Equestria Girls: A Sun-Set-Up

Deet-deet! Deet-deet! Deet-deet!

Sweet Celestia, are we still doing these?

Boom! Yes, thou hast come into possession of this month's loot crate! And...*sigh*...after last month, we do not feel all that optimistic about what we shall be getting this month, for our hopes were dashed at the contents daring to consist of a branded air freshener, shoelaces, and that...abomination of a piece of headgear. But sponsorship deals are sponsorship deals, so we will proceed further onwards on the offchance that the fun shall be doubled.

...

Ehh. Anyway, everypony told us that this month's theme is 'authority', so as someone who is indeed in such a position, we shall be the judge on the authenticity. Right, let us prise open the glorious loot crate, and...oh, here we go! The almighty T-shirt! We have a...sort of...Star Wars-y empire motif going on here, and we do indeed approve of the rather worn look. What's not so good is the fact that, as per usual loot crate tradition, they once again have the audacity to spoil the image by putting their logo just below it! And we are very much getting rather weary of that particular advertising tactic! So...let's just put this to the side and see what else we have this month...another pin badge!

...

My, do they make a satisfying sound when they ping off of the wall. Now, that aside, we also have...something in a plastic bag! This is rather interesting...let's open it up, and...oh, you have got to be kidding us...another one...

A pitch black room. She was really there. It was time.

Sunset Shimmer quickly dashed to the side of the door, staying out of sight as she quickly tried to readjust to her original equine form after all those years. It may be a while before the portal closes again, but definitely not a while before the princess wakes up. She knew she had to act fast and stealthily. She peered through the keyhole, nerves tensing up from the sudden realization at how little visibility this gave her. After she was all but certain that no guards were passing by, she quietly opened the door and sped down the corridor. Sunset knew the layout of the castle well enough to know where the princess might be staying on such an occasion as this, to the point where she just about struggled to suppress twinges of nostalgia for her previous life in Equestria.

The telltale brightness of a lamp crept round the corner, carrying with it the rambling of two male voices. A pang of terror shot through Sunset's stomach. She frantically hid behind a curtain, taking care to flatten herself against the wall behind it. Through the deep purple fabric, she could see the glow of the lamp moving past her, along with the ensuing conversation.

"...so I then say to her, 'But isn't that kind of music just pushing buttons?', and she grabs the nearest record and smashes me over the head with it! What's up with that?"

"To be fair, I've never seen her speak, so perhaps that kind of music is her only way of really showing her feelings."

"Feelings? Through that noise? Look, I get that she's kinda cute and all, but..."

Sunset waited impatiently for the voices to fade into the background, before diving round the corner, taking care not to knock over a nearby vase. She turned towards the other corridor and recognized the layout. The door at the end was where she needed to go.

Thankful for how the carpet muffled her hoofsteps, Sunset quietly opened the door, hoping that not a single creak would emanate from it. Breathing a quiet sigh of relief when it didn't, she left it open just enough for her to make a swift escape through, then glanced around the room. In one corner was a small bed where a purple, scaly creature was sleeping rather soundly. In the other was an even larger four-poster bed, where...

Sunset instantly noticed the deep purple mane with the tell-tale pink stripe. This had to be the newly-appointed princess Twilight. And it was finally time to really get back at both her and Celestia. She crept towards the bed, and looked over at the bedside table. Spotting something tall and circular, this had to be exactly what she was looking for. The light made it rather hard to tell, but there was no mistaking that this was Twilight's crown. Sunset brought the crown towards her saddlebag, taking care to move it slowly enough that her horn wouldn't glow too bright. She closed her saddlebag and breathed a sigh of relief. Taking a step back, she started to tense up when her back right hoof came into contact with something hard on the floor, but before her reflexes could take over, she sharply inhaled as a loud 'crack' followed. She lifted her hoof and realized with horror that she had stepped on a hairbrush that Twilight had left on the floor, presumably forgetting to tidy it away in a fit of stress.

Twilight suddenly jerked bolt-upright, noticing the hooded mare in the middle of the room that had just broken her hairbrush. She glanced at the bedside table, noticing the crown was missing, then glanced back to the middle of the room, where she was greeted by a glimpse of a cape exiting the door.

"STOP! THIEF!", Twilight exclaimed, waking everyone in the nearby rooms.

Sunset ran as fast as her legs would carry her, trying desperately to let her instincts take over and recall the route she took. She didn't care if she got caught at this point - all that mattered was her getting away. Once she blended back in with everyone in that other world, it would be too much risk for anypony to find her.

"Stop. Come back.", murmured one guard.

That was strange, thought Sunset, Why did he sound so uncommitted?

"Oh, no, she's taken the crown, whatever shall we do?", another guard moaned condescendingly.

Ok, this is getting weird.

"Pay the court a fine or serve your sentence, your stolen goods are now forfeit.", a third guard droned with an obvious air of sarcastic exaggeration.

You know what, I don't even care any more. I have the crown, I'm getting back to CHS.

Throwing open the door, she saw the familiar glint of the mirror. Sunset looked over her shoulder and saw the guards coming for her. However, they seemed to be running on the spot, almost as if they were mocking her, wanting her to get away with-

No. It's too stupid to think of. Sunset purged the thought from her mind before it got too conspiratorial. She made a run for it and dived right into the mirror, where she was lost in the familiar psychedelic haze as she crossed dimensions for the third time in her life.

Ugh...I'm never getting used to that...

Sunset was awoken from her fatigued, nauseating stupor when her stomach made a sudden flip-flop. She was lying on her back beneath the familiar statue on the grounds of Canterlot High. She let out a small laugh. She had actually done it. She had finally stolen the crown! The Element of Magic was all hers, and nothing was going to stop her.

She got to her feet and made a brisk run for it, hoping that nopony would follow her through the mirror and notice her in the vicinity. She dashed back to her house, fumbled for her keys, ran up the stairs to her room, and collapsed on the bed. She basked in the haze of triumph, having finally set her plan in motion. She reached into her bag and grabbed the crown, feeling the familiar smoothness, the beautiful glint, the rubbery nozzle on the side, the sharp plastic crease along the top, the-

What.

...

What?!

...

WHAT??!!

...

ARE YOU KIDDING ME???!!!

"I must say, Twilight, you sure gave us an awful fright last night", yawned Spike as he shoveled a slice of toast into his maw.

"Well, can you really blame me?", Twilight responded in a frustrated tone, "It's my first night in the castle, and already there are ponies out there looking to rob me of my stuff!"

"And Celestia already kept that in mind!", Spike responded through a mouthful of toast, "Remember the letter she sent while we were on the way?"

"Oh, right!", Twilight quipped, levitating said note in front of her.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

Hope you and your friends are having a pleasant journey! So sorry we won't be here when you arrive - my sister has insisted that we spend the night shooting some footage for this YouTube sketch she's doing. She's been obsessed with filming these reviews and sketches ever since Derpy Hooves gave her that year-long LootCrate subscription for her birthday.

On the plus side, I have seen good use for one particular item she keeps inexplicably getting in her loot crates. I often worry that somepony might find value in your new crown, what with it being a reforged Element of Harmony and all that, and they might end up wanting to steal it for whatever nefarious purpose. So, in order to keep things in order, I have kept the crown under lock and key, and sent you this crown for you to keep nearby as a substitute. It might seem rather...tacky, but I'm sure nopony will notice or care, particularly not after the ceremony later tomorrow!

Wishing you all the best,
Princess Celestia

P.S. It would probably be for the best if you never bring up the topic of the substitute crown to my sister. I have no idea why, but for whatever reason, she gets rather annoyed at hearing about them.

"Well.", chirped Twilight, "I guess it came in handy after all!"

"Yeah, thank goodness.", said Spike. "I even heard the thief escaped through this magical portal they keep in the castle."

"Really?! Wow, so they never got caught?"

"Nope! And thank goodness it wasn't the real one. Imagine the shenanigans we'd be getting into if we had to follow her!"

"Ha!", Twilight laughed, "It'd sure be a sorry turn of events for all of us!"

"By the way, Twilight", Spike started, "What do you suppose Luna is doing right now?"

"Eh, probably putting together that video she said she was making with Celestia. I mean, I don't really understand it myself, but still-"

Twilight suddenly fell silent as the morning sun outside began to darken, as if night was suddenly falling again.

"Oh, no, don't tell me-", Twilight began, before the telltale booming voice of a certain mare rang out throughout the castle.

"I AM NIGHTMARE MOON, AND I SHALL BATHE THE WHOLE OF EQUESTRIA IN MY ETERNAL NIGHT UNTIL SOMEPONY OVER ON THE LOOTCRATE STAFF GETS IT INTO THEIR THICK SKULL THAT I WISH FOR THEM TO NOT, FOR ONCE, SEND ME A CRATE THAT CONTAINS A FUCKING INFLATABLE FUCKING CROWN!"

With a dumbfounded look on her face, all Twilight managed to utter was, "Oh."

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