So to say that I'm on the hype train for this would be an understatement. I shit you not I've got at least seven chapters all written up. Granted since the chapter lengths are immensely shorter than my usual average length of 4500 words, but still, I'm word diarrheaing all over my google docs. But still, I hope you guys enjoy the story for however short it may last.

The ponies didn't waste any time in packing their things and taking the train to Vanhoover. Once they arrived, they made their way to the docks and boarded the boat Celestia had chartered for them. It was a long and slow ride there on the calm seas as their vessel rocked back and forth gently.

"I wonder what we'll see in Wu Xing and how different it'll be from Equestria," Fluttershy exclaimed softly.

"Ah, you lassies never been to Wu Xing, have ye?" the ship's captain asked.

"Have you been there before, sir?" Rarity asked.

"Tons o' times!" he exclaimed.

"What's it like over there?" Applejack asked next.

"Very natural, but also mythical like it was straight out o' a fairy tale book! The capital city is just buzzing with ponies going about their business. Lots o' fancy n' high class stuff too. Them buildings are pretty spiffy too!"

"Oohoho, sounds like my kind of place!" Rarity giggled with glee.

"What can you tell us about the princesses that rule there?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, everyone in Wu Xing knows the history o' the royal family! You see, it all started back ages ago when the twin sons Gold and Silver were born. Gold was the oldest, so he was set to take the throne, but his brother, Silver, grew jealous and tried to take the throne for himself. As punishment, Gold turned Silver into a statue and sealed him in the catacombs beneath the palace, where it's rumored he still is today!" he narrated dramatically.

"Sounds an awful lot like what happened between Celestia and Luna a thousand years ago," Pinkie commented with an excited smile.

"I reckon. You see the King was awful worried that what happened between him and his brother would happen between his four daughters, so he always taught them the importance of family. You'll never find a closer group of sisters than the Elemental Princesses!" the captain continued.

"Elemental Princesses?" Sunset asked.

"Why are they called that?" asked Fluttershy.

"Well, because they represent the elements, o' course!"

"Like the Elements of Harmony?" Applejack asked.

"No, no, the elements o' nature, balance! Wu Xing values five elements o' nature to achieve balance: metal, fire, water, air and earth. King Gold and his brother were metal and Gold's daughters represent the other four."

"Do you know anything about King Gold's disappearance? That's why we're being sent here," Twilight explained.

"Can't say that I do, I'm afraid. A real mystery, it is."

"What about the princesses' mother? Isn't the Queen around?" asked Rainbow Dash.

The captain shook his head. "Queen Juno left this earthly plain long ago. Us earth ponies don't live as long as them alicorns."

"Queen Juno was an earth pony?" Applejack asked.

"That she was! After the whole Silver betrayal thing, Gold's parents - the King and Queen at the time - tried settin' him up with tons of prospective princesses, like Princess Amore from the Crystal Empire and even Princess Celestia!"

"Celestia was going to marry King Gold?" they all exclaimed.

"Apparently. But it wasn't meant to be. You see, Gold was smitten with Juno. His parents were against it since she was only a commoner, but Gold married her anyway. She didn't live as long as Gold and their children, but everyone in Wu Xing still remembers their Kind Queen Juno."

"Land ho!" the lookout from above called.

"Ah, looks like we've arrived!" the ponies gathered at the bow of the boat and marveled at the sight of the land ahead.

"Whoa, what's that!" cried Rainbow Dash, pointing at a wall of water ahead of them, blocking the way into a cove.

"That there's the Sea Wall!" the captain called. "Princess Neptune set that up as a security measure. She'll let us in once we get close and she sees the flags we got!" he said, motioning to the Canterlot flags that decorated the ship and flapped in the wind. Sure enough, as they drew closer to the wall of water, the waters parted just enough to let the ship pass.

As they entered the cove, Sunset spotted something on the shore. She squinted her eyes to get a better look and saw that it was a dark blue pony with flowing, watery hair and a golden trident. Before she could say anything, the pony dove into the water and disappeared. "What was that?" she gasped.

"What is it Sunset?" Twilight asked, coming over to her.

"I thought I just saw…"

"Ah, lucky you! That there was Princess Neptune! She's the second eldest of the Elemental Princesses. She rules all the waters of Wu Xing," the captain explained as he steered the ship into the cove, where all the ponies marveled at the brilliant palace in front of them.

"So what are the other three princesses?" Spike asked.

"Well, after Neptune, there's Princess Jupiter. She rules the skies. You ain't gonna find another pegasus that can outfly her."

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that!" Rainbow Dash boasted in pride as the captain continued.

"The youngest is Princess Terra, who rules the forests. We don't see her as often; she likes the peace and quiet in the woods. Then the eldest one is Princess Vesta. She's in charge of the entire kingdom!" he explained as the boat came to a stop at the docks and ponies worked to secure it.

"Well, we've got a few hours before we're scheduled to meet with Princess Vesta. Maybe we should take a look around the city?" Twilight suggested.

"Oh, that sounds absolutely marvelous, darling! I can't wait to see what kind of fashion styles and jewels they have here!" Rarity dashed off without another word.

"I'll come with you Rarity!" Spike exclaimed, eagerly following after her.

"And I wanna see what kind of desserts they have here!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"I'll come with ya," Applejack said. "Might find some new apple recipes!"

"I think I'll go and see if I can find a park and meet the little critters they have here," Fluttershy whispered.

"What about you Rainbow Dash?" Sunset asked.

"I think I'll fly around the skies for a bit. See if I can find this so-called 'Princess of the Skies'. We'll see which of us is faster! Later!" Rainbow Dash zoomed away, leaving Twilight and Sunset together.

"Well, I guess it's just us!" Twilight smiled and the two ponies began strolling through the city. Eventually, they found themselves in a outdoor bazaar.

"Wow, look at all the things they have for sale here!" Sunset marveled at the sight of all the shops and their wares.

"Silver bangles? Silver bangles?" called a shopkeep, a silver unicorn with dark brown hair and red eyes. He wore a dusty brown cloak that covered most of his body. "Only 50 Yuan!"

"Hey, these are pretty nice," Sunset said, admiring the bracelets.

"Did you make these all yourself?" Twilight asked.

"Every one! I'm a silversmith after all. The name's Revlis. Now, would you two lovely ponies like to take a look at some bracelets?"

They were about to stop and look at the silver bracelets, until Twilight spotted a bookstand a few spots down. "Oh, look a bookstand! Do you mind if I take a look?" she asked Sunset with excited eyes.

"Go ahead, Twilight," Sunset smiled as Twilight dashed off to the book stand. "Sorry about that. She just loves her books. Your bracelets look wonderful!" she said as Revlis waved goodbye. By the time Sunset caught up with her, Twilight had a stack of five books all ready to purchase.

"Oh oh, a history of Wu Xing! I should get one of these as well so I can learn more about the kingdom! How much will that all come to?"

"Let's see, six books, 300 Yuan each, that'll be 1800 Yuan."

"Yuan? Oh, I only have Bits, I'm afraid," Twilight said, rummaging through her bag.

"Oh, we accept Bits as well. In Bits, the price comes to 300."

"Wow, that's still a lot. I don't know if I'll be able to buy all of them," Twilight lamented.

"Maybe you should only get one for now then," Sunset suggested.

"You're probably right," Twilight smiled. "I'll just take The History of Wu Xing please. Huh? What's wrong?" she asked the shopkeeper when she noticed him suddenly gasp and back up.

"M-my apologies," he cleared his throat and stepped back up to the counter back up to them. "But you look just like Princess Vesta!"

"Who? Me?" Sunset asked, pointing to herself.

"Yes, you!"

"R-really?"

"Indeed! The golden coat, the hair like wildfire! Although, you are much smaller and you don't have wings that are on fire, but still, the resemblance is uncanny!" he exclaimed, before turning his attention back to Twilight. "Oh, yes, just 50 Bits then. Thank you, come again!" he waved as the two ponies walked away from the stall.

"Well, that was a little weird," Sunset commented, "I've never even seen what this Princess Vesta looks like."

"It's probably just a coincidence. Tons of ponies have the same color coat and mane!"

"You're probably right," she smiled.

"So, I know you didn't say much when you wrote me telling me you wanted to come back to Equestria. Was there anything you wanted to talk about now that we have a moment alone?" Twilight asked.

"Actually, there is. It wasn't just homesick that I was feeling. I… You were right when I said I needed closure and there's still one thing I need closure with."

"What is it?"

"I want to find my parents."

"Your parents? You mean you don't know where they are?"

"I don't even know who they are, Twilight. Ever since you stopped me as a demon, I had a lot of time to think about why I was so obsessed with power. I was so deep into my obsession that I forgot the reason I wanted to become stronger in the first place. I thought that if I became strong enough with magic, then I'd be able to find my parents, or they'd come and find me!"

"Well, where did you grow up? That might be a good place to start!"

"That's just it. Whatever home I had, I don't remember it! Before I became Celestia's student, I was attending her School for Gifted Unicorns. And before that, I lived in the Canterlot Orphanage. The caretakers there said that I had just wandered into the city on my own. When they asked me where I came from, I… I couldn't even remember! Sunset Shimmer was what the caretakers at the orphanage named me. Whatever name or life I had before I stumbled into Canterlot… I don't know. I just feel like there's something missing inside of me," Sunset sighed, hanging her head.

Seeing this, Twilight put her leg around Sunset's shoulders reassuringly. "Hey, when we're done helping the princesses of Wu Xing, I promise you that we'll dedicate all our time to helping you find your parents!"

"Really?" Sunset perked up.

"Of course! You're our friend, Sunset and we help our friends!"

"Thank you, Twilight, for everything!" Sunset hugged Twilight tightly as the princess returned the hug.

Now, before someone asks, no, I don't intend on drawing Wu Xing. Frankly, I'm not a location artist. It's just not my thing and I'm not going to spend an excessive amount of time describing the location. Again and personally, just not my thing. If I were to describe it, I'd call it an Asian-Roman fusion since the concept behind the princesses is Asian based and they have Roman names.

Sunset's exact origins beyond being Celestia's students have never been fully explored so I'm pretty taking the reigns on that.

Next chapter: The Mane 7 learn about the Shadowlands as they meet the Elemental Princesses.