Ponywatching

by ThunderTempest

Prompt #510: Exeunt

“Stop!” cried the Royal Guard as she dashed past, her saddlebags filled to near-bursting with books. She was glad that her status as Celestia’s Personal Student still granted her a semblance of respect from the palace staff. Aside from the occasional verbal command, they rarely physically intervened with her. As she rounded the next corner, she could see the Guard Captain enter the corridor she had just left. He was pointing and calling orders, getting the guards to intercept her. Probably on Celestia’s orders.

Sunset Shimmer grinned. She liked a challenge. Swinging around another corner, she jerked to the side to avoid crashing into another guard, and with a flash of her horn, teleported past a second who was bringing his spear to bear against her. It wasn’t a question of if she got caught. Sunset could avoid these guards all day. The issue here was time. Sooner or later, they’d figure out where she was going, and seal off her destination. She had to get there before Celestia ordered it blocked. Luckily, she’d memorized several paths through the castle that would take her to where she needed to go. The second, despite being the most direct, was out-it went right past the throne room, and Sunset didn’t trust her ability to be faster than Celestia’s magic was.

Swinging left, Sunset decided on the slightly longer route. It ran further away from the throne room, and it usually had fewer guards on it. She’d just have to run faster.

True to her previous experiences walking the corridors, the route that she had chosen was largely free of guards, but word of what she was doing was spreading. Each guard she encountered was more ready for her than the last. Fortunately, they didn’t seem to be catching on to where she was running to just yet. Sunset dropped to the polished marble floor, sliding under a pair of barred spears. The moment she was clear, she teleported herself several meters further down the corridor and a meter in the air. She hit the ground running, the cries of the guards echoing in her ears.

Perhaps she had been a bit brash or foolish to announce her retirement from the position of Celestia’s Student the way she had, but Sunset had always had a flare for the dramatic, and she was nothing if not confidant in her abilities.

Two more corners, and then the home stretch was in sight. She knew that Celestia wouldn’t dare move it, not while it was active. Celestia might be afraid to go through the portal, or send one of her guards through, but Sunset wasn’t. As she rounded the penultimate corner, she caught the end of a conversation.

“She’s headed for the artifacts room. What does she expect to find in there?”

“I dunno. Maybe it’s got something to do with that weird mirror that’s down there.”

“Maybe. Hey, there she is! Sunset Shimmer!” cried the guard. Behind her, Sunset heard the impact of steel on marble begin to pick up pace. A quick charm on the floor behind her, and the already smooth marble may as well have been sheet ice.

“Whoa!”

“What the hell!”

Sunset smirked to herself. They never saw that one coming. Honestly, it was like they just got stuck in their routines. Sunset rounded the last corner, and was nearly blinded by the fading light of a teleport. There was only one other pony that Sunset knew left an afterglow when they teleported.

Celestia. Sunset could see the mirror, and her escape from Celestia several meters behind the Princess, and several other Royal Guards. She’d only have one shot at this. Sunset’s horn lit up, and she leapt toward Celestia. Sunset’s horn sparked bright enough to blind everypony in the room who wasn’t Celestia.

Celestia blinked twice, not finding Sunset anywhere in her field of vision. Turning around, she just managed to catch the end of a red and yellow tail vanishing through the rippling surface of the mirror.

“Captain?” called Celestia. She reached out, touching a hoof to the surface of the mirror, only to find that it, once more, was nothing more than an ordinary mirror. Celestia sighed. An older unicorn, clad in the gold-plated armour of the Royal Guard stood up, and bowed to Celestia.

“Your Highness?”

“Head to the library. Sunset was carrying books. Find out what she took. If she got her hooves on the dark magic tomes,” Celestia paused for a moment. “Well, I hope that she hasn’t, but we had best check to make sure.”

As the guard captain left, he gathered up the other ponies from the floor, leaving Celestia alone with the now inert mirror.

“Why, Sunset?” she muttered, “what happened to make you resort to this? Was it me, or something else?”

Author's Note:

Written for Prompt #510: “Smarter Than She Seemed”
The prompt: Run, you clever girl

Eh.

Comments

[Malandy]

The Doctor!??