Sunset Eclipsed

by EldritchNexus

Celebration in Canterlot

Sunset Shimmer and her companions finally made it to Canterlot, just as the sun sank westwards. Lightning Dust stared in awe at the beautiful city, even as she climbed up the mountain path.

"I will fly on ahead to announce your arrival, Miss Shimmer." said Star Shield.

"Roger that." said Sunset, with a salute.

The Night Captain flew up to the palace, while the others carried on.

"Wow, I almost forgot about this place." said Trixie. "I haven't been to Canterlot in years!"

"Well, we'll have plenty of time to reminisce when we get to the palace." prompted Radiant Dawn.

Eventually, they made it through the gates, just as the change in shifts between the Royal Guard and the Night Guard were underway. The guards saluted the Sun Siblings and their friends as they traversed the dark streets to the palace. They were greeted at the main entrance by Captains Shining Armor and Star Shield, who stood on either side of the large door.

"Princess Celestia is expecting you in the banquet hall, ma'am." said Shining Armor to Sunset Shimmer.

"As is Princess Luna." added Star Shield.

"Thanks, sirs." acknowledged Sunset Shimmer.

Sunset led the way through the corridors, as her three companions followed her. As they traveled to the banquet hall, they were saluted by both off-duty royal guards retiring to their sleeping quarters, and by night guards heading to relieve their daytime counterparts of their posts. Eventually, they came to the large wooden doors that lead to the hall. Sunset and Radiant both opened it together, when they were suddenly blasted the clamor of scores of cheering ponies. There were earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns all standing in the large room, clapping their hooves. Slowly, they parted to allow the four to enter the room.

Sunset took a look around. There were many ponies she never saw in her life all cheering her on. In the middle of the room stood the four Princesses side-by-side. At the far left was the pink-coated Princess Cadence. Next to her was Princess Celestia. On Celestia's opposite side stood Luna, who was beaming happily at her student. And then on the far right was--

"Twilight Sparkle!" Sunset exclaimed over the noise.

Twilight looked at the other three alicorns, who nodded her on in an encouraging manner. She slowly approached Sunset, whose green eyes were narrowed.

"Hi, Sunset." Twilight Sparkle said, warmly. "It's great to see you again."

Sunset contemplated lashing out at Twilight Sparkle for leaving her behind in the human world, but then she decided against it when she realized that at least ten guards of both shifts were present in the room.

"Hi, Twilight." she said, slowly. "So, what's it like to be a princess?"

"It's really not too bad." said Twilight. "Though it is hard, I'll give you that."

"Yeah." frowned Sunset. "I'm sure it is."

"So, Sunset..." said Twilight. "I noticed that you've brought friends with you! Would you like to introduce me to them?"

"I think you already know who they are." declined Sunset. "But what the hay."

Sunset Shimmer turned her head to shout to her companions.

"Get your sorry flanks over here, now!" she called to them, feigning frustration. "There's somepony that wants to talk to you!"

Trixie trotted up to them, when she recognized who Sunset was conversing with. she felt her jaw drop.

"Twilight?!" she gasped.

"Trixie?!" responded the princess. "You're Sunset Shimmer's friend?"

"Um...yeah." stammered Trixie, who was staring anxiously at Twilight Sparkle's wings, which were pressed comfortably against her sides. "Sunset wasn't kidding: You did become an alicorn! I knew you were good at magic, but I didn't think you were good enough to be a princess! I swear, I thought Sunset here was just messing around with me this whole time!"

"Cool it, Trixie." Lightning Dust said. "Don't be a party-pooper. Just go mingle with somepony, and enjoy yourself!"

"Hey, I recognize you, too!" said Twilight. "You're that one pegasus from the Wonderbolts Academy."

"Yep." said Lightning, sheepishly. "But I'm a lot better with others nowadays. And it's all thanks to Sunny and Trixie over here. The next time you see Rainbow Dash, tell her that I'm sorry about that whole tornado thing, would ya? And I'm sorry you and your friends got caught in the middle of it all."

"Fair enough." said Twilight. "I'll let her know as soon as I get back to Ponyville."

Suddenly, a speaker in the room was activated, and synth-heavy power ballad started playing throughout the room.

"Oh, I love this song!" Lightning Dust shouted over the music. "I gotta find Radiant. See ya later!"

Then Lightning promptly galloped away.

"You still live in Ponyville?" questioned Trixie to Twilight. "But you're a princess! By now, you should be living in a castle or something! And I didn't see any new castles on the way here, so what gives? Tell me that you at least moved into a high-rise building or..."

"Nope." said Twilight. "I still live at Ponyville's library."

"Why didn't I think of that?" Sunset commented, half-sarcastic. "For the past two years or so I spent in the human world, I lived in this run-down apartment in a lousy neighborhood subjected to petty theft on a weekly basis. All this time, I could've camped out in a bookstore, or something!"

The three mares laughed together. Meanwhile, Shining Armor and Star Shield were conversing with each other across the room.

"So, how was Fillydelphia for you, old man?" asked the unicorn captain. "I heard your boys went though the worst of the worst!"

"It went much better than I expected, to be honest." answered the pegasus captain. "We encountered that some dangerous creatures, but my guards were well-trained and disciplined enough to handle them. And it's all thanks to your old sparring partner, Radiant Dawn."

"Well, I had a feeling he'd be a great addition to the Royal Guard." said Shining Armor. "Not the shift I would've chosen, but if he's still doing fine, then I can't really complain."

The two captains then saw Radiant Dawn conversing with Lightning Dust.

"Ya know how to dance, big guy?" Lightning asked the orange-red unicorn.

"I know a few turns and bends and stuff." nodded Radiant. "Why would you ask?"

"Ain't it obvious?" Lightning exclaimed. "You and me should totally be dance partners. Let's get out on that dance floor now!"

"I'd like to do that." said Radiant, his mouth curving into a smile. "I'd have done it with my sister, but she's got some catching up to do, by the looks of it. You ready, Dusty?"

"You got it, Dawnie!" said Lightning, who leaned suggestively against Radiant's ribs.

The two moved over to the middle of the room with the other dancing ponies, and faded into the crowd.

"I do see potential in Miss Lightning Dust, too." said Star Shield. "She seems like she could make for a great guard, especially one of mine."

"Well, I know for sure that the Wonderbolts won't let her back in." said Shining Armor. "I guess Spitfire's still a little steamed about that incident of Lightning's back at the academy."

"Well, I have been considering an alternative to the Wonderbolts for some time, now." said the Night Captain. "Tell me, do you know what the Shadowbolts were?"

Meanwhile, Princesses Celestia and Luna approached Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle.

"It is good to see you two are beginning to make up." said Princess Celestia. "Twilight Sparkle, may I have a word with you?"

"Sure thing, princess." said Twilight.

Celestia and Twilight went over to the other side of the room, leaving Princess Luna to speak with Sunset.

"Sunset Shimmer, you cannot begin to imagine how proud I am of what you've done for the city of Fillydelphia." said the princess of the night. "To think that a simple opportunity to make friends could escalate into such a heroic deed as thwarting an invasion!"

"But I didn't do that, though." said Sunset. "The Night Guard did."

"But they would not have learned about it if you didn't tell me about the situation in Fillydelphia." Luna pointed out. "And I understand that you had inspired the other ponies to defend themselves against the attacks in an organized manner, before a single guard even turned up."

"That's true." nodded Sunset Shimmer.

"And you even gave not only the former rival of Twilight Sparkle the chance to have a friend, but you have made one of the most reckless pegasi in all of Equestria see the error of her ways." added Princess Luna.

"That's also true." agreed Sunset. "Though I don't think I would've been able to pull that last one off without Trixie's help."

"I still consider your mission to be a success, my student." said Luna. "But you have been through much in the past few days. You have my permission to take a break from my studies for the remainder of the week."

"Thank you, princess." smiled Sunset. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a little bit of...socializing to do."

"Good luck, my pupil." said Luna.

And then Sunset Shimmer went to various ponies in the room to talk to them.

---

Meanwhile in an underground tunnel below the Crystal Mountains, Lord Umbriel was lying on a stone platform, while having his wound healed by a lesser Changeling. Towering over the two was the tall, thin Queen Chrysalis.

"Tut, tut, little brother." she said, unamused. "I was under the impression that you had everything under control. Perhaps you'd like your big sis to save your sorry flank the next time you get impaled in the ribcage?"

"That won't be necessary, sister." said Umbriel. "I did not exactly expect to win in that battle, anyway. I just wanted to get those two siblings together again. Their love for each other is powerful, indeed."

"I see..." said Chrysalis, flickering her green lamp-like eyes down at her brother. "Embryo, whatever is your obsession with them, anyhow? They're only two unicorns! Why waste your efforts on hunting down such a shattered family, when you could go out and take the love of a much bigger group. Take the Apple Family, for instance."

"The Apples are a bunch of earth ponies." stated Umbriel, angrily. "Useless, mundane earth ponies! Sure the love of a family as large and proud as them could sustain our people, but I can't see how they could benefit my own purposes! But if I were to target a family of powerful unicorns such as Sunset Shimmer's, I could perhaps exploit their magical influence to fortify our armies!"

"Indeed?" asked Chrysalis. "How do you plan to do this now? Sunset Shimmer and her brother are probably back in Canterlot by now. They will be too far within the custody of Celestia and Luna to be within your grasp. And my own troops are still weary from my last attack on Canterlot!"

Lord Umbriel slowly stood himself back up on his holey legs, and smiled at Queen Chrysalis.

"Tut, tut, Chryssi." he said. "Do you honestly think I am worried at all about a few flying unicorns? We are Changelings! We can fly and use magic, just like any alicorn or pegacorn ever could!"

"Oh, you were always so full of yourself." chuckled Chrysalis. "You were always the fighter, and seldom the thinker. Or was it the other way around? Sorry, but I barely even remember what you were like before you got so big."

"We shall see." said Umbriel, slowly.

Suddenly, Ghost materialized in a flash of light beside the two Changeling siblings, and approached Lord Umbriel. Chrysalis backed away with a hiss, disgusted by the albino Changeling. Ghost bowed down to his master, and rasped his voice.

"My lord, Sigma's scouts have spotted some kind of vortex just outside Daystar Manor." he said.

"A vortex, eh?" repeated the younger regent. "Has anything come out of it?"

"We are not certain, sir." said Ghost. "From what Sigma reported back, the thing vanished as quickly as it appeared. If something came or went through, we haven't found it yet."

"Where is Sigma now?" asked Lord Umbriel.

"He and his scouts are resting in their hideout, at the docks of Vanhoover."

"Go to him, and order his scouting party to search the manor for anything...out of the ordinary. It may be something we could use against Radiant Dawn and Sunset Shimmer!"

"Understood, my lord." said Ghost, with a salute.

Ghost's horn glowed, and he disappeared again in a flash of light.