• Published 17th Sep 2015
  • 751 Views, 66 Comments

Sunset Imperishable - EldritchNexus



Sequel to "Sunset Rekindled". Equestria's security has been compromised, and it will take far more than Sunset Shimmer or even the Princesses could ever imagine to save the day this time. This time, the entire world is under threat.

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The Red Rippers

"What da heck, ma?!" Frosty exclaimed. "Why didn'tcha tell me I had a brother?"

"Well...you didn't ask." said Mrs. Flake, shrugging. "Besides, your father and I haven't been on speaking terms for a long time. Not since we divorced."

"I was very little when it happened." recalled Pressure Point. "Dad left, and took me with him. I didn't remember much else, but..."

"Then he re-married, if I recall." said Mrs. Flake. "I was pregnant with Frosty when your father left me."

"Oh, that's just convenient." scoffed Pressure Point. "I never thought I'd live to actually meet my brother, and he's been driving me nuts for over a month without me realizing who he was. It was bad enough to have Trixie for a cousin. Not you're telling me this loudmouth runt--"

"Hey!" Frosty shouted.

"--is my brother?"

"Pressure Point, is this really how you would treat your own family?"

"Well, the family I grew up with wasn't a very impressive or nice one." Pressure rolled his eyes. "So I'm having trouble believing that the one that was never around will be much better."

"I dunno, I think he's got a point." said Frosty.

"Frosty, Pressure, stop it!" said Mrs. Flake. "Both of you. You're family, so start acting like it."

"On second thought, ma's right." Frosty changed his mind. "Why don't we just start over and--"

"No." said Pressure Point, turning to leave the room. "You're my brother. I accept that. But this doesn't change anything between us. No matter what our mother says. Once I'm done resting in this hospital, I'm going back to work at my hospital in Canterlot. I've hung around this merry band of misfits for too long as it is. I don't have time for any family reunions right now, seeing as my career's on the line. Now good day."

Then he walked out.

"Not even for Hearth's Warming Eve?!" Mrs. Flake shouted after him.

"We'll see!" Pressure called back.


In another room in the hospital, Maud Pie was visiting Nose Nip.

"I'm just glad to see you in one piece, Maud." said Nose Nip. "I just don't know what I'd do if...you know...I lost ya."

"Thanks." nodded Maud, monotonously. "That's what I like about you, Nose Nip. Well, besides the fact that you're one of the only ponies I know outside my family that like rocks as much as me. But that isn't the point. The point, honey, is that you're big and tough, but know how to be kind and patient around a mare like me. The month I spent with you and your friends was...exhilarating."

"Well, that's one way of putting it." commented Nose Nip.

"But I really should be heading back home soon." said Maud. "As much as I've enjoyed your company, my family wouldn't be the same if I wasn't there. Especially since Hearth's Warming Eve is just a few weeks away."

"Okay..." frowned Nose Nip. "I understand."

He bowed his head, deep in thought.

"What's the matter?" Maud asked him.

"It's...nothing." said Nose Nip.

"Nose Nip, I know that something's bothering you." said Maud. "You can tell me what's on your mind. It's perfectly alright."

She gave him a subtle, but warm grin.

"I won't bite."

Nose Nip paused, then took a deep breath.

"Maud Pie..." he said. "I understand what your family means to you...but I wish you didn't have to go. Not so soon, anyway. I was hoping I'd at least get to show you my place back in Vanhoover. And meet my dad."

"Yes, that would be very nice." nodded Maud. "But I'd really like to go back to my own home soon."

"Okay, Maud." Nose Nip said, softly.

"But if you'd like, Nose Nip, I could ask dad if you could come back to visit us during Hearth's Warming Eve."


Many miles away, a squad of Neo-Templars was dispatched to the shores near the last known location of the Royalist vessel and the Neo-Equestrian Ironclads. They had been sent to search for a salvage crew that had gone missing while recovering pieces from the wreckage of their ships. At the head of this squad was Sgt. Axel Crude. There were a dozen templars on the shores, all adorned in black full-plate armor, such as the kind that would have been seen as decorations in the abandoned Castle of the Two Sisters, situated in the Everfree Forest. Slung over their necks and shoulders were dark red capes with the gold insignia of the Red Rippers, with red plumes streaming down from their full-faced helmets.

The Red Rippers were a heavy-duty recon force out of Fort Longhorn, dispatched when situations are dire, and in need of a thorough investigation close to Royalist territory. Crude was waiting at their encampment with five other members of the Red Rippers' detachment.

"Corporal, report." said Sgt. Crude, to one of the other templars that just returned.

"Sir, we've managed to find no other bodies from any of the four vessels, nor from the salvaging team." said the corporal. "However, we were able to find wreckage from the Ironclads, including a near-intact gun emplacement; semi-automatic, 10mm..."

"Good!" said Crude. "I want somepony to run maintenance on it right away. It might prove useful in finding just what it was used against."

"Yes, sir." the corporal saluted, before turning to the others.

He beckoned for some of the other templars to bring the gun to the camp, where (since the guns' stand was too battered to be used again) they mounted it against a makeshift barricade facing the sea. They inspected the gun and the damaged stand. Sgt. Crude looked out into the vast stretches of seawater to the East, pondering just what could have caused the Ironclads to be so thoroughly destroyed. If the Royalists had been responsible for their destruction, surely they would have seen much more wreckage than what had washed ashore. While it was true that the Royalists had much more access to magic than the Neo-Equestrians did, there was no indication that even the most skilled unicorns in the Equestrian Royal Navy were capable of sinking an entire Ironclad while leaving minimal wreckage, let alone three at once.

"Something's not right here..." muttered Crude.

Even as he said this, nearby water started to bubble. Another templar wearing light armor with scuba tanks and a rebreather emerged, and rushed up to the sergeant.

"Did you find anything?" asked Crude.

The scuba-templar, a zebra, took off his rebreather and diving-mask. After a short gasp for air, he said:

"Found one sunken Ironclad, and the wreck of the salvage team's boat, pinned under a large rock. Four or five bodies from the Ironclad, but not a trace of any from the salvage team."

"A rock?" repeated Crude.

"Yes." said the zebra. "And with all the seaweed clinging to it, I doubt that it just fell on the boat by accident; something carried it up."

"...and crushed the salvaging team with it." added Crude.

The other templars look at their commanding officer. Though they were all wearing helmets, an expression of dread was on their faces.

"And the salvaging team was sent here just a couple days ago." said the corporal. "Maybe whatever sunk their boat...is still nearby?"

"Ahoy! Sarge!" shouted a rough voice.

Yet another pair of templars, one a buffalo and the other a unicorn, ran up from the far shore. The buffalo had a bundle tied to his back.

"I think I went'n found somethin' that could help us find out what sunk them boats!" said the buffalo.

The unicorn templar levitated the bundle off the buffalo's back, and telekinetically unraveled it...only for it to turn out completely empty.

"What?!" the unicorn exclaimed. "But, there was supposed to be--"

"Oooohhh, don't feel bad." said a tiny, shrill voice. "That was never going to hold me anyway!"

The Red Rippers all looked around for the source of the voice.

"Up here, fine sires and/or madams." the voice said, clearing its throat.

They all looked up, to see a tiny creature floating a couple feet in the air. It had green skin, tiny horns on its head, long pointed ears, and was wearing goggles over its saucer-shaped eyes. It was wearing work-boots, an oil-stained apron, and gloves, plus a tool-belt that covered its waist.

"Gremlin!" exclaimed some of the templars, brandishing hoof-blades and javelins.

Gremlins were a common nuisance in the regions of Equestria controlled by the Neo-Templars, and unsurprisingly; with the influx of advanced technology during the past few decades, it was no wonder that these bothersome creatures devoted to sabotaging machinery and wreaking mischief at scrapyards would find themselves so eager to harass the Neo-Equestrians. They were somewhat rare, though, in the Royalist areas.

"Hold it!" said Crude. "There's no way that a lone gremlin could've done all the things we just encountered."

"Well...it's about time I met a templar that actually thinks for more than ten seconds." chortled the gremlin. "And you're right. I'm a gremlin, there's no denying that. But it wasn't me...this time."

"Then what was it?" asked Crude.

"Uh-uh...I ain't telling you anything if you don't say 'please'."

"Listen, you--" one of the other templars reached out to grab the gremlin out of mid-air, but then it disappeared.

"Huh?!"

"That was very rude, you know." said the gremlin, who reappeared on the templar's saddle, twirling his plume around. "Maybe you guys should add anger management to your training regimes."

He chuckled.

"Get offa me!" the templar tried to buck the gremlin off, but it floated in the air once more. The templar didn't realize that another templar was right behind him, and accidentally knocked him into a tent, where he collapsed lopsided. Then he got up, and tackled the first templar, with two or three others joining in under Sgt. Crude shouted for them to stop.

The gremlin started to giggle.

"Haha! You guys are so silly!" he said. "Okay, since you made me laugh, I'll tell ya what did it."

"You better be quick." Crude turned his head to look at the gremlin.

But the gremlin was gone.

"Where is he--"

"Right here." the gremlin was suddenly looking down straight into his face while hanging upside-down in midair. "And F.Y.I., it was a sea monster."

"A sea monster?" repeated Crude. "Nonsense."

"Oh, you don't believe, eh?" chortled the gremlin. "Well, look over."

He pointed out to the water, where several sleek black tentacles were rising out of the water. The water seemed to darken, and there were multiple red lights rising up from the depths. The Red Rippers all withdrew their weapons, and attacked the tentacles as they crept towards them. But the tendrils were too strong and fast for them, and started lashing out at their encampment, destroying their tents with lightning-speed.

"Hey, sarge?" the gremlin whispered in a faux-discreet manner into Crude's ear. "Ya know what might be a great idea now? Running?"

Then he rocketed towards the Red Rippers' motorboat, docked at the nearby river leading further into the mainland. The gremlin spun in place, and turned its goggles into a sailor's hat.

"All aboard?" asked the gremlin, standing atop the steering wheel.