• Published 30th Aug 2014
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Sunset Rekindled - EldritchNexus



Sequel to "Sunset Eclipsed". Sunset Shimmer and her friends go on a new adventure that takes them to Las Pegasus, Saddle Arabia, and beyond..

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Returning to Canterlot, Part 1

When the week came to an end, Sunset Shimmer and her friends prepared the Summerstar for a flight back to Canterlot. Twilight Sparkle and her friends were there to see them off.

"Sunset Shimmer, we've had a great time together." Twilight said. "I had no idea spending time with you could be so incredible! All this time, I've really missed out on a good friend."

"So did I, Twilight." said Sunset.

"Which reminds me, Sunset." said Twilight. "Are you going to the Equestria Games? It's gonna be happening in a couple of weeks, after all. The Crystal Empire's gonna host them."

"I would, but I'm afraid that I'm gonna be preoccupied by Princess Luna's lessons." said Sunset.

"Well, that's too bad." frowned Twilight. "I was really looking forward to seeing you again."

"I'm sure that we can all come back to visit, Twilight." said Sunset.

"And bring as many of your friends with you as possible, okay?" Pinkie Pie intervened. "I've just had so much fun with them!"

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind, Pinkie." said Sunset.

"Oh, and I've got some sweets from Sugarcube Corner, for the flight back to Canterlot!" said Pinkie Pie. "I think you guys will love them!"

She ran off and brought back a huge bag fully of candy and pastries. It was so large that Nose Nip and Big Macintosh had to carry it on-board the Summerstar together.

"Thanks!" said Nose Nip to Big Mac. "I owe ya one."

"Eeyup." said Big Macintosh, who went back down the ramp to go back to Sweet Apple Acres.

At noon, the Summerstar lifted off into the air again, and was en route to Canterlot. In the lounge room of the zeppelin, Sunset and her friends examined the bag. It was full of taffy, jawbreakers, chocolate bars, peppermints, lemon bars, fudge brownies, lemon drops, cupcakes with chocolate-flavored frosting, blueberry muffins, apple-flavored lollipops, sticks of both black and red liquorice, small boxes of multi-flavored jelly beans, frosted donuts, churros, and various other mouth-watering sweets.

As tempted as they were to chow down on them right away, they all agreed to put them in various containers and dispensers in the lounge's mini-bar and save them for a later occasion. They all sat down and had a quick brunch that consisted of oatburgers, crepes, and orange juice, all prepared by Scarlet Blaze.

"Mmm!" said Golden Sun, after finishing his oatburger. "I've missed your cooking, honey!"

"Well, I thought I would take the time to make you all a decent meal." said Scarlet. "It's just my way of expressing gratitude for the fact that the whole family is back together."

"No problem, Ms. Blaze!" said Lightning Dust. "We'd do it again any other day!"

"Thank you, Lightning." said Sunset. "You guys really are the best friends I could ask for."

"You know, Sunny..." said Radiant. "Even though we're all back together, I still have a feeling we've been forgetting something. Something very important."

"Don't worry, we're on the way back to Canterlot, anyhow." said Sunset. "If we forgot to send any messages--which we did, heh heh heh--we'll be able to tell Princess Luna about it when we get there."

"No, I mean don't you remember that certain somepony that emerged from the portal a while back?" asked Radiant Dawn. "Shortly after the Chrysalis Syndicate did the same?"

Sunset then remembered.

"King Nelphyn?" she said. "Oh, yeah! I almost forgot all about him."

She turned to her mother.

"Mom, are you familiar with a Saddle Arabian ruler from the distant past by the name of King Nelphyn?"

"Hmm...you know, I think that name is familiar." said Scarlet Blaze. "I think my grandfather--your great-grandfather--told me about this terrible Saddle Arabian tyrant that tormented all of Saddle Arabia hundreds of years ago."

"Any specific details on what he did?" asked Radiant.

"Unfortunately, I don't remember much apart from that." said Scarlet. "Sorry."

"I think I might be able to help you." said Golden Sun. "As a former professor of the University of Baltimare, I've done research on many ancient cultures. The old Saddle Arabian royal families being one of them."

"Do you know anything about King Nelphyn, dad?" asked Sunset Shimmer.

"I know that he disappeared a few centuries ago, shortly after being defeated by Princess Celestia." said Golden Sun.

"So what would happen if this guy came back and decided he wanted another shot at being king of Saddle Arabia."

"Well, then I'd say all of Saddle Arabia would be put into turmoil." said Golden Sun. "I studied his history in my second year as a professor, and just reading what that fellow did still gives me shivers."

"What kind of stuff did he do?" asked Radiant.

"I'd rather not go into detail." said Golden Sun, uneasily. "It's just too nerve-wracking for me to bring up here. but let's just say that he almost makes King Sombra look decent. Good thing he's not been seen again since his disappearance."

Sunset and Radiant looked at their father with blank expressions on their face, not blinking once.

"Oh, dear." Golden Sun said. "He's back, isn't he?"

Sunset and Radiant nodded.

"Well, we're all in trouble, then." Golden Sun said, bluntly. "We can only hope he isn't planning to do anything big soon."


King Nelphyn stood on the dunes of sand outside of Mareusalem. the capital city of Saddle Arabia. He had an ominous grin on his face.

"Now, the time has come for me to reclaim my title as ruler of this land." he said. "And with the Alicorn Amulet, I can guarantee...the revolution will not be civilized."

The Alicorn Amulet began to glow. The Maul-Ras rose out of the sand, growling viciously.

"Begin the assault." said Nelphyn. "Break down the gates. Scatter the guards. Capture the sultan. I will be king again!"

The Maul-Ras roared, then darted towards the front gates of the walled city. The climbed them, and went over the walls. The citizens all fled in a panic upon seeing the horrifying creatures. The city guards scrambled to respond to the attack, uttering Saddle Arabian battle-cries. There were around a dozen to each creatures, and all were holding spears and halberds. But the creatures were too strong for them, and scattered them, clawing them and throwing them into buildings.

King Nelphyn teleported into the plaza district, located in the middle of Mareusalem, and spoke amid the chaos:

"Citizens of Saddle Arabia, I have returned!" his voice echoed. "You will all bow down to your true ruler, King Nelphyn the Invincible! King Nelphyn the Unlimited! All will submit immediately, or face my devastating power!"

The Alicorn Amulet glowed, shining like a crimson star in the shaded plaza. Everyone in his presence either ran screaming, or stopped and bowed to him in submission.

Nelphyn removed his sunglasses, revealing his red-lit eye-sockets. He unleashed a fiery blast of red magical energy forth from his eyes, that torched several buildings and greatly injured or scorched several citizens. A squad of paladins was dispatched from the sultan's palace, and galloped down to stop the ancient tyrant. They dodged his deadly streams of fiery red energy, and leapt to tackle him to the ground. But he would not fall or even flinch. He hoof-punched one paladin, sending him careening into a stacked pile of barrels.

"Mortal fool." Nelphyn said.

He fired his eye-beams at the barrels, causing the contents within them to explode. The paladin was covered in the flames that ensued. He ran as fast as he could into a nearby fountain to douse the flames, and passed out from the extreme pain. Then he struck down two more paladins and threw them through windows of a nearby house. Then he leapt up to the roof, and smashed a hoof into it. He leapt off the building again, just as most of the structure collapsed on top of the two paladins, greatly wounding them.

"Do not waste my time." Nelphyn told the remaining paladins. "You will only waste your lives."

"We are not afraid of you!" said one of the paladins.

"You will be." said Nelphyn, simply.

He grabbed the paladin by the neck, and the Alicorn Amulet began glowing.

"You...will...be!" Nelphyn's voice deepened.

He opened his mouth, and a red blast of light fired from his jaws. It shot high into the sky like a fare, and triggered a sonic boom. Where the sonic boom occurred, a black cloud appeared and spread over Mareusalem. The entire cityscape was shrouded in darkness, as the clouds expanded. Locusts materialized from the clouds and swarmed throughout the nearby marketplace, consuming all food in sight. Many Saddle Arabians ran into the buildings to hide, others attempted to leave the city, only to be seized by the Maul-Ras and thrown into the fountains near the front gate.

"Do you believe you can defy me so easily?!" shouted Nelphyn to the paladin he was strangling. "Cross my path again, and you will be destroyed!"

He lifted up the paladin, and then threw him across the plaza. Nelphyn teleported out of the plaza, and reappeared at the front doors of the palace. He blasted down the doors, and stormed into the throne room. He blasted away every paladin and guard that obstructed his path as he approached the elderly sultan.

"I have returned to reclaim my throne!" said King Nelphyn. "Now stand aside, pretender, or you will suffer dearly!"

But the sultan was not intimidated.

"So you believe that by intruding upon my palace and threatening me that you are fit to rule Saddle Arabia?" said the sultan.

"Do you not know who you speak to?!"

"I neither know nor care who I speak to." said the sultan.

Nelphyn's eye-sockets blazed furiously.

"One chance." said King Nelphyn. "That's all I will give you. Stand aside, or face torment like you've never seen before!"

"I stand only where I belong." said the sultan. "And it is somewhere you do not."

"My thoughts exactly." said King Nelphyn.

Then the Alicorn Amulet glowed, and the entire roof and ceiling was blasted apart, exposing the throne room to the heavens. A streak of lightning shot down from the dark clouds and struck the amulet. In a series of flashes of light, the body of Nelphyn became covered in his Ancient Egyptian-esque armored apparel.

"The Princesses of Equestria will hear about this!" said the sultan. "No matter what you do here, they will surely undo it!"

"And I would really like to see them try." said Nelphyn. "Princess Celestia may have stopped me before, but she won't do it again! Not without the Elements of Harmony! Now, all of Saddle Arabia will remember the name of me: King Nelphyn!"

"It can't be you!" said the sultan. "You...you disappeared centuries ago! It's just not possible!"

"It is, and I am." said King Nelphyn.

Nelphyn's eye-sockets blazed even brighter, and a ray of scarlet light consumed the sultan. The elderly stallion then found himself in chains in his own palace's dungeons.

"No!" he moaned. "I can't believe this is happening! Not in my lifetime!"

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