ACT 3 - TRAUMATIC MEMORIES

CHAPTER 8 - RINGING ALL BELLS

First, the train in Hollow Point arrived late. Then, there were the hours of sitting idly, waiting, expecting, wondering, feeling an ever growing anxiety as she returned home.

And now on top of everything, it was raining.

The sun was setting, but there was barely any light in the sky– A torrential rain blocked it.

As soon as she stepped out of the train station in Canterlot, she glared at the palace with profound concern.

There it stood. It seemed perfectly fine– The rain coated it in shadow, but there were lights within. Night was just beginning, and all seemed normal.

She let out a quick sigh of relief, and began walking through the streets.

Those streets, naturally, were less busy due to the rain. But she paid no mind to anything– The rain coated her completely, drenched her mane, and she shrugged it off.

Whatever show Starlight and Trixie had put on, it was long over, or likely canceled due to the rain. She glared at the night sky, frustrated at being drenched.

Everything seemed safe, but she needed to double check, just in case.

After all, the Umbrum could do nothing against them, but those threats were very specific, and very decisive. She was the captain, and her job was ensuring the castle was safe.

It seemed to be– And she had faith in the queens and her princess. But after a day of being away…

The wind blew savagely, and she ignored it– She prided herself on her long mane, but at times like these, it certainly could impair.

Passing streets, canals, and gardens, she finally made it to the gates of the castle. Just like she had ordered them to be– Closed.

There were several guards taking shelter from the rain before the gate, covered by the roof that guarded their outpost.

Two of them, the closest to the main doors, immediately stopped her.

“Halt.”

“I’m back, open the doors please. This rain is a fucking disaster.”

“The castle is in lockdown right now. Please return home, citizen.”

She chuckled shortly, quickly moving her wet mane aside, grinning. “Um, yeah. I’m the one that ordered the lockdown. Now open up, I need to see the Princess.”

The two guards looked amongst each other, shooting themselves confused glances. Then they looked at the many scars Sunset had– Especially the ones in her back.

“The Princess is preoccupied, if you want to schedule a meeting, now is not a good night.”

Sunset rolled her eyes, but the other guard said something that immediately made her shiver.

“There’s been an attack in the palace. Nopony is allowed in at the moment.”

“A-attack? Where, how, WHAT?!” She stepped forward emphatically, and the other guards that surrounded her perked up, in wariness, coming closer.

The two guards hesitated to take battle stances. They stared at her with mistrust and confusion, as the others aproached. “...You can read about it in the papers tomorrow, citizen. Return home, now.”

Sitting down, wiping some of the water off of her face, she groaned. “Frost, Amber, I am NOT in the mood. I had a pretty fucking long day, and last times you all did this was cute, yes, ‘Oh, let’s have the captain test her own security!’ Yeah, sure, it was my idea, but tonight, I’m just not in the mood. Open the gates, I need to see Twilight.”

The two guards looked amongst each other, and more of them approached, with hesitation and apprehension– Examining Sunset with both confusion and wariness.

After all, they didn’t understand a word she was saying.

Finally, one spoke, looking through her with suspicion. “...I don’t know who you are, but you should go home now. You’ll get sick in the rain like this– And the Princess isn’t taking any visitors right now.”

“Fuck it! Let’s play!” Sunset threw her hooves in the air, huffing out, and immediately turned around.

She didn’t eye the guards that stared at her from the gates. She simply moved along the streets, and followed the walls of the castle.

“Fucking Flash Sentry, I swear, I bet it was his idea. ‘Oh let’s all have the captain test her own security again! C’mon, it’ll be fun! We can all pretend she’s an assailant again, it’ll be cute!’ Ugh. When I see him, he’s getting a stern talking to.”

Muttering to herself angrily, she reached an unguarded, vacant area of the palace walls in the city. Shooting glances to her side and upwards, she began her climb.

Casting a spell of gravity alternation made it easy– Despite the slippery wet stone, she ran atop the walls, motions she had done long before.

She stepped over the walls. There were guards in the distance on each side, but they didn’t notice her. This area was darker, and they were taking shelter from the rain.

The mighty magical barrier she had helped create to protect the palace was cast over this wall, and here, she passed it easily– It was meant to block out forces such as artillery and dark magic, after all.

“Note to self, blind spot.”She muttered, while leaping onto the palace gardens, skillfully slowing her fall by climbing down a tree’s branches. Several of them scratched and irritated her. Once she reached the ground, there were several leaves on her drenched mane, and upon landing, she was splashed with mud.

More and more reasons for irritation.

She sighed and groaned, noticing how a few parts of the garden were getting muddy due to the torrential rain. Aesthetics wasn’t her thing, so she figured leaving a note to gardeners was pointless at this hour. Not the biggest concern.

Next order of business: Barracks, get her armor, then go report to the queens and the princess. The Umbrum didn’t want peace at all, they were essentially just pranking her. The Queens and Twilight needed to know the creatures of the moon had no interest in a parlay whatsoever; If anything, they were declaring war.

Her ears twitched, as she could see the patterns– In the distance, on the gardens, and even through the windows, her guards were searching the grounds, while the barracks seemed to be less populated.

As she walked towards the barracks, she noticed something incredibly alarming.

But from here, she could see it, clear as day.

The Captain’s quarters had burned down.

“No, no, no, no NO!” She began muttering, as she ran towards it.

Once again, she used spells to climb and angle herself, stepping over the roof of the barracks, shining a light over the storm with her horn, looking around.

A part had simply caved away– The roof on her quarters had collapsed nearly entirely, but it at least seemed like her guard had doused the fire before it spread.

As she approached from above what used to be a skylight, her heart beat faster and faster, as her breathing quickened.

This wasn’t coincidental. Someone had purposefully burned her room down, and now it was just ashes.

She scouted from above– Several hoofprints through the ashes, her guards passing by and dousing the place, surely. Her bed was completely burnt, her desk was shattered by a part of the roof collapsing on it…

…Her picture board…

…Her picture board was destroyed.

She exclaimed, and hopped onto the quarters in despair.

Running towards the wall that used to house them, she could see the collapsed picture board on the floor.

Her camera was shattered. Burnt. And the picture board was just ash; Only the frame remained. Every memory, every newspaper, even the pictures Celestia had given her of her childhood– They were all gone.

Reduced to ash.

Her breathing was quick, unstable, uneasy, as she shifted the ashes around desperately, trying to find any remaining piece of her life intact.

Her eyes widened even more as she saw, in the corner of the room… Peony’s guitar.

The gift from her old caretaker, which had been entrusted to her… Broken, shattered beyond repair, crushed beneath rubble and burnt. The journal she had used to communicate with Celestia in her school years, now, only the cover remained. Her closet was completely singed, too. Her jackets were in tatters. She couldn’t find the coupons for mothers day– Likely, they were ash with everything else.

Her armor was missing. The stand was broken.

She sat there. Surrounded by ash, rain, and the smell of fire.

Anger began rising and rising within her. If this was what the Umbrum wanted, if this was what Stygian had foreshadowed, then it was very clear all they wanted was to inconvenience her. Irritate her. Infuriate her. Burning her belongings, the few things she had, all for the sake of some half hearted retaliation.

She had worked on that picture board for well over a year. It was her pride and joy. The symbol of how far she had come.

And now it was ash.

If they wanted to bring out the worst in her, this was the right track.

And she felt it. She felt furious. She felt enraged.

All of her pictures and her memories of her last years– the ones of her childhood, even the newspapers she had of Twilight and her accomplishments, they were all ash.

A familiar voice and several hoofsteps began approaching. It was Raven, with a few guards.

“...Take note of what survived the fire. We’ll return the armor to the captain once it’s been cleaned. But for now, I will– OH G-GOOD HEAVENS?!!”

She nearly had a heart attack, seeing Sunset Shimmer, drenched in water, mud, leaves and ash, sitting in the middle of the burned room, clutching the remains.

“S-Sunset?? Y-you’re back?! H-how?!” She didn’t dare approach, fearfully glancing at the captain, the guards near her took a hesitant stance.

“Who did this.” Sunset asked curtly, without even raising her head. Her mane nearly covered her eyes, sticking to her body in an erratic manner. The rain didn’t matter anymore.

“O-oh good heavens, y-your scars…!” Raven brought a hoof to her lips, both in pity and fear, observing her back.

“And THIS is all they did? Seriously?” She glared at the surrounding room, burnt, destroyed. “When I get to them, I’m going to make them pay. And it’s been a long time coming, too. Better late than never, but if I can kill even just him...”

“H-how did you return??! A-and w-why now, did you, did you, um…” She looked around the burnt room fearfully.

“Where’s Twilight.”

“Y-you know of her?!”

“What?”

“Okay, okay, um…” Raven took a few steps back. “I will, um, notify Celestia of your return. Immediately. Stay put, okay?” She turned to the guards, and fearfully whispered. “She is incredibly dangerous, do not let her out of sight!!”

Sunset didn’t even react to Raven galloping out of there. She just held what remained of her belongings, feeling a surge of anger that was almost unfamiliar. A desire to hurt something, someone, that she hadn’t needed in ages. A desire to burn.

She exhaled, shuddered, suppressing tears, as she held what remained of Peony’s guitar.

…Nothing was going to happen here. She didn’t need to hurt others, she needed comfort. She needed to decide their next move.

She needed to tell Twilight she loved her.

And so, she made her way to the door.

And the two guards halted her immediately.

“We’ve been told that you need to stay put.”

“Don’t make us use force, intruder.”

They both looked at her like they didn’t know her. They both looked at her like she was an enemy combatant. And she responded in kind.

“Swifthoof, Bushmane, I am NOT in the mood for games. Step aside.” She glared at them, barely holding her anger in.

The two guards didn’t move an inch– Simply looked with surprise amongst each other, surprised that this unicorn knew their names.

“Fuck it. Fuck it.” Sunset exhaled, turning around.

With a leap, she teleported over the skyline, and ran through the rooftops of the barracks.

Screams of surprise and alarm echoed below her, and she ignored them. Twilight’s tower was many floors above, it’d be a climb. And if they wanted to play games and slow her down, she would not play along.

The storm pounded around her, and she ignored that too.

With swift movements, she hopped onto the castle’s side, and began using gargoyles as platforms to propel herself forward, and it was even easier to do without armor– Not even relying on the gravity spell anymore.

Reaching an open window, she hopped inside, immediately bringing wetness and ash with her.

And several ponies that inhabited the room she was in yelled out in surprise.

She looked around, finding herself in one of the dining halls. “Moondancer, there you are.”

Several of the denizens of the castle stopped eating to watch the newcomer in complete surprise and shock, and felt even stranger as Sunset approached the mare in question.

“Report. Have you found out how the Umbrum managed to infiltrate the castle and burn my quarters? They can’t have passed by the barrier we made– And I need to know where they went, we’re overdue for a payback yesterday–” The captain stopped herself, noticing how startled Moondancer seemed, how she was unresponsive, how she was looking at her like she had no idea who she was.

“...What’s going on? Oh, right. I got the carpet wet.” Sunset shrugged, but then pressed on. “Security report. C’mon. How did someone break into the barracks and burn my quarters? They destroyed all my things, Moondancer!”

Silence, she stuttered, in complete confusion, and the other ponies around her were just as confused. “I-I’m sorry, I don’t know you…?”

A second passed, with Sunset blinking in confusion.

Because she seemed genuine.

An alarm sounded in the barracks. Sunset’s ears twitched.

Her first instinct was to go check– But her second instinct began settling in, that something was deeply, profoundly wrong.

And that alarm was meant for her.

“I… I’ve got to go. Get the report ready by tomorrow, okay? If we need to alter the spells on the barrier, we need to know immediately.” She said with less and less confidence, as the unicorn regarded her with complete confusion.

Hastingly, the Captain left the room. And it was silent, with her absence.

“...Moondancer, do you know that mare…? She looked like she just crawled out of hell…”

“I have no idea who that was…?!”

“Aren’t we on the sixth floor…?”

“I’m sounding the alarm– She has to be the one that burnt the captain’s quarters, right?? I mean, just look at her…!”

Sunset’s pacing through the halls was wary. She began keeping up speed. Her breathing was more and more uneasy, as things began making less and less sense, the more she thought about them.

Twilight was all that mattered. She needed to get to the Princess and understand what happened in her absence.

Every step she was taking felt more and more fearful. The mix of tremendous anger, the way that people were acting around her– Something was deeply wrong.

“The Intruder! There she is!!” Three guards began galloping in her direction.

Her hide shivered– Slowly, this felt less and less like a game.

“Report, you three– What the hell is going on, who burned my quarters?!” She prodded, testing, staying put as they neared her.

“Stand down now and surrender, intruder.”

“State your name and the reason you’ve invaded us today!”

“Are you the one that burnt our captain’s quarters?!”

Once again, she exchanged looks between them, in complete confusion. “...I’m the captain?! What the fuck are you three talking about, its me, Sunset Shimmer!”

The three guards looked amongst each other in confusion.

“She’s talking crazy.”

“Let’s just bring her in.”

“Who even is this mare?!”

“Okay, stand down assholes.” She stomped a hoof on the floor, glaring through them. “This hasn’t been funny for a WHILE. Keep this up and I’m writing you all up for insubordination! Back to your posts!”

Again, the guards exchanged looks amongst each other, first with surprise…

…And then they began laughing.

Laughing at her.

“Who do you think you are, you crazy mare?!” One of them flared his wings, stepping forward. “We’ve already got a captain, and you sure ain’t him! Now come quietly or we’ll MAKE you.”

Her head was spinning. The most difficult part about this is how earnestly they were all speaking. How there was no hint of deception or ploy. She knew their faces and their names. And they looked at her like she was a stranger.

A stranger, that when approached with a horn cuff, immediately fought back.

One swift buck knocked one into another like a bowling pin. And she could hear more guards approaching.

With fluid motions, she punched the last one on the jaw, and pinned him against the wall with a snarl. “WHO is your captain?! What the fuck are you talking about?!”

He ignored her, and chose instead to scream. “SHE’S OVER HERE, GUYS! THE INTRUDER IS HERE!”

Her ears twitched, many, many more guards approached from one of the halls. Alarms were ringing in the castle now too.

She let him go, and galloped in the opposite direction, towards the nearest familiar window.

She had lived in this palace for decades, and knew the ins and outs. Immediately upon leaping out of this window, she swung herself onto a flagpole, and propelled herself into a nearby tower, and continued her climb.

The storm raged. Lightning crackled in the distance. And she ignored it. She had to get to Twilight. Whatever was happening, she would sort it out.

She must have climbed ten stories, purely on a minor gravity alternating spell and upper body strength alone; With the storm pounding around her, and threatening to topple her over at any moment.

With a breath, she saw a semi-open window, in one of the archives sections, and leapt through it, once again bringing ash and rain with her.

She coughed, sputtered and looked around, breathing deeply– The room was nearly empty, walls lined with file cabinets and tomes desks full of papers… And an open exit.

There was one living resident, who was glaring at her with fear.

“Marble…? Thank goodness.” Sunset sighed, shaking her head slightly, water dripping onto the floor endlessly. “Sorry to get water on your workspace, but–”

The Pie sister looked terrified, shocked, and stared at her in frightful silence.

“...Marble, what’s wrong?” Sunset asked– But the question died in her throat. The Earth Pony’s gaze went from the captain to an alarm bell, hung on the wall.

And below the castle, similar alarms rang out.

“Marble, it’s me–”

But it was too late. Frightfully, the Earth Pony leapt at the bell, and began ringing it emphatically.

Sunset had no time to consider this, any of this. With a groan of frustration, she galloped out of the room. Twilight’s quarters were only a floor above, and the throne room wasn’t far either.

Unfortunately for her, neither were guards.

A group tried to stop her physically, she teleported through them. Another group blasted her with magic– She deflected the strikes, and leapt over them. Another group tackled her.

She rolled onto the floor, kicking one of the guards away, and immediately got punched in the face. Followed by being bucked, blasted, and surrounded.

“G-goddamnit Limestone, I taught you that right hook!” She spat blood onto the floor, glaring at them. “What’s wrong with you assholes?!? Fucking traitors!”

“Stop, stop, all of you!!” A familiar voice cut through the surrounding crowd, as a pegasi guard stepped through it. “S-Sunset, holy crap, it… It IS you…?”

“Flash, what the fuck is going on?! Why doesn’t anybody recognize me except– Wait, you–” She blinked, breathing out shortly, beholding him. “--You and Raven, you…!”

His expression was of despair, pity, and resentment. And she had never seen him look at her this way. “Y-you finally come back, and THIS is what you do?!” He sighed, gesturing vaguely, shaking his head. “What the hell happened to you, Sunset… How could you go so wrong…?”

“What the fuck are you talking about?! Why are you all acting like this?!” She barked out, gritting her teeth, wiping the blood out of her muzzle.

“Just tell me one thing, man.” Flash shook his head in disappointment. “...Why did you burn down my quarters?”

Sunset’s heart began beating even faster. Her mane flared with anger. Blowing air out of her nostrils, thinking became less of a priority.

“...Your quarters?” Her eyes seethed with rage.

“Captain, let’s just take her in. She’s clearly unstable and unhinged.”

“Yeah, she assaulted guards on the lower floors and broke in here somehow. She’s guilty.”

“You’ll pay for burning down our captain’s quarters!!”

They were referring to Flash Sentry.

Flash Sentry, who seemed to be acting the part.

Flash Sentry, who still wore the same armor he always did.

Flash Sentry, who was her ex boyfriend and Lieutenant.

Flash Sentry, who now beheld her with pity and concern.

“Come quietly, Sunset. You’ve done enough damage.” He affirmed, with a serious nod. “Celestia might be lenient on you for what you did, if you just… Apologize.”

“Are you fucking serious.” She snarled out, gritting her teeth, her breathing quickening.

It didn’t matter if she had been transported into another dimension, time traveled, if the entire staff had been replaced by evil changelings, or if some sort of mass hysteria was going around–

Her previously loyal guards were now an obstacle between her and Twilight.

So, she charged.

The first to fall was Flash, she was upon him like a meteor. One swift and violent flip kick sent his helmet flying and him unconscious rolling through the floor.

And she didn’t waste any more time, and neither did the guards she had trained.

They were wearing armor, and she wasn’t. But her anger alone kept her conscious as she blasted them with magic, punched and kicked them into submission, and bent their limbs the wrong way.

They hit her back, and hit hard. Several hits in succession, several magic blasts, and she would hit back harder.

She had already taken down ten, and was moving for more. Her face was bloody and bruised, even though she knew what moves they’d use, she was still outnumbered.

Swift hooks here, a flip kick there, aggressive use of levitation; She got in the flow of battle like she had many times before, this time, without thinking, her anger taking over.

Her face was getting bloodied up, which mixed with the rain water she was drenched in, much to her discomfort, but she ignored all of it, just to fight back harder.

Dodging and retaliating became extremely aggressive. She began using their moves against them, making them hit each other, throwing one at another, and delivering her swift finishers after.

Three guards, who were intimidated, but did not falter, remained. And she snarled at them, ready to pounce.

Until…

“YOU THERE, STAND DOWN, NOW!”

That voice, that incredibly familiar voice boomed behind her, making her freeze instantly.

Sunset’s blood turned to ice in her veins.

She turned her head, and didn’t even have a second to feel relief.

Because Twilight Sparkle, who flared her wings, was glaring at her.

She knew her well. Well enough when she was joking, playing, or even feigning deception.

And Twilight Sparkle’s face did not lie, not even a little bit.

Right there, at that moment, Sunset knew without a shadow of a doubt…

…That Twilight Sparkle did not know who she was.

“T-twi… it’s me…?” She pleaded through shallow, weak breaths.

Just like that, her rage was extinguished, snuffed out like a flame, as Twilight’s horn crackled with magic, and she glared at her. “Who are you, and why have you invaded the palace?! Why have you burned down the captain’s quarters!?”

“I-I-I, T-Twilight, p-please, it’s me!” She stepped forward, and immediately stopped, the second the Princess’s horn flared brighter.

She had no more words. Blood ran down her cheeks as well as rainwater, mud stained her hooves and leaves entangled her hair.

She was surrounded by the unconscious, bloody, broken bodies of guards who now saw her as a stranger.

And now, her Princess, the love of her life, glared at her like she didn’t even know her.

“Answer me! What’s your name!? You’re with the Umbrum, aren’t you??!!” The Princess yelled out again, glaring at Sunset.

Her mind spiraled. Her thoughts went empty. She could barely mutter frail confused statements through her shallow breaths.

With a flash, things got worse. The Queen of Sun teleported into the hall, immediately seeing the beaten and unconscious bodies Sunset had left in her wake.

Her gaze scanning the situation quickly and thoroughly– Her expression, a grimace of grief.

“Why…. Why, Sunset Shimmer.” She shook her head with immense disappointment, as her eyes began tearing up. “Why escape… Only to do this?”

“You know her? Who is she?!” Twilight eyed her mentor with confusion.

Celestia did not respond. Instead, she exhaled. A shuddered exhale, as a tear streamed down her cheek.

When she opened her eyes, it was to glare at her old pupil, bloody, muddy, covered in bruises and drenched, as her horn flared to light, and crackled in the air. “...I should have purged the darkness from within you all those years ago.”

That statement cut through Sunset’s heart– The implication was clear, she would have been better dead than returned here.

Her eyes were fixed on Celestia’s horn, alight, ready to vaporize her if needed.

But that was all rational thought she could spare in this one pivotal, horrific, terrifying moment.

Her body moved for her. With a cry, she ran and leapt out of the nearest window, shattering the stained glass, into the storm.

The room went silent– except for an exclamation of surprise from the queen.

After a few seconds, one of the last remaining conscious guards had the courage to speak.

“...What floor is this?”

No time for rational thought.

No time for anything.

She had leapt out of one of the tallest towers in the castle without thinking– Her one and only thought was escape, and now she was on free fall through a raging storm, whimpering her way down.

With the faintest effort, she tried casting another spell for relocating gravity, but without the concentration, it barely functioned.

It led her to skid, drag and hold herself against a few vines that grew on the side of one of the lower towers…

…But they did not resist her weight. In a mere three seconds, they snapped, tore, and she began falling again.

She tried slowing her fall with magic– Once again, barely functioning through her extreme lack of focus.

Slamming against a rooftop, she rolled and slid off of it, failing to catch her grip, proceeding to smash against a statue of Celestia’s side, and then crashing in the mud of the gardens below.

A mere second was what she allowed to remain grounded. She forced herself to stand despite her body’s many protests.

Every single instinct on her body commanded her to run.

Limping, she took cover behind the statue.

Her breathing was incredibly quick, incredibly anxious, incredibly fearful. She shot glances all around her– This area of the gardens seemed empty, but it wouldn’t be for long.

Her shoulder was dislocated, a matter she had to address immediately.

Wincing, screaming, she put it back into place, nearly passing out from the pain, as the rain continued to pour down on her.

The fear, the anxiety, and now, the pain, all mixed together into one, and forced her to vomit on the mud below.

She forced herself to look up. She forced herself to try to piece anything together, to process what had just happened, to try to consider an out.

There was no fixing this.

Her breathing was incredibly quick, incredibly uneasy, as she looked at that tall tower she had just leapt from– barely visible through the storm.

A louder alarm rang out; One alike a horn. One that she had established in the castle… One that announced that airships were taking off.

And worse, she heard Celestia’s voice– Booming and echoing through all of the palace grounds.

“ATTENTION, ALL PERSONNEL. SUNSET SHIMMER HAS INVADED THE CASTLE. SHE IS NOT TO BE TRUSTED OR REASONED WITH, SHE IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. IF YOU LOCATE HER, REPORT BACK IMMEDIATELY– FOR SHE MAY CARRY THE WILL OF THE UMBRUM. DO NOT HESITATE TO ENGAGE, FOR SHE WILL NOT.”

And just like that, it all came crashing down on her.

As the airships took to the skies, shining their spotlights on the castle gardens, she finally came to realize something that had been plainly obvious, since the moment she stepped into this castle that night.

That there was no one left in this castle that knew her… And much less loved her.

With a fearful cry, she ran away into the night.

Author's Note

Oh look here, looks like it's all falling apart after all.

ngl this chapter is the make or break of this entire fic. If you're not on board by now, it's over. This is the point of no return. Next chapter wraps up act 3!

But I think I'm going to take a quick break to write a one shot, lol. Enjoy this horrific, twisted cliffhanger, and know that questions you have now will be answered.

...And that it can always get worse for Sunset 😔