Sunburned

by Madox

Chapter 1

Once upon a time, Equestria was a peaceful nation, but that changed a long time ago. For countless generations the land has been plagued by constant monster attacks, claiming pony lives each and every day. But the ponies did not sit idly by and watch while they got slaughtered.

The sole ruler of Equestria, Queen Glorious Sun, and the Royal Guard defended their fellow citizens with all they had, watching over all of Equestria, from the smallest town to the grandest of cities.

While the queen was a very harsh ruler, far from being kind and gentle, the ponies were grateful for her constant fight to make their lives as good as possible. Without their queen, they would all be lost to the darkness forever.

Or that's at least what everypony believes…

~*~

Breathing heavily Twilight Sparkle stood in place, her eyes fixated on her opponent as she caught her breath. Without any warning, she rushed forward and jumped, her hoof drawn back to deliver her next punch.

Her opponent made no move or even tried to avoid the incoming attack. Which was no surprise regarding the fact that it was a training dummy.

Twilight hit the dummy hoof first in its 'face', making the entire figure move back a few inches. Without waiting she went in again, kicking and punching against the dummy in every way she could think of.

Several minutes passed before she came to a stop, breathing hard as sweat drenched her coat. She smiled in satisfaction before she turned and walked toward the showers.
'Nothing beats a nice workout early in the morning,' she thought to herself, satisfied with her training.

Several minutes later she emerged from the showers, her coat and mane soaked with water, and began to dry herself off with one of the laid out towels. Just as she was about to start on her mane she heard the door open. Looking over her shoulder she saw a young cadet looking around the room. The moment her eyes fell on Twilight she walked up to her.

"Commander Sparkle," she said upon reaching her, her hoof raised to her head in a salute.

"At ease, cadet," Twilight said, her eyes closed while she continued drying her mane. "How can I help you?"

The cadet lowered her hoof to the floor again. "I have been searching for you everywhere. Her Majesty wishes to see you in the throne room as soon as possible."

Twilight stopped in her task and looked at the cadet, her eyes wide in surprise. She was supposed to be off duty for the day, but... could it finally be? She quickly finished her mane and put the towel down.

"I understand. I will leave for the throne room immediately. You are dismissed." The cadet saluted again before she left the room.

Twilight quickly turned to her locker. If the queen wanted to see her she should do her best not to make her wait any longer. Without hesitating, she levitated her comb out and worked it through her mane while at the same time her uniform came floating out of the same locker. Soon after she closed it and looked herself over in the nearby mirror.

Her uniform was the same as most other officers of the military wore outside battles, from a bright golden and orange coloration and adorned with sun insignias. Twilight, as a high officer, was allowed to add her own personal touch to it to some degree, but she has never done so. Honestly, she thought the uniform was ugly and clashed terribly with her coloration, but regarding her sense of fashion, or better the lack of it, she was afraid of adding anything and making herself a laughing stock among the other soldiers.

Satisfied with her look she left the changing room and went on her way. She had no idea how long that messenger had been looking for her and how long the queen was already waiting. Making the queen angry by letting her wait was among the things you do if you don't care about your life.

The halls of Canterlot Castle were active with life. Guards patrolling the hallways or standing watch at several key locations, ready to do their duty in the blink of an eye if necessary. Maids and servants walking around, cleaning the halls and rooms or tending to guests.

Twilight sighed as she thought back to her time standing guard in the castle. It was a stoic job, standing still for hours with barely anything to do. She was glad that those times are past her, even if it has been much shorter for her than for the average guard thanks to her talent and hard work. Being a commander at her age was already a rare achievement, and if her assumption for the queen's summon was right she might get another promotion soon.

She reached one of the last interceptions before the throne room only two hallways down when she heard someone calling out. A voice she could very well without ever hearing again in her life.

"Well well well, if that isn't our oh so famous Commander Sparkle."

Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Of all the ponies to run into at this time, it just has to be her. Exhaling slowly she turned her head to look at the mare walking up to her.

"Shimmer," she growled slightly as she saw the amber mare with the red and gold mane wearing her bright orange robes.

Sunset Shimmer narrowed her eyes slightly, a scowl on her face. "What was that, Commander?"

"I apologize," Twilight said through gritted teeth as she faced her rival, "Archmage Shimmer."

The rivalry between Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer had been ongoing for several years - From the first moment those two met during their first guard training sessions they had been at each other's throats, trying to surpass the other, and no one had any doubt that they would one day compete against each other for the highest position in the guard.

All of that changed when Sunset Shimmer shifted her attention away from the guard and joined the Magic Circle where she very quickly rose in the hierarchy until she reached the top as archmage and the right hoof of the queen herself. A position which she rubbed into Twilight's face whenever possible, much to the mares annoyance.

"That's better," the archmage replied with a smug grin on her face. "We wouldn't want you to forget your place, or who it is that's giving you your orders."

'Oh how I would love to punch that grin right off your face,' Twilight thought while she kept her expression neutral. "I would never do that... ma'am. But I'm afraid I have to keep going, her majesty is awaiting me."

Sunset's grin slowly faded away. The queen rarely summons someone without a good reason, and she could only think of one for summoning Twilight. She didn't like it at all.

"Is that so? Well, we don't want to let her majesty wait any longer," Sunset replied while Twilight didn't say anything. She simply bowed her head slightly before she continued on her way. "I'm curious to see if you can survive the test. Oh well, if you fail you can at least see your poor, poor family again."

Twilight stopped abruptly midstep, her anger boiling over. She turned around and glared down the hallway with murderous intensity, only to see that Sunset Shimmer was already gone. She remained in place to take several long breaths to calm her nerves before she turned and continued on her way.

'Forget the punch in the face, I will throw her off the damn mountain one day!'

~*~

Soon after her 'pleasant' encounter with Sunset Shimmer Twilight arrived at her destination. The great, massive double doors to the throne room in front of her were themselves pieces of art. Standing at least thrice her size and made out of pure gold, ornamented with depictions of the sun and ponies praising the regal figure sitting on a throne.

Standing beside the doors stood a unicorn. The Herald, clad in similar colored robes than most of the employed ponies in the castle, waited for her to state her business.

Twilight took one last breath to calm her nerves and prepare herself before she spoke. "Her Majesty called for my presence."

He didn't respond. Instead, he simply nodded. His horn started glowing, encasing both of them in his protection spell before he turned and opened the grand doors. The second the doors opened slightly an enormous wave of heat rushed out of the throne room, but none of them showed any kind of reaction.

"Announcing Commander Twilight Sparkle!"

Twilight stepped forward into the throne room, and the Herald closed the doors behind her. The throne room itself was a glorious sight. The floor was made out of big black and white marble tiles of the highest quality that could be found in Equestria. Stained glass windows lined both sides of the room, depicting either the queen herself or the sun, and tapestries and banners decorated the walls in between the windows. A red velvet carpet leads from the entrance through the entire room towards a pedestal with the throne upon it, both made out of pure gold.

Several guards were spread around the room, but those were not clad in the same armor as the others in the halls and out in the streets. While the armor shared the same coloration as the normal ones, it covered nearly the entire body, leaving only an opening for their horns, and they are also heavily enchanted to protect and assist their wearers. They were the Honor Guards of the queen, the best the kingdom had to offer. No one knew the identities of the ponies inside the armor, and their only purpose was to protect the queen from any kind of harm. Weirdly enough Twilight could not recall ever seeing a pegasus among the Honor Guard, but it was not her place to judge the queen's decision on her personal guard unit.

Twilight walked down the carpet towards the throne. Her head was buzzing lightly from all the magic in the room, emitted by the guard's armor and the spells protecting all the flammable materials, but she ignored the unpleasant feeling. Upon reaching the base of the pedestal she immediately bowed down, her nose nearly touching the fabric beneath her.

"Your Majesty."

At first, everything was silent while Twilight remained in her position. "You have kept me waiting, Commander Sparkle," an unamused voice said.

Twilight gulped. That tone was not a good sign, so she had to be careful with her next words. "My sincerest apologies, your Majesty. I was off duty today, so it took the messenger longer to find me. I came immediately upon hearing your call," she said, her head still near the ground.

"I see, and you are forgiven. At ease, Commander."

Twilight raised from her bow and looked up at the throne, marveling at the being sitting atop it. She was twice as big as the general pony and even bigger than the tallest stallion she knew of and her coat was the purest white she had ever seen. Her mane was a mix of different shades of red, yellow, and orange and moved on its own, which made it look like fire, but Twilight has seen before that it can turn into actual fire if the queen gets angry. She stared down at Twilight with her crimson eyes that could either project the love or the wrath of the sun at you.

"Leave us," she said to no one specifically, but all the guards saluted as one and left the room, leaving Twilight alone with the queen. "You are an impressive mare, Twilight Sparkle. Even though it has only been four years since you completed your basic training and joined the guard, you have climbed through the ranks like no pony before with your talent, strength, and magical power. You succeeded where others would have failed. Even if your lineage has always been known for their talent, you excelled in all of them. I'm sure your family, and especially your brother, would be proud of you."

Pride flooded through Twilight. Getting praised like this from the queen, the closest being to a god to ponykind, was more than most ponies accomplished in their entire life. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"You may have surpassed your brother in everything else, but your rank is still below him, who went down as the youngest Captain of the Guard in history. We will see if you can pass your last test and surpass his legacy as well.

"Recently we received several reports about movements of Night Forces all around the Everfree Forest, and we assume they are gathering and hiding somewhere inside the forest. We do not know where they are hiding or what they are planning."

The queen rose from her throne, stepped forward, and spread out her wings to their full length. "Your mission is to enter the Everfree Forest, find the Night Forces, gather information on whatever it is they are planning, and return to report to me personally within seven days. If possible your task includes capturing an officer for interrogations.

"Do you accept this mission?"

Twilight's mind was running. Many of the younger soldiers and even very few officers she knew of would claim that a simple scouting mission was beneath their talents and ask for something else, but she knew better. This was a scouting mission she would complete all alone in the Everfree Forest, one of the most dangerous places in Equestria. A natural fortress of the night filled to the brim with dangerous monsters, and apparently a big gathering point of the Night Forces. Usually they would send entire groups of at least a dozen soldiers there, with expected casualties of at least ten percent.

To be sent there alone would be either a suicide mission or the biggest challenge she could think of. Furthermore, this was her only chance to step into her brother's hoofsteps. There was only one obvious answer she could give.

Standing up straight, a spark of determination in her eyes, Twilight replied. "Of course I accept, your Majesty. I will succeed and prove my worth to you!"

The queen folded her wings back to her side, and for the first time since Twilight entered a small smile appeared on her face. "I expected nothing else from somepony with your reputation. Now go, Commander Twilight Sparkle! You have your mission, and may you return in glory!"

Twilight saluted before she turned around and left the throne room. She only had a week, and every second could determine if she would succeed… or fail.

She had preparations to do.

Author's Note:

Welcome to my new little story. I have been working on this story for a very long time, something around 4 years, and I'm really happy to finally feel confident with what I planned to post it.

This is really new territory for me with a complete Alternate Universe, and I hope that I manage to get it done the way I imagine it and that you all like it.
Should you ever notice anything plot-wise not fitting feel free to point it out to me

The entire plot is planned out, and the first couple chapters are nearly finished and ready to be published hopefully soon enough, as long as the accursed writers' block won't strike again. It's also possible that I will add additional minor tags to the story along the way for some specific parts, depending on how far I decide to go while writing the scenes in question.

There are a lot of things that will be explained along the way, but I won't say that I thought of everything. Should you ever wonder about something feel free to leave a comment. If it is something that will come up at one point, I won't go into too much detail to not spoil anything, but if it is something I just never thought of or thought it would be clear enough I might build it in somehow or at least try to explain it in more detail.

I really hope you like my story and that you will accompany me on this journey

Biggest thanks go out to my good friend Nyhll who helped me with feedback and editing

Comments

[Ze1a7in]

Love it. So much promise to be something great.

[Stinium_Ruide]

Promising start, especially with the context of the prologue. Let’s see how the introduction (foreshadowing) of Sunset Shimmer comes into play into the story...

[Lunaisbestpony2020]

I really like this. It's already one chapter in and already I'm impressed. Keep doing a good job.

[Jhonn]

Nice

[masterhackingbrony]

I cant wait to see where this will go

[Madox]

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thanks, I will do my best
first time building such a big world around an idea that changes so much from the show canon

[JustSomeDyslexic]

But the ponies did not sit idly by and watched while they got slaughtered.

Watch

[mr_minati]

I'm a sucker for this kind of AU. Have a like from me, and keep up the good work.

[Madox]

10243733
ups, thanks for pointing it out

[Madox]

10245810
thanks
I always love those AU that begin changing canon so early in the timeline
so many possibilities, and when I had that starting idea years ago I just had to try it myself