Chasing Shadows

by Yukito

3 - Welcome To The Agency

Sunset Shimmer whistled at the view outside of the glass elevator. The FBI headquarters was certainly an impressive sight, but the view from so high up was nearly enough to take her breath away. “I wonder if this is what Pegasi feel the first time they fly?”

“Pegasi?” Shining asked.

“Yeah. You know, ponies with wings.”

Shining put a hand to his chin. “Ponies… have wings where you come from?”

“You didn’t know that?” Sunset asked. Shining shook his head. “Then are you in for a surprise. How many people are going to cross through the portal, anyway?”

“Just us three,” Shining said. “We don’t want to send in too many people in the event that something bad happens. I volunteered for this expedition myself, and Cadance practically begged to come along when she saw I wouldn’t back down.”

“And Chrysalis?”

“I have no intention of being burned to a crisp, thank you very much,” Chrysalis answered with a glare.

“She’s afraid the portal will fry her alive,” Shining whispered to Sunset Shimmer. “She watches a lot of sci-fi.”

Sunset turned to Chrysalis with a grin. “Ooooh, so that’s it, huh? You act all cool and tough, but really, you’re just chicken, aren’t you?”

“… If you were not under our protection right now, Sunset Shimmer, I swear to god I would-”

“We’re here,” Shining announced as the elevator ‘dinged’ and the doors opened. Shining took one step outside, and was immediately pushed back inside and pinned to the floor by a pink blur that took Sunset Shimmer completely by surprise.

“Welcome back, Shining!” the pink woman on top of Shining Armor said before crushing the downed man with a tight hug. “I’m so sorry I forgot to pack your lunch! Are you okay? You didn’t pass out from hunger did you? Oh you poor thing, you must be starving! Come with me and I’ll whip you up something good!”

Sunset’s eyes widened as she saw the woman’s face clearly. Apart from her height, this woman was the spitting image of Chrysalis.

“Actually,” Chrysalis said, “We stopped at McDonalds on our way. We are quite fine.”

The woman looked up at Chrysalis with a glare. “You’re disguised as me again? Give it up! You know my Shiny would never fall for your cheap tricks!”

“Perhaps, but if you don’t get off of him soon, your ‘Shiny’ will probably die from suffocation.”

The woman looked down at Shining Armor to find that he was having trouble breathing. “Oh! I’m so sorry!” she said as she quickly climbed to her feet and straightened out her uniform. Behind her, there were some more people dressed in suits, and some in white lab coats, laughing, which caused the woman to blush.

“Uh…” The woman turned to Sunset Shimmer. “Based on what I’ve heard and what I’m seeing, you must be Cadance.”

“That’s right,” Cadance said with a smile, stepping over Shining Armor to approach Sunset Shimmer. “Wow, this is so strange. I mean, I’ve met Sunset Shimmer before, but you’re a different Sunset Shimmer, aren’t you?”

“That’s right,” Sunset replied with a grin. “I’m the much superior one. The one in this world is nothing compared to me.”

“May I suggest we move this conversation elsewhere?” Chrysalis asked. “Somewhere with biscuits and tea?”

“Wonderful idea!” Cadance said as she knelt down, picking Shining Armor up and helping him to his feet.

“Hey,” Sunset called out, “This is just going to get confusing. Would you mind losing that disguise or whatever?”

“Yes, please do,” Cadance said with a nod.

“Oh, fine,” Chrysalis sighed. “I guess it’s three against one. I’ll make a quick stop to the restroom and meet up with you all later.”

As Chrysalis left down one corridor to the elevator’s left, Cadance carried Shining Armor down the opposite direction to Chrysalis. “This way, Sunny.”

“‘Sunny’?” Sunset Shimmer asked, the displeasure of being referred to in such a way clear in her tone.

“Oh, sorry,” Cadance said. “I’m used to calling the you here by that name. She doesn’t care much for it either, but I guess it would be rude of me to refer to you by that, given we really don’t know much about each other.”

“I would prefer you never call me by such a name at all,” Sunset said as she followed Cadance down the corridor. “So, I’m curious, how exactly did you people manage to harness the magical residue left by my brief moment of glory wielding the Element of Magic? Or for that matter, how did you even detect it?”

“You appear to be under the assumption that magic does not exist in this world, but that’s not quite so accurate,” Cadance replied. “Think about it. If magic didn’t exist here, how do you explain the portal linking our worlds? Or the power boost you gained that night?”

“I always figured it was magic from Equestria leaking into this world. If there is magic here, then why can no one use it?”

“I don’t know how it works in your world, but over here, we cannot interact with magic directly. We must use science and technology to detect and harness magical energy. In fact, it was only within the last century that magical research reached the point where we could truly confirm the existence of magic itself. Before then, it was mere speculation.”

Sunset Shimmer put a hand to her chin and nodded. She was starting to become interested in what these people had to say. “So just as our world has science to a minor degree, so does this world have magic to a minor degree.”

“It would seem the key differences between our world is that magic is more easily accessible to your kind, so that was the path your civilization took.”

“That explains why your grasp of technology was so terrible when you first arrived here,” Shining said, his strength now back after his earlier assault. “Thanks Cadance, but I can walk on my own now?”

“You sure?” Cadance teased.

Shining removed his arm from around Cadance and wobbled for a bit, before straightening himself out and continuing to walk alongside her.

“What did you mean by my grasp of technology being so terrible?” Sunset asked.

“I mean how you pounded the keyboard with your fists, how you were startled every time a phone did something new, or how you wondered how televisions worked without the ‘magical glow that all spells produce’,” Shining answered.

Sunset Shimmer growled. “Just how much were you watching me?”

“The only times we weren’t watching were when you visited the bathroom or when you were at Principal Celestia’s home.”

“Since you hadn’t yet committed any crimes that posed a threat to national security, we were limited in the extent to which we could invade your privacy,” Cadance added. “Ah, here we are. Please make yourself at home.” Cadance turned to her left and opened a door into a small, cosy room with a glass table in-between two couches.

Sunset Shimmer and Shining Armor followed her inside. The room gave off a nice atmosphere, and was very cool inside. The colour scheme was a rather bland brown, and the smooth jazz didn’t appeal much to Sunset Shimmer, but the sweet aroma of the tea on the table certainly drew her attention.

Cadance and Shining Armor sat down on one couch, and Sunset Shimmer took a seat on the opposite couch, reaching for the cup of tea closest to her and lifting it up to her lips. She stopped and glanced towards the two sitting before her. “… This isn’t poisoned, is it?”

“Would you like me to drink from it?” Cadance asked.

Sunset Shimmer looked back down at her tea and scrutinized it. ‘If they wanted to kill me or incapacitate me, they could have done it already.’ Satisfied with her own conclusion, Sunset took a sip of her tea. It tasted very good, but was perhaps a little too hot. She quickly pulled it away from her lips and blew on it gently.

“Perhaps I should introduce myself properly,” Cadance said. “That little scene in the elevator hardly qualifies as a true introduction.”

“Go ahead then,” Sunset said as she brought the tea in for another experimental sip.

“My name is Mi Amore Cadenza.”

“That’s a mouthful,” Sunset commented.

“Indeed. That’s why I just prefer ‘Cadance’ for short. I’ve worked with Shiny here for some time now, though our fields of expertise are a little different.”

“In what way?”

“Well, while Shiny and Chrysalis’ jobs involve them going out and investigating in person, my job is more of a… desk job…”

“Don’t say that,” Shining said, bringing an arm around Cadance and holding her closer. “Your job is just as important as anyone else’s here.”

“Oh please. All I do is shift paper around from one place to another.”

“You also get us the information we need to solve our cases and make sure we’re up-to-date with the latest intel.” Shining leaned forward and kissed Cadance on the cheek, making her blush. “If it wasn’t for you, I’d have sunk many cases in the past.”

“Oh, stop…”

Sunset Shimmer cleared her throat, reminding the two that she was still in the room with them. The couple quickly turned bright-red and shuffled away from each other. “S-So,” Shining began, “Why don’t you tell us a little about your world then?”

“Y-Yes. I’m most curious about it myself,” Cadance agreed.

Sunset Shimmer crossed her arms and closed her eyes. “Not much to tell really. I never left Canterlot while I was there, and although I read up on the land of Equestria a lot… there’s no telling what might have changed since I was there. Much of it should still be the same, though.”

Shining Armor and Cadance both nodded. The looks on their faces told Sunset Shimmer that that wasn’t enough. “Well, I guess I can begin with some history… Let’s start with the founding of Equestria.”

Comments

[Pinklestia]

This won't end well...

[Emperor]

Yikes, Cadance seems to have gone off a way from lovey-dovey straight into pure genki girl.

I'm not sure Equestria can handle three ponies with attitude!