Sunset Eclipsed

by EldritchNexus

Showdown in Ponyville

Twilight Sparkle approached the large Changeling that now stood outside the Golden Oaks Library.

"What's the meaning of this, Changeling?" demanded the alicorn.

"Twilight, you should seriously back down a bit." said Sunset. "This guy's a killer."

"Yes, Twilight Sparkle." said the Changeling. "If you were half as wise as everypony here in Equestria has made you out to be, I would listen to your colleague."

"So, you're this Lord Umbriel that Princess Celestia told me about?" asked Twilight.

"That is correct." nodded the Changeling lord, smugly grinning.

"That's the tyrant behind those attacks on Fillydelphia." said Sunset Shimmer, whispering into Twilight's ear. "I fought him, and he overpowered me. We'll have to take him together."

"By all means, send the entire town after me." gloated Umbriel. "This place is so ripe with love, friendship, and kindness, it is practically a grocery store to a Changeling such as myself."

"You're not taking any love from us!" said Twilight. "We've beaten you creeps before. We can do it again."

"You only met my sister, Queen Chrysalis." said Umbriel. "You never met me, though. What you see before you, princess, is the most wondrous union of brains and brawn that Equestria has ever seen."

"You have serious nerve to just show up in the town that's practically on the doorstep of Canterlot." said Trixie.

"Oh, yes." Umbriel turned his head to Trixie. "The Great and Powerful Trixie. However did the Alicorn Amulet treat you?"

"How do you know about that...thing?!" snarled Trixie.

"Don't you remember?" Umbriel questioned.

"Remember what? I never met you until I saw you in Fillydelphia."

"Don't you remember how you first found out about the Alicorn Amulet? That unicorn that gave you the book about the amulet? That was me!"

Trixie's eyes widened.

"The pegasus that told you what city the amulet was located in? Also me!" grinned Umbriel.

"I thought I smelt a stinkbug." said Trixie.

"And the shopkeeper that sold you the amulet?" Umbriel began to laugh. "Me, me, me, me!"

"Dare I ask why?" Trixie questioned, slowly growing angry.

"I knew about your little run-in with Twilight Sparkle." said the Changeling, as he entered the library. "And since she did have a part in defeating my sister at Canterlot, and again when she tried to invade this very town, I decided to...coax you into going after her."

"You...used me?!" growled Trixie through clenched teeth. "You took my personal vendetta, and exploited it?"

"That is correct." Umbriel said, gloatingly. "By wearing the Alicorn Amulet, you became susceptible to the corrupting power it possesses. Thus, you were able to not only exact your revenge against Twilight Sparkle, but do so with little to no restraint. And as it turns out, that's exactly what I would've wanted in an agent: Powerful, but easy to manipulate. Poor, pathetic little Trixie. You were working for me, and you didn't even know it!"

"You monster!" shrieked Trixie. "I'll tear you to pieces!"

Her horn began to glow, and an arc of electricity shot out from its point. But Umbriel responded by illuminating his own horn, and unleashed his own magical attack. The two rays collided with each other, then fused together. Suddenly, the combined beams fell under Umbriel's complete control. The beam connected the two combatants like a paddle-ball. Trixie found herself being telekinetically flailed around the library in a complete circle around Umbriel, who casually turned his head about to keep the momentum flowing.

"Geeeeeetttttt meeeeeeeee ouuuuuuuuutttttt offfffff thhhhiiiiiiiiiiiissssss mmmeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssss!" Trixie shouted as she was spun around the room.

"Hang on, Trixie!" Sunset shouted. "I'll help you."

"Try helping yourself first, Sunset." Umbriel taunted.

Suddenly, Sunset Shimmer felt herself being telekinetically lifted, and rushing through the air. She found herself being bounced up and down like a basketball by Umbriel's telekinesis. It would have been a humorous spectacle if it weren't for the fact that the two unicorns were crying out in pain.

"Enough!" Twilight Sparkle shouted, her horn glowing purple.

Using her own magic, Twilight canceled out the spells Umbriel had on Sunset and Trixie, and levitated them safely back to her. Trixie was hyperventilating on the ground, and Sunset Shimmer was moaning in pain.

"I think I might've pulled something." Sunset groaned.

"Make it stop!" Trixie panicked, terrified by her recent experience. "Just make it stop!"

"Oh, you are no fun, Twilight." laughed Umbriel. "I was just giving Trixie the greeting I believe she would be most accustomed to."

"Just leave them alone." said Twilight, simply. "It's me you want, isn't it?"

"Not at all." said Umbriel. "It's actually Sunset Shimmer that I'm here for."

"Why?"

"He's been trying to kill me, Twilight!" Sunset said, trying to climb back to her hooves.

"Only if you won't join me, Sunset." said the Changeling.

"There's no way I'd work for you!" shouted Sunset Shimmer, furious. "You still haven't told me what happened to my parents!"

"Then before I kill you, I will give you the privilege of dying, knowing that Scarlet Blaze lives on." answered Umbriel.

Sunset Shimmer gasped.

"That's my mother!" she said. "Where is she now?"

"She is a prisoner in one of my strongholds." said Umbriel. "My troops caught her exiting from your childhood home near Vanhoover. She is currently being interrogated by my general. Who knows what he's doing to her now. After all, General Synthe has been...repressed for quite some time, especially given his condition. He might get a little excited to be around..."

"Don't you dare go there, Umbriel!" Sunset snapped. "Now enough with the lies and tricks! I want a fair fight from you!"

Trixie quickly jumped back upright, her horn glowing.

"Count me in, Sunset." she. "I wanna bring this monster down as much as you do! I'll show him what it means to manipulate the Great and Powerful Trixie."

"Very well, Lulamoon." said Umbriel. "I don't sense much love within you, but I'm sure I could give Sunset here a fighting chance. Go ahead and team-up with the Vixen of Vanhoover over here. I trust this will be a much more interesting duel than the one I had with her and Radiant in Fillydelphia."

Sunset Shimmer's horn glowed with a teal aura. She turned to Trixie.

"Hey, remember that spell I taught you back at Lightning Dust's place?" she said.

"You know, I forgot all about that until just now." nodded Trixie. "Want me to test it out?"

"Oh, yes." smiled Sunset, devilishly as she whispered. "Go for the potted plant to Umbriel's left."

"And whatever are you two talking about?" chuckled the Changeling.

"Trixie, do it now!" shouted Sunset.

"What in the--" Umbriel exclaimed.

A ball of magenta energy erupted from the horn, and sped forwards through the air. Umbriel quickly beat his wings, and zipped to the right like a hummingbird. He guffawed, believing that Trixie was aiming for him. He was surprised when he noticed that the two unicorns had very toothy grins on their faces. Suddenly, he heard rustling beside him. The large, muscular Changeling rotated to the left, to find himself looking at a massive carnivorous plant, which was reaching towards him.

"Well, whatever do we have--" Umbriel began, before he found that a vine had wrapped itself around his neck.

He attempted to break away, but another vine seized him by one of his front hooves, and began pulling him towards the botanic mass that now covered a corner of the library.

"Well, this...is a fine turning of the tables." grunted Umbriel, as he jerked himself back.

Suddenly, three more green tendrils seized the rest of Umbriel's limbs, and the Changeling warlord quickly disappeared into the massive plant. Twilight Sparkle stood there shocked, but Sunset Shimmer and Trixie exchanged a hoof-bump.

"Wow, I didn't think it would work that well!" cheered Trixie.

"A growth spell, huh?" observed Twilight Sparkle. "Very interesting and resourceful."

"That's the same spell that I used when I passed one of my mid-term exams at Princess Celestia's academy." said Sunset Shimmer. "I thought it would come in handy, so I kinda let slip to Trixie how to cast it. I also mixed in a little of another classmate's growth spell for good measure when I told Trixie about it."

"Well, I've got to hand it to you, Sunset." said Twilight. "If you stayed in Equestria instead of running off to the human world, you'd have made for a great teacher."

"I don't think so." said Sunset. "I think going to the human world, being purified by the Elements of Harmony, and then returning here was what made it possible."

Suddenly, the large plant began to pulsate and bulge.

"Oh, no." said Trixie.

"It looks like it'll still take a while for him to get out of there." said Sunset. "How about we get out and get help before Umbriel escapes your fly-trap."

"That's a good idea, Sunset." agreed Twilight.

The alicorn took off outside, Sunset Shimmer teleported after her, and Trixie galloped out.

"Okay, so you can fly," Trixie said to Twilight, before turning to Sunset. "And you can teleport. What do I get? Smoke and mirrors! Seriously, one of these days, I'm getting a magic carpet or something."

"Sure, we'll go to Saddle Arabia to buy one when we're not being tormented by Changelings!" snapped Sunset. "Now let's go and get help before..."

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion inside the library. Out of the cloud of smoke that rose out from the opened doorway emerged Lord Umbriel, whose body was covered in steaming green juices from the plant he burst out from.

"Twilight, go!" shouted Sunset. "Go get your friends! We'll take care of him!"

Umbriel shook the juices off himself, and began to beat his wings. He slowly hovered forwards, his horn glowing eerily. Sunset Shimmer and Trixie Lulamoon both unleashed their own barrages of offensive spells at the Changeling, and Twilight Sparkle raised her head upwards. Her eyes began to glow silvery-white, and an identically colored ray rose up from her horn. It shot upwards into the sky, as a pillar of light that could be seen for miles.

At the cafe, Radiant Dawn was on his twelfth glass of lemonade and Lightning Dust on her sixteenth. Radiant suddenly saw the pillar of light, and sprayed the contents of his glass onto the pegasus' face.

"Hey, what was that for?!" she shouted at him.

"Look behind you!" Radiant answered. rising quickly from his seat.

Lightning Dust turned, and saw the light.

"It's coming from the library!" Radiant observed.

"That's where Sunset, Trixie, and Twilight are!" added Lightning Dust. "It looks like trouble!"

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity were rushing by the cafe. Rainbow flew up to Lightning Dust and Radiant Dawn.

"Hey, it looks like Ponyville's under attack!" she said.

"So that's what that thing's for?" asked Lightning.

"Yeah. It's the Equestrian Royal Flare." said Rainbow Dash. "Twilight came up with it after the whole Fillydelphia thing. When you see it go up, it means the town it's in is being invaded."

"Well, then let's get going!" said Radiant.

The unicorn galloped down the stairs, and onto the dirt road. Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust looked at each other.

"Looks like we're working together again." said Lightning, smiling.

"It sure does." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "So are you ready to help everypony, instead of putting them in danger?"

"Oh, definitely!" nodded Lightning.

The two pegasi took off, and soared to the pillar of light.

Comments

[JimmyHook19]

"Count me in, Sunset." she. I think you forgot to put a said in there. it should be "Count me in, Sunset." she said.