• Published 6th Apr 2016
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Young Amazons - Wanderer D



Sunset Shimmer is flung into another universe

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Chapter 32: Monument

Young Amazons
By Ackbarfan5556
Executive Produced By Wanderer D
Chapter 32: Monument



The air was warm as the cloudless night sky hung over the city of Rome. For most, the population had turned in for the night while a few night owls and workers continued to go along. It was certainly the case for one of the night guards at the Capitoline Museums, which laid at the heart of the ancient city.

The middle-aged man walked past a few of his fellow guards before informing them that he was going to make his patrol outside and enjoy a smoke break. The others gave him a nod as they continued with their conversation to each other while the man walked outside.

He sighed before checking his watch. He had the late shift but was due to be heading home in less than an hour before much of the midnight guards would take over. He pulled out one of the cigarettes he had before he lit it up with his lighter and took a relaxing puff.

He stood out in the middle of the courtyard keeping his eyes peeled, but was relaxed. The museums would be one of the last places in the city for anyone to try to steal anything; second only to government buildings or the Vatican itself.

However, his relaxed state was soon broken as he heard a strange sound coming from a few dozen yards away from him. He pulled out his flashlight and looked over in the direction of the sound. His immediate thought was that some youths were probably shaking the locked gates around the area as a sort of joke or dare; it was an occasional issue.

As he walked up to the fencing, he could guess that it wasn’t the case since he saw no one nearby, nor did he hear any sort of running, which would’ve answered why no one was around. His ears then picked up another strange noise before the ground began to light up from a bright source somewhere behind him.

He turned around and felt that something was very wrong. At the worst possible moment, his flashlight seemed to have died; the guard mentally cursing himself for not replacing the batteries sooner. He quickly ran back to the center of the courtyard before he dug into his pocket and got out a new pair of batteries that were given in case of emergencies like this.

After replacing them, he finally turned back on the flashlight. He looked up. His face almost went completely white with fear. Instead of finding the Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius in its usual place, he only found the large empty base that it sat upon.

Panic gripped him on what had happened as he looked down to his feet and once more, fear set in. Lying at his feet was a small cutout of a silver-colored fox. Within a moment, he knew what had happened.

“La Volpe D’argento,” he whispered to himself before running back towards the building. “LA VOLPE D’ARGENTO!!” he screamed.

The Silver Fox had struck once again.

“Almost hard to believe this whole trip is almost over,” Sunset said as she and Zatanna walked alone in the Piazza d’Aracoeli; the two of them still enjoying the night while Pamela and Barbara had already headed back to the hotel.

“Certainly has been quite enjoyable, wouldn’t you agree?” Zatanna asked as the two of them sat down on the ground up against the little park’s few trees.

“Oh, very much so,” Sunset chuckled. “Here I thought we would just visit some great places and get some training in, but we certainly got more than we asked for.”

“Especially in the case of Barbara and Pamela. I’m guessing they weren’t expecting the adventures they got into.”

“Yeah. Fighting ghosts and Greek warriors, that’s something I think none of us were really planning,” Sunset said before she sighed.

“Everything okay, Sunset?” Zatanna asked.

“Yes, everything’s fine, but, well, my mind has been stuck on something ever since we were in Themyscira. It relates to Pamela.”

“What about her?”

“It’s her powers, Zatanna. What she did, it’s actually really scary to think about it. She honestly has the ability to tear the earth apart with her control; I just never realized the extent of it until then.” Sunset knew Zatanna was probably confused by her words.

“I don’t understand,” Zatanna admitted to her.

“My mind keeps thinking about what would’ve happened had either I failed to bring Pamela back from the edge, or not even existing here. That, somehow, even if I never ended up here, would Pamela still get her powers?”

“Ah, I see,” Zatanna realized. “Yes, the whole ‘what if’ thoughts that plague everyone. Well, my advice would be not to really worry about them, especially in Pamela’s case. You know you have nothing to worry about with her. But I am curious; what do you think would be happening to you if you never came here?”

Sunset took a moment to figure out what she meant. “Oh, you mean if stopping human Twilight didn’t involve me getting throw across the multiverse? I’m not sure. I know for starters, at least, that me and the girls would try our best to help Twilight with her problems. I know it would take a lot, especially the emotional damage that Principal Cinch did to her during the games.”

Zatanna chuckled. “If only I was there, I would be sure to give that woman a piece of my mind.”

“I doubt it. She came off as way too proud and stubborn.” Sunset sighed once more as she looked up to the sky, unable to see many of the stars due to the lights of the city. “I wonder how the girls are doing right now without me; especially Twilight. I hate the fact that I have no idea what’s happening right now.”

“Sunset,” Zatanna said as she stood up. “If you had the chance right now to go back home, would you do it?”

Sunset paused as she thought about it. It was a good question. If she had the chance to return during the first week she arrived in this world, she would probably say ‘yes’ in a heartbeat. But now, with everything that’s happened, she wasn’t so sure.

“Well, I would say ‘yes’, at least to check up on how the girls were doing and all that,” Sunset answered.

“But it was permanent, meaning that if you went back, you couldn’t return here.”

“Ah, now that’s a more difficult answer,” Sunset said. “I’m not sure…”

“That’s okay; there’s no need to answer that tonight if you don’t want to. Just something to bring up. That reminds me, how’s the search going?”

“Not that great right now, my searching of the whole multiverse is difficult. Right now, it seems I can only find places somewhat similar to this world, nothing that even comes remotely close to Equestria or Canterlot High.”

“You just need to keep trying, okay, Sunset?” Zatanna smiled.

“La Volpe D’argento!” The two of them heard yelled out in the distance. Sunset stood up to her feet as Zatanna had a serious look cross her face.

“What was that?” Sunset asked.

“The Silver Fox,” Zatanna muttered. “Sunset, stay here for a bit. I’m going to check it out.”

Sunset did as she was told as Zatanna made a mad dash for the location of the sound. She was a bit curious to know why she was being asked to stay behind, but she trusted that the magician had her reasons. It was only a few minutes of waiting before the woman came back.

“So, what happened?” Sunset asked.

“Let’s go back to the hotel,” said Zatanna as she ushered her away. “You’ll find out in the morning, I’m sure.”

“How exactly does a whole statue like that suddenly vanish?” Barbara asked as the girls were sitting in their room; their TV on where the main news story for the morning was the theft at the Capitoline Museums.

“Not sure, but I’m guessing that there was some sort of magic involved,” Pamela suggested.

“That was my thought as well, Pamela, but I would rather wait until we get some more information.” Zatanna said as she checked her watch. “He’s running late,” she muttered.

“Are you sure we can trust this man, Zatanna?” Sunset asked.

“Certainly. He doesn’t have any powers nor is out crime fighting, but he’s one of my many friends here in Italy that knows my secret, and he’s certainly got a lot of connections around. Trust me, he’s on that level.”

“If you say so,” Sunset sighed before hearing the door knock. Zatanna stood up and walked over before opening it.

“Zatanna, mio caro!” The man at the door greeted before Zatanna led him in. He looked about middle-aged, possibly late forties or even fifties, with a black mustache peppered with gray hairs and a considerable bald spot on his head.

“Girls, I’d like you to meet Giovanni Rossi,” Zatanna introduced. The girls gave their respective introductions to him before he sat down in a chair.

“It’s a pleasure to meet Zatanna’s young wards,” the man said. “I’ve heard you girls are quite the heroes.”

The three girls blushed. “Well, I wouldn’t go so far to say that yet.” Pamela admitted.

“Humble as always, Pam.” Barbara nudged her.

“So, what’s going on with the museum problem, Giovanni?” Zatanna asked as the man’s look hardened.

“Well, as you’re probably well aware, someone managed to make off with the entire statue of Marcus Aurelius sometime in the middle of the night. A guard reported that it was there one moment, but then gone the next. That statue isn’t something that someone could easily run off with.”

“According to my guidebook, the statue was a replica, the real one is inside the Capitoline Museums,” Pamela explained. Sunset saw Barbara roll her eyes at what was said. While Pamela was still very excited for the sights of the city, Barbara appeared to hit a vacation burnout and was now looking forward to going back home.

“Yes, that is true, Signora Isley, but the point remains––we’ve had a large statue bolted into the ground one moment, only for it to disappear into thin air.”

“And you thought about calling me about this because?” Zatanna asked. Giovanni stood up and held up a disc.

“This… is security footage from last night. Now, only the police and security have seen this. The public will probably see it in the next few days, but you know my connections, Zatanna so that’s how I’ve gotten my hands on this.” He walked over to the TV and it’s DVD player before putting in the disc. “Be advised: this is all unedited footage of the night.”

The room stood quiet as the security footage began to play. It all looked fairly normal as a local guard walked past the statue before turning his attention and moving away. Then came the sight as the statue seemed to have the unmistakable glow of magic surrounding it before it suddenly vanished into thin air. The guard immediately came back before running inside the building.

“Well, I don’t think there’s a shadow of a doubt what just happened,” Barbara said.

“Wait a second,” Sunset spoke up. “Rewind that and slow it down. I think I just saw something.”

Giovanni complied and went back before going frame by frame. The quality was choppy, but he stopped exactly when everyone could obviously see someone was standing next to the statue for a frame.

The figure wore a dark suit that looked perfect for infiltration. Sunset suspected it was similar to what Selena Kyle would wear whenever she would go out as Catwoman. The other major discernable thing the figure had was a silver fox mask on his face.

“The Silver Fox,” Zatanna said.

“Yes,” Giovanni nodded. “The thief has finally decided to rob from Rome now.”

“And it’s clear he can do magic. There’s no doubt about what he just did.” Sunset added.

“So, what can we do?” Barbara asked. “It’s not like we’re going to be of much use. I mean, we’re expected to be on a flight back to Gotham tomorrow.”

“We still have the day. We can figure this one out,” Pamela said. Barbara nodded in agreement; she was right.

“Don’t worry, Giovanni, we’ll get to the bottom of this. Even if not today, Sunset and I will come back.”

“Grazie, Zatanna.” Giovanni smiled.

“So, any luck?” Sunset asked as Zatanna walked back towards her from the scene of the crime. The area had been cordoned off, but a simple invisibility spell allowed Zatanna to pass through and investigate.

“Yes and no,” Zatanna shook her head. “What I can tell is that there was magic used, but it was quite powerful, somewhat untrained, and… not something that I’m used to.” Sunset followed her along as they walked away from the area.

“That’s not good, so we’re mostly still stuck on having any leads.” Sunset sighed. “If only this was a normal robbery, then having Bruce here we would have it solved in five minutes.”

Zatanna chuckled at the joke. “That certainly would be the case, but sadly, magic isn’t his strong suit. Not his fault, of course; it’s a gift only a rare few can have.”

“That sort of sounds familiar,” Sunset muttered, her mind thinking back to one of the last messages Princess Twilight sent her before she jumped worlds. The story of a place called Our Town and the pony behind its false façade named Starlight Glimmer, who tried to push for all ponies being equal in terms of their cutie marks.

“How so?” Zatanna asked.

“Oh, sorry, it’s a story Princess Twilight told me before I-” Sunset stopped midsentence when her cellphone buzzed. She pulled it out before finding a message left by Pamela.

‘Sunny, I’m pretty sure we’ve got our culprit. Hurry to Doria Lake and the park there. I don’t know how much longer he’s going to stay.’ – Pam

“Let’s go, I know where that is.” Zatanna said before the two of them made their way across the Tiber River before heading into the large park. It didn’t take long for them to make it where Pamela was. The three of them were hiding in the woods while their eyes focused on a lone man sitting on a bench, feeding the swans.

The man, looking about late-thirties with tan skin, a handsome face, and black hair in a Caesar cut, seemed fairly unaware of their presence.

“Hey. Red’s on her way too, but might take some time,” Pamela explained.

“You sure that’s him?” Sunset asked.

“Without a doubt,” Pamela smirked. “The guy was bragging about the crime to himself. Of course, the local plant life love to gossip.”

“Good work, Pam.” Sunset gave her a small pat on the back before Zatanna stood up. “Uh, Zatanna?” It seemed she didn’t hear her as she walked towards the man. “Zatanna!” Sunset ran out of cover and followed her, causing the man to turn around and stand up.

He smiled at what he saw.

“Ah, Zatanna, how lovely it is to see you once again,” he greeted and bowed.

“Vittore Polcari, I should’ve known. I wasn’t aware you were let out,” Zatanna said as she crossed her arms.

“Good behavior and all,” he smirked before looking at Sunset. “Ah, and I see you’ve brought your young pupil with you as well.”

“Drop the act, Vittore. Where’s the statue?”

He laughed at Zatanna’s question. “Oh, my dear Zatanna, it’s so simple. I have it right here.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small horse statue no bigger than his finger. “Of course, it’s shrunk a bit, but it was much too cumbersome to carry away.”

The mere sight of his crime set Sunset into crime fighting mode. She took a step forward, only for Zatanna to hold her arm up and block her way.

“Listen to your mentor, dear. This really isn’t a private place for a fight, now is it, Zatanna?”

“Answer me this right now, Vittore. How is this possible?”

The man laughed once again. “Funny you should ask. Maybe this will answer your question.” He pulled out a pair of bright rubies. Zatanna instantly recognized them, as Sunset could tell from the look on her face.

“The Rubies of Minara,” Zatanna breathed.

“Funny things these rubies: so much power to them and yet they were held in quite a vulnerable place. That French museum’s security was a complete joke.” Zatanna reached forward to try and take the rubies but he backed away. “Ah. I wouldn’t do that.”

“So what now? You’ve clearly got something in mind or you wouldn’t be talking to us right now.”

“Quite right, Zatanna. You see, tonight shall be my magnum opus and cement me as the greatest thief the world shall know. I intend to steal the greatest works of art this city has to offer.” He then laughed. “Of course, that’s a bit too vague, but I can’t make it too easy for you.” He turned and began to walk away. “See you tonight, Zatanna…maybe. It depends on if you figure out where I will be.”

“What exactly was all that about?” Pamela asked as she ran up next to Sunset.

“Vittore and I have crossed paths once before,” Zatanna explained. “He used to call himself ‘The Shadow’ a few years back. I caught him making an escape after a museum robbery of his. I left him gift wrapped for the authorities and sent him on his way to prison.”

“Only to be released,” Sunset said. “But those rubies…”

“He never had any sort of magical abilities, but now with those rubies, well, you girls have already seen the effect. It’s strange though. I saw those rubies once before, but couldn’t pick up any sort of magical properties to them.”

“Maybe it’s because you have magic already, Zatanna,” Pamela guessed. “Maybe they only give powers to those who don’t have magic.”

“That’s a good theory, Pam, but why on earth would he tell us his plans?” Sunset asked.

“His ego and confidence have reached the levels of the stratosphere,” Zatanna said. “He’s only telling us because he thinks we can’t stop him.”

“But where will he go? There are all sorts of locations here that he could choose from,” Pamela said. “I mean, my guidebook here says that the Sistine Chapel has the greatest works of art, but who knows what his preferences are. He might even be saying that to throw us off.”

“She’s right. We’re at a large disadvantage in terms of his plans and power.” Zatanna walked away. “Come on, we need to think of a plan, girls.”

“I better text Red we’re moving again,” Sunset heard Pamela whisper as they followed.

It was now night once more in Rome and Alicorn was taking a huge risk. The plan was fairly simple: Zatanna and the girls would each keep their eyes on four locations that were the most likely to be visited by the Fox. Alicorn’s eyes were supposed to be on the Capitoline Museums just in case he planned on striking it again and leaving the place completely empty.

However, Pamela’s words kept echoing in her mind about what she said about the Sistine Chapel. She was now certain that was his actual target, so against her better judgment, she left the area of the Capitoline Museums and headed to the Vatican.

Alicorn landed on a nearby roof that overlooked St. Peter’s Square and had a good view of the area. Things felt eerily quiet with almost no one around. Alicorn took a deep breath before she jumped off the roof and landed gracefully in the square. She was now technically standing in another country.

“Well done,” she heard the Silver Fox say before turning around to see him jumping over the fence that signified the Vatican City/Italian border. He soon walked towards her, clapping his hands. “It seems you figured it out. I guess Zatanna must have wonderful expectations of you.”

Alicorn’s element of surprise was now gone, leaving her at a disadvantage. The plan was for whoever found the Silver Fox to notify the others and meet up at the location. Either Zatanna or Alicorn would teleport the remaining heroines to the location in quick succession before the Fox could succeed. Sadly, that wasn’t the case this time. Alicorn was on her own.

“I suspected you would hit the Chapel,” she said as she began to move, the two of them circling each other like a pair of sharks.

“Well, it is one of the greatest accomplishments of art done by humanity and a true testament to the Renaissance. And taking all of the art on the walls and ceiling would truly cement me in history.” She could tell he was smirking even under his mask.

“How so? Going to shrink the building like you did the statue?”

“Oh please. Nothing like that. I’m merely going to turn all the art into simple wallpaper, peel them off the walls and ceiling, roll them up and shrink them. Some of the most priceless works of art all snuggled inside my wallet,” he chuckled.

“Only one problem with your plan,” Alicorn said as she drew her rapier. “I don’t plan on letting you do that.”

The Silver Fox sighed. “Must it always come down to fighting?” Alicorn stood her ground. “Very well. It brings me no end of pain to hurt such a beautiful and talented young woman.” He then revealed he had the rubies sewed into the wrists of his suit before he conjured up a rapier of his own. “I must warn you, my dear, I happen to be an expert with the sword.”

“Likewise,” she said before she charged forward. Alicorn threw the first strike as she lunged forward to stab him in the right shoulder but was deflected with a block that sent her off target. Now it was the Fox’s turn to go on the attack as he threw three straight swipes at her, only for her to block them by the skin of her teeth.

It was clear that he wasn’t joking about his skill, but Alicorn felt sure enough of her skill to hold out long enough for Zatanna and the others to figure out where she went and come to help her.

It was quite the struggle. For ten whole minutes, Alicorn attacked and counter-attacked every chance she got. The Fox and her still hadn’t landed a single hit on each other, but he was quickly gaining the upper hand. If she didn’t get help soon, she would find herself skewered at the end of his blade.

That fear hit her sooner than she would have liked as he clearly was done with her distraction and managed to launch an attack that forced her to block at an awkward angle––an angle he capitalized on when he swept her off her feet with a kick and knocked her to the ground. Alicorn hit her head hard on the stones, not enough to knock her out but enough to daze her. She was flat on her back with one arm pinned under her while her dueling arm was now being stepped on.

“Now then, let us end this little game.” The Fox said with his rapier at Alicorn’s neck. “Any last words?”

For Alicorn, a multitude of actions and thoughts rushed in her head. She now had the upper hand, despite what was going on. In her mind, she remembered how this was all similar to when she fought Selena. The only difference was she didn’t feel as confident in her abilities to keep the jewels away from her and to win the fight. Tonight was a different story as she was filled with confidence.

“Just four,” she smirked. “Look to your right.”

The Fox turned, only to find a portal floating next to his face and Alicorn’s formerly pinned left hand thrusting forward and giving him a wicked left hook. That was followed up by a kick to his groin that knocked him over in less than a second. While he was still registering the pain from the punch and kick, Alicorn reached forward and ripped the rubies away from his wrists.

Within less than a few short seconds, the Fox was now on the ground. Alicorn stood over him, having taken his only source of power.

“You clearly haven’t had too much experience with magic, Vittore, or you would’ve easily seen something like that punch coming.” Alicorn kneeled down and punched him in the face, knocking off his mask and disorienting him long enough for her to dig through his pocket and take the miniaturized statue from him.

The sounds of guns being cocked rang in her ears. Alicorn looked up to see several members of the Swiss Guard aimed at the two intruders. Alicorn stood up and gave a bow.

“Sorry for the mess, boys, but I’ll be more than happy to leave the Silver Fox with you. Got to run. Or should I say, fly?” Alicorn then did a backflip. When she was halfway through it, she took off and began to fly away, leaving the guards utterly shocked to do anything but turn their attention to their prisoner.

Alicorn’s flight didn’t last long since she still wasn’t really used to flying. She landed on a rooftop only a few blocks away and took a deep breath before looking at the rubies she held in her left hand. Alicorn then put them in her pocket, along with the statue, and sheathed her rapier before pulling out her phone.

‘Not to worry you, girls, but you’ll be happy to know the Vatican is taking care of our canine friend.’ – Sunny

“Anyone want some water?” Barbara asked as she walked back into First Class where Sunset, Pamela and Zatanna were sitting as the flight was getting ready for takeoff. After handing the jewels off to Zatanna, the girls went back to their hotel to pack later in the night while the woman restored the Equestrian Statue and sent the rubies off to Fate for better protection.

Now the girls were sitting down and enjoying their elegant travel as they planned to head back home to Gotham, their long working vacation in Italy finally coming to an end.

“I feel sort of bad leaving,” Pamela said. “I feel like we still missed so much.”

Barbara chuckled as she sat down next to Sunset. “I wouldn’t say that. I think we certainly had quite a lot to see and do during this time.”

“Oh, like you fighting a ghost?” Pamela teased.

“Or you dealing with a Greek army?” Sunset said.

“Or Sunny single-handedly dealing with a magical thief?” Barbara added.

“I think you three have had plenty of excitement during this trip,” Zatanna chimed in. “It is a shame the most exciting stuff is something we’re not going to be able to tell others.”

“Ah, the burden of superheroinism.” Sunset joked as the four of them all laughed. The flight began to lift off from the runway. Sunset went into one of her bags and pulled a familiar book before writing into it.

‘Dear Princess Twlight…’