A Past Returned

by TacoTues4Eva

Monday Dec 26 c

Nerissa teleported right in the middle of Sunset’s apartment, the rest of her friends with her. They didn’t have a lot of time, but they needed one thing that they couldn’t risk leaving behind before going to rescue Sunset and confront the arrogant prick behind everything. She would make sure he paid for all the pain he caused to not only her, but to everyone else on the long list of those he had wronged.

“Who are you?” Susan asked, coming from the kitchen while Cornelia was just coming in the door with several bags.

“Nerissa!” Cornelia hissed out, dropping her bags. She was regretting not recharging her battery as she faced off the entire group of CHYKN.

“What have you done to your hair, child?” Nerissa asked, mouth hanging open.

“Oh, shove it, you old hag!” Cornelia snorted, “If you think I’m going to let you hurt anyone here, then you have another thing coming!”

“Dear child, I’m not here to hurt anyone. We are here to collect Sunset’s mother as she is the only one who may be able to save the girl. The charm I had given her should help keep her anchored with her body and mind intact, but I am unsure of how long that will last.” Nerissa explained.

“It’s my fault.” Kadma sighed, “We arrived and saw the tail end of the confrontation with Sunset and the Oracle. I sensed the earth doing something strange, draining the magic from those standing in the area. I realized too late it was a trick when we saw just what was going on.”

“There were four animated golems granted some intelligence and magic dragging Sunset into a trap.” Yan Lin shuddered, “Oh Himmerish, how could you stoop so low?”

“What did he do?” Susan growled out.

“It appears he had golems that looked like you and your ex-husband as well as Cedric and Phobos. The Susan of the group tricked Sunset to go there with her and offered her up in trade to Phobos for killing Tony. Cedric rammed his clawed hand through Tony’s chest right before the poor girl’s eyes, splattering her with his blood.” Nerissa said.

“Wait, aren’t golems made out of rock?” Cornelia asked.

“There are different types of golems and Himmerish used a type of forbidden one that may have well been necromancy.” Halinor growled hatefully.

“That doesn’t matter right now, where is Sunset?” Susan demanded, on the verge of breaking down as worry was starting to overtake her for her daughter.

“She is most likely in Kandrakar as that fool is probably gloating over his victory of pushing Sunset to do something she shouldn’t have.” Nerissa said.

“How do we get there? I thought we had to have permission from the Oracle…Himmerish to be able to fold there.” Cornelia said, her voice breaking.

“With a little Trojan horse powered by the energy Shagon had collected.” Nerisaa smirked.

“That thing you gave Sunset!” Cornelia gasped out.

“Can we just please go get my daughter?” Susan sobbed out.

“I’m sorry my dear, we will momentarily. When we get there you will see a very tall female looking creature made of pinkish energy. That will be Sunset. While we distract Himmerish and any guards he has, you need to talk to Sunset and remind her of your love for the girl. Break her out of the negative thoughts that monster had forced her into and it should bring Sunset back to us.” Nerissa explained.

“I’m going too!’ Cornelia declared, “Actually, I’ll call the others and we will all come!”

“No, it is much too dangerous.” Nerissa said, turning to give Cornelia a steely gaze.

“She’s right, Cornelia. With Sunset in that state, Himmerish can force you four into a similar state if you are all together by forcing the Heart to change you while the keeper is like that.” Yan Lin explained.

“Can we please go?” Susan begged, getting a shake of the head from Nerissa. “Children, always so impatient. Yes child, it is time to get your daughter back and end this once and for all.”

“Stay here, Cornelia. I don’t want you getting hurt too.” Susan said, moving to hug Cornelia and give her a kiss on top of her head. “We will be back soon with Sunset.”

“This way ladies.” Nerissa said, tapping her staff on the ground and a swirling portal of energy formed in the air as everyone stepped though. Just as it was starting to close Cornelia jumped through too.

---

“This is a travesty.” Tibor said solemnly.

“This is why I told you not to give children this power!” Hissed Luba, glaring openly at the Oracle who was giving a look of guilt. “Brats can’t handle the power!”

“Perhaps it isn’t too late.” Tibor muttered, stroking his beard. “Per our agreement with the powers that be, guardian souls are allowed to retire here until ready to move on. If we can locate the child’s soul…”

“The soul is in that thing, the problem is the mind and sense of self is destroyed.” The Oracle sighed sadly, “If anything good has come of this, Kandrakar now has a permanent champion of quintessence.”

Both Tibor and Luba gave looks of disgust at their old friend as a figure moved between them wordlessly. They were in a white cloak as many in Kandrakar were, only they wore the hood up completely obscuring their face. It was something against Kandrakar’s rules. And yet the Oracle had made an exception for this new person who was introduced as his new bodyguard, effectively replacing Tibor. Sunset just hovered toweringly behind them, not moving.

“We should summon the council also. I have grave news about the other guardians.” The Oracle sighed.

“What news?” Tibor asked.

“The guardians have joined Nerissa and turned against Kandrakar itself.” The Oracle sighed.

“No, just against you Charlie Brown!” Cassidy said darkly as she stepped out of a portal whose color matched a glowing portion of Sunset’s body. Soon the others stepped out with several giving disapproving stars to Cornelia.

“Sweetie, what are you doing here?” Susan asked, a little shocked at seeing the teen there with them.

“I’m not staying behind when my friend, my sister is in trouble!” Cornelia exclaimed.

“Then stay with me and out of danger.” Susan commanded, pulling the girl behind her while glaring at the four in Kandrakar robes.

“What is the meaning of this?” Luba growled out.

“You planted a Trojan horse on the girl!” The Oracle growled.

“Got it in one you old fool!” Nerissa hissed, throwing a bolt of lightning at the Oracle, only to be blocked by the new bodyguard. The cloak was badly damaged though revealing the figure to be Ember.

“Go talk to Sunset, make sure she knows you love her!” Yan Lin called out, pointing to the towering mass of energy.

“You have to be kidding me!” Susan gasped, fear etched on her face. It was quickly replaced with determination as she would not leave her daughter like that.

“I’ll watch your back.” Cornelia assured her.

“Do NOT transform!” Halinor called from above as she dodged a fireball from Ember.

“Sunset, please wake up!” Susan called out, getting no reaction from the towering mass.

“Come on, Sunny, snap out of it!” Cornelia cried out, “I don’t want to lose another friend or a sister!”

“Please honey, we love you! Please come back to us!” Susan called out, finally getting a reaction from the glowing woman.

“M-mom?” The figure croaked out, its eyes beginning to lose their pink tint to return to normal before changing back with a more intense glow. “HOW DARE YOU?”

Sunset waved a hand in the air and multiple tears formed dropping creatures randomly around the room including Princess Celestia, Tony, Serena, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. As the tears disappeared, a broken circle of light appeared at Sunset’s back, almost like two bows on each side with three blades of light in each. “All you do is cause me pain!”

“Sunset, please calm down and listen to me!” Susan sobbed out, realizing something wasn’t right with Sunset. It was her voice, but there was no emotion behind it. It was almost like it was her voice, but not actually Sunset. Or at least not really Sunset as there was literally no emotion, no anger, no hurt, no love, no anything.

“Sunset Shimmer?” Princess Celestia choked out, a horrified look on her face.

“You will stand down this instant!” The Oracle demanded angrily. Instead of complying, Sunset held her arms out at both sides then brought them in as the six blades of light shot from behind her back and reformed instantly. Five of the six launched blades struck randomly around the room causing a lot of destruction while the final one actually struck the Oracle launching him through the air and into a large ornate set of double doors.

“What’s going on?” Fluttershy squeaked out in fright, her friends surrounding her and looking around in awe and fright as well.

“Susan? What on earth is going on?” Tony asked, as Serena and him ran over to Susan.

“That bald man tricked Sunset into becoming this thing!” Susan hissed, “If she didn’t just kill him, I swear I will!”

“Oh my!” Serena gasped, covering her mouth in fright.

“You must stop this!” Princess Celestia ordered, putting up a shield around the girls as another barrage of blades swept through the room, one piercing straight through Ember’s chest and destroying the elemental.

“Princess Celestia?” Sunset asked, for the first time her voice wavering.

“Be careful, the brat isn’t in control of her actions.” Luba said, hurrying over to join the small group at Sunset’s feet.

“Don’t you dare call my daughter a brat!” Tony hissed, beating Susan to the punch and actually earning a grateful nod from the woman.

“Please don’t be too upset with Luba here, she calls all children brats. She actually means no offense from it.” Tibor sighed as he joined them as well as Nerissa and her group also joined them as the girls from Canterlot cautiously made their way over as well. Princess Celestia was staying behind looking on with a saddened look.

“Don’t worry, Tabby is actually one of the good guys.” Cassidy chirped, “Or at least I think so.”

“I’d gut anyone else but you calling me that brat!” Luba hissed.

“Keep trying to get through to her. Keep reassuring her that you love her and try to coax the real Sunset out.” Nerissa said, watching Tibor and Luna warily.

“Is that really Sunset?” Rarity asked sadly, looking on at the towering woman of energy. It seemed to stop all movement again though the bow with blades of energy through them making them look like wings still remained.

“It is.” Cornelia sighed, giving them a look.

“Sunset, I’m so sorry.” Fluttershy moved forward to look up at the towering being. To everyone’s surprise it looked down at the girl. “I had nightmares even after you became good, yet I loved you like a dear friend once I got to know you. There was still a small part of me that stayed afraid of you going back to your old ways, and when Anon-A-Miss started, I thought you had. I’m so sorry I let my old fears flare to life and grow to the point of not giving you a real chance to defend yourself. I’ll always regret my decision, my inaction that hurt you, but know this. I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I will always love you. If you never want anything else to do with me, with us, I will understand. I will still love you though. I will love your kindness, your willingness to help those in need. You have so many people here who love you, so please come back to them at least, if not for me.”

“Sugarcube, Shy is right. Ah’m also so sorry, and that is the honest truth. A part of me was still angry even after we became friends, I thought I buried that. But it still reared its ugly head at times as a part of me watched for you to go back to your old ways and hurt the girls. I came to love your honesty as you proved you were sincere in becoming a better person. A person who honestly gave of themself whenever ah needed help instead of making up lame excuses to get out of your promises. You were an honest friend sugarcube, and ah let my anger get away from me and believed those lies. Believed it was all a lie and you were just using us. Ah know I don’t deserve your friendship or forgiveness, but you have a real family here that loves ya. Please come back to them.” Applejack said, holding her hat to her chest while Sunset turned her gaze to her.

“Darling, I’m so sorry for letting my anger over the Spring Fling and the past cloud my judgment when it comes to my newest friend. A wonderful friend who was more than generous in showing me things I’ve never even dreamed of! Thanks to you a whole new world was open to me and when you needed me most I turned my back because of those old memories overpowering the wonderful new ones we made together. I swear, darling, that if I had another chance I would do everything in my power to prove I deserve your friendship. In the end though, I know I don’t deserve it, but your family and new friends do. Please come back to them.” Rarity said, tears leaking and trailing mascara as she looked in regret without her normal theatrics up to the being who was now looking at her. What looked to be a pink tear fell from Sunset’s eye.

“Sunset, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry too. I’m supposed to be the element of loyalty, yet I let our past overshadow our present and destroy our future together as family. I know I can’t take back what I did, all I can say is that I’m sorry for not listening to you when you needed me. I’m not that awesome, Sunset, you are. And you have an awesome family that needs you, so please come back for them.” Rainbow Dash sniffed.

“Sunset, I’m sorry for stealing your smile. I’m supposed to provide laughter, but there’s a part inside of me that finds it hard to laugh myself. I let that self convince me that everything you did was a lie since the Fall Formal when Anon-A-Miss started. I should have known better than to listen as nobody who would spend their free time bringing laughter and smiles to orphans and sick kids could be capable of being a big meanie. I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I’m begging you to come back for your family and those children who need you.” Pinkie Pie sniffed, earning curious looks at what she had said as it was supposed to be a secret that Sunset volunteered every once in a while to help out at the orphanage and children’s hospital. The girls started glowing as they floated off the floor as they looked in surprise at each other as they ponied up and earned looks of shock from the others.

“Sunset, I know I’m the last pony you want to hear from after the way I treated you under my care.” Celestia sighed as she took a step forward getting an angry look from Susan and even Sunset who was starting to glow different colors matching the colors that surrounded the girls a few moments ago. “I know no amount of apologies can make up for the pain and suffering of not being there for you has caused. I won’t use my station as an excuse, but I will tell you the truth. I love you. I didn’t want to at first, seeing you with the Heart of Kandrakar, but you wormed your way into my heart. A heart I had to keep closed off because you were a mortal pony who I would lose all too soon from old age as I always lose those I care for. That’s why I stressed making friends and accepting Harmony so much so you could become an alicorn with me. And on top of that, I had to face the guilt from doing what I had to protect you from those who would harm you. The guilt from killing those who tried taking your own life as killing is never an easy thing to do and should never become easy. These aren’t excuses, I know I lost any hopes of a relationship with you and I deserve that loss. But now I do love you as does your family here and they need you. So please come back to them.”

“Go on Tony.” Serena nudged her husband forward.

“Ahem…I guess it's my turn, huh? I’m not good at these things kiddo, never have been. Maybe if I was then Susan and I would still be together, but then again I wouldn’t have met Serena and you wouldn’t be getting a little half brother. I should never have left you when you were Will alone the way I did. I was foolish and angry with your mother as I know she was angry with me. I was a coward, plain and simple, but I’ve grown and I really do want to have a relationship with you. And I want my son to know how great a person his big sister is.” Tony said, his voice soft yet full of emotion.

“Dad?” Sunset asked softly.

“Hey sis, I’m not sure how you forgave me for our first meeting. Those things I said, I’ve regretted saying them the moment they came out. I’m so sorry and I can’t wait for us to be a real family. I haven’t known the new you for long, but I can see so much love and compassion in you for all of those you care about. The same love and compassion I want to learn from you, I want to learn everything I can from you as you are so much who I want to be like. Please come back to me, to us. We need you! I need you!” Cornelia sobbed out, moving to hug Sunset.

“Please baby, we all need you. Please come back to us.” Susan cried as she hugged Sunset too, everyone else moving to do the same except Celestia, Tibor and Luba as well as Nerissa’s group minus Yan Lin who moved in to join the group hug.

Sunset moved her arms ready to attack again, but the light faded from her back and her eyes slowly returned to normal before her body started to shrink and turn back to normal and a unanimous cry of “Sunset!” was heard as the girl looked around the group to all the faces who professed their love for her as she did hear everything. She also saw the bracelet on her mother’s arm and the man next to her. “M-Mom?”

“It was a trick, Sunset. Those people you saw when you first met the Oracle were fakes and these are your real parents.” Nerissa said, though Sunset had already suspected that.

“You ruined all of my plans, you little pests! Arrest them!” The Oracle shouted, leaning heavily on the door he was blasted through. His robes were in tatters as he held his side, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. Ten guards in white robes and golden helmets surrounded the group as Sunset floated into the air. Her hair floated up as she was bathed in golden light, an ethereal horn appearing on her forehead as her clothes were replaced with a pink and white strapless dress and winged boots with wings made of decorative fire adorned with her cutie mark. She also wore a pink tinged, white winged choker as well as upper arm bands each with her cutie mark and a red stripe on her face going over her eyes and bright golden wings on her back making her look angelic.

“You will do no such thing!” Twelve voices said from Sunset at once as she raised her hand as the Oracle got control over himself and stormed over toward the group. A wave of force knocked the Oracle back through the doors as Sunset floated after.

Author's Note:

I wanted to thank Sunny Scriber for once again doing such a great job proof reading because no matter how much I try to find all the mistakes I still manage to miss a bunch of them. I also want to thank him for all the advice on improving my writing and scenes in the story to make it better as well as writing the descriptions for the girls new transformation. I also want to thank HarmonicPriest for all the help and story ideas he has given as well as the awesome omakes that can be found in the comment sections of Tuesday Dec 20 d, Wednesday Dec 21 d, Thursday Dec 22 b, Friday Dec 23 c, Saturday Dec 24 j and the newest one on Monday Dec 26b as they are awesome! Thank you both very much!

I also wanted to thank HarmonicPriest for the suggestions on materials to use in making Susan's bracelet from the metals to the gems and the newest addition of alternate covers.