Chapters Everything hurt. She was tired, and didn't want to move. The whole world was white, white noise, and white pain. There was a ringing in her ears, blinding the outside world completely. Only then did she start to remember. The crown, the demon, the crimes, everything made sense.
Sunset Shimmer slowly opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings. The walls around here were gray, and the floor she was laying on was hard. Her body felt, smaller and sore from pain. Sunset struggled to stand up, but after a few tries, she leaned herself on the cold stone wall and got a better look of where she was.
One, she was not human, she was back in Equestria. Two, she was in what looked like a cell. Three, other than a stack of hay where she had been laying, and herself, the cell was empty. Memories began to flood back to Sunset's mind. Princess Twilight Sparkle had taken her back to Equestria, Twilight didn't tell her why, she did seem pretty angry.
A voice broke Sunset's thoughts. "The prisoner has awoken!"
Sunset limped to the bars of the cell. "What's going on?" she murmured as guards with stern looks on their faces moved towards her cell.
They were all clad in golden and crystal like armor their horns a glow as they carried spears in their auras. The door of the cell opened with a metal sound, and before Sunset knew it, chains had locked themselves around her hooves. One of the guards, who wore a special star on his chest grabbed Sunset's shoulder roughly, causing her to grimace and suck in her breath in pain.
Turning her head to face the area of conflict, she saw a rough red, and might she say half-assed stitched cuts. It felt as though they would fall apart at any second if she stretched too much or ran to fast.
The guard pushing her forward scowled, and leaned in close in Sunset's ear. "You tried to kill my sister, and her friends, try to resist and I'll bury you in the ground myself."
Sunset's ears folded back as she walked forward, fearing if what the guard said was true. Sunset thought for moment before something clicked in her brain. If this guard said that she tried to kill his sister...His sister had to be Twilight Sparkle! That would explain why he wanted to end her life so much. Great.
They walked through the halls with tense and awkward silence. The horn inhibitor ring on Sunset's head added a suffocating feeling, like she was under a blanket. But that's not what was bothering her the most. Sunset had a huge hole of guilt carved in her chest. Anything and everything she had done in her past came back to her.
Sunset felt the pain that others felt when she bullied and blackmailed them. The depression they went through, the embarrassment, and shame. Sunset choked back a sob as the squad of guards led her to, she guessed, the courtroom. She had never been in a palace like this before, she had never been in this palace at all in fact. Everything seemed to be made out of crystal, even the guards had a crystal gleam to them.
Finally the squad and their prisoner reached two large doors, the guards on either side of the door tapped their spears on the crystal surface, causing the door to open slowly. Bright light filled Sunset's eyes and she blinked and looked away. Slowly she turned her head as she was once again lead to the large courtroom.
The first thing Sunset noticed was that the room was full of ponies, noble ponies of course. Further down she saw more guards, and four large thrones. Each one occupied. Sunset looked up and met the eyes of all four princesses, and instantly regretted it. Especially Celestia's commanding gaze.
Sunset hung her head in shame, she didn't want to be here, she didn't want to hear what the Princesses had in store for her. She was in enough pain already, physically and emotionally. Sunset couldn't stop herself from crying, letting painfully silent tears slide down her muzzle.
Murmurs and whispers ran through the courtroom for a few seconds before a loud banging noise shut off their chatter. Sunset flinched with each bang of the mallet, after three bangs, all chatter ceased and strong silence filled its place.
"Sunset Shimmer."
She flinched at her name.
"You are being charged with regicide against Princess Twilight Sparkle of Friendship, and attempted overthrow of Princess Celestia." One of the princesses voiced, Sunset wasn't familiar with this one. "What do you plead?"
Sunset looked up at the navy coloured Princess who glared down at her, and stuttered in fear and guilt. "I-I-," Sunset stopped her stuttering and choked back a sob. "Guilty."
The Princess's glare did not waver. "The crimes you have commited have a high price to pay, Sunset Shimmer." The navy-colored mare spoke. "I Princess Luna of the Moon and Night, Diarch of Equestria sentence thou to be punished by death"
Ponies in the crowd began to mutter, shocked expressions on all of their faces. But the face Sunset wore was one of fear, guilt and shame. Her head snapped up and looked at the Princesses, almost begging for them to choose a different punishment. All of them looked down, but she met one lavender alicorn's gaze.
Twilight's eyes widened when she saw Sunset's face.
"Wait!"
Gasps resonated through the courtroom. All heads turned their attention from Sunset Shimmer, to Twilight Sparkle. Sunset looked up as well in shock at the Princess of Friendship. She was wide-eyed and stared at Sunset before turning to face the rest of her fellow rulers.
"Can we discuss this in private?" Twilight said in a low whisper.
The other Princesses looked at one another and nodded, walking out of the courtroom through a pair of curtains. Minutes passed before conversation arose again, some ponies pointed hooves at Sunset while she sobbed quietly to herself. All she wanted to do was collapse.
"Princesses, I know what Sunset has done is bad, but she doesn't deserve to die! I'm alive, I am alright, it's wrong to put somepony to death." Twilight yelled, her wings flaring out in anger.
Shining Armor moved by his sister's side, trying to calm her down. "Twily, that mare almost killed you! You and your friends ."
Her head snapped towards her brother. "I know that Shiny but I didn't bring her to Equestria just to kill her!" Twilight fumed.
Princess Cadance moved beside Shining Armor and wrapped a wing around him. "I agree with Twily, Shiny. I grew up with Sunset, and even though she was a brat—and a jerk, she would never kill somepony." She pointed out, and looked in Princess Celestia's direction, who had not spoken a word yet. "Even ask Auntie Celestia!"
They all turned their heads to look at the Princess of the Sun, who's strong gaze wavered for a second at the mention of her former student. "No, she wouldn't do anything like that." she muttered, her voice barely audible.
Luna wasn't buying it. "She still needs to be punished, and if it isn't going to be death then it will be the next step down from it."
Twilight gave her a confused look. "Which is?"
"Tartarus."
The whisper and murmurs gnawed at Sunset's mind. She couldn't take it anymore, but she didn't want to die. The death penalty was given to the worst of the worst of ponies and creatures. Sunset would do anything else but be the first ponies in centuries to be sentenced to death. She was so deep in thought that she did not even notice the four princesses come back into the courtroom.
"Order, please." A calm but commanding voice ordered. Sunset snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the Princesses, eyes red.
Princess Luna stepped forward and looked at Sunset Shimmer, scowling. "After discussing Sunset Shimmer's crimes, the princesses and I decided to...adjust her punishment." Whispers spread among the nobles once more. "Silence! We have decided, instead of the death penalty, to have Sunset Shimmer, exiled to Tartarus...for a lifetime."
Author's Note
Heeeey. So new story, I know, I know. I really shouldn't be writing multiple stories at once, but, this story I have everything planned out. This chapter was a bit, rushed, and not what I wanted it to be. But stay tuned for more exciting and interesting chapters.
Hope you enjoy my new story, Hero from Tartarus!
"Lifetime in Tartarus."
It kept ringing in her ears as she was carried away to the hell of Equestria. Sunset wasn't immortal like Celestia, or Discord. She would rot in Tartarus, and die. All she could think of was the horrors that would meet her and the devils stuck down there. Suddenly, her feet froze, and she broke down crying. She wondered if what she did was really worth being stuck in Tartarus for the rest of her life.
"I hope you learned your lesson." she heard Shining Armor say. She could hear the smirk in his voice. "Let's go!" They dragged her by her forelegs, unable to keep herself up due to shock.
Sunset felt numb. So numb that the guards on either side of her had to help keep her standing. Tears rolled down her closed eyes, lost in thought. However, a rattling sound caught her attention. Snapping her head up to the disturbing sound, she saw a cage, the size of a large pony, guards holding the door open...for her.
She started panicking, not knowing what to do. She stood up straight and attempted to pull her arms out of the guard's grip, the stitches in her shoulder's protesting against the sudden movement. She struggled and put every last ounce of her strength in pulling away.
The guards loosened their grip for one second, allowing her to get free. But she was immediately captured by Shining Armor's magic. She felt his grip on her, Shining Armor put her in the cage with as little care as possible. She tried to unlock the door, but her magic was blocked by the inhibitor ring on her horn. Thrashing and kicking and screaming, she tried her best to leave the small, constricting area.
But with every kick and punch, her hope faded away. She knew she was never going to escape. There was nothing she could do except wait for her doom. She leaned on the wall and tried to clear her mind of the dark thoughts. Trying to remember all the good times in her life, she broke down realizing she had none. There was nothing to live for, no one to remember her, no family to cry over her. Sunset would never have a chance to live a happy life and build her own family.
The panic in her rose with every second, and Sunset felt the world fade black around her.
Canterlot Castle was most of the time silent, with only the maids and butlers of the castle scurrying to get to their duties. At this time, however, nobles and other ponies murmured and spread rumors and gossip about the recent court sentencing. Nopony had been sentenced to death before, nor to Tartarus.
In their quarters, sat Princess Luna, raising the moon for the day. She showed no emotion on her face as she turned back around off the balcony. In a few hours she would enter the Dreamland, and stop the nightmares of ponies. All but one ponies nightmare. Luna grimaced at the thought of Sunset, but quickly shook her head.
There was a knock on her door, and Luna willed it open with her horn. Luna smiled as a lavender alicorn walked in her room, but Twilight Sparkle did not return the smile. Instead she wore a grim expression on her face, her head lowered slightly. Luna's smile faltered as she trotted towards Twilight.
"Twilight, how ar-" Luna began.
Twilight's head snapped up. "Don't."
"What?" Luna questioned, confused.
Twilight shook her head. "How could you do something like that?!" she screamed. "How could you sentence somepony to death and Tartarus!"
Luna blinked, fighting the urge to scowl. "Twilight, we already discussed this, Sunset had what was coming for her, she tried to kill you!"
"And so. did. you ." Twilight responded coldly.
Luna lost her composure for a second, before regaining it quickly. "Twilight that's different, I am Celestia's sister, Princess of the Moon! Ponies need me."
"Oh, so other ponies are expendable then, right?" Twilight said incredulously. "Is that how you really feel about all this?"
The Princess in the Moon tried to stutter out an answer, but Twilight held a hoof up to silence her. "I'm guessing you know how hard it is to reverse a sentencing that big?! I'd have to convince those hard-headed nobles that Sunset deserves a second chance. Not only because she is a Princess or Celestia's little sister, but because she is a pony who made mistakes just like you did."
Luna stared into Twilight's eyes, and all she found was guilt. What she was guilty of was unknown to Luna. Twilight turned around without warning and began making her way to the door of the room. Luna went to follow her out, but Twilight's voice broke her train of thought.
"I thought you would learn forgiveness after I showed it to you that night, I guess I was wrong." Twilight said evenly.
Luna tried to follow Twilight out the door of her room, but before she could, Twilight said: "I'll walk myself out," she began, sensing Luna's desires. "I am very disappointed with you Princess."
Twilight Sparkle left without another word, and closed the door roughly behind her. Luna stared in shock as a pit in her stomach formed. Did she really mean what she said? Was her life more valuable then other ponies? 'Of course it is, I'm a Prin-' Luna stopped and recalled Twilight's words. The pit in her stomach going deeper.
She had sent a pony to life to the depths of Hell, like she should have been. Luna stumbled to her bed. She woul- should have been sentenced to death too. But she wasn't because she was more valuable. At least, that's what she repeated to herself as she closed her eyes, her breaths coming in short.
Twilight was beyond furious, but most of all, she felt guilty. Guilty that she brought Sunset here to have a better life, and to have a second-chance, only to have that opportunity snatched away by the other Princesses. Twilight imagined Sunset hating her for the rest of her life, cursing her name at any chance she got.
Although a lot of creatures, like Tirek hated Twilight, but he had more than enough chances to become good. Sunset never would get that chance. Twilight grimaced as a tear rolled down her cheek, she had to do something about this, she couldn't let Sunset rot in a jail cell. She wouldn't let any of her friends have that fate.
Author's Note
Aight,
So for those who are confused. This is an alternate universe! Meaning that characters are going to have different attitudes and the whole story line is going to change.
Luna is being a hypocrite, yes, I know. This plays a huge part in the story later on, but I won't give any spoilers.
Sorry for the short chapter, I feel sick, and couldn't write much. I plan to update weekly.
Peace.
Twilight walked through the dark halls of the Canterlot Castle. She should have been in her bed resting, but the anger and regret boiling inside of her kept her wide awake. Twilight wanted to blame Sunset's imprisonment on someone else, but she couldn't. She was the on that brought Sunset here to be punished. So it was her fault.
Her fault that Sunset would die in Tartarus. Her fault that she would suffer alone. Her fault.
Twilight continued through the halls of the castle, nodding solemnly to guards as she passed by doorways and hallways. She didn't have the energy to teleport to the other side of the castle, she figured that a walk through the palace would calm her down before she talked to Princess Celestia.
Twilight finally made it to Celestia's room, the tall doors guarded by the two guards with long spears. Twilight approached one of them, and said, "I would like to see the Princess please."
The guard in gold armor shook his head. "I'm sorry Princess Twilight, the Princess asked for no one to disturb her majesty." He said apologetically.
Twilight resisted the urge to shout and said impatiently. "This is an emergency, I must speak with her right away."
The guard looked at the other guard, who shrugged his shoulders. He sighed and tapped his spear on the door, to warn Princess Celestia that someone was, coming in. Twilight nodded a 'thank you' before opening the door open with her magic.
Twilight stepped into the large foyer, Celestia's cutie mark was marked on the floor. Shelves of books lined the walls, and windows filled the room, Twilight looked to her right and saw walk-in curtains, that were currently drawn closed. Twilight huffed and made her way slowly to the bedroom portion of the room.
She stopped at the curtains, not wanting to disturb or walk-in on the Princess while she was improper.
Twilight cleared her throat and spoke. "Princess Celestia, it's Twilight, can we speak?" Twilight waiting for a few seconds, but there was no response. She cleared her throat louder this time. "Princess?"
Twilight hesitantly stepped through the curtains and looked around. It was silent for a second before she heard sniffling. Turning towards the sudden sound, which came from the large bed. Her eyes widened as she saw a blob of blankets and pastel-colored hair sticking from under the sheets.
Twilight tilted her head and stepped towards the bed. "Princess?"
The blob on the bed stopped sniffling, seemingly frozen, before the Princess's head stuck out through the piles of pillows and blankets, eyes wide. "Twilight!" She yelped in shock. "What are you doing here?"
Twilight looked down as Celestia tried to make herself look decent. "I was hoping I could talk to you," Twilight started to walk back to the curtains to leave. "But if you are not fit to have a conversation, that is alright."
"No! I'm fine, I just—give me a second to make myself decent please." Celestia said, before getting up and making her way to the bathroom.
Twilight nodded and waited intently as she heard sounds of water splashing. Looking around the room, she saw that all the curtains were drawn, and the room was relatively dark. Twilight knew that Celestia liked to keep her room nice and bright, even if it was night time. She was drawn from her thoughts as Celestia walked outside the bathroom.
It was still clear that she was crying, due to the redness in her lavender eyes. The pair of alicorns made their way to a small tea table in the middle of the room. Twilight took her seat at one end, and so did Celestia.
Finally, Celestia plastered a smile on her face, and spoke up. "So Twilight, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Twilight set her hooves on the table. "Princess, I was hoping that we could talk about Sunset."
Sunset awoke up at a certain large bump in the road. She opened her eyes slowly and got up painfully. Her shoulder especially aching in pain. Looking around, the first thing she saw was flies. A lot of them. They surrounded her and the guards escorting her, Shining Armor looked particularly the most annoyed.
Worst of all, storm clouds gathered above, they were dark and ugly, and about to release their downpour on the earth. The plants around them even looked gloomy, and overgrown. Ahead of them, a rigid stone mountain. Sunset's pupils shrank, they were there, they were at Tartarus.
"No, no, no," Sunset pleaded desperately, backing up against the cage.
The guards ignored her pleas, stopping the cage as Shining Armor walked up to the large gate. The red complex patterns decorating the door looked as dark as blood. Shining Armor closed his eyes, and his horn lit with magic and began casting the spell to remove the seal to Tartarus.
Sunset could swear she felt her heart skip eight beats when she heard the slow cranking of gears. The door opened painfully slow. Tears rolled down Sunset's face as the cage began moving again. She closed her eyes, she didn't want to see. Sunset heard animals and creatures screeching at her arrival. Flinching back at each one, she kept her eyes sealed close, and the cage moved forward.
Sunset could feel her self shaking, and on the verge of collapsing once again. This was cruel. All of it. Nopony should have to go through this. Anger flashed in Sunset's mind before another guilty wave covered it up. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she peaked her eyes open slowly and instantly wished she hadn't.
Tartarus screamed 'Welcome to Hell!", it screamed death. Sunset's breaths became quicker as they moved her down further down the large prison. The pathway separated into three more paths. The cage took a sharp right, and Sunset was led down the narrow path.
A large three-headed dog barked at the group of ponies as they continued their walk down the long path. Sunset squinted her eyes to see what was at the end, and her eyes widened. A small platform, slightly larger than her cage, was at the climax of the path. Looking over the edge of her cage, Sunset saw magma running in the pits of Tartarus.
She could not spend the rest of her life here. Anywhere but here. Anything but this. Sunset began to sweat from both hyperventilation and the heat that filled the large prison. Her body quaked with each breath she took.
"Unicorns, help me lift this cage on to the platform!" Shining Armor called, which only made Sunset's breaths intensify.
The cage was filled with a multicolored aura and was lifted slowly off the cart, and onto the platform. It went down with a large rattle and thump. Sunset threw her arms around the bars of the cage, large sobs racked out of her body.
"Please! you can't leave me here! YOU CAN'T" Sunset begged.
Shining Armor looked away and turned his back to Sunset. "Our work here is done, let's move!" Shining ignored Sunset's continuous pleas as the walked back down the narrow path again.
Sunset slid to the ground, sweat starting to soak her mane and coat. "Please, no. No." she cried silently.
Hours Later...
Shining Armor sat on a bed in the bunker room. He looked mangled and stressed. Rubbing his eyes with his hooves, he got up and walked towards the bunker door, he needed a shower. Eyelids half-drooped, his horn lit up to grab the door handle, then—
*BANG*
"AH! Oh—Twily, you reall-" Shining began.
"No, stop." Twilight cut him off. She walked into the bunker, and looked around briefly. "Are we alone?"
Shining Armor nodded his head.
"Good, BECAUSE HOW COULD YOU BE SUCH A—SUCH A DICK?!" Twilight screamed, getting in her brother's face.
Shining Armor pushed Twilight off of him, and backed up against the bed. "What do you mean Twilight?"
Twilight's wings flared out. "You know exactly what I mean Shining! How could you say all those things to Sunset! I was there you know. If you weren't so obsessed with being such a dick to Sunset, you would have saw me! I should have stepped in and said something, but NO I WAS TOO GUILTY TO EVEN GO NEAR SUNSET! And here you are telling her she deserved to be sentenced to LIFE IN HELL?! Are you kidding me?"
"You, uh—you saw that? Twily look I'm sorry, I shouldn'—"
"No you shouldn't have." Twilight finished for him.
"Can you let me speak!" Shining roared, Twilight closed her mouth and waited intently. "I've been feeling really bad about what happen. It was the first time I've been inside Tartarus. It's bad." Twilight's face fell. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you feel worse. But Sunset had what was coming for her Twily, whether you like it or not."
Twilight eye's hardened. "I can't believe you!" she yelled at her brother. "Would you have done the same thing to Princess Luna? Would you?"
Shining Armor shook his head shamefully.
"Exactly! But she tried to do the same exact thing Sunset did, and WORSE. Not only did she try to kill me, but Princess Celestia too!" Twilight paced around the room. "I thought I would have taught ponies something by forgiving Luna, but no , it's all about titles isn't it?"
Shining Armor tried to approach his sister. "Twilight calm down, you need to understand from my point-of view. Luna is an alicorn. Basically a born leader and you expect us just to through her in Tartarus? Sunset was, was just a nopony!"
Twilight shook her head in disbelief and scoffed. "I didn't expect you to understand Shining, you've always been as stubborn as a mule." She made her way to the door again. "Don't expect to see me at breakfast next morning, I'll be heading back to Ponyville as soon as possible."
And with that, Twilight left the room with a huff. She had failed, and wanted to blame it on everyone else. But it wasn't Luna's fault Sunset was dragged to Equestria. It wasn't anyone's fault but hers. And Twilight would do whatever she could to make it right again.
Author's Note
Sorry for the delayed chapter. I think I'm going to have another one out tomorrow. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this one, peace.
We Have Something in Common
Tartarus was hot, really hot. Sunset's sweat soaked her coat, mane, and tail. She wasn't even moving and she was exhausted and out of breath. Her poorly stitched shoulder blades ached, and were not fairing any better either. Although the conditions were unbearable, they were not life-threatening. Nothing was in Tartarus. And yet, Sunset felt as if she would die any second.
Sunset concluded that this was another torture Tartarus had to offer. The amber-colored mare focused on her breathing for the time being. There wasn't much else she could do anyway. Breath, Sleep, Sweat, Suffer. That was all Tartarus had to offer.
Sunset's cyan eyes bore into the iron floor of her cage. She had long tried to break the bars of her cell, but it turned out to be fruitless. The silver inhibitor ring on her horn gave her a suffocating feeling that she couldn't shake off, giving her a constant anxiety.
Her breathing was ragged, the sound of her exhausted breaths masked the other demonic sounds of Tartarus. This was not fair. The nightmares, the sound, smell, everything.
Sunset started to breathe in huffs of anger, before grimacing and slumping her head to the floor. Did she even have the right to be angry at anypony? No she didn't—she couldn't. She betrayed Princess Celestia, she tried to kill Twilight. She deserved this.
Sunset closed her eyes, she didn't want to go to sleep, not wanting to face the horrible nightmares. She saw the demon every time she would enter the dream world, like it was waiting for her. Sunset tried to recall memories from her childhood, but if on was to look far enough, she had none.
Sunset spent most of her time in her room, studying, bettering herself. She didn't remember having one friend, there was no time for friends. But Sunset regretted her decisions, if she could go back and tell herself how big of a mistake she was making...It would change everything
Maybe she could have been the Princess, maybe she could have been by Celestia's side, not as a student, but something more. She began to doze off, lost in her thoughts....
"We have something in common, you know?" a voice boomed and echoed through the walls of Tartarus, snapping Sunset out of her thoughts.
The amber mare frantically stood up on her hooves, her head snapping left and right, but couldn't find the source of the voice.
After moments of silence, Sunset hesitantly shouted back. "Who's there! What do you want from me?"
There was no response for a few moments, just silence. Even the creatures seemed to go silent, before the voice spoke again. "Think of me as your ally. It only makes sense, we are both angry.." it said again. "I don't think I've ever seen a unicorn in Tartarus before. What is your name?"
Sunset looked around frantically for where the voice had been coming from. Turning to the left, she saw nothing but darkness on the walls of Tartarus, but when she turned to the left, she right, she saw a shadow. The shadow had small horns, and human like top, and a horse body. It was a centaur.
Sunset only knew one centaur that could end up in Tartarus. But she thought it was an ancient legend, something that parents would tell fillies when they wouldn't go to bed or eat their vegetables. The centaur was Tirek, magic stealing, completely diabolical, Tirek.
Sunset knew he couldn't do anything here in Tartarus, but Tirek was practically as old as Princess Celestia herself. Although Tirek could be killed like any other pony, he aged almost one hundred times slower than ponies. Sunset began to wonder how long he had been in here himself, and stepped a little closer to the bars of her cage.
Opening her muzzle, which felt like it was filled with cotton. Clearing her throat, she shouted again, "I know who you are Tirek! What do you want from me?!"
Tirek gave a hollow chuckle. "Just your name..for now."
Sunset hesitated before answering. "Sunset Shimmer, that's my name." Suspicion began to rise within Sunset as she gave her name to Tirek.
"Hmm, interesting. What could a unicorn have done to end up in Tartarus." Tirek asked curiously.
Sunset shuddered at the thought of her crimes against Equestria. "That's none of your business." she muttered miserably.
She heard Tirek's horrifying laugh before he said, "I might have bad hearing pony, but I think it's all my business. He said, making Sunset look in the direction of his shadow. "You serve me now, and together, we are getting out of here, my way. Whether you like it or not."
Sunset tried to shield herself from the maniacal laughter of Tirek, but her attempts were fruitless. Her fears started to close in on her, and the sounds of Tirek's cackling did not help either. She didn't like where this was going at all.
The night before at Canterlot Castle...
Twilight was staring directly into the lavender eyes of Princess Celestia, which widened considerably a large amount at the name of he student. She had to know more about Sunset, more about the pony that was stuck in Tartarus for the rest of her life.
While Twilight had her thoughts on whether Celestia had students before her not, she never gave it too much thought. Celestia was close to Twilight, but whatever relationship was between her mentor and Sunset, was different than any other thing she had experienced. They seemed overall much closer, and Twilight needed to know what it was.
Celestia's shocked face was not very long lasting, and returned to her neutral facade. The diarch cleared her throat, and said, "Of course, I would have thought you would come to me eventually," quickly conjuring two tea cups to calm herself, she took a sip before continuing. "What would you like to talk about?"
Twilight pursed her lips before bringing the tea cup Celestia summoned to her muzzle. After she took her sip, she asked, "When did Sunset become your student?"
Celestia seemed to let down her guard slightly and the question. "When she was a filly, about 22 and a half years ago..if I recall correctly."
Celestia smiled slightly at the memory, before Twilight broke her from her thoughts. "How did she become your student?"
The Princess in question looked up slightly as if she was recalling a memory, and smiled...
Sunset Shimmer was a young filly, at the age of seven. The young unicorn walked through town with a large smile on her face and a small can filled with golden bits. Sunset didn't have a real home, but she could find places to snuggle in when the nights were cold, and when she needed protection from heavy weather.
She would preform her small fire spells she learned from the many books at the Canterlot library. She got particularly lucky today, having attracted a decent sized crowd. Looking into her small bit can, which was almost full, she headed towards the local bakery.
It was Sunset's dream to go to school and learn more spells and magic. She could just reach the amount of bits she needed, she could apply to Celestia's school for magic. It would be a dream come true.
The amber unicorn finally reached the bakery after a small trek, and sighed happily. Nothing could ruin the mood she was in right now...that was until..
Somepony large ran past her, a little too fast, making her lose her grip on her bits, and her balance. The golden bits dropped to the ground and scattered, in the distance she heard someone shouting.
"Theif! Someone stop him!"
Sunset shook her head and and stood back up, her eyes wide. This was her chance! She would get such a large reward for capturing the thief. Quickly, she began to run after the stallion, leaving her bits on the ground haphazardly.
She wasn't the fastest pony in Equestria, but Sunset caught up to the stallion quickly. Thinking fast, Sunset thought of one of her fireball spells, and aimed near the thief's foot. Her horn glowed with cyan magic as a fireball formed above it, and shot at the thieves foot.
It proved fruitful, the thief stumbled and tripped at the sudden explosion. Smoke clouded his vision and lost his sense of direction.
Sunset grinned victoriously at her achievement. Turning around, she saw two guards in golden armor, smiling and waving her hoof to get their attention, she called out, "Over here! I caught the thief!"
The guards turned towards the amber filly, and quickly galloped past her and to the confused thief. Sunset couldn't help but grin as they guards apprehended the stallion, applauded herself mentally and waited on the side to get some type of reward for her act of heroism.
As the guards carried the stallion away, no one seemed to notice Sunset, and she frowned. She was about to open her muzzle, but a large shadow started looming over her. Confused she looked around, and saw nothing. Looking behind her she saw a extremely tall mare looking down at her.
It wasn't just any mare though. This mare had wings, a horn, and looked in shape. Sunset started to shake and backed up to try and get a better look at the imposing alicorn.
Sunset knew who she was, and if she found out who Sunset was, she could get in trouble. Usually, she would just lie to the guards and other ponies that questioned where she lived, and where her parents were. But this was the Princess of Equestria she was looking at.
Not some guard or nopony off the streets of Canterlot, this was Princess Celestia.
The alicorn bent her neck lower so she was more face to face to the small filly. Then she spoke with a voice Sunset knew all to well. "What are you doing here little filly?"
Sunset thought she didn't have any other choice but to answer. "I-I was going to buy s-some cookies a-and I saw the th-thief and went after him!" she spoke, ending with slight confidence.
"Is that so?" she asked, Sunset nodded her head. "What's your name little one?"
Sunset hesitated before answering. "Sunset, Princess. Sunset Shimmer"
Celestia smiled, and stood straight once again. "How would like to take a walk with me little Sun?"
Sunset beamed. This could be here chance and she knew it. She nodded her head, and began to walk with the Princess. Little did she know, that day would change her whole life.
Twilight was stunned into silence for seconds after Celestia had told her story. It was more than interesting how Celestia and Sunset had met, but Twilight was more impressed with was Sunset's amount of power at such a young age. Though Twilight was powerful and skilled, it was amazing what Sunset was able to do.
"She is quite an impressive mare." Twilight said after the moment of silence.
Celestia nodded. "Indeed she is. It's what led her to becoming my first personal student."
Twilight took another sip of her tea. "But if Sunset was your student, why didn't she become a princess like me? What went wrong?"
That question seemed to be the one Celestia had been dreading the whole conversation. Alas, she knew she had to answer it. "It all started when I showed her the mirror." The princess began, making her way to the balcony.
"Sunset was an ambitious filly and mare growing up. She knew what she wanted it, and wanted it badly . A-and when I showed her that mirror, and she saw herself as an alicorn, she did everything in her power to make sure it happened."
Celestia's voice cracked as she spoke the next part. "I saw her sneaking into the forbidden section of the library one night, and when I had caught her she wasn't sincere or apologetic, she was..angry. " Tears started to roll down her face, and Celestia struggled to continue. "We argued, and I snapped. I removed her as my pupil, and sent her to her room to pack up her things and be ready to leave the next morning."
Twilight made her way to her mentor's side and looked up. "What happened after that?"
"She didn't go to her room, she ran towards the room the portal was kept in. By the time I got there, it was too late." Celestia couldn't hold back the tears any longer, and she broke down sobbing.
It was obvious now that Sunset was more than just a pupil to Celestia, and how much it had hurt to see her being sentenced to death and Tartarus. rubbing her wing to try and calm the princess, Twilight frowned miserably.
"I have failed her Twilight, more than any other mentor could manage." Celestia sobbed.
Twilight shook her head and looked up at the Princess. "You didn't fail Sunset, princess. Her desicions were her own, and in the end, I failed more as the Princess of Friendship then anything else. I should have shown Sunset forgiveness that night, but I was just so angry! "
Celestia turned her head to meet Twilight's gaze. "Anger can destroy anything Twilight. Because the worst of our decisions are made in anger. We both made bad choices, and both were in anger."
The two remained in a calming yet tense silence for a bit of time, just staring at the moon.
"Do you think there is a way to bring her back?" Twilight asked after minutes.
Celestia solemnly shook her head. "It is very unlikely for court to reverse a decision so large. You'd have to convince a lot of ponies that Sunset is innocent, and can change."
Twilight only nodded and grunted in response. No matter what, she would find a way to get Sunset out of Tartarus. Court or no court.
Author's Note
Suuuuuuuuuuuuuper late chapter! I'm super sorry!
On the other hand, I've been super busy with school and such, and I got me a boyfriend on Valentine's day :D <3.
Anyways, I'm going to be messaging a few of you readers for an important desicion that needs to be made for this story.
I'm going to be holding a slight survey on which story I should continue:
No matter what, this story is still going to receive updates weekly or as weekly as I can, the descion is between:
Seven Keys and Rise of the Shimmering Sun
Let me know which story you would like me to continue!
Peace
It had been a few hours after Tirek had told Sunset that 'she served him'. He hadn't said anything else to him since then, which gave her time to think. That's all she could do anyways. It's all she would do for the rest of her life. How could she 'serve' Tirek, if she was stuck in Tartarus for the rest of her life. The only way that could happen is....That's only if..Tirek had a plan to get out.
Sunset head snapped up from her resting position. That was it! Tirek had a plan to escape, and that was Sunset's only way out. But how—there was no escape from Tartarus. Sunset had studied it for years, the only way out, was for someone to be on the outside to open the doors.
But that someone couldn't be anypony, they needed power, and the Tartarus Key, which was held under Princess Celestia's protection. Somepony of equal power would have to face her, but who? Who did Tirek have on the outside?
Sunset stood up on her four haunches shakily, and with growing confidence, she looked towards the direction of Tirek's cell.
"Tirek!" She called out. Sunset waited, but received nothing in return. Louder this time, Sunset tried again. "Tirek! I know you hear me! I have something to ask you!"
Seconds passed by before she received an answer. "What is it?" Tirek asked sharply.
Sunset's ears perked up, "What is your plan!" she demanded.
A deep and dark chuckle filled the air. "You are a very clever pony, Sunset Shimmer." There was a pause. "But why should I trust you with my plan, if there was one?"
Sunset paused, why should Tirek trust her with such a thing. He had been there for years upon years, and she was only there for a couple of days and was suffering. If this was Tirek's only chance to get out of Tartarus, then she herself wouldn't trust anyone with a plan of that importance. But if there was a way out of Tartarus, Sunset needed to know.
"What do I need to do to prove to you that I can be trusted?" Sunset asked firmly.
There was silence.
Then, after a few moments, Tirek spoke up. "Why were you thrown in here?" he asked slowly.
Sunset didn't answer right away. "I-," she began, her voice refusing to speak. "I tried to take over Equestria, and almost killed a princess in the process."
Tirek burst into a manic laugh, "If Equestria can almost fall into the hands of a unicorn, there will be no stopping us!". An awkward silence filled the air. "Now tell me Sunset Shimmer, you don't seem like that type of pony who would give up so easily, now would you?"
"No, not normally." She muttered loud enough for him to hear.
"How would you like to get revenge on those who wronged you?" Sunset could feel the sinister smile that formed on Tirek's lips. "You are obviously a powerful pony, I can feel your aura from where I stand, join me, and together, we could rule Equestria!"
Sunset blinked. She wanted to say 'yes' right away but something stopped her. What if the plan Tirek had failed, she definitely wouldn't be sent to Tartarus again. No, she would be more than likely be sent to her death.
On the other hand, she would most likely die here anyway.
Sunset Shimmer was a smart pony, she knew what option was the better choice. She knew that one of them was wrong, but the need for revenge yearned for her to join Tirek and whoever he had on the outside. This would be her chance to prove herself to everyone that had wronged her.
And of course, if there was a chance like that.....Sunset was going to take it.
Somewhere far away from the kingdom of Equestria, in the deepest forests of the Everfree, the Lord of Chaos, a small Pegasus Pony and Queen of the Changelings sat around a fire. Their eyes glowing in the dark, their sinister gaze burning brighter than the campfire flame.
"I am telling you Chrysie! I've got the trust of that purple pony princess in the bag!"
Although they were far from any ponies, Tartarus itself was closer to the group than anything else.
Chrysalis groaned. "Why do we even need him?" she asked, glaring at Discord. "I was this close to having Equestria...But with the Lord of Chaos on our side, it will be a breeze."
Discord only chuckled, summoning tea with his magic. "The plan is simple Chrysie, dear. You disguise yourself as Luna, and I, a simple guard—"
"Yes, yes, we've gone over this a countless amount of times." Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "But what do we gain from having Tirek on our side?"
"My my, someone doesn't appear to be a great team player." Discord laughed.
Cozy Glow stood up from her seat on a makeshift bench. "We still talk to each other you know, from the way he puts it, he sounds very powerful." She said, looking at Chrysalis. "Why not get his help, and have this whole thing in the bag!"
Discord smiled. "Exactly!" He scooted closer to Chrysalis. "Imagine getting your hands on all of that alicorn magic!"
Chrysalis did literally seem to imagine the power that could be at her hooves—with Tirek's help of course, and a sinister smile started to form on her lips.
She nodded her head, "We attack Tartarus tomorrow, and if we are going to win this fight, we attack the outer cities first, and move in quickly." Chrysalis declared, the others listening closely to her plan. "Soon, all of Equestria will be ours."
The small pegasus giggled as she joined Chrysalis on her bench. The Lord of Chaos floated next to her, smiling. "Look at you go saying things like, 'ours' now!" His smile widening as Chrysalis gave him an enraged snarl.
She shook her head, ignoring Discord's teasing, and gave a fang filled grin, "Equestria doesn't know what's coming for it."
Author's Note
I know I know,
I'm early.
Just kidding, sorry for not uploading lol. Sorry if this wasn't a big chapter, but if you look at the brighter side, it's better than nothing. I can't say that I will return to a normal uploading schedule, but I am starting a Webtoon by the name Rebels if you guys would check it out when it is released.
Anyways thanks for reading, peace.
Twilight dashed through the castle's hallways. She was still in Canterlot, and what ponies say about the press there is true. They wouldn’t give up a good story for nothing, and Twilight could not catch a break. Word had spread quickly of Sunset’s sentencing to Tartarus, and everypony wanted to know as much as possible about the case.
Turning a corner, Twilight dove into an old storage room that was unguarded, hoping the press ponies wouldn’t pay too much attention to the room. The princess held her ear to the door and listened closely, hearing them run by the door and shouting her name. Letting out a sigh of relief Twilight slid against the door and sat on the floor, exhausted.
“That bad, huh?” A voice came out from the darkness, causing the alicorn to spring up with a yelp.
Twilight stood in a defensive pose, “Who’s there?” she asked.
The lights suddenly turned on, and the voice revealed himself to be none other than Discord. He sat on a pile of old boxes, smirking at the princess coyly, to which Twilight just sighed and dropped her defensive stance.
Settling down once more, Twilight asked, “Discord, what are you doing in the storage room?”
Discord let out a chuckle and smiled innocently. “I simply enjoy the view of dusty boxes and old artifacts dear.” Sliding off his ‘throne’ of boxes, Discord moved closer to Twilight. “Those press ponies are really eating up this new villain hmm?”
Twilight frowned at him, ruffling her wings a bit. “Sunset Shimmer did do a lot of bad things, but it was a mistake for her to be sent to Tartarus.” Twilight remembered the helpless look on Sunset’s face when she received her sentencing, a look of despair and desperation. Twilight closed her eyes and looked down, “A big one.”
Discord watched the alicorn sulk to herself, and spoke up after a few minutes. “Do you agree with Celestia?”
Twilight looked up at him with confusion. “What?”
“Not that I was eavesdropping or anything but,” Discord let out a nervous chuckle, sliding a little closer to Twilight. “A little birdie told me that Celestia doesn’t think you’ll be able to bring her back.
“Discord!” She yelled. “That was supposed to be a private conversation between me and the Princess, we were in her room! How did you even hear anything?”
He backed up from the furious alicorn with his hands held up in front of him. “Press ponies aren’t the only creatures curious about what happened recently. I have my ways!”
Twilight looked incredulously at Discord. She opened her mouth to lecture him about the importance of respecting ponies' conversations and space, however she sighed and looked down at the marbled floor beneath her instead.
“I’m going to get Sunset out of there, even if it means getting in trouble on the way.” Twilight lifted her head, locking her determined eyes with Discord.
Discord grinned at her determined look, and said, “So, may I ask,” His grin grew larger. “What is your plan to get Sunset Shimmer out of Tartarus, Twilight Sparkle?”
“Twilight, are you sure this is a good idea?”
Twilight ran around the halls of the castle, grabbing whatever she thought necessary she may need on the trip to Tartarus. She knew even if she asked her friends not to follow her to certain trouble, they would follow along and stick by her side no matter what.
“I’m sure Applejack.” She responded firmly. “I should have known long before I came back to Equestria that I was making a mistake, and now I fear it may be too late to fix it.”
The girls glanced at each other before nodding, putting on their saddlebags and smiling.
Rainbow gave Twilight a cautious look and said, “Sunset Shimmer has given you a lot of trouble Twilight,” At the comment Twilight’s confidence faltered slightly. Rainbow Dash hovered in the air and cast Twilight a smile. “But if you think this is the right thing to do, then you know we’ll have your back!” The rest of their ponies voiced their agreement, also giving Twilight large encouraging smiles.
The Princess of Friendship reciprocated their smiles and looked down at Spike, who only shared the same encouraging look as the rest of her friends. “Thank you everypony. I’m not sure what I’d do without you girls.”
Applejack nodded with a smile. “Sure thing Twilight.” She pointed to a scroll that Twilight had shoved her bag and said, “Is that your plan on getting Sunset Shimmer out?”
Twilight nodded. “It isn’t much of a solid plan, but I know this will help us open the doors to Tartarus at least, we can figure the rest from there.”
“Well then, what are we waiting for darling? Let’s go save Sunset Shimmer!” Rarity exclaimed.
Twilight Sparkle was too friendly, too smart for her own good, Discord thought to himself. After just pausing for a moment she was able to think up a plan to have Sunset Shimmer rescued from the hellish depths of Tarturus. Well if she could even call it a proper plan.
After blabbing her idea and running out of the closet room in a hurry to tell her friends, Discord grinned to himself. If the plan he and others had was going to happen, it would happen today, then and now. With a snap of a finger and a poof of shimmering dust, he appeared in the small camp the League of Villains had occupied.
“Discord?” Chrysalis began, slightly shocked and annoyed at his sudden appearance. “What is it?”
The other villains had begun to gather around the Lord of Chaos as he summoned himself a cup of tea. He sipped on it and grinned as they all looked at him with annoyed and expectant faces.
“Well?!” Cozy Glow practically screeched, not in the mood for Discord’s games.
Snapping his fingers, Discord made their campsite disappear with a smile. “If we are going to execute our plan, there is no better time than the present.”
Author's Note
I don't know where I am going with this, I'm just writing at this point. So, if you have any suggestions on continuing this, let me know.
Peace