Sunset Rekindled

by EldritchNexus

More Family Matters

The throne room was silent as Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Queen Chrysalis, and Lord Umbriel sat together in the middle. The fatigued drone sat in-between them.

"Changeling, can you explain what happened that put you in your condition?" asked Celestia.

The drone looked up nervously at the alicorns, but said nothing.

"You won't be able to get words out of him, princess." said Umbriel. "Whatever harm came to that drone has temporarily impaired his ability to speak."

"But I believe I can find out what happened." said Luna, who approached the drone with her horn glowing. "Let us see if I cannot probe his mind for any memories of the incident."

She set her horn against the drone's, and her eyes began to glow.

---

TWO WEEKS EARLIER...

Sigma, Canopy, Remix, Aggro, and three other drones were all standing back-to-back, surrounded by shadowy assailants. The Changelings' horns were all glowing.

"Fire!" shouted Canopy.

The Changelings fired their spells at the dark shapes. Some made their mark, but most of the figures evaded them.

"How many of them are there?!" said Aggro, hastily. "Howmanyhowmanyhowmanyhow--"

"Aggro, shut up!" said Canopy. "It looks like we're outnumbered. You're the fastest of us, so go and find reinforcements!"

"Got it!" said Aggro, with a salute.

He bolted away from the other Changelings and past the dark figures. He produced a streak of greenish flames as he sped on, and was gone in seconds.

"Don't let any more of 'em get away!" shouted one of the figures.

Suddenly one of the dark figures, revealed to be an earth pony stallion in mud-splattered royal guard armor, tackled Canopy and pinned her to the ground. Before any of the other Changelings could turn to help, even more armored ponies sprang forth and attacked them.

"You get offa Canopy, you stupid--*buzz!*" Sigma shouted to the pony grappling Canopy. "What...?". Sigma turned to find the source of the noise, and saw that Remix's horn was glowing.

"Watch your language, Sigma." rasped Remix, who was grappling with another armored pony.

"Don't be such a bloody tart, Remix!" said Sigma. "I can say whatevuh oi wo-aaaahhhh!"

Another armored pony struck down Sigma and pinned him down next to Canopy. Two of the other drones were similarly incapacitated.

"What's goin' on he'?!" Sigma moaned. "'Oo ar' these--"

Suddenly, yet another dark equine shape appeared, larger than the others. His eye sockets were glowing with a pale red smoke.

"Changelings?" said the large shape. "How pathetic. Not worth my time, if you ask me. But still, I think we may have more use for them."

"But my lord, I desperately want to kill these maggots!" growled a pegasus-shape beside the large shape.

"I'm afraid that I cannot allow this. Keep them prisoner. They will be much more useful alive than dead."

"But I want them to--"

"Silence, Firewing!" boomed the large shape suddenly, and his voice echoed throughout the chamber.

Everything else was silent as the voice echoed in the darkness. The red smoke from the large shape's eye-sockets exploded in a violent fiery light.

"Of...of course, master." said Firewing. "As you command, King Nelphyn."

"See?" said Nelphyn. "Even one as aggressive as you can be made to obey, given the proper incentive. Now capture those Changelings...alive."

"Wha' th--" Sigma began, before being walloped on the head by the armored pony.

"Sigma! You're going to--" Canopy shouted, before being blasted with a stunning spell by an armored unicorn follower of King Nelphyn.

Then one of the drones lying on the ground shot a spell directly at King Nelphyn. However, it was effortlessly deflected and bounced back against a nearby wall, causing a large explosion. Several ponies and Changelings alike were injured or confused, but Remix was able to break free and disappeared in the confusion. King Nelphyn, however, was unfazed, and furiously seized the drone.

"You pathetic little insect." said King Nelphyn, with an unusually soft tone in his voice. "What were you trying to prove?"

His grip tightened on the drone, and the Alicorn Amulet around his neck began to glow.

---

PRESENT DAY...

Princess Luna stopped mentally probing the Changeling's memories.

"Firewing was indeed involved in the attack and capture of those Changelings." she said aloud to Celestia and the two Changelings regents. "But he wasn't doing it on Equestria's behalf. He was acting under the orders of...King Nelphyn."

Princess Celestia sighed.

"Then it's as I feared." she said.

"King Nelphyn?" repeated Queen Chrysalis.

"Yes, sister." said Lord Umbriel. "He was an ancient Saddle Arabian monarch that--"

"I know who he is, brother!" snapped Chrysalis. "But what I want to know is why and how King Nelphyn is still alive! He should've been dead for centuries!"

"Unfortunately, I don't know the answer, Chrysalis." said Celestia. "But I know he was spending all this time in the human world, which I'm sure you two are familiar with?"

"We are." said Umbriel.

"Something should be done about him, regardless." said Chrysalis. "Where in Equestria is he right now?"

"He isn't in Equestria." said Celestia. "I was recently told that he's currently trying to conquer Saddle Arabia."

Chrysalis scoffed.

"Then he's already out of my empire's reach." she said, bitterly. "And our subjects that he captured are doomed."

"That may not necessarily be the case." said Luna. "There is still a chance that we may be able to find Firewing."

"Even if Firewing was still in Equestria, how are you so sure you'd be able to find him?" asked Chrysalis.

"Because when I was searching the drone's memories, I saw that two Changelings escaped the attack." explained Luna.

"Two?" repeated Chrysalis.

"But I was sure only one had escaped." said Umbriel. "Aggro was the only one that came back to us."

"Actually, another escaped capture." said Luna. "I suspect it might be one of yours, Umbriel."

She approached Umbriel, and put her horn to his. Luna's horn glowed as she mentally projected an image of the Changeling in question.

"So Remix escaped capture?" Umbriel said. "Interesting. But what I don't understand is...where is he now?"

---

"Remix...you and I...just made some very sweet music together." said an out-of-breath DJ P0N-3, laying sideways on the living room floor of her residence.

"It...was a pleasure." rasped Remix, who was sitting next to DJ P0N-3 on the floor, with several sheets of paper with musical notes scrawled on them scattered between the two.

"You know..." DJ P0N-3 climbing up the floor to sit in front of Remix, still panting a little. "I've gotta admit, I was a little...nervous at first. I've never...collaborated with a...Changeling before."

"Nor have I ever done so with a pony." said Remix. "But I guess...there's always a first time for everything...and everyone."

"You know, you're actually a cool guy...for a Changeling, I mean." said DJ P0N-3. "You can call me Vinyl Scratch. You can play my instruments anytime."

"Are you saying that we can be a...duet?" asked Remix.

"You got that right, Ree-Ree." said Vinyl. "So when do you want to hang out next time?"

"I...don't know." admitted Remix.

Suddenly, there was a flash of red light, and Ghost appeared next to them.

"Cousin, I've been looking all over for you!" Ghost told Remix. "What the heck have you been--"

He looked at Vinyl Scratch.

"You know what? I don't even want to know. Come on, Remix." said Ghost.

"Actually, I--"

But before Remix could finish his sentence, Ghost grabbed him by the hoof, and the two teleported away, leaving Vinyl Scratch alone with her music sheets.

---

Sunset Shimmer was walking down to the throne room, wondering if the princesses decided on whether or not they would help Saddle Arabia. She opened the doors to the throne room, and gasped in surprise when she saw Queen Chrysalis, Lord Umbriel, and the drone.

"What...what are they doing here?!" she said uncomfortably loudly.

"Sunset Shimmer, okease don't be alarmed." said Princess Luna, who quickly went to meet her student. "They aren't here to cause us trouble."

"Well, that would be a first." said Sunset. "But then why are they here?"

"Well, if it isn't the prodigal daughter of Equestria, herself?" said Queen Chrysalis, walking over to join them. "Miss Sunset Shimmer, I presume?"

"That's right." Sunset nodded slowly. "And you're..."

"Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings. I'm the ruler of the Changeling Empire, and the older sister of Umbriel, who I believe you've already met."

Umbriel heard this, and casually waved one of his muscular hooves at Sunset.

"Unfortunately." said Sunset.

Chrysalis extended one of her long, hole-ridden legs towards Sunset's face.

"I'm pleased to finally be able to meet someone of your caliber, Miss Shimmer." said Chrysalis. "My brother told me all about you."

Sunset took Chrysalis' hoof, and reluctantly shook it up and down.

"Did he tell you he tried killing me a couple of times, despite the fact that there's supposed to be a truce between Equestria and your empire?" said Sunset Shimmer.

"What my brother does isn't my responsibility." said Chrysalis. "He prefers to do his own thing most of the time."

"Unless it was something you weren't completely comfortable with, my sister." said Umbriel, approaching Chrysalis and Sunset.

"But really, Sunset." said Chrysalis, ignoring Umbriel. "I am terribly sorry about this whole mess involving my brother. And so is he. Isn't that right?"

"Oh...of course!" Umbriel nodded quickly. "So...Sunset Shimmer, how are you doing this evening?"

"Umm...fine." said Sunset, nervously.

"Having any luck on finding the rest of your family?"

Sunset narrowed her eyes angrily.

"Yes, actually." said Sunset. "I finally found both my parents, no thanks to you!"

"Well, then I should congra--"

"And why are you so curious, anyway?!" snapped Sunset. "Considering you were the one that tore my family apart to begin with! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been separated from them like I was! I didn't see my parents for fifteen years straight and it's all your fault!"

"Well, they say a little childhood trauma builds character..."

"Oh yeah? Well, maybe I wanted to be a different character! Did you think about that?" said Sunset.

"I can assure you, that I didn't really intend for them to be--" Umbriel began.

Chrysalis turned her head towards her younger sibling.

"Brother, back away now." she hissed to Umbriel.

Umbriel nodded, and went back to Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and the drone.

"You know, I have to wonder what kind of sister you are to him, anyway." said Sunset.

"Excuse me?" Chrysalis asked, turning towards Sunset.

"The way you just let him do stuff willy-nilly without doing anything about it." said Sunset. "My brother may not have been around as long as I would've liked, but when he was, he always looked out for me and made sure nothing bad ever happened to me."

"And...?"

"Well, why can't you do the same for your brute of a brother?" asked Sunset.

"Are you criticizing me?" said Chrysalis.

"Well, if you were a good sister, I wouldn't be." said Sunset.

"Sunset Shimmer..." Chrysalis' eyes narrowed under her thick eyelids. "How...dare you?!"

"Think about it, queenie." said Sunset. "If you cared about your brother at all, why'd you let him get away with attacking Fillydelphia despite the fact that you're supposed to have a truce with us?"

Queen Chrysalis' face was starting to flush with a pale greenish tone.

"Well, I can't control every little thing that he does!" scoffed Chrysalis. "It's just...I...urrrrrgh!"

She huffed and turned around, her head tilted up and eyes closed. Sunset calmed herself down and cleared her throat.

"Queen Chrysalis, I'm...sorry." she said.

"Excuse me?" Chrysalis opened her eyes and turned around again.

"I shouldn't be criticizing you like that." said Sunset. "I'm sure there's some cultural thing you Changelings have that I don't fully understand. Umbriel probably has some kinda position where..."

"Sunset Shimmer, you're probably the first pony I've ever met that actually apologized to me about something." Chrysalis sighed, then chuckled. "I can see why both of those princesses chose you to be their student. You're really different from the others, I can tell. But in a good way. Congratulations, you've earned my respect...for now."

Suddenly, there was a flash of red light, and Ghost and Remix appeared in the throne room.

"Hey, Queen Chrysalis!" Ghost exclaimed. "Look who I just found!"

Comments

[00RaiserGundam]

This just keeps on getting more and more interesting.

[Lord Nopony]

5224942 Agreed!

[JimmyHook19]

"a little childhood trauma builds character"

that line that Umbriel said easily reminded me of the line Eddy said in the very first episode of Ed, Edd n Eddy back on January 4th, 1999! :D