Sunset Eclipsed

by EldritchNexus

The Origin of Synthe

Sunset Shimmer just stood silent, almost speechless from Luna's revelation.

"Synthe...is Craw." Sunset finally said, flatly. "Wow. I sure feel awkward right now."

"I am sure it must be, Sunset." said Luna.

"But...I thought King Craw died." said Sunset. "So how was I able to fight him in Fillydelphia?"

"Umbriel explained it to me." said Luna. "I shall tell you the tale, based on what he told me."

APPROX. ONE YEAR EARLIER...

Canterlot was in shambles all around Prince Embryo, as he fluttered his insectoid wings in the air. He hovered his tiny body a few feet over the ground. He was searching the battlefield, which was filled with slain royal guards and Changelings.

"Well, this is a pleasant sight." snarked the Prince of the Changelings. "Well, I didn't exactly expect my sister's vengeance on Craw to be clean."

Then a Changeling drone of average size flew over to Embryo.

"My lord, we have just received word that King Craw and his allies have been defeated." said the messenger, with a nasally voice. "Chrysalis is once again our queen."

"Marvelous." rasped Embryo. "Lead me over to her immediately."

"As you wish, sire." said the drone.

The two Changelings soared over the buildings, and came just before the entrance to the palace. Two royal guards challenged them.

"Hold your ground, boys." Embryo waved a little gnarled hoof before them. "We are Chrysalis' followers, not Craw's. Stand aside, if you don't mind."

Then the tall Changeling queen strode out of the main gateway of the palace, a smug look on her face. Embryo zipped over to Chrysalis.

"Sister, congratulations on your victory." said Embryo. "Craw truly got what was coming to him, did he not?"

"He most certainly did, Embryo." said Chrysalis. "May his death be an example to any who attempt to overthrow the righteous rulers of the Changeling Empire."

"My troops will certainly keep that in mind." said Embryo. "So, how did you kill him?"

"Oh, I can't take credit for that." Chrysalis said, turning her head back towards the main entrance. "That would be the doing of him."

What Embryo saw walk upright out of the palace was truly the most incredible thing he had ever seen in his life: It was more than nine feet tall, adorned in a cloak, and its body was skeletal and appeared to be made of a dark metal. Its claw-like hands held metallic cylinders in each hand.

Embryo zipped over to the strange warrior, and spoke to him.

"You have our thanks, fine sir." said Embryo. "Craw was no match for you, I am sure."

"Back away, gnat." the alien warrior said, swatting Embryo away with a claw. "I am done with you creatures."

Embryo caught himself before he could fall, and scowled after the cloaked alien.

"Real gentleman, that one." snarked Embryo, rolling his large bulbous eyes. "Still better than Craw."

"My lord, I have come to you at last." said a voice.

Embryo wheeled himself around, and saw the albino Changeling known as Ghost before him.

"I have need of your assistance, Ghost." said Embryo. "Follow me."

Embryo and Ghost knocked on the gate to Canterlot Palace. The door opened and out came Captain Star Shield.

"Your business in our city has concluded, Changelings." said Star Shield. "I would advise that you leave before the princesses expel you by force."

"Not quite." said Embryo. "We wish to collect the remains of King Craw."

"Why?" questioned the pegasus captain.

"Because usurper or not, he is still recognized as a ruler of our empire." explained Embryo. "We simply wish to move him from the site of his death so that we can entomb his in a cermonial manner."

Star Shield looked between the two unusual Changelings with vigilance.

"You may do this, but only if you linger no longer than necessary. I will arrest you both if you intend any harm upon the citizens of Canterlot."

"Oh, relax yourself, old one." said Embryo, coolly. "We shall be gone before you even know it."

Star Shield informed the two of the chamber where King Craw and his otherworldly allies were killed, and the two Changelings flew over there. Ghost telekinetically opened the doors, and Embryo flew inside, and beheld the carnage that laid strewn before him. There was green gore all over the floor, even a few severed body parts here and there. In the center was the tall body of King Craw. He has rips, tears, and bruises all over his body. Despite this, and to Embryo and Ghost's collective surprise, he was moving ever so slightly.

Instinctively, Embryo cast a stasis spell from his horn, and the usurper's mutilated body was preserved in a field of energy, safe from the elements.

"So, the great King Craw has finally met his untimely end." taunted Embryo.

Craw was silent.

"You may be dying, Craw, but you're not hard-of-hearing or mute." snapped the Changeling prince. "Speak to me, you whelp!"

"I...have...nothing to say..." moaned Craw, angrily.

Craw lifted his head, which had probably the worst disfigurements of all. Even his horn had been broken. His red eyes welled up with tears, and his face was damp with sweat and blood. He held no remorse for his actions at all. He did, however, show a fear of dying.

"Positively lovely." said Embryo, snidely. "I can safely say I'm not the Changeling with the worst physical condition anymore."

"Up yours...you insipid, insolent...midget!" snarled the wounded Changeling, through the pain. "Just...get...away from me! If I'm going to die, then let me do so in peace."

"That depends on how badly you want to die." commented Prince Embryo. "Do you truly want to die?"

"I certainly don't want to!" growled King Craw, choking on a long trail of greenish bile that was leaking out of his mouth. "I...don't...want to!"

"Then you are in luck, Craw." said Embryo, smiling nefariously. "I can save you."

"You...are as much a filthy liar as you are a stunted weakling, Embryo." spat Craw, defiantly. "What can you possibly do to save me? I am...on...the brink of...death! I would probably be dead right now, if you didn't have this accursed energy shield around me!"

"What I speak, Craw, is the truth." clarified Embryo. "I can perform the skills to replace the body parts you have lost, cease the bleeding in your body, and keep you alive and walking. But there is a catch."

"Naturally, there is a catch." scoffed Craw. "Tell me what it is, you b--"

"You will be living the remainder of your days as my general and master strategist." said Embryo. "The knowledge and experience you hold in your grasp is simply too valuable to just go to waste."

"I will not serve the runt of the royal litter!" shrieked Craw, loudly.

Then he clutched at his neck, and choked again.

"Okay...I'll do this." Craw hissed in agony. "I'll do it."

Embryo dropped down to the stone floor, and stood before Craw's scarred face.

"Good boy, Craw." he grinned with mockery. "Ghost, get us out of here!"

"Yes, sire." said the white Changeling.

In a flash of light, the three were teleported into a cavernous chamber. Embryo then began to work on Craw's body. For many long hours, he telekinetically applied unspeakable objects to the false Changeling king's body, reshaping parts of his anatomy and covering or sealing the bleeding wounds dotted throughout his body. Eventually, Craw was able to stand on his legs once more.

However, it pained him to inhale the natural air. Fortunately for him, a breathing device had been attached to, and even ran through, his lower jaw. The tube curved up to his mouth, inviting him to suck on it. When he did so, he was able to feel a refined air issue into his mouth. It felt good to him.

"Thank you, Embryo." he said, softly.

"You see, Craw?" said Embryo, who hovered beside him with an unamused expression on his face. "This has been possible because I'm such a genius. How do so many fail to see this. Now listen here, Craw. I own your pathetic flank now, until the day you die. I am the commander, and you are my soldier. In fact, you're my champion."

"I...understand...I suppose." Craw mumbled, reluctantly. "But what about Chrysalis?"

"Queen Chrysalis." corrected Embryo, flatly. "But don't you worry. As long as you remain loyal and obediant, I will not utter a single word of this to her."

"He's blackmailing me! I can't believe this!" Craw thought, disgusted.

"Until then, you'd better ditch your more commonly used name." said Embryo. "After all, 'Craw' is not exactly a name that can be shrugged off as a coincidence. Also, I'm getting sick of looking at that face of yours."

Embryo levitated a piece of a metal container from a nearby rack, and telekinetically bent it into a crude-looking mask. He fastened it onto Craw's disfigured face, then hovered back to observe Craw's reformed body.

"Excellent." said Embryo. "You're practically a new Changeling, already."

"I, on the other hand, feel like recycled garbage." snarked Craw.

"Craw, I tend to forget: What is your full name?" asked the Changeling prince.

"I am King Synthe von Craw III." stated the masked Changeling.

"Yes...'General Synthe' will do nicely for a name." said Embryo. "That's how you shall be known as long as you serve me. Do you understand me? Forget about being 'King Craw', and you will do just fine."

"Yes, sir." said General Synthe.

PRESENT DAY...

Sunset Shimmer thought about Princess Luna's story, and the implications of her first (and currently only) interaction with Synthe.

"So, that whole time..." Sunset muttered to herself shortly after waking up the following morning. "That was my boyfriend that I was tossing around with my telekinesis. Well, not really my boyfriend, but his counterpart in this world. Either way, that was the weirdest date ever."

Meanwhile at the royal guard garrison, the captured Changeling soldier was being held in a small candle-lit room. It moaned at the pain it had received on the train. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and it opened straight away. A pegasus wearing sunglasses, an ascot, and a ten-gallon hat came inside.

"Well, lookee what we have here." said Crazy Graffiti. "If it ain't one o' Lord Umbriel's lil ol' varmints."

"What, how did you--" the Changeling hissed, confused.

"Maybe y'all should learn to put y'allselves out of your lil' ol' misery, huh?" said Graffiti.

The pegasus took off his hat, and then his sunglasses. He opened his eyelids, revealing two red bulbous eyes. He smiled wickedly, and snorted loudly.

"Sir, whatever have I--" said the Changeling.

"Now, we can't have you spill any unwanted information to the royal guards, now can we?" said Graffiti, his voice deepened and drawl lost.

"I can barely move!" said the Changeling. "And I have the worst pain in my head right now."

Graffiti opened his mouth, revealing razor-sharp teeth. He exhaled hard, then closed his lips again. He raised his front hooves and put them around the Changeling's neck.

"Let nice ol' Ghostie take care of that for ya, Hopper." said the pegasus, malevolently.

Crr-rack!

"There. Pain's gone. Time for me to go now. I can see that you're dead tired."

Then Crazy Graffiti put his sunglasses and hat back on, and vanished in a flash of light, leaving behind Hopper's lifeless body on the table.

Author's Note:

This is easily the darkest, goriest chapter in this story. But I'm trying my best to make sure that I don't have to change the rating, since I still intend to keep it "beneath the threshold," so to speak.

Comments

[GodzillaLecter]

Very good, I actually like it quiet a lot.
p.twimg.com/A07DelLCcAAckLc.jpg:large

[Lord Nopony]

Wow! I never expected Synthe to be Craw!

[Shooting Starr]

this is good. like 20 present cooler than . . . well . . . other after EG stories

[3phra1m]

so who was the warrior that beat craw.

[EldritchNexus]

3650303

You'll have to ask GodzillaLecter about that one.

[RainbowCoolDash Pariah]

This is real good. Keep going

[Starlight Nova]

When does Lightning Dust appear?

[EldritchNexus]

3667927

You couldn't just read and see for yourself? "The Attack on Fillydelphia".