Setting Sun of Thieves

by Shadow Hero

Disc 2 - Part 1

Quite some time had come to pass...

The Crystal Empire had risen from the depths of the abyss and with help with Twilight’s faithful assistant, Vivi, it was saved from the ever-encroaching darkness that was Sombra.

“He’s gone, but why is that dark cloud still surrounding us?” Twilight asked as her friends came up to the crystal heart.

Twilight looked upon her friends, rather ragged and mussed, but staunch and readied.

However before any could so much as utter a word, the ground around them had begun to shake as a darkened crystal rose from the ground. The massive stone shattered, revealing Golbez. “What do we have here?” He gave the group a tired and unimpressed gaze.

“Golbez! Stand down, or face us.” Twilight exclaimed, summoning her staff.

“You think your silly spell work can hurt me? Out of my way.” He said raising his hand up summoning several Crystal monsters before teleporting away.

“Get back-Hey.” Rainbow was interrupted as a crystal Floating Eye moved to impede her.

“Aaah!” As if a gift from the heavens themselves, a black-robed woman fell upon the Floating eye. With precise swings from her katanas, the beast had fallen “I’m here to help.” she said as she took a battle stance.

As chaos ensued outside the castle, Golbez had found his way in, idly slapping one Shining Armor out of his path. “You know what I'm here for.” He said as he walked closer to Cadance.

“Over my dead body!” She said holding a staff with a Crystal shaped heart atop it.

“Very well then.” He raised his hand and began to charge energy until a fireball struck his shoulder.

“Leave the princess alone.” A male voice called out, both Golbez and Cadence turned to see two beings in hooded black cloaks perched atop a window sill. The male had a monkey tail as the other, a woman, held a rapier with flames sprouting from the tip aimed at Golbez.

“Warriors of Cosmos I presume,” Golbez said eyeing the duo as they jumped down and stood in between him and the princess.

“What? No, just a couple of tourists here for the sights.” The one with the rapier said sarcastically.

“It matters not,” Golbez said as he rushed forward, both hooded figures jumped to the side causing their hoods to fall.

“Sunset!” Cadence said in shock seeing the girl she had grown up with.

“Hey, Cady, nice to see you too,” Sunset said as a circle formed beneath her, she held her rapier skyward calling forth a brown beast with backward-curved horns and patches of red fur.

The beast let out a roar and charged at Golbez pinning him to the wall. “You honestly think your pet can do anything?”

Without so much as a struggle, Golbez had placed his hand upon the beast’s chest and released a pulse of darkness. The massive beast was jettisoned straight into an awaiting pillar, crushing it on impact.

“Ifrit, Flame Charge,” Sunset called out, Ifrit lit himself from head to in fire and rammed headfirst into Golbez, knocking him through a wall and out into the courtyard below.

Golbez dusted himself as Twilight, her friends, and the hooded woman surrounded him ready for a fight. “You're out of luck,” Sunset stated, stock still as she looked down with Ifrit standing next to her.

“It seems I miss judged you, that won't happen again,” Golbez said as a dark vortex engulfed him.

Both Sunset and Zidane had head to the courtyard to meet the Elements of Harmony Cosmos told them so much about.
“Hey, its Zidane.” Rainbow and Applejack said in unison.

“Wait, you know him?” Rainbow said to Applejack.

“We travelled for a bit. Now, where has your monkey tail gone?” Applejack asked with a smile.

“Been training, I am a warrior of Cosmos after all,” Zidane said proudly getting Sunset to roll her eyes.

“Hello!” The hooded woman put her hands on her hips. “We all are.” The figure removed her hood to reveal ahead of long blue hair.

“Have we met before…” Twilight asked Sunset.

“Not to my knowledge…So you’re my replacement right.” Sunset said looking over Twilight.

“Replacement?”

“She was Celestia's student before you,” Cadence said weakly, as having to hold a barrier around the city drained her quite a bit.

“And here I thought she said I was Irreplaceable,” Sunset commented.

“Oh come on! You are! You're one of Cosmos’ chosen.” Zidane said putting an arm around her shoulder.

“My aren't you two close.” Rarity said with a devilish smirk, but Sunset elbowed Zidane in the gut.

“Anyway, you must be Rarity,” Zidane said kneeling taking one of her hands and kissing it.

“Oh, my what a gentleman.” Rarity giggled.

Right behind the group, a clown was hopping away. “Hey wait!” Pinkie cried out as she rushed over to said clown

“What can I do for you?” He said with a dramatic bow.

“Hey! That's my crystal!” Zidane exclaimed as he summoned his weapons.

“Oh is it now, I thought this belonged to Lord Chaos?” The clown said levitating off the ground and scratching his ass. Zidane jumped up and slashed down but the Clown moved out of the way. “Mind was you slash dear boy,” he said as he levitated.

“What do you want with the crystal?” Zidane asked as he and others readied for another fight.

“Well to hide it of course…now, don’t you mind me? I have to go, tatta.” The Clown said disappearing with crystal in hand.

“Why does a clown need a crystal anyway?” Pinkie asked.

“It’s a crystal of Harmony, a weapon used to fight Chaos,” Sunset said.

“We have to go after Kefka,” Sonata said.

Almost as if to spite them, a letter had materialized in front of Twilight. “Canterlot is under attack.” Twilight spat after reading the letter.

“Yeah, no way we’ll make it in time with the storm outside the city,” Rainbow said.

“There might be another way,” Shining said as he limped his way past the group. Now propped on Applejack’s shoulder, he led the group to the airship docking bay.

The Celestial, the airship Cid worked tirelessly to get back into working condition, greeted the group in all its glory. “How did you get it up here?” Zidane asked looking at the ship.

“Celestia thought it was a good idea to bring it along, so we had it ported,” Shining said

“That's all well and good but there is still a raging winter storm out there.” Twilight said.

“Well, Cid worked pretty hard on it and… You'll need to see it for yourself.” Zidane said as he made his way up the ramp.

Onboard everything seemed to stay the same from before they left. “Do ya’ll even know how to fly this?” Applejack asked looking around, Twilight out all of them had her jaw dropped at the sight of everything.

“Used too…back when I first got it,” Zidane said heading for the pilot seat.

“You mean stole,” Shining said raising an eyebrow.

“You say tomato I say Tamato,” Zidane said waving him off. “Now which button was it.” He said looking over the controls.

“Here let me,” Sunset said walking up pressing a button. “I did help Cid work on the ship after all.” She said as a magical force field covered the ship.

“Thanks!” Zidane exclaimed as he rubbed the back of his head. “I was going to press that one.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Sunset said rolling her eyes as she took a seat.

“Last chance to get off,” Zidane called out, and the only ones that got off were Shining and Cadence. “Right, hold on.” He said as he started to accelerate.

---

The flight was far shorter than flying to the emperor, Twilight looked out the window and saw that the streets were covered with Changeling soldiers and monsters. “That may be a decoy,” Sunset said as she stood next to Twilight.

“We still need to help them, drop us off,” Twilight said. With a nod, Zidane flew over to the city’s main dock and landed.

“Okay, you three head over to the castle, we got this,” Twilight said as she and her group of friends ran into the city.

“Beatrix, what are you doing here?” Twilight asked as she cast thundaga at the soldiers surrounding Beatrix.

“Celestia gave the order to watch over the city.” She said slashing an enemy fiend.

“I thought we handled them a few months back,” Rainbow said slashing some Bombs before the could explode.

“They had a spy in our ranks and lead them through the crystal caverns,” Beatrix said as the enemy seemed to thin out.

“What! Who?” Twilight asked.

Back at the castle, the Princess was sprawled along the floor. “We will not let-” Luna said trying to get up.

“We already have, so do yourself a favour and tell us where the Crystal is,” Kuja said shaking his head. On the sidelines, a young man with spiky blue hair stood upon a pillar looking down. “Come now...smile! You did your country oh so proud.”

“....” The princesses could only lie in defeat at the hands of their assailants.

Zidane and Sunset had burst through the throne room doors at this exact moment. “Kuja?!” Zidane yelled, seeing his friend turned rival.

“It’s good to see you again, Zidane,” Kuja said looking eye to eye with Zidane. “I don't have time for this, Flash! Deal with them as I look for the Crystal.”

Kuja walked away, pressing a switch upon the throne, as he made his way into an opened passage.

Flash took a battle stance, ready for a fight. “His...mind is not his own,” Luna called out.

“What? So we take it easy on him?” Sonata asked getting a weak nod.

“Well tell that to him!” Sunset narrowly jumped over Flash’s claymore. “Were did Zidane go?” She landed into a sweeping kick, nocking Flash off his feet.

Zidane followed Kuja, his path leading him through a shadowed and winding stairwell.
“This is nothing like you,” Zidane mumbled to himself as he made his way to the bottom.

Many corridors went every which way, most likely to confuse anyone foolish enough to follow the Princess in her descent. He looked down each of the corridors and decided to head down the one closest to the stairs.

He ran as fast as he could and came upon a railing that looked down at a well-lit room with a cylinder and Kuja pressing a button. “Kuja stop!” Zidane said jumping down.

“Why you care so much for these people,” Kuja said turning around to face Zidane.

“This is nothing like you. What happened to you?” Zidane took a step forward but Kuja shot a ball of light that nearly hit him.

“I don't..arg.” Kuja held his head for a sec before shaking away his delirium. “Like I was saying, I don't know what it is you are talking about.” He said levitating white orbs around him in defence.

“I don't want to fight you, but if that’s what it'll take smack some sense into your skull...” Zidane summoned his daggers.

“As if I need you to do that, but as much as I’d love to chat I have a mission to do.” Kuja launched one of the orbs at Zidane.

Zidane jump to the side and put together the ends of his daggers before spinning them as he launched them at Kuja. Kuja used on the orb to intercept them but Zidane used that as a distraction, using the momentary lapse in judgement to deliver a fierce kick straight into Kuja’s exposed cranium, sending him flying into the cylinder.

“Did that snap some sense into you,” Zidane said with no ounce of joy.

“I still don't know what you are talking about,” Kuja said wiping the blood from his lip. The bottom of the cylinder had finally opened to reveal a fiery crystal. “I got what I came for, so I bid you farewell.” He said taking the crystal and sent a ring of orbs at Zidane.

Though Zidane dodged the strike, he took note that Kuja and the crystal were nowhere to be found.

As such, he ran back to help Sunset. Of course, by the time he arrived, Sunset was tapping her foot next to a (hopefully) unconscious Flash. “Sorry, Kuja got away with the crystal,” Zidane said sadly.

“We’ll get them back,” Celestia said as she put her hand on Zidane’s shoulder.

Another day forward, another step backwards.