the voice of a Syndicate operative on their receivers. "Be advised: An intruder has been detected in the building!"

"Is it Sunset Shimmer?" Craw asked.

"That's a negative, sir!" said the agent. "We have a man running through the hallways, carrying an unconscious student over his shoulder. This intruder is wearing a bulletproof vest, a blue-gray bandana, and red-rimmed sunglasses."

"Is he armed?" asked the voice of Captain Umbriel.

"Yes, captain." answered the Syndicate agent. "He appears to be carrying a sawed-off shotgun in one hand, and has a sub-machine gun tied to his waist. I suspect he is some kind of militia-type. He's on the main hallway of the first floor. He may be attempting to escape through the main entrance!"

Craw and Ghost both got up, and ran out of the Vice Principal's office. They hurried down to the first floor, and were able to reach the front door, just as they saw a figure running out on the front lawn. As they opened the door, they were joined by six other Syndicate commandos, and the eight all chased after the kidnapper down the street.

Ghost fired his rifle at the runner's legs, and the stranger stumbled over, dropping the student a few inches off the sidewalk. Craw and his men caught up to the wounded man and his hostage. The sergeant, noticing the student's multicolored hair, recognized her as Rainbow Dash.

"Ghost, see to it that this girl gets immediate medical attention!" ordered Sergeant Craw.

"Yes, sir." said the corporal, who was tenderly carrying the teenage girl back to Canterlot High.

Sgt. Craw stooped over the intruder, and seized him by the throat.

"Who are you?!" he angrily demanded. "What were you doing with that student?"

"Nothing that you insipid fools would deem...'inappropriate'." said the man, who spoke very coldly and calmly in spite of his injuries.

"I'm going to ask again, and you better answer me: Who are you?!" demanded Craw.

"Just someone that wanted to test the potential of you, the so-called Chrysalis Syndicate. Though if I were to choose, you could say I'm doing a favor for the Diamond Dog Cartel." the man said, getting back up. "Yes, sergeant. They are here...in this little town."

"Then why take the girl?" asked one of the Chrysalis Syndicate soldiers.

"I have my reasons, and they're reasons you fools would never understand." said the man. "You see, I've actually had my eyes set on this place for a long time, and I don't plan on letting a band of armor-clad ruffians such as yourself take that previlage from me."

"Oh, yeah?" said Craw. "Well, you're going to have file your complaints through us first."

"With pleasure." said the man, grinning maliciously.

He brandished his guns, and opened fire on the Chrysalis Syndicate soldiers. In return, the seven members opened fire simultaneously, discharging a hail of bullets, rounds, and shells into the strange man's body. In four seconds, he collapsed to the ground with the entire front of his body riddled with bullet-holes and puncture wounds. However, to their complete surprise, there was no blood to be seen.

"What in the world is he--" said one of the soldiers,

"Cut the chatter." said Sgt. Craw. "This man's the morgue's problem. Now let's get back to the school, and make sure the girl isn't hurt too severely."

The soldiers all turned around, re-loading their weapons and switching the safety mechanisms back on. As Sergeant Craw turned, the last one to do so, he could've sworn he heard a very faint cackle emitting from the body's direction, but the body had shown no signs of movement when he went over to check. Craw could only guess he was hearing things.

Comments

[Pinklestia]

Well, it seems Twi human friends should just go to another school...

[Lord Nopony]

Perhaps Craw ain't so bad!

[Poet Knight]

Discord!!?!