Sunset and The Shadow

Scathach; has gone by many names including: The Shadow and the Warrior Maid; but often uses the nickname Scatty.

She wondered about the young woman – or who appeared to be one, as appearances can be deceiving – where she had come from, why she had no place to go and most importantly: why she was unconscious just outside her front door.

Sunset Shimmer, as she had introduced herself, seemed off to Scathach, she had red hair with yellow streaks and was wearing high quality clothing; not something you would expect from someone with nowhere to stay.

No use thinking about it now. Scathach thought as she climbed down the stairs to her dojo. Might as well wait until morning.

The dojo was unadorned with white walls and black mats on the floor. The stairs led up to her small living space. One bedroom, a kitchen and a bathroom connected by a balcony overlooking the dojo.

Scathach practiced her martial arts skills quietly in the centre of the dojo for the next several hours, until approximately an hour before dawn, when she headed to the kitchen to await her guest for breakfast.

As Sunset sluggishly left the bedroom, Scathach called her over to the kitchen and promptly got a bowl of cereal each and joined Sunset at the small table. They both proceeded to eat.

When Scathach looked over at Sunset, she gasped. Sunset’s spoon was levitating with a teal glow around it. Sunset was eating by levitating her spoon.

“What?” Sunset asked looking at Scathach.

“Why are you levitating your spoon?”

“To eat. Why else?”

“So it is normal to use your aura to eat, is it?”

“Yes. Why?”

“It is not normal for humans to be able to levitate items. Where did you learn how?”

“It’s not?” Sunset looked at Scatty, shocked.

“No very few are capable of doing so, and those that can rarely use it to eat with. Now, what are you?”

“What?”

“What species are you? Human, elder, next generation, something else.”

“I’m not getting out of this am I?”

“No.”

Sunset sighed. “A unicorn.”

“What?”

“A unicorn.”

“Very well. Where are you from then?”

“Canterlot.”

“What shadowrealm is that in?”

“What do you mean, Shadowrealm?”

Scathach sighed. “How did you get here then?”

“I went through a portal in a mirror.”

“… We need to speak with my uncle.”

“What? Why?”

“He might be able to explain what you are and where you are from. In the meantime, don’t let anyone see you use your aura.”

“Fine, let’s go.”

***

Scathach had changed into black combat pants, a black T-shirt, a black vest with many pockets with zippers and steel-toed boots. Sunset was still wearing her clothes from earlier and had put on a pair of black leather boots that Scathach had told her she was wearing when she found her.

Both girls carried bags; Sunset’s was originally her saddlebag with everything in it from before she went through the portal; Scathach’s included a multitude of weapons: two short swords, one nunchaku, a bow and quiver of arrows.

Scathach led the way, opening a door from the dojo to a hallway. Once they had passed it Scathach closed it and it appeared to be a solid wall. The hallway had a door at both ends. The close one was wooden while the far one appeared to be made from a paper like substance and led back into the dojo.

Once they had left and Scathach locked the door. She pointed out where she had found Sunset: unconscious against the wall next to the door.

From there Scathach found a phone to use and called her uncle, Prometheus, and told him to meet her at the entrance to his shadowrealm. She also told him that it was important.

Scathach and Sunset then got on a bus to take them to Point Reyes where the entrance to Prometheus’ shadowrealm was.

Sunset had spent this time trying to take in the world around her – without looking too amazed – and trying to discover how they did all these amazing things without magic. Self-powered, magic-less carriages astonished her; she later learnt they were called cars while the larger ones were called trucks or buses depending on if they transported people or items; long distance communication allowing people to actually talk to each other from far away astounded her.

She also started to learn about the society by watching everyone else. She learnt that they always seem to wear clothes, so she should as well. And that the many things around her were normal as no one else payed much attention to them. She also learnt by listening to others that this city was not like Canterlot; there were no nobles and everyone seemed to not talk to most of the other people they met as most ponies did in Canterlot; even if it was to be rude to them like the nobles often did.

The bus ride had taken about two and a half hours. In that time Sunset had observed her surroundings for some time. When she had decided she would not be able to learn much more from her surroundings she had taken out her book on magic and studied it.

Once they arrived Sunset and Scathach had left the bus and started walking away from the town. After a few kilometres of walking they saw a man. He was tall, about seven feet tall and very muscular. He had red hair like Scathach’s and green eyes. He wore faded jeans and T-shirt.

Once Sunset saw him, she saw Scathach sprint forward towards him shouting “Uncle!” He grabbed her and threw her into the air and caught her.

“Scathach!” He replied with a Southern accent. He put her down and asked, “So, what is so important?”

Sunset realised she had frozen when she saw Scathach run to her uncle wben Scathach looked at her. So she walked towards the pair.

“It might be better to talk in your shadowrealm,” Scathach replied, “It might be difficult to explain.”

“Very well. I’ll assume it’s not as urgent as I was led to believe, by you coming to visit for the first time in however long.”

“Not yet, but it might become so.”

“Follow me.” With that Prometheus turned and started walking into the mist that Sunset could have sworn wasn’t there a minute ago.

Scathach smiled at Sunset then turned and followed her uncle into the fog that seemed to be thickening by the second. Sunset hesitantly followed, eyes darting around.

She then sped up to catch up to Scathach. She could sense magic in the fog of many types but it all seemed to have been cast and continued to be maintained by the one individual. An individual of incredible power and skill. If she was still in Equestria she would have thought the caster to be an alicorn. Here she wondered which species Scathach had mentioned were powerful enough to do this; she doubted it was a human but she didn’t know anything about the others or if it was an entirely different kind.

Scathach had said it was her uncles shadowrealm – which she believed meant world or dimension from how it was used – but did that mean he was in charge, he created it, or both. And if her uncle could do something like this, what could she do.

She caught up to Scathach who was walking next to her uncle talking. Something about teaching people how to defend themselves. She could see figures vaguely resembling humans in the fog but she couldn’t make out any details and they were keeping their distance. She kept her eyes peeled but didn’t worry too much as Scathach and Prometheus didn’t seem worried.

They kept walking until they reached a cluster of buildings. A large house and about a dozen small cabins surrounding it. The people following them in the fog were more numerous now but Sunset still couldn’t make out any details on any of them. Scathach and Prometheus continued towards the house. After a brief pause Sunset followed.

She followed them into the house and then into a living area. Prometheus sat on a couch, Scathach on a chair across from him. Sunset followed and sat in another chair closer to Scathach than Prometheus. Facing between the two of them.

They sat in silence for several minutes, until Prometheus broke it by asking, “Will you tell me what is going on now, Scathach.”

Scathach explained what had happened: How she found Sunset unconscious outside her door, how she had nowhere to go so she stayed with Scathach, what she said in response to Scathach’s questions and then spending a seemingly disproportionate amount of time on how Sunset ate her breakfast by levitating her cutlery.

Following that Prometheus asked Sunset several questions that she answered.

Where she was from: Canterlot in Equestria.

How she arrived at Scathach’s home: travelling through a portal in a magic mirror.

What species she is: unicorn originally but she appears to – quite obviously - not be anymore.

Where she learnt to manipulate her aura: in Canterlot where it is common and called magic.

Then Prometheus asked, “Who taught you how to use it?”

Sunset replied, “After I had learnt the basics, I was chosen to be the personal student of the Equestria’s leader, Princess Celestia.”

“I remember that name, hmm. I don’t remember it with the title however. Scathach do you remember it?”

“No.”

“I will try to remember where I have heard it before.”

“Can you answer some of my questions now?” Sunset asked.

“Of course.” Prometheus replied.

“First, what is a shadowrealm.”

“A shadowrealm is a dimension. Most are sustained by a continuous supply of energy; usually from the one who created it.”

“Are you the one who supplies the power to this shadowrealm and the entrance?”

“Yes.”

“What species are you then? I doubt you’re human.”

“I am an elder.”

Turning to Scathach, “So does that make you an elder too?”

“I am of the next generation.”

“So what are the differences between the different species then? Human, elder and next generation.”

“The elders were born more than ten thousand years ago before the fall of Danu Talis. They are immortal unless killed and were often worshipped as gods. The next generation were born after the fall of Danu Talis and are often weaker than an elder but are still immortal.

“The humans however, the first of them, known as the first people live here in my shadowrealm. The rest of them are weak creatures that are not immortal unless they find an external way to obtain it. They however are the ones who rule the earth shadowrealm.

“There are many other species, many of them are unlikely for you to run into. Such as the archons, ancients, great elders and earthlords. There are also the Torc Clans however they mostly try to keep to themselves.

“Some of the elders are working on returning the world to how it was when we ruled. These elders are known as the dark elders and often use human servants who they often make immortal to carry out their plans.”