Sunset Eclipsed

by EldritchNexus

The Search for Craw, Part 1

Sigma, Canopy, and a handful of other Changelings were prowling the streets of Canterlot, looking for King Craw. Not wanting to draw attention to them, Sigma decided that they should all assume disguises quickly.

"Okay, look 'round, lads." said Sigma. "Don't engage any enemies, ya got it?"

His overweight black body shimmered into a bright green flame, from which he emerged as a short yellowish-orange earth pony whose wild, spiky bluish-black mane came down in mutton-chops below his ears. He also wore a plaid outfit that implied that gave the impression of one that lived in an alpine region.

"Got it, Ziggy." said Canopy, who shapeshifted herself into a tall light blue Pegasus with gray-pupiled white eyes, a long shiny red mane that hung down in thick, classically-styled curtains along the sides and back of her head, and wore a flowing white outfit with long boots of matching color, a golden triangular pendant around her neck, and dark purple leggings.

The other Changelings likewise turned into various ponies, and split themselves up among the crowds of ponies wandering the streets.

"Aggro, turn into something else!" said Canopy, whose voice was now slightly lower and sported a thick Germanic accent, to a Changeling that turned into a royal guard. "The Royal Guard is bound to notice 'un extra guard--und a missing vun, too, so don't try replacing any-vun. The same goes for those Shadowbolts."

"Okay, okay." said Aggro, who shapeshifted into a teenaged unicorn colt.

"Und zese are school hours, so stay disguised as 'un adult." said Canopy again. "Besides, I doubt Craw vood feel safe disguising himself as vun of Celestia's students."

"Picky, picky, picky." said Aggro, changing into a zebra, then a female unicorn, and finally a male Pegasus. "There! You happy now, boss-lady?"

"Adequate." said the disguised Canopy. "Now, I vant you to check ze vesterm side of zis city wiv Remix. From vaht I understand, zere's a garden party over zere. You both vill certainly vind all sorts of ponies zere."

"And Canopy--er, Femme Mystic--you're gonna come with me." said the disguised Sigma, speaking in a rough voice without the mixed accent he was accustomed to speaking with. "If anypony asks, we're on a date."

"Ugh. Okay, dear." scoffed Femme Mystic, as she was aggressively nudged by her "husband", Razor Sharp.

Razor Sharp and Femme Mystic were Sigma and Canopy's favorite disguises for when they went undercover. Often, they were portrayed as bitter rivals or a married couple. In most cases, it was both at once; a one-sided relationship. Sometimes, Femme Mystic was a stuck-up, haughty mare of a possibly aristocratic background, juxtaposed with Razor Sharp, a middle-class, quiet but easily angered husband, that Femme either nagged and exchanged banter with, or playfully flirted with and teased. They were practically the opposite of the loud but passive Sigma and quiet, overly serious Canopy.

Razor stopped a passing royal guard that was on patrol.

"Hey, where can I get a drink 'round here?" He asked, roughly. "My wife over here's been driving me nuts all day!"

"Well, you could go to the inn just down the street, past the curio shop." said the guard. "I hear they have a special discount on lemonade today, so maybe you can get a little something for your wife, too."

"Okay, I guess that would--"

"Razor Sharp, you haff-vitted, cider-drinking moron." growled Femme Mystic. "You know zat I hate lemonade, so don't you dare agree with zat stallion!"

"Oh just shut it, red." said Razor, turning to growl back. "I, for one, am gonna get myself a drink. If you want anything, either come along with me or fly back to Manehatten and get yourself a drink there!"

Femme scowled at him, then rolled her eyes before sighing submissively.

"Okay, okay." she said. "But you had better nut be surprised if you should vind yourself sleeping alone tonight."

"I'll keep that in mind." said Razor.

"Stay safe and civil, you two." said the guard, who decided not to intervene with the quarreling.

"Whatever you say, bub." grumbled Razor Sharp as the guard left earshot. "C'mon, Mystic."

"Coming, dear." sighed Femme.

The two disguised Changelings continued down the road, and were about to begin their stakeout at the inn, when they suddenly found themselves face-to-face with Sunset Shimmer and Flash Sentry. Sigma was so surprised to find Sunset right in front of him that he almost reverted back to his Changeling form, if it weren't for Canopy warning him in advance of her approach.

"Um...uh...hey there." said Razor Sharp, hesitantly.

"Good afternoon, sir." said Sunset. "Lovely day we're having, isn't it?"

"Yep, real lovely day." said Razor, nervously. "Me and my wife, Can--I mean, Femme Mystic were just going for a stroll. We decided to come here from Manehatten for a date, and were about to book a room at that inn over there. The name's Sharp. Razor Sharp. I'm a..." He thought for a moment, then produced a cutie mark in the shape of a razor blade on his flank--"A barber."

"And as my darling husband just told you, I am Femme Mystic." said Razor's wife, who covertly shapeshifted a cutie mark in the form of a comb leaning against a bottle of perfume onto her flank. "'Und I am a stylist. I used to be a schoolteacher os vell, but zat is unnuzer story."

"'Razor Sharp' and 'Femme Mystic'?" Sunset thought as she studied the two ponies. "For some reason, those names remind me of something. Heck, these two actually look familiar, somehow. But from where, and how? Maybe the human world?"

"So, you two give haircuts, huh?" Sunset asked aloud. "Come to think of it, my brother's mane's been pretty messy, lately. Maybe sometime, you could--"

"Sorry, but we're very strict about doing work away from our shop." said Razor. "Especially my wife over here."

"Quite." agreed Femme, running a hoof through her stylized red mane.

"Well, It was nice to meet you two." Sunset said, with a warm smile. "Hope you enjoy your stay here in Canterlot."

"Thank you." said Femme, gesturing for Razor to follow her into the inn. "At least somepony in zis town knows how to be polite."

And then the two went through the door to the inn, while Sunset and Flash continued down the street. After they booked a room, the two went upstairs and shed their equine disguises.

"Boy, o' boy, was that a close 'un!" said Sigma. "I almost 'ad a panic attack when I saw that unicorn comin' at us! Coulda blown our cover, real easy."

"Just relax, Ziggy." said Canopy. "As long as you keep things under control and not attack any ponies, she won't suspect a thing."

"What' 'bout Craw, though? We still gotta find 'im!"

"Just keep a low profile, and he'll turn up soon enough." said Canopy. "In the mean-time..."--she shapeshifted back into Femme Mystic--"Let us keep our minds 'un our mission...und hope ze others do ze same."

"Hear ya loud and clear, red." said Sigma, after shapeshifting into Razor Sharp, and getting into character straight away. "Now let's go get me a drink, shall we?"

"Ah, as you desire, little man." snickered Femme, who now wore a cat-like grin on her face. "Und ze first glass shall be 'un me."

"Ha! Now you're speaking my language, fraulein." chuckled Razor.

---

"Ah, I see what your problem is now." said Pressure Point, who was in the emergency room of Canterlot's hospital, inspecting Radiant Dawn for the source of his inability to perform complex spells. "It looks like you've got some kind of build-up between your frontal lobe and your horn."

"It's not too serious, is it?" asked Radiant, concerned.

"It's not cancerous, if that's what you're asking." said Pressure, flatly. "Though if it was, you'd probably be dead right now, and we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"So what's the cause of it?" asked Radiant again.

"Well, it's often caused by a combination of blunt trauma and a severe anxiety attack. It often occurs in unicorns in their teens, and can stick with them for years, even a couple decades at a time."

"Is there anyway to treat it, doc?" asked Radiant Dawn.

"Funny you should ask that." said Pressure. "I've actually been researching this condition ever since I got my job at this hospital."

"But you've been unable to find any way to cure it?" groaned Radiant.

"Not completely." said Pressure, admittedly. "But I do have some tonics to temporarily soften up the blockage. Just give me a moment, and I'll be right back"

He left the room, and returned a couple of minutes later, telekinetically carrying a tray lined with bottles of differently-colored liquids. He levitated one of them up to Radiant's lips.

"This is called Grindwater Ale." said Pressure Point. "It's a beverage that was imported to Equestria a long time ago, and still remains popular in some areas. Zecora, a zebra that taught me a little about potion-making and alchemy, said it can ease stress levels applied to a pony's brain. Careful, it's very sour."

Radiant chugged down the bottle, and felt his eyes widen involuntarily as his taste buds surged with energy from the ale, which tasted like a combination between watermelon and lime.

"By Celestia, now that's what you call a drink!" exclaimed Radiant Dawn.

"The brain-relaxing parts should follow suit in a couple minutes." said Pressure. "You have no idea how long it took me to stock up on this stuff, especially since the fruit most often used in Grindwater Ale doesn't even grow in Equestria. So we pony-folk had to emulate it with melons, lemons, limes, and stuff like that. Even then, it's pretty darned expensive, so it's best that it's only used for medical purposes, like right now."

"Thanks, I'm already feeling a lot more relaxed." said Radiant. "But still, how come you're being so helpful to me, Pressure? You don't even like me!"

"You're right, you and I have our differences." said the unicorn doctor. "But it would be wrong for me to let a fellow pony suffer from something beyond their control. Plus, I think somepony like you ought to be at their physical peak if you're meant to be a guard."

"How often should I drink this stuff?"

"I'd say once a fortnight, for the next few months or so." said Pressure Point. "I think I might go down to visit Zecora sometime, to see if she could find a long-term treatment for this. In the mean-time, you're good to go, Red Dawn."

"See you later, Presh." nodded Radiant, who turned to exit the hospital.

Author's Note:

In case you didn't notice the resemblance, Sigma and Canopy's disguised forms are roughly modeled after the "X-Men: Evolution" incarnations of Wolverine and Mystique. This is because Scott McNeil and Colleen Wheeler, who respectively voiced them in that show, are also the voice actors I would have in mind for Sigma and Canopy if they ever appeared in "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic".

The Grindwater Ale happens to a reference to "The Servants of Ungoliant", a Silmarillion fanfic that I've been working on since 2010, but have neglected to update since last summer. Feel free to look it up sometime.

Also, since I'm plugging my other works right now, if you're a "Star Wars" fan, I'd recommend reading my recently published Star Wars/MLP crossover "Obsidian Flight: Crisis in Equestria".

Comments

[Lord Nopony]

Very good chapter! Loved the two Changelings Canopy and Sigma! They're funny!