Sunset Shimmer didn't know how long she and Eric had been walking through the dark tunnel, as it felt like hours, but for all she knew, it could have just been a few minutes. It was hard to tell as the tunnel was incredibly dark with no signs of them reaching the end any time soon.

"How much longer until we reach the end of this stupid tunnel?" Sunset said in an impatient voice.

"Not sure, but I don't think it will be long." Eric said. After walking down the tunnel for a bit, they saw a light ahead of them.

"Finally we reach the end." Sunset said happily and was about to run towards the entrance, but before she could, Eric quickly stopped her.

"Wait, there is a possibility that Sombra might have set up a trap for us at the end of the tunnel." Eric said. "Stay close to me and get ready for anything." Eric then brought out his sword, and immediately afterwards, he and Sunset then slowly made their way to the end of the tunnel. Once they exited the tunnel, Sunset quickly closed her eyes as the sudden light blinded her. After she opened them, she quickly looked behind her and saw that they had exited from a cave. She then turned to look in front of her to see that they were in a forest that was covered with snow. She then looked up and was shocked to see that it was morning.

"How can it be morning?" Sunset said in shock. "Wasn't it still night just now?"

"Time moves differently between the land of dreams and your world." Eric said. Suddenly, Sunset shuddered as the cold wind blew onto her.

"Man, it's cold here," Sunset said as she shuddered.

"Don't worry; if I remember correctly, there is a village located on our path to our destination." Eric said. "We can stop there first to get you some warmer clothes before we continue with our journey."

"And where are we heading, anywhere?" Sunset asked.

"To the sugar plum palace." Eric said. "No doubt after taking over the land of dreams, Sombra also took over the castle, and there is no doubt that the castle is where Princess Serenity is being held captive."

"And where is the palace anywhere?" Sunset asked.

"It's located at the center of this land." Eric said. "It will probably take us a day or two to get there, so it's best we start moving." The two then began moving through the forest, and as they moved, Sunset decided to ask the question that had been on her mind since they began their journey.

"So what's the plan exactly?" Sunset said, and immediately she saw Eric have a sheepish look on his face.

"Um, I don't exactly have one." Eric said.

"Are you kidding me?" Sunset shouted angrily, causing Eric to shush her.

"Be quiet, or you might bring unwanted attention onto us," Eric said.

"Oh, excuse me for being angry at the fact that you apparently don't have a plan to defeat Sombra." Sunset said angrily.

"In my defense, I didn't think I would be able to find my way back to the land of dreams anytime soon." Eric said. "Besides, we at least have a day or two to come up with a plan."

"I am doomed," Sunset said as she facepalmed.

"Hey, don't say things like that." Eric said. "I am sure we will find a way to defeat Sombra."

"You're quite the optimistic one, aren't you?" Sunset said.

"Well, in a situation like this it is best to think positively." Eric said.

As the two continued to walk, they didn't notice from behind them an umbrum coming out of the bushes. The umbrum looks towards the direction they walk in before opening its mouth and letting out a large cloud of smoke that completely covers it. Once the smoke cleared up, it revealed that the umbrum was gone.

....
At the center of the land was a large, dark, sinister-looking castle that gave the feeling of fear and dread. Above the castle skies was a large dark cloud, and flying over the castle were numerous umbrum patrolling the castle for any intruders, and patrolling from the ground were numerous guards dressed in black armor that covers their entire bodies. The only part that was exposed was their eyes, which were glowing red. This castle was formerly the sugar plum palace, and prior to Sombra's takeover, it was once a beautiful palace that gave off the feeling of warmth and kindness, but after Sombra took over, he used his magic to turn the castle into his own image, which is why now it gives off the feeling of dread and hopelessness, like the concept of hope no longer exists. In the castle throne room, Sombra was sitting down on his throne, thinking about what had happened earlier.

"It seems the necklace has some kind of protection that prevents anyone from taking it by force." Sombra thought to himself. "So how am I going to steal it from that girl?" As Sombra thought about the necklace, his mind slowly moved towards sunset and the look of defiance she had when she faced him.

"That girl is something." Sombra thought to himself. "When faced against an opponent she can't hope to win against, she chooses to continue to fight till the very end. Not many would have done that, as some would choose to surrender and beg for mercy." As Sombra thought of sunset, he suddenly felt his heart beating more quickly as a strange feeling overcame him. "Why is my heart beating so fast, and what is this strange feeling coming over me?"

" Sombra." A voice said, bringing Sombra out of his thoughts. He then looked in front of him and saw a large dark cloud of black smoke appear in front of him, and shortly afterwards, two large demonic red eyes appeared on them.

"Hello, mother." Sombra said in an emotionless voice. "What can I do for you?"

"I heard of your failure in retrieving the jewel of empathy." Sombra's mother said. "Tell me, is it true?"

"It is." Sombra said. "But it's not my fault, as apparently the jewel of empathy is protected by some kind of powerful magic that prevents me from taking it. Why is that dumb necklace so important anywhere?

"Fool, the jewel of empathy will be the thing that destroys everything we have worked for." Sombra's mother said as she glared at her son.

"You said that before, but you never told me the full detail." Sombra said. "If you want me to retrieve the necklace, then the least you can tell me is why."

"Very well, if you want the full detail, allow me to tell you." Sombra's mother said as a small piece of smoke cloud separated from her. Sombra watched in interest as images began to form in the small cloud.

"A few nights ago, while I slept, I had a premonition," Sombra's mother said as images began to form in the cloud. The first image was of the necklace. "I had a dream of a powerful artifact, one that possesses incredible powers." The image then changed to show sunset."And the girl who wielded it." The image then shows Sunset standing next to Eric. "Through the use of the necklace power, the girl will help Eric to free the princess, and through both the combined love of the princess and the soldier and the necklace, they will end our reign." The image then shows Sombra and his mother screaming in pain as they slowly disappear in a flash of bright light. After the last image was shown, the cloud disappeared.

"Now you know why the necklace is important for us to retrieve." Sombra's mother said. "You need to get the necklace before the solar eclipse that will happen in two days from now. If she isn't stopped by then, then all our plans will be destroyed." Suddenly the door opens, and both turn to see an umbrum coming in.

"My lord, I brought news." The umbrum said as it bowed its head. The umbrum then looks up to look at them. "Eric has returned, and he wasn't alone."

"Who did he come here with?" Sombra said, already having his suspicions of who came with Eric.

"It was a girl with flame-colored hair." The umbrum said.

"Did she also have a pendant that resembled a shimmering sun?" Sombra asked.

"She did." The umbrum said.

"This is grave news." Sombra's mother said before turning to Sombra. "We need to find a way to stop her before it is too late."

"Don't worry, Mother; I will send in the huntsman to get her." Sombra said. "I won't fail this time."

"For your sake, you better not." Sombra's mother said before she disappeared. After she disappeared, Sombra turned to look at the Umbrum.

"Contact the huntsman and order him to hunt down Eric and the girl." Sombra said.

"It shall be done, my lord." The umbrum said as he bowed before he left the throne room. As Sombra was now left alone in the throne room, his thoughts went back to sunset, and immediately once again his heart started to beat faster, and the strange feeling overcame him again.

"Why is it that when I think of that girl, this feeling overcame me?" Sombra thought before he snapped his fingers, and immediately an image of sunset formed in front of him.

"Sunset shimmer." Sombra said as he looked at the image. "Who are you, and why does this feeling come over me every time I think of you?"
....
"How much longer?" Sunset said in annoyance as she shivered.

"Not too long," Eric said. "The village shouldn't be too far from here."

"Are you even sure we are even on the right path?" Sunset said.

"Yes, I am sure." Eric said. "I know the way to the palace like the back of my hand." Sunset opened her mouth to say something but stopped once she saw something not too far away from them.

"Hey, what the heck is that?" Sunset said as she pointed her finger forward. Eric turned to where Sunset was pointing and squinted his eyes. He then smiled before turning to sunset.

"It's the village." Eric said happily. "Come on, let's go." He then began running towards the village, and it wasn't long before Sunset ran after him.

"Ah, finally I can get some warm clothes." Sunset said as she smiled happily. However, that smile faded as soon as the two got a closer look at the village.

"What the." Sunset said as she and Eric stopped in front of the village and saw it was in ruins.

"No way." Eric said in shock as he quickly ran into the village, and shortly afterwards, sunset followed him. When the two entered the village, they saw all the houses in the village were in a horrible state, as many of them had their doors broken down or their windows destroyed, and as they went further into the village, they saw more houses that were in a similar state.

"What happened here?" Sunset said in shock as she turned to see a wagon lying on its side as if someone tipped it over.

"I don't know." Eric said as he and Sunset stopped in the center of the village. Eric then looked down and saw something buried in the snow. He bent down and slowly pushed the snow away to see an abandoned doll. He quickly stood up straight and looked around more. "But by the looks of things, it wasn't good."

"And not only that, it seems the village is abandoned, as I haven't seen a single person during our walk through the village." Sunset said as she slowly made her way towards a house.

"Where are you going?" Eric asked as he followed sunset.

"I am going to look for some warm clothes." Sunset said as she entered a house with Eric following her shortly. Unknown to them, however, as the two entered the house, they didn't notice a figure was watching them through the window of the house across from them.
....
When Sunset and Eric entered the house, they saw that the inside of the house was a complete mess. There was broken furniture and broken plates and glass on the ground, and in addition to that, there were some toys littered on the ground. They also saw some cracks on the floorboard, and when Sunset and Eric turned to look at the dining table, they saw some food on it. The two went near the table to get a closer look and saw that the food was half eaten. Sunset then turned her attention from the food and to the wall in front of her. She saw on the wall were picture frames that have a picture of a family of four. A mother, a father, a teenage girl around sunset age, and a young boy who seems to be around ten. She turned her attention from the photo frame and towards the stairs leading upstairs. Sunset then headed up the stairs with Eric following her shortly.

The two walked up the stairs, where they found themselves in a small hallway. The two then went towards one of the doors that was in the hallway, and when they opened it, they saw what looked like a bedroom with a bed that was tipped over to the side. Sunset turned her attention from the bed and towards the closet that seemed to have been forced open. Sunset took a closer look at the closet and saw there were winter clothes in it.

"Finally some winter clothes." Sunset said happily before she turned to look at Eric. "I am going to change my clothes, so wait downstairs until I am done."

"Alright,"Eric said before he left the room and went downstairs to wait for sunset. He stood at the bottom of the stairs for a few minutes before he suddenly heard footsteps coming down from the stairs. He looked up and saw that Sunset was now wearing a red sweater, a black winter jacket, pants, and boots. He also saw that Sunset was now wearing black winter gloves.

"All right, I am ready to go now." Sunset said as she reached the bottom of the stairs. The two then began making their way out of the door. As soon as they were out of the door, Eric suddenly stopped as he heard something.

"Why did you stop?" Sunset asked as she stopped and turned to look at Eric.

"I heard something," Eric said as he looked around.

"I didn't hear anything." Sunset said, and immediately after she said that, she heard what sounded like a floorboard creaking.

"That was the sound I heard just now." Eric said as he turned to look at the house in front of them. "I believe it came from over there." The two then quickly run to the house in front of them. As soon as they entered the house, they saw that, like the previous house they entered, the inside of the house they entered was also a mess. The two looked around the house and saw no one. They then quickly went up the stairs, where they then proceeded to go through room after room only to see nothing in them. Eventually there was only one room left.

"Get ready sunset." Eric said as he pulled out his sword. "There's no telling what might be in there."

"Don't worry; I am more than capable of handling whatever is in there." Sunset said before she spotted a broken floorboard. She quickly tore it off the floor and turned to the door.

"Ok, on the count of three we will go in." Eric said as he placed a hand on the doorknob.

"One, two, three." Eric said before he and Sunset charged through the door to see that they had entered a bedroom. The two cautiously walk around the room to look for any sign that someone is there. Sunset looked under the bed to see nothing. She then turned to look at Eric, who had placed a hand on a handle of a closet. Sunset quickly stood next to him and grabbed the other handle. The two then look at one another for a moment before nodding. Afterwards the two quickly opened the door, and immediately after they did that, they saw a little girl, probably around eight, sitting down in the closet. The girl has brunette-colored hair, blue eyes, and for clothing, she wore a pink dress, white socks, and black shoes. The girl has a look of fear on her face as she stares at them.

"Please don't hurt me." The girl said in fear. Seeing the look of fear on the girl's face, Eric quickly put his sword away.

"There's no need to be afraid; we are not going to hurt you." Eric said as he knelt down. "My name is Eric, and this is Sunset Shimmer."

"Eric." The girl said in surprise, "You mean you are Prince Eric."

"I am not a prince yet, but yeah, I am Eric," Eric said.

"So it's true what my father said." The girl said happily as she walked out of the closet. "You have finally returned to save us all."

"I have," Eric said. "Can you please tell us your name?"

"My name is Alise," the girl now known as Alise said.

"So, Alise, if you don't mind, can you please tell us what happened here?" Eric said. "What happened to this village, and where are all the villagers?"

"It was the umbrums." Alise said as tears came down her eyes. "They attacked our village and kidnapped everyone, including my parents. I was the only one who was able to escape." The girl then began crying.

"Hey, it's alright." Eric said as he hugged Alise and patted her back in an attempt to comfort her. "I am here now, and I promise I will save your parents and everyone that was captured."

"You promise." The girl said as she calmed down.

"I promise." Eric said as he pulled back and looked at the girl in the face with a reassuring smile.

"Thank you, Eric." Alise said as Eric petted her head.

"What I still don't get is why they kidnapped all the people in this village." Sunset said.

"I think they kidnapped them to take them to the mines," Alise said.

"Mines?"Sunset said.

"I once heard from my father talking to his friends about how Sombra had been attacking villages and kidnapping all the villagers, taking them to work in diamond mines." Alise said as tears began to form in her eyes again. "And from what I heard, once you are taken to those mines, you are never seen again, as Sombra forced everyone, from the young to the old, to forever work in those mines, and from what I heard, not even children are spared from such a horrible fate."

"So Sombra has been attacking villagers and forcing all of them to work in mines." Sunset said in shock before she walked in front of a window to look at all the damaged houses. "I can't believe someone would do all this just for some jewels. I never thought someone could be so cruel, but I guess I was wrong, as apparently there really are people out there who would cause pain and suffering to others just so they can get...."

Sunset suddenly trailed off, causing Eric and Alise to turn to look at Sunset.

"Sunset." Eric said in concern when sunset suddenly went quiet. "You alright?"

"I am the same." Sunset said softly before she looked down at the floor to see a broken hand mirror. All the glass shards of the mirror lay next to it, and as Sunset looked at her reflection that was in the mirror shards, she think back to all the people she had hurt, all the people she had used as stepping stones, and finally her old mentor, who had a disappointed look on her face, and as she stared at the reflection, a sudden feeling overcame her. She can feel the walls she had a long time ago built around her heart begin to crumble, and a feeling she had long ago forcefully bury began to resurface.

"Sunset," Eric said with a voice full of concern. Sunset then dropped the broken floorboard she was holding and knelt on the ground and began crying.

"I am such a hypocrite." Sunset said as she began crying as for the first time in a long time tears began forming in her eyes as a feeling of guilt and shame began to overwhelm her. "Here I am ranting about how awful a person like Sombra could exist while I am basically no different than him."

"Sunset, what are you talking about?" Eric asked, confused.

"What I am talking about is how much of a monster I am like Sombra." Sunset shouted as she turned to face eric."I cause pain and suffering to others just so I can get what I want, just like him.

"Sunset, there's no way you are like him." Eric said.

"Really, then what if I told you that I was planning to take over my world through the use of a powerful magical artifact, and not only that, but I was planning to use the jewel of empathy in my plan to take over the world?" Sunset said.

"Sunset, are you actually serious?" Eric said in shock. "You actually were planning to take over your world."

"Yes, I was." Sunset said as she cried. "I am a monster like Sombra."

"No, you are not." Eric said as he slowly approached sunset.

"How can you say that after everything you just heard?" Sunset said between tears.

"Because if you were a monster, then you wouldn't have felt remorseful over your action." Eric said as he placed his hands on Sunset's shoulders. "You are not a monster sunset. The fact that you felt genuine remorse is proof of that. You are not a monster, Sunset, and you are nothing like Sombra." Eric then kneels down and hugs Sunset in an attempt to comfort her. As he did that, Sunset continued to cry with remorse, and as Sunset cried, Alise walked behind Sunset and petted her head in an attempt to comfort her.

After a minute or two, Sunset finally stopped crying. Once he was sure Sunset was done crying, Eric pulled away to look at Sunset, who had tears on her face.

"So, Sunset, what are you going to do now?" Eric said as he got back onto his feet.

"I am not sure what to do now." Sunset said. "For a long time my only purpose was to take over my world, but now I don't know what to do now."

"How about trying to redeem yourself?" Eric said as he extended his hand towards sunset. "It isn't too late for you to redeem yourself and become a better person. You can still turn your life around, Sunset, and we can start by working together to take down Sombra." Sunset didn't say anything as she just sat in silence. She then looked down to look at the glass shards that were on the floor and stared at her reflection in silence.

"I mess up so much that I don't even know where to begin to clean it up." Sunset said, breaking the silence. She then turned to look at Eric. "But I suppose taking down Sombra is a start in the right direction." Sunset then grabs Eric's hand, and immediately Eric pulls Sunset up to her feet.
....
From outside of the ruined village, a figure can be seen walking. The figure who seemed to be male wore a blood-red robe that was open to reveal a black leather armor. The figure also wore a brown tattered fur cape and black boots. Strapped on the belt of the figure was a small war axe, and completing the figure's look was a black face mask that only left his eyes exposed. In one of his hands, the figure was holding a metal chain that was attached to a collar that was being worn by a large white fur wolf. The wolf was currently sniffing the ground, and as it and the figure slowly approached the village, it pulled its head off the ground and let out a small howl.

"The prey is near." The figure said before he and the wolf began heading towards the village.
….
End of chapter 2

Author's Note

As you can tell from reading this chapter, something much bigger is going on, as Sombra and his mother are planning something big, and in addition to that, Sunset now has a different motivation in stopping Sombra, and that is to redeem herself. However, she might not get the chance as an unknown person had just arrived in the village.

Anyhow, don't forget to leave comments on what you think of my story so far.