Chapter 13
Sunset struggled against the barrier that was both her prison and her lifeline as Sombra dragged her closer to Celestia and Discord. Upon immediate inspection she could tell something was different about the two of them, their bodies having a translucent quality as if they were ghosts or projections. Celestia glanced over to Sunset several times, but made sure to never take her eyes off of Sombra for longer than a second. Something was amiss, but Sunset did not dare distract them lest Sombra take the advantage he most likely already held.
“Ahhhh, I had hoped you would come,” Sombra laughed, the pulsing black cloud began to spread about the immediate area like ink on a canvas. “And already free from the pesky restraints of a body I see, how deliciously convenient for me.”
“I will not ask again, foul creature. Let her go, NOW,” Celestia said, drawing herself up as regal and majestic as possible her body glowing with white hot fury to try and keep the spreading darkness at bay.
“Foul creature? Have you so easily forgotten me, my love?”
“I know you may call yourself Sombra, but you are not the only one in the multiverse. Do not take me for a fool.”
A part of the cloud formed into a foreleg and reached into a section of the darkness. A moment later a small paper tag flew out and floated pass the creatures gathered. Celestia reached out with her magic and pulled it closer. The worn and faded tag had one simple word elegantly scrawled upon it. “Always.”
Celestia let the tag fall away, crushing sadness filling her eyes. “No… what has happened to you?”
“Your Elements of Harmony drew the ultimate darkness of my world into me. It killed me in a manner of speaking, but left me with one lasting, burning desire. To find you and make you mine, no matter what. And so, I tore my way into this place where I have lingered, unable to escape. Only my memories of your touch, your taste, your scent have kept me going. Eventually, I found your world but was unable to break through. Then, much to my surprise, I found our daughter and the corridor and have been slowly solidifying the connection, making it brittle, biding my time. But now, you are here and we can be together forever as it should be. Don’t fight it, my love, it is our destiny.”
“Don’t you lay another slimey tentacle on her!”
Sombra lowered Sunset’s shield and she screamed again. Celestia gasped, horn blazing to life, instinct demanding she rush to Sunset’s side, but Discord raised and arm and blocked her path. “Come now, Celestia, he’s baiting you.”
“He’s killing her!”
“If he wanted her dead, dismembered, or nothing more than a floating, glowing ball of a soul, he would have already,” Discord stretched and contorted making all manner of bone popping sounds, though to Sunset, some of it also sounded like twisting bubble wrap. “Apologies, we have not been formally introduced.”
“I know what you are, Discord. You are not the only draconequus in the universe. This is a private family matter, leave my domain or suffer.”
“Your domain? Last I checked I was The Lord of Chaos,” Discord pulled out an oversized wallet and flipped to his ID card. “Yep, says so right here. Besides, this is the chaotic soup of the universe, I have a closer claim for home turf than you do, tall, dark, and smokey.”
“I have grown bored with you, be gone.”
Discord deflected a blast that turned into a flying rubber duck. “Oh, you’ll have to do better than-“ A black tendril had snaked behind the draconequus and stabbed him through his center. Discord’s translucent body became ashen and the tendril tip spread before whipping back and slinging him faster than the eye could follow to the farthest reaches of the void.
Celestia gasped and charged her horn only to balk as Sunset began to scream again, her equine body twisting back and her hind legs becoming leathery and frog-like. Sombra smile, his fangs shining pearly white.
“How much do you value her life, my love? Are you willing to trade yourself for her?”
Sunset gritted her teeth through the pain and blinked the spots out of her eyes. “Don’t do it! He’s obsessed! He killed every creature in his world to try and find you! He won’t keep any promises! Please, run, I’m not more important than you!”
Celestia let the attack spell go, her resolve crumbling. She glanced to Sunset then bowed her head, “You were and always will be more important to me. I will surrender to you, Sombra, but first you must let Sunset go.”
Sombra laughed, several tendrils shot forth when Celestia lowered her eyes.
“NO!” Sunset screamed, pounding on the shield.
Celestia gasped and fired, cutting three of the tendrils, but more formed and seized her legs and neck in vice grip holds. The dark appendages began to engulf her white coat in inky black goo, consuming the essence of the alicorn’s soul. “She… is your daughter too. Please, let her live, let her go home. I know there must still be an ember of love and goodness inside you.”
“Oh, there is much love in me, my queen. You will experience it in ways you never thought possible. Once we are merged as one and standing on our throne over all of our Equestria you will see the extent of my love. All who bow before me shall know our benevolence and any who do not bend a knee shall know only death.” Sombra’s pulled Celestia close. “We shall be closer than any two lovers could ever imagine.” Sombra slowly licked the side of her muzzle and Celestia shuddered at the sensation. Taking advantage of her gasp he forced Celestia into a kiss and snaked his long tongue into her mouth. Sunset pounded on the shield with rage, her eyes glowing again.
“And Sunset?” Celestia choked out, the goo having already consumed half her body.
Sombra’s glowing red eyes, arrogant and triumphant locked with Sunset’s burning teal orbs. “She will never yield. Her heart burns to protect you. Even without the mirror corridor she will find a way back to Equestria if it means saving you, of that I am certain. Behold! Look upon our greatest creation! See the Incarnate Blade that burns to do its duty and is denied. No, letting our daughter go would be a mistake for she will fight, she will avenge, and that is something I cannot abide.”
Celestia slumped in his grasp and closed her eyes, quietly muttering under her breath. Sombra threw back his head with a cackle and completely lowered the shield around Sunset. Sunset tried to erect a protective shield, forcing out every remaining drop of mana she had left in her well. The pressure on her horn was stabbing into her brain until finally causing a hairline crack to run the length of the protrusion. Her power gave out and Sunset screamed until she blacked out.
Celestia looked up with tears in her eyes as her daughter screamed in pain before slumping over, her limbs continuing to contort as her horn fractured and pieces floated away. Sunset body spasmed from the overcharged multiverse magic that continued to rip her apart. It broke her heart to see the child she dearly loved in so much pain, but she could not stop the complex spell she had begun chanting under her ethereal breath.
In her mind’s eye she could see the small golden foal wrapped in a blanket, a tuff of red and yellow mane sticking out as Raven rocked her gently before handing the newborn to Celestia. The exchange had awakened the foal who opened her large teal eyes to look upon the sun goddess for the first time, mouth hanging open in awe, or hunger, probably both. Celestia smiled and cried pulling the child close, gently nuzzling her nub of a horn causing her to coo and gurgle happily. A moment later the foal cried and Celestia looked about frantically, she had no idea what to do next.
It was one of the most frightening moments of her life. Celestia had led armies, fought monsters, dragons, eldritch horrors, and fended off more than one assassination attempt and much of that had been when she was still new to leading a fledgling nation. But none of that, or the countless other times she had been placed in a rough political situation could compare to how out of her depth she felt at that moment. She was a mother, the foal in her forelegs had been inside her, feeding, growing, listening to her every word and heartbeat for months and now was here and Celestia, Ruler of Equestria, Keeper of the Sun and Moon, had no idea what to do. Thankfully, Raven had explained that the foal was most likely hungry and had assisted her princess in the fine art of nursing.
Celestia closed her eyes again, forcing down the memory and the countless others that tried to surface and prepared her final move of the game. Upon completion of the preparation, Celestia whispered, “Please, Mother Creation, let this not be another of my mistakes.”
Sombra ceased cackling and turned his curious and skeptical eyes to Celestia, finding that her horn was glowing even despite the dark tendrils wrapped around it and most of her body. “What are you doing?”
Celestia’s smile was savage. “What I should have done the moment I knew she was ready.” The alicorn’s horn flared to life, incinerating the tendrils on her horn and freeing herself part way from the encroaching goo that had been consuming her soul. Sombra growled in pain and recoiled as Celestia used her distraction to touch her chest with a freed foreleg. A moment later a small, pink and yellow glowing orb was extracted seeming to pulse with her heartbeat as it stuck to her hoof. She pointed the orb at Sunset and let it quickly drift across the short distance that felt like half a world away.
Sombra blinked several times and snarled at Celestia then followed the trail of where she was gesturing back towards Sunset Shimmer. Before he could intercept it, the orb contacted the broken mass that was their daughter. Sunset gasped and screamed for a second before her entire body became encased in a shell made of pure while light, burning brighter and hotter than the sun. Sombra had to shield his face from the light, the energy burning away some of his grip on his prized prisoner.
Celestia watch with awe and worry as the figure inside the light cocoon writhed and twisted eventually turning in on herself into a fetal position. The light began to dim, the once fast pulses slowed and then stopped entirely. Celestia was about to lose hope that her efforts had come too late when two large wings made of flame exploded from the shell followed by an equine head with a glowing white hot horn protruding from her forehead. The rest of the shell cracked and fell away into cosmic dust and the newly formed alicorn stretched her glowing limbs, shining red eyes focused on the floating dark cloud above.
Sunset scowled, Sombra snarled and lunged at her and was met face first with a massive energy blast that threw what was left of his face back into the pulsating cloud. Her flaming wings flapped as her fire colored mane waved about on cosmic wind. Sunset fired again and blew two more holes into the cloud causing painful roars the echo about. She held out her right hoof and a large broadsword formed with a burning, two-sided blade and golden guard emblazed with her cutie mark. She paused for a moment, admiring the weapon before closing her eyes and her entire body took on a shimmering glow.
Even Celestia had to shield her eyes for a moment as Sunset’s body once again contorted and transformed, but unlike before there were no screams of pain. Gone were her equine features save for her ears and glowing horn as her hooves became hands and her face small and flat in what Celestia could only assume was her Earth human form. Sunset’s mane still waved about like a flickering flame, pointing up, her tail gone or hidden behind a long, flowing sash of crimson that covered some of the lower body armor of mixed chainmail and golden plates. Her upper body was adorned with more chainmail and silver and gold plate armor that had a divine glow to it. Sunset’s human face, while foreign to the Goddess of the Sun, was adorned with an all too familiar seething scowl under the red colored mask over her eyes. Oh, how Celestia knew that face, having been on the receiving end of it more than once. Sunset was not mad, no, she was FURIOUS.
“If you think a little thing like you-” Sombra did not get to finish speaking as Sunset launched herself at him with blinding speed. The sword first cut away the tendril holding Celestia before she spun around and cut the cloud body up into several sections, each slash leaving a cauterized wound and smoking trail. Sunset raised her free left hand and her horn began to glow. With a squeezing gesture the cut up cloud was pulled together and crushed into the shape of a ball with a glowing crimson barrier around it. She compressed the ball as much as she could, baring teeth ferociously.
“Never piss off a redhead.” Sunset screamed a guttural battle cry and smacked the balled up Sombra with the flat of her blade. The ball sailed away to the far reaches of the void leaving a red streak before disappearing out of sight. After a few seconds of silence, Sunset let out a long, slow breath and looked down at her free hand examining it.
Cautiously, Celestia reached out a hoof to her daughter afraid that if she said anything the being before her would turn out to not be real or worse, just an empty shell. Quietly, barely more than a whisper she said, “Sunset?”
The two glowing red eyes turned to Celestia and her heart stopped for a moment, before they softened and the familiar shade of teal returned. Sunset smiled serenely at Celestia. “It’s okay. I’m fine. I’m still me.”
Celestia wrapped her hooves and wings around Sunset and smiled, tears freely flowing. “Thank all the stars above. I was so afraid I had destroyed you to save you.”
“I felt it, the power tried to force me, my soul, out of my own body. I heard… somepony whisper to me, saying I could go, I could rest, but I didn’t want to go. I fought back. Like I told you before, I have someone and a home worth fighting for. Sunset Shimmer is not a quitter. No way I was dying without a fight.” Sunset continued to examine herself. “Heh, I get it now. You were right, all those years ago. I was not ready for this kind of power. It’s… indescribable. I can’t believe this is how you see the universe all the time.”
Celestia smiled. “You get used to it.” Though her body was different, Celestia could still see the foal she had birthed, the young filly who use to smile at her so happy to start a new lesson, and the full grown mare who had run away a spoiled brat only to be pulled from a smoking crater to become a leader and true friend to many. Sunset had accomplished so much without Celestia’s guidance and help and it was both the happiest moment of her life to see her child fulfill her destiny and the saddest that she had missed out so much as a mother and mentor.
“I am so proud of the mare you have become. You truly are everything I ever wanted and wanted for you.” Sunset smiled, nuzzling the white alicorn, their horns sparking as they contacted. A roar in the distance destroyed the moment and Sunset pushed back, sword once again at the ready.
“We don’t have much time,” Sunset said, her eyes scanning the swirling depths of the void. “You need to get back to your body.”
Celestia searched the void as well with a grimace on her face. “I am not sure I can without a guide.”
“Where the hell did that damn clown lizard go?” Sunset growled.
“Honestly!” Discord appeared in a splash of water, pulling fish from the pockets of his yellow sailor’s rain gear. “Do you have any idea how far I had to travel to get back here? What perils I had to endure? And you call me, ‘clown lizard.’ That brutish paramour of Celestia’s threw me all the way back into Equestria. Poor Twilight was having a time trying to keep herself connected to Celestia as she thrashed about.”
Discord finally paused to inspect the human form of Sunset Shimmer. “Well, well, well, somepony has been eating their protein oatmeal while I was out. The armor is a bit over the top, though who am I to judge, you should see my O and O costume. But I suppose it does match well with the flaming sword of death. I dare say that thing might even be powerful enough to hurt me.”
“Then don’t make me use it on you. You need to get her back to her body.”
“Sunset, wait!” Celestia reached out with her magic pulling Sunset in for another hug. “You can’t face him on your own, even with your new power. He is no longer the stallion I once loved. Sombra was corrupted by the darkness of the evil Celestia of his world, but has become further twisted by this place and will not hesitate to kill you now.”
“I know, but I’m going to do what I do best, run away,” Sunset said with a smirk. “Seriously, I’m not staying. I’m going after that flow stream. It’s far now, but I can see it, over there in the distance. I’m going to finish what we started.”
“Then take this,” Celestia touched her horn to Sunset’s and they both felt the spell to bind and control the coalescence flow pass from one alicorn to the other. Sunset blinked a few times and then nodded. “There is still so much I wanted to say to you, so much I still wanted to do with you.”
Sunset released her sword a moment and touched both hands to Celestia’s muzzle and stroked it gently. “I know, Mom, I’ll miss you too. And thank you, for everything, both good and bad. I know I didn’t walk the path you intended, but I think now all of it was for the best. You were right about so much that I didn’t understand and I’m sorry I was a huge brat, but I guess I just had to be me. Besides, we still have the journal and if we use it sparingly we can still talk for a while. It’s not the same, but this is not goodbye, only goodbye for now.”
Another roar echoed about and the colors of the void began to darken. Sunset grabbed her sword and sheathed it at her hip, spreading her flaming wings. “Go! Get her out of here!”
Discord, dressed like a rescue paratrooper, gave a lackluster salute, “No need to tell me twice.”
Celestia allowed Discord to wrap his serpent body around her and smiled at Sunset one more time. “I love you, my little sun.”
Sunset smiled as well. “I love you too, Mom.” Sunset turned and flapped her new wings, flying away like a fighter jet on full after burners.
----------
Discord appeared next to Spike, Fluttershy, and Luna who had all taken a seat on pillows around Celestia and Twilight. Before Twilight could begin to inquire, Celestia blinked and took a large gasp of air as if she had been drowning.
“Princess!” Twilight said, pulling her mentor in close. Celestia hugged her back and nuzzled Twilight. “What happened? Is Sunset alright? What was that monster… are you going gray?!”
“Perhaps it would be best to let Celestia take a breath before the inquisition is to begin, Twilight Sparkle,” said Luna with a serene smile.
Celestia nodded to her sister. The while alicorn pulled some of her tri-color mane around to see for herself, but did not comment on the steaks of silver that now resided there. “There is much to talk about, but that is for later. Rest easy, Twilight, Sunset is alive and on her way to the other end of the portal. I gave her what I hope will be all she needs to reach the other side and close it off.”
Twilight quirked her head. “But, I thought you said only an alicorn could…” Twilight turned to Discord who sprouted a set of red and gold wings and a candy stripe horn from his forehead, which he took in hand and began to chew on it. “Ohhhhh! She did it?”
Celestia smiled again, but there was no mistaking the melancholy behind the expression. “She had help, but yes, Sunset Shimmer has finally earned her wings. And such magnificent wings they were.”
“They were on fire,” Discord provided a visual, “Literally. She has a flaming sword too, frankly I found that to be cliché, but then from what I understand that was part of the package of her alicorn upgrade.”
“Ignis Ferrum Incarnate,” said Luna, “Incredible. An amazing niece I have that I will not get a chance to know.”
Celestia stood, stretching and wincing at her stiff limbs. “Not entirely true. Twilight, do you have your journal?”
Princess Twilight looked to her flanks and realized she did not have any packed saddlebags. She looked to Spike who simply shrugged. “It must still be in my castle in Ponyville. Discord teleported us without giving me a chance to pack.”
“Ohhhh, and it appears my time for our little bonding family therapy session is up for today, how unfortunate. Well, onto my next appointment, which if I am not mistake is tea and tiny cakes with Fluttershy. Oh! How convenient, she’s already here!” Discord wrapped himself around the yellow pegasus and waved. “I’ll send you a memo on my plans for this year’s Discord Day in triplicate by tomorrow afternoon. Ta, ta!”
Twilight sighed, realizing she was not going to get anymore out of her old teacher. “Come on, Spike. Let’s go home.”
“Twilight,” Celestia said, regaining most of her regal veneer, “once you return home, please inform Sunset’s friends on the other side of the mirror she is coming. I recall the other Twilight saying the portal exit was damaged and Sunset will likely need all their help to escape the void.”
Twilight straightened up to her full height. “Right away princess, the task is not over until everypony is safe.”
----------
Despite her surroundings and situation, Sunset Shimmer grinned just like she did when blasting down a long straightaway on Shadow at full throttle. She felt whole, complete. She had long since given up on the idea of having wings. Following the disastrous Fall Formal, the idea of even having them had terrified her. Any time Sunset had dreams about having wings they always ended with her transforming into a crimson skinned demon. After a while it had been best to give up on those old dreams.
But then came the Friendship Games and she had absorbed the power of the other elements to challenge Midnight Sparkle. Sunset hadn’t gotten a good look at herself, but Twilight had described her angel form with vivid detail and a wistful, daydream look in her eyes. The nightmares about wings ceased, but she had shed no new tears when the golden wings never manifested again.
But now, Sunset realized how there had in fact been a missing piece of her core, her destiny, her special talent, to become the empathetic warrior and protector. One hand to lift those up who had fallen, the other to defend friends and loved ones from all that threatened them. Two halves to form her true whole. The feeling of completion made her heart soar and one person and name was on her mind as she focused on her goal in the distance. “Twilight, wait for me. I’m coming.”
Sunset had no idea how much time had passed. Had it been a week? A year? Would Twilight have waited more than a year for her to reemerge? Instinctively, Sunset began to sing their song, her wings pulsing and beating to the rhythm. It did not matter how long, Her soul called to her love and the rest was just details.
Sunset glanced around the void at break-neck speed, banking around islands and objects that would have fit perfectly in the dreams of creators such as Giger, Lovecraft, and Sterling. With a few shakes of her head, Sunset ignored the oddities around her, focusing instead upon her goal. She finally spotted the flailing flow stream, all the more clear to her now that she had the ability to maintain a shield and see the streams of magic as only an alicorn could.
Sunset grinned. I’m an alicorn… I’M A FREAKING ALICORN!
Sunset reached out a hand and her horn thrummed with power as she readied the spell that would allow her to hold the stream. Once in hand the magical cord began to thrash about against her hold, immediately having to further wrap her grip to keep it from slipping away. After a few seconds she was able pull herself up tighter, letting her left hand hang free in a similar fashion to the way she had attempted to mimic Applejack one time on a mechanical bull. In fact, the thrashing reminded her of it so much Sunset let out the most satisfying laugh she had had in what felt like days and shouted loudly, “YEEE HAAAAW!!” Try as it might, the flow could not shake her as it pulled her along.
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“I know, but I’m going to do what I do best, run away,” Sunset said with a smirk. LOL I loved that joke.
I love this so much.
10334998
Thank you, glad you have been enjoying.
And so the Goddess of Fire is born. Praise be to Sunset, keeper of flame.
this is such an awesome story. i can't wait to start the sequel
10438782
Thank you!
... but redheads don't have souls.
11095258
awwwww. But I still have a little red hair. Most of it has darkened to brown.
pbs.twimg.com/media/FU_ew1bWAAMtZ5K.jpg