Episode 1: Rise of the Sun's Successor
At a blacksmiths shop, siblings Sunset and Sunburst get ready for the annual summer sun celebration but not everything is what it seems to be.
[Episode 1: Rise of the Sun's Successor]
Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and protected the elements of harmony. The eldest used her powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects. But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful of her elder sister and wanted the elements for herself. One fateful day, the younger refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one's heart had transformed her into a wicked woman of darkness: Nightmare Moon.
With no choice, the elder sister used the elements of Harmony and banished her sister on the moon.
"Sunburst, that story is nothing but bedtime stories parents tell their kids." In a small village hours away from Canterlot City, is a small blacksmith shop, home to two siblings, Sunset Shimmer and Sunburst.
"Do you believe in anything?" Sunburst asks his elder sister with a pout on his face.
"Of course I do." His elder sister Sunset says. She takes the book and snaps it closed.
"I believe in getting these orders done by late afternoon." She ruffles his hair and goes back to work.
"You suck, all you do is work all day." Sunburst sticks his tongue out.
Sunset rolls her eyes.
"How about you do something productive and put the armor sets that are finished in the wagon out front." Sunset gesture's towards the neat stack of imperial guard armor that's off to the side.
"Is this for the castle guards?" Her brother questioned.
"Yup, and that's only half of it. Now hurry and stop fooling around." She waved him off and went straight back to work.
Sunburst huffed before doing what's asked of him.
"Stupid sister, what is she my mom?" He mumbled to himself.
"I heard that you little punk!" Sunset yells and chases a laughing Sunburst around the shop.
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{Canterlot City, 3:35pm.
Day One}
Canterlot, home to many individuals and home to Princess Celestial the ruler of the kingdom Equestria.
In one of the towers, Princess Celestial with her student Princess Twilight Sparkle alongside her as they stood on opposite sides of a table with several ancient scrolls.
"The time has finally come," Celestial speaks. Twilight looks up the the scroll I'm her hand.
"Is this about Nightmare Moon? Is she truly going to return?" Twilight asks her teacher.
"Unfortunately yes, we only have about four days to find the elements of Harmony's bearers." Celestial hands over a scroll to Twilight. "You must find these five individuals, I'll personally get the sixth one myself."
"Are you sure? I can go instead." Twilight says to her mentor.
"No, I can handle it. Do not tell anyone of this, no one must know."
○◔◗◕●
{6:03pm, Day One}
Late afternoon, after a hard day of work Sunset rips off the apron and gloves, setting them in their proper place.
"I'll close up shop," Sunset says to the younger boy behind her.
"Can I help this time?" He asks.
"Please?"
Sunset shakes her head but nods motioning him to follow her upstairs. The two start cleaning up the shop, Sunset puts all the armor and weapons back on display while her younger brother Sunburst sweeps the floor.
"Is making weapons difficult? Or do you just suck at it?" Sunburst says with a smug smile on his face. Sunset glanced at him and sticks out her tongue.
"Very funny..." Sunburst chuckles at his older sister.
"You're too impatient, Sunset. Be patient. If mother was still here, she'd say—"
The older girl groans and flicks her brothers forehead.
"I know, I know. That's all she ever talked about, I don't need you nagging at me too." She wraps her arm around his neck and messes with his hair.
"H-hey, stop that!" Sunburst giggles. "You're way stronger than me. That's so unfair!"
"You better get use to it," Sunset let's go of her younger brother to go back to cleaning up.
A tall woman clothed in white with a straw hat on her head that covers the upper half of her face walls into the shop with her walking stick in hand.
"Um, excuse me, ma'am," Sunburst calls out.
"We're currently closing. Do you need something?" He asks the mysterious woman.
Sunset leans against the wall with her arms crossed, she watches as the woman looks directly at her. For some reason, the woman felt familiar to her.
"So uh, are going to buy something?" She asks, Sunset felt weird around this woman, too out of her element. She didn't like it at all.
"Just looking around is all," The smiled at Sunset from under her hat.
"I'm not sure if you're aware or not, we're about to close. So you can either pick something or leave." Sunset tells the woman.
"My apologies then, I'll be on my way." Said the woman.
"I'm so sorry ma'am, my sister didn't mean that! She's just a bit of a hothead." Sunburst apologized for his sisters attitude.
The woman just smiles letting out a light chuckle.
"It's alright young one," She says. "I think I've found what I was looking for."
Sunburst motions to his elder sister to show the woman around. Sunset rolls her eyes and takes a helmet off the shelf.
"If it's something special you're looking for, let me sh—" She turns around and the woman in white is no where to be found.
"What is it?" Her brother asks. Sunset points to the entrance where the lady was standing.
"She was just… forget it." Sunset sighed tiredly.
A dark cloud then appears over Ignacia, heralding the arrival of the Nightmare Forces. Upon the arrival, three nightmare generals appear on the Skull Truck.
"Oh, oh! Let me go first! Please, oh please! I'm dying to go down there!" One of the generals, Jerome says.
"You nitwit, you're already dead! Try to control yourself in front of Master Shadowfright." The other general Blueblood says, and then changes his tone facing Shadowfright.
"But with all due respect, last time… you did say… I could go first." Blueblood says, Shadowfright glance at him.
"Sorry boys, this one is mine. Just remember what we're after and find that map. Attack!" Shadowfright orders, all the Nightmare Skulkin Vehicles accelerate in full speed. The people of the small Village charge towards the oncoming trucks.
"Boo!" Shadowfright shouts causing the villagers to runaway. While the few brave ones stayed to protect their home.
Sunburst looked out the window.
"Um, sis." He say's. The two of them had just finished eating dinner. Sunset puts on a set of armor and grabs a sword.
"What are they?" Sunburst asks following his sister.
"I don't know. Stay here." Sunset told him.
"But—"
"Just stay here and don't come out the house no matter what." Sunset says sternly before going outside, Sunburst could only watch as his elder sister closed the door behind her.
Sunset gets into a stance as a Night marchers wearing black armor with a moon symbol brought up it's axe. Sunset ducks under it's swing and gives it a roundhouse kick knocking off it's head. Another Night marcher decapitates itself and bites Sunset's foot.
"Ow! Little piece of crap." She kicks the nightmares's head away. As two Night marchers clap for the extraordinary performance, Sunburst sneaks up behind them and performs a stealth attack.
"I thought I told you to stay back!" Surprised seeing her brother out there with her.
"Go back inside," Sunset kicks one of the Night Marchers in the chest sending tumbling down on a few other, they hit the ground like domino's.
"And what? Let you have all the fun?" Sunburst say's and knocks another one back with a large tree branch.
"I don't remember you being this stubborn." Sunset shakes her head.
"I must've picked it up from you then."
"I'm so getting you back for that when this is over."
As the siblings fight the Nightmare Forces, Blueblood and Jerome sneak inside the shop unnoticed and start looking at the merchandise inside.
"I can't find shit in this place," Jerome says and knocks down a shelf full of shurikens.
"You're not looking hard enough. And quit acting like a child. The faster we get this done the better." Blueblood say's.
Jerome hits his comrade with a samurai helmet. A gigantic tick mark formed on Bluebloods face, he pounced on him and the two generals started having a fist fight inside the shop. As the two generals continue tussling, they come across the map Shadowfright was looking for.
"There it is!" Jerome says.
"Let's hurry up and take it before that girl with the red hair comes back!" Blueblood pushed Jerome off and grabs the map that was hidden behind the now fallen sign of the shop.
Sunset finishes off the last of the Night Marchers of the Nightmare Forces when Shadowfright approaches her. Sunset takes out her weapon while Shadowfright takes out six more.
"Six arms, really? That's a bit overkill don't you think?" Sunset says nervously.
"You look like someone from a star wars movie like... General Grevious." Shadowfright growls at Sunset.
"Okay, I have no idea why you're here but, if it's money your after I suggest you go rob a bank instead of this little shop I have going on here. So I'd really appreciate it if you'd, ya'know. Leave my brother and I alone." Shadowfright says nothing as he charges at Sunset with pure killing intent.
Sunset uses her sword to block his strike, the general pushes all of his weight on Sunset making her kneel on the ground.
The cobblestone path underneath them cracks.
"In the name of Nightmare moon, the spawn of the Sun must be destroyed." He slashed at Sunset's side and kicks her chest.
Sunset covers her wound trying too stop the bleeding. "You have fought well for a child." Shadowfright says and points the tip of his sword at Sunset's neck.
"But, you must be eliminated. Goodbye Sunset Shimmer."
Sunset covers her face as Shadowfright is about to give her a deadly blow, a golden beam of light hit hits him sending the general away from Sunset.
Sunset looks up and see's the woman from earlier standing infront of her. Her white dress adoring with gold jewelry, long wavy tri-colored hair that flowed in the wind. Her walking stick was replaced with a golden staff that has a Sun emblem on the top. The goddess looks down at Sunset giving the girl a motherly smile.
"Are you alright my child?" Sunset slowly nods, the woman turns back to Shadowfright.
Behind the woman runs up a squad of four knights, the one leading them is Captain Shining Armor.
"Ready at will your highness!" Shining salutes as the other three bring out their swords.
Shadowfright tsked and calls for his men and retreats back to his vehicle.
"Nightmare Moon says take the boy!"
Celestia eyes widen. "Nightmare moon..."
Jerome laughs as he launches the truck's bone hand to grab Sunburst.
"No!" Sunset yells, she gets up and sprints after them.
"Kid wait!" Shining yells running after the injured girl.
"Sunset help!" Sunburst cried trying to get out of Shadowfright hold. Blueblood speeds up the truck as a portal appears in front.
"Give him back! I won't let you take my brother from me!" Sunset cries, she stumbles now feeling the pain from her sword wound.
"Just hang on! I'm almost—!" They disappear through the portal, Sunset face plants hard on the cobblestone path.
Shining Armor helps the injured girl up from off the ground.
"L-let me go...! I have to get my brother back..." Sunset says before passing out, the last thing she see's if Celestia now holding her in her arms.
"Shh, it's okay. We'll get him back."