//------------------------------// // 5 - A New World // Story: Chasing Shadows // by Yukito //------------------------------// Sunset Shimmer gazed off into the distance, admiring the beautiful scenery before her eyes. Green fields as far as they eye could see, filled with windmills and the occasional group of foals playing about. There were a few buildings nearby that she guessed where farmhouses. The sky was clear of any clouds, and the sun was at its highest point in the sky. “I wonder where we are?” Sunset thought aloud as she inhaled the fresh country air. “The last times I came here were for enacting my revenge on Celestia. I can’t believe I’ve forgotten how peaceful this land is compared to America.” A flash of light prompted Sunset Shimmer to turn around. She saw a white Unicorn stallion suspended in the air before her by a light-blue aura. The aura dissipated, and the stallion dropped to the ground like a rock. “Ow!” “It seems there’s a minor gap between our arrival times,” Sunset said. “But at least it doesn’t seem to be big. Otherwise I would just be on my way.” Shining Armor rose to his feet. Or rather, his hind hooves. He brought a forehoof to his head and rubbed it, and then gasped at what he felt. He brought his forehooves before his eyes and they widened in shock and horror. “I… I…” “You are a pony, yes,” Sunset said. “What did you expect to happen if I became a human?” Shining Armor turned to look at Sunset Shimmer, now in her pony form. “You… Sunset Shimmer?” “That’s right.” “You’re… You’re… Good lord, Shimmer! You’re naked!” Shining shouted, closing his eyes and turning around. Sunset blushed, though she wasn’t entirely sure why. Perhaps she had just spent so long as a human that it was making her feel embarrassed at the thought of wearing no clothes, but she tried to shake it off, reminding herself that she was now a pony. “Y-You idiot! Ponies don’t need clothes!” “What do you mean?! You just walk around with your chest exposed and-” “Do I look like I have breasts?” Sunset asked, puffing her chest out for Shining Armor to examine. “… B-But what about… you know…” “Moron. Us ponies don’t tend to pay much attention to those parts. If we catch a glimpse by mistake, we shrug it off and look away. Not a big deal.” Another flash of light appeared, followed by another aura, this one carrying a pink Pegasus mare, before dropping her next to Shining Armor. “Ow!” “Ah, I guess that’s Cadance,” Sunset said. “So a Unicorn and a Pegasus, huh? And your Cutie Marks are…” Sunset watched as Shining Armor helped Cadance up to her hooves. Neither of them paid much attention to her as they stared at each other with absolute shock, examining each other’s new bodies to see what exactly had changed. “S-Shining,” Cadance began, a worried tone in her voice, “A-Am I still pretty?” Shining gasped and quickly nodded his head. “O-Of course you are, Cadance!” “… You’re just saying that, aren’t you?” Shining quickly shook his head. “No, of course not! Even as a horse, you’re still the most beautiful person in the worl- … T-That’s not creepy, right?” Cadance giggled, followed by Shining Armor. “Interesting,” Sunset said, startling Shining as she touched a hoof to his flank. “A shield. That would suggest your special talent has something to do with protecting people. Perhaps a defence attorney would be a suitable job-change for you.” “My special talent?” Shining asked. “Uh, I don’t know what you mean, but I became a policeman to protect the innocent. From there, I was recruited by the agency.” “What are these marks, exactly?” Cadance asked. “Brands?” “They’re called Cutie Marks,” Sunset told her. “They signify your special talent. Your destiny, essentially. Mine signifies my special talent in magic, and shows that my destiny is to one day rule Equestria in place of Princess Celestia.” Shining Armor raised an eyebrow. “Uh… I-If you say so. So what’s Cadance’s?” “… I have no clue. It’s a heart, so maybe she should start a dating show?” Cadance frowned at that suggestion. “I don’t like that. Oh, I know! Maybe it shows my charm and my grace! And that my destiny is to one day become Shiny’s beautiful wife!” Cadance lay her head on Shining’s shoulder, and the stallion blushed and smiled as he wrapped a foreleg around her. When his hoof brushed against one of her outstretched wings, he couldn’t help but eye it curiously. “So Cadance is a Pegasus, right?” he asked. Sunset Shimmer nodded. “And you have a horn, so you’re a Unicorn.” “You have one too,” Sunset pointed out. “I do?!” Shining asked, suddenly retracting his foreleg to feel around his forehead. His hoof made contact with his horn, a little too quickly, and he gasped as a sudden shock rushed through his body, retracting his hoof right away. “So does this mean I can do magic?” “Potentially,” Sunset said. “But I’d imagine it would require some practice in order to get the hang of it. Though having said that, your world’s Rainbow Dash adapted to her wings mere seconds after acquiring them, so…” “W-Well, I can’t say the same for me,” Cadance said. Shining Armor and Sunset Shimmer turned to her to find her flapping her wings about, and hovering just slightly above the ground, clearly struggling just stay afloat. With a yelp, she suddenly crashed down to the ground. “Ow…” “It must have been the Element of Magic then,” Sunset concluded with a nod. “Now then, may I suggest we find a town before nightfall? If we’re going to find this Sombra person, we stand a good chance going somewhere with lots of ponies.” “What about those ponies over there?” Shining asked. “If the three of us wound up here, Sombra may have landed here, too. They might have seen him.” “Good point. Okay, we’ll go and ask these ponies if they’ve seen Sombra, and we’ll also ask for directions, too. I’m afraid that there are no distinctive landmarks for me to identify where we are.” The three ponies began their walk towards the nearest farmhouse. Sunset Shimmer looked over her shoulder to see Shining Armor and Cadance walking on their hind legs. “You know, you look kind of silly walking like that…” The two looked down at their hind legs. “Well, yeah,” Shining chuckled nervously, “But it’s just natural for us. Walking on four legs is kinda… embarrassing.” The three heard laughter coming from ahead of them, and they turned to see a group of fillies and colts pointing and laughing in their direction. “… On the other hoof,” Cadance said, “When in Rome…” Cadance brought her forelegs to the ground and turned to Shining Armor, who hesitantly followed suit moments later. “This is harder than I thought it would be,” Shining said as he took a few experimental steps forward. “Why don’t you two stay out here and practice?” Sunset suggested. “I’ll go and interrogate the ponies here.” “Question,” Cadance said. “We’re not here to make enemies, Sunset Shimmer.” “I’ll come with you,” Shining said. “I want to make sure you don’t step out of line. You’re still under probation right now, after all.” Sunset Shimmer rolled her eyes. ‘Yeah, like I would just run off blindly without a plan. Once I know where we are, then I’ll consider trying to ditch you.’ “Fine then. I guess we can play some ‘good cop bad cop’,” she laughed as she led the way towards the farmhouse, Shining Armor stumbling after her and Cadance staying behind to practice her walking. Working on a wooden cart outside of the house was a grey-coated stallion with a green mane and tail, his Cutie Mark a cartwheel which Shining guess meant he was good at building carts and such. “Hey!” Sunset Shimmer called out, startling the stallion and causing him to smack his hoof with his hammer by mistake. Sunset didn’t seem to care though as she continued to approach the stallion, stopping just in front of him and stomping her hoof on the ground to ensure his attention would be on her. “We have some questions for you, if you don’t mind.” “Geez, lady. Don’tcha know it’s rude ta startle ponies like dat?” the stallion asked as he rubbed his sore hoof. “Darn city kids. Always comin’ outta nowhere an’ makin’ such a racket, jus’ like that one guy what wrecked me shed couplea days ago.” Sunset and Shining’s eyes widened. “Somebody wrecked your shed?” Shining asked. The stallion nodded. “Can you describe him?” “Eh? Well, didn’t really get a good look at ‘im. But if ah recall correctly he used this weird metally thing ta blow a hole in me shed, then tried ta steal mah tractor! The nerve o’ him. Luckily that thing was busted on that particular day, but he managed ta get away by hoofing it in the direction of Manehatten.” “A strange metally thing… Did it have a mark on it that looked like a snake eating its own tail?” “Eeyup! That’s it alright! Say, you two wouldn’t happen ta be friends with that pony, wouldcha?” Shining shook his head. “No, sir. We’re not. Actaully, we’re F-” A hoof from Sunset Shimmer pressed against his lips silenced Shining Armor. “We’re undercover Royal Guard, sir,” she said, earning a gasp from the stallion. “We’re pursuing the stallion that you just mentioned. The device that he used was a magical artefact stolen from Princess Celestia’s Royal Court Magi. For the sake of peace, we must ask that you forget what you saw two days ago. We don’t want panic to spread throughout Equestria.” The stallion tipped his hat to Sunset Shimmer. “Ah reckon ah can do that, but what ‘bout me shed?!” “We’ll send some reparation money just as soon as we return to Canterlot. A large figure that should easily cover the damages and more.” The stallion grinned and nodded his head. “Well, now, that’s what ah like ta hear!” “You said this pony was heading in the direction of Manehatten,” Shining said as soon as Sunset’s hoof left his mouth. “Could you tell us which way that is?” The stallion raised his eyebrow and gave the two an odd look. “What kinda Royal Guard don’t know the land they’re supposed ta protect? Honestly, what’s become of Equestria today?” The stallion turned to his left and pointed down the vast amount of fields in the distance. “If’n ya keep goin’ in that direction, ya’ll eventually reach a dirt road. When ya do, there should be signs pointin’ ya in the right direction.” “Thank you, sir,” Shining Armor said with a salute. Sunset Shimmer simply turned and left, and Shining Armor joined her seconds later. “Hey,” he said once they were out of earshot of the stallion, “What was that about reparations? You know we can’t-” “Just something to make things easier on us,” Sunset Shimmer said, cutting Shining off. “Same with the whole Royal Guard lie. If it means we achieve our results with the least amount of hassle, then just roll with it.” When the two arrived back to the spot where they had left Cadance, they found her lying on the ground, her mane and tail both completely messed up and a large frown on her face. “Any luck getting those wings to work?” Sunset asked with a knowing grin. Cadance simply shook her head as she rose to her hooves. “Too bad. Hopefully you can at least walk, because it looks like we’ve got quite a journey ahead of us.”