The Phoenix and the Dark Prince

Prince Skipting quickly regained his balance as he came out the other side of the portal.

He was quite surprised when he saw that the portal on this side was in the form of a statue, and that the portal was in front of what must have been Canterlot High School.

Entering the portal had been laughingly simple. With his skills, he had flawlessly avoided Princess Twilight and the other three former Element Bearers. Now all he needed to do was find Sunset Shimmer.

He soon found an alley and ducked into it, finding a lone man smoking. He appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties.

"Excuse me, sir. Do you by any chance know of a girl known as 'Sunset Shimmer'?" he asked aloud.

The man jumped in surprise and turned to face the speaker.

"Yeah, I know her," he said with a nod. "She's a good friend of mine. Works for me part time at my bar as a waitress. Shame what happened to her, though. Almost every student at her school turned against her."

"Do you know where I can find her?"

"She used to hang out at Sugarcube Corner with her ex-friends. Occasionally hangs out there nowadays with her new friends. She's probably there right now. If you'd like, I can take you there."

"Thank you, sir. I would greatly appreciate the help. I am new to this place. My mother, who is a well-respected woman where I come from, asked me to aid Miss Shimmer."

The man smiled.

"It's a relief to see a good soul willing to help Sunset. Poor girl doesn't have many friends since Anon-A-Miss started tearing the school apart."

Skipting thanked the man, whose name he learned was Martini Shake, and got out of the vehicle. He stood for a few moments in front of Sugarcube Corner, until he finally went in.

He was quick to scan the entirety of the small shop, memorizing the locations of each and every person inside, especially a group of five girls who were obviously the Gaian counterparts of the former Element Bearers. Sunset’s former friends.

He spotted his quarry sitting at a table near the back, a hood hiding her features. But thanks to his aura-reading abilities, he identified her correctly.

He went over to the table, his footsteps causing the girl to look up at him.

"Miss Shimmer?" he said softly.

"What do you want?" she croaked, her voice hoarse. She had clearly been crying recently.

"You have no need to fear me. I am here to help you. My mother sent me," he assured, sitting down.

"Who are you?" Sunset asked.

“I am Prince Skipting Lunam, son of Princess Nightmare Moon, Diarch of the Night, and Queen Chrysalis, Sacred Mother of the Changeling Swarm," he answered.

"I am here to protect you. I am to prevent any harm befalling you, and to stop those who wish to harm you."

The fire-haired girl laughed weakly.

“Well, it's a bit too late for that. I've already gotten the crap kicked out of me by a bunch of people. Rainbow Dash wants me gone, either out of the school or hospitalized."

Without waiting for her to continue, Skipting stood up and walked over to the five girls, who he had been told were known as the "Rainbooms."

All five of them looked at him.

"Can we help—"

Skipting violently drove a throwing knife into the table, right between Applejack’s fingers, pinning her hand to the wood by the sleeve of her coat. The farmer looked up at him, eyes wide in horror. He had been informed by Mother Nightmare that the girl's friends mainly called her "AJ" for short, which he found interesting.

"What the hell, man?!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

"You may think that you can get away with abandoning an innocent girl, leaving her to be beaten, and even threatening to harm her, but you are dangerously wrong," he said calmly.

"What do you know about us abandoning anyone?! We've never even seen you before!" the athlete barked.

"My mother, the ruler of the country Sunset and I hail from, informed me of your misdeeds. And Miss Shimmer informed me of your plans," he said.

Rainbow began to stand up, but was forced back into her seat by the shadows themselves.

"If any of you attempt to lay a hand on Miss Shimmer, you will regret it," Skipting warned.

He calmly walked back to Sunset, who was staring at him with a curious and surprised expression.

"Come. I suggest we leave this place before someone decides to do something rash. Do you have an idea of where we may be able to go?" he said.

Sunset nodded.

"Yeah. I live with my adopted mom and aunt."

"Good. I shall escort you there. Do you have some form of transportation?"

"My bike's at home. I've been using the city bus system to get around town. The next bus arrives at 7:00, in five minutes."

She stood up and went to pay for her drink, throwing her trash away in the process, and walked out into the cold winter night with her new companion.

As they walked to the bus stop, Sunset decided to ask something that was on her mind.

"How are you not freezing? That outfit and armor doesn't look very warm."

"It is enchanted so that it will suit the environment I am in. If I am in the cold, my armor, cloak, clothing, and mask will change temperature to keep me warm. If I am in the heat, it will cool down to keep me from overheating. It is very versatile, as an assassin must be," he explained.

The bus came just as they reached the stop. Sunset and Skipting got on, the fire-haired girl paying for the both of them, and went towards the back. Several people looked at Sunset, some with hatred and disgust, but one small look from the assassin across the aisle from her would make them turn away and cease their glaring.

Soon, the bus stopped in Sunset's neighborhood. Once she got off with her companion, she made sure to wait until the bus was completely out of sight before going to her home, so that no one on the bus would see where she lived.

She led Skipting to her house and entered, the young Prince closing the door behind them.

"Mom, I'm home!" she called.

"Coming!" a female voice called from somewhere in the house.

A woman came into view from one of the rooms. As Skipting observed her, he noticed that the woman appeared to be at least in her early forties. Her stunning light grayish violet eyes were filled with warmth, her glorious hair reminding him of the Northern Lights. This was clearly Aunt Celestia’s counterpart.

"Was today any better, dear?" she asked with concern.

"Not really. But apparently, Princess Celestia’s sister owns a copy of Twilight's journal and used it to gain information on what's been going on," Sunset replied.

She looked at Skipting, now having finally noticed him.

"And who might you be, young man?" she asked.

"I am Prince Skipting Lunam, son of Princess Nightmare Moon, Diarch of the Night, and Queen Chrysalis, Sacred Mother of the Changeling Swarm," he introduced.

"My name is Celestia Soliel. I'm Sunset's adoptive mother. It's a pleasure to meet someone of your standing."

"Why are you here, if I may ask?" Celestia said.

"As Sunset said earlier, my mother has the copy of Princess Twilight Sparkle’s journal, which she has been using to keep track of Sunset and learn of what is going on in her life. When Mother Nightmare became worried that people may try to harm her, she sent me to this world to protect and help her."

Skipting looked at Sunset, who was sitting on the couch.

"I must be going. I shall find somewhere to stay, and from there I shall conduct my operations. I bid you goodnight, Miss Soliel," he said.

“Well, if you'd like, you're welcome to stay with us. We have the room, and we have more than enough food. And I would personally feel better knowing that the man protecting my daughter is close by and within reach at a moment's notice," Celestia offered.

"I thank you for your offer, Miss Soliel. I would be honored to stay with you in your home."

As the three ate dinner, Celestia decided to break the silence.

"So, Skipting. You said that you are a Prince. What do you do in terms of responsibilities?" she asked.

Skipting looked up from his plate, his cold eyes looking at her.

"I do not have many royal responsibilities. My mother runs the country while I occasionally visit other countries to meet with their leaders, or I help entertain visiting representatives, dignitaries, and leaders, which is something I quite enjoy. Many enjoy hearing my tales of adventure."

"What else do you do?"

"Although I am a Prince, I chose to enlist in the Lunar Army. I am the top soldier in the Army, and the first in command of the Night Guard and my mother's personal guard. Other than that, I am an assassin known by many names."

"Oh?" Celestia cocked her head slightly, her eyes widening a little in interest. "And what are some of these names you're known by?" she asked.

"I am known as 'Child of the Nightmare.' 'Dragonrider.' 'Spawn of the Sacred Mother.' 'Conqueror of the Horde.' 'The Midnight Assassin.' 'The Silent Wanderer.' 'Bringer of Misfortune.' 'Slayer of Tyrants.' 'Killer of Killers.' 'The Incarnation of Fear Itself.' 'The Black Arrow.' 'Wielder of the Five Nightmares.'"

"My, it sounds like you have quite the reputation back home," Celestia said.

"Indeed," Skipting said with a nod. "It has gained me a reputation throughout Equestria and other countries. But it has led me to a very lonely life. My only true friends are the second-in-command of the Lunar Guard and Lunar Army, my parents, a few royals from other countries, and various members of the Guard and Army. Many nobles in Equestria attempt to befriend me, but it is only to get closer to the Princess, due to my relation to her. Meanwhile, other nobles, and many commoners, are too afraid of me to even attempt to approach me."

"That sounds almost exactly like what I went through when I was Princess Celestia's student, especially so with being her daughter," Sunset said.

A small, almost invisible smile crept its way onto the young Prince's face.

"Well, it is interesting to see that I have something in common with the girl I am to protect, albeit it is something not very happy."

When they were all finished eating, Celestia suggested to Sunset that she take their guest to her room to get to know each other, something that Sunset was somewhat eager to do.

They now sat on her bed, the fire-haired girl waiting patiently for Skipting to say something.

"What is it you wish to know about me?" he asked finally.

“Well…" Sunset rubbed the back of her head nervously. "It's… kind of a weird question. It, uh… involves your parents."

"How were two women able to bear a child?"

She nodded slowly.

The Prince leaned back slightly.

"Well, as I told you, my second mother is Queen Chrysalis. As a changeling, she is able to shape-shift, allowing her to alter her body in whatever way she wishes, and take whatever form she likes, including imitating other people."

He paused for a moment as he rolled his shoulders, giving off a small pop.

"When Mother Nightmare told Mother Chrysalis that she wished to have a child, Chrysalis altered her body to have the right…"

He paused again, most likely searching for the right word.

"... equipment for the task."

"You said earlier that you're also known as the 'Wielder of the Five Nightmares.' What are those?"

"The Five Nightmares are the weapons forged by Mother Nightmare herself, save for the Fifth. They are the Twilight Blade, the sword used in the fight against King Sombra. The Shadow Spear, the spear used to fight off the invading forces of Zebarica a thousand three-hundred years ago, before their leader formed a peace treaty and alliance with Equestria. The Night's Embrace, the dagger used to kill Minos, the tyrant king of Gryphonia. The Terror Praetor, the shield used to defend against Discord, the God of Chaos, before she and Celestia turned him to stone. And the Formless Blade, once used to stop a horde of illegal slave traders and mercenaries from invading Mother Chrysalis’ kingdom."

As he named each weapon, he removed it from its respective sheath and held it for Sunset to see.

"What are you going to do in regards to protecting me while I'm at school?" she asked with concern and slight fear.

"I spoke with your mother and aunt before dinner, and she said that she will hopefully be able to get me enrolled at Canterlot High School by Sunday. I am listed as your cousin in the paperwork I brought with me," he answered.