Hello, fellow readers! Welcome to another story, though this one is a request by retro mania. He came to me with a simple idea, or rather a couple of ideas, for an EG story. After some discussion, we settled on his request of a retelling of the first EG movie.
I know what you're thinking, how is this different? Well, his suggestion of this retelling involves one major plot change:
What if the Mane Six went together to the human world?
Instead of the human counterparts helping Twilight, the group go together to retrieve her crown. If you're wondering how this will work, I can have said human counterparts be somewhere else at the time, which I'll explain sooner or later. I have my own idea to help this work coherently, so I hope it comes out good enough.
With that said, let's do this!
Prologue: Royal Problems
The train arrives at the Crystal Empire, the sun setting over the horizon as the Mane Six enter the city. Spike was leading the way when Applejack spoke:
"Woo wee, your first Princess Summit. You must be over the moon, Twilight."
"I am excited. Though honestly, I'm a bit nervous." The new princess admits.
"You're nervocited!" Pinkie clarifies before showing what she means, "It's like you wanna jump up and down while yelling 'Yay me!', while you also wanna curl up into a tinny tiny ball and hide at the same time!"
After uncurling from her ball form, which had robotic sounds for some reason, she then tries to comfort her friend with a small pat:
"We've all been there!"
"I can relate..." Fluttershy adds.
"Well, you got no reason to fret about it." Applejack assures, "Everything will go just-"
"TWILIGHT!" Rarity suddenly slides near her upon realizing something, "Sorry, but I just noticed you're not wearing your crown! You didn't leave it back at the library, did you!?"
"It's in my bag." Twilight casually said, which Spike confirms by patting her bag.
"Oh, good."
"I just feel a bit self-conscious wearing it." Twilight adds before unfurling her wings, "I've still yet to adjust to these, on top of my new status."
She tries to lift off the ground by flapping them, to no success. She falls to the ground before Rainbow helps her up:
"Just give it time. Watch, you'll be soaring through the sky with yours truly before you know it!"
"And your new status won't change how we feel about ya." AJ chimes in, which the others agree with.
Twilight was a bit relieved to hear that before seeing the sun reach the horizon, "Oh! We better get to the princesses!"
They pick up the pace as they soon reach the crystal castle, but she still had a lingering feeling on what's to come.
After letting the guards take their stuff to their respective rooms, the group immediately head to the throne room. Upon reaching the doors, they open to reveal two rows of guards going down the room, all blowing into a horn that plays a rather triumphant tune. They enter to greet the three princesses, who were waiting at the throne as the tune soon ends.
"Twilight!" Princess Cadance was the first to greet them, "I haven't seen you since the coronation!"
"Sorry for being a tad late, the train was a bit behind schedule." Twilight said.
"It's quite all right." Princess Celestia assures her, "We have much to discuss before the Summit, which can wait until tomorrow."
"Rather fitting that a full moon will herald such an event." Princess Luna said mainly to herself, "And yet..."
Fluttershy overheard her words and couldn't help but ask, "Is something wrong, Princess Luna?"
"My apologies, just talking to myself. I recommend you all get your rest, you'll need it for tomorrow."
"I second that notion." Princess Celestia agrees, "Now off to bed, all of you."
The group didn't mind, as it was a long trip there, so they did just that.
The sun sets completely before the moon came out, its light shining down upon the empire as Twilight was unpacking her bag. Spike finishes making his bed before noticing her put on her crown and seeing her reflection with uncertainty:
"What's wrong, Twilight?"
"I... don't really know, Spike. I guess I'm just worried." She admits.
"How so?"
"It's just that, Princess Cadance was given the Crystal Empire to rule over. Since I'm a princess now, I'm thinking Princess Celestia expects me to run a kingdom of my own."
"That would be awesome!" Spike exclaims, even getting up on his tail in excitement.
Though this was the opposite of her reaction, "No, it wouldn't!"
She then walks over to her bed, levitating her crown onto the stand next to it as she continues:
"Just because I have this crown and these wings doesn't mean I'll be a great leader."
She hops onto her bed as Spike tries assuring her, "I'm sure you will, Twilight. Now come on, we need some shut-eye. We have a big day ahead of us."
Twilight climbs into bed as he walks over, turning off the lamp before going into his own bed. Relaxing into a comforting sleep, it wasn't long before he hears Twilight struggling with something:
"Can't, Tuck-!" Turns out, her wings were fully unfurled against her will. Try as she might, she can't furl them back:
"Just trying to get comfortable!"
It took some effort, but she manages to get a position to sleep in. Though that wasn't enough as they sprung out again, much to her annoyance:
"Ugh!"
Deeper into the night, the entire castle was silent as its residents were sound asleep. Except for one night guard, who was surveying the premises on guard duty. Unbeknownst to him though, they had an unexpected visitor.
The storage doors were unlocked by a unicorn's magic before quietly opening, where the intruder watches from as they waited for the guard to go. Once he did, they snuck past him and down the halls towards their destination. It did take a little bit, as they silently open and close each door they came upon to find it.
Opening yet another door, they found the new princess's room upon seeing the crown they seek. Their eyes focused on it as they snuck over, slowly levitating it up-
TINK
They quickly caught the lamp they accidently knocked over in their magic, but it was enough to leave them on edge. It was then they notice the small dragon sleeping nearby, who was still sound asleep, and turns to see the princess doing the same. Their mistake fortunately didn't wake them.
Placing said lamp back on the stand, she then swaps the crown for an exact duplicate and places the latter on said stand. Putting the real crown in her satchel, she turns to make her exit...
Only to suddenly trip on the dragon's tail.
Her fall was loud enough to wake the two, making said dragon look around in surprise. The princess wakes with a yawn and looks to see a hooded silhouette, seeing their satchel containing her crown!
"My crown! She got my crown!"
Her voice alerts the intruder, making them run for it as the two quickly gave chase.
"Stop, thief!" Twilight's call was enough to wake the others, "She got my crown!"
Soon enough, the thief found themselves getting chased by the group down the halls. Twilight tries outsmarting said thief by teleporting in their path:
"STOP!"
She then sees a magic aura, one from a horn before the thief also teleports to evade her. The cloak was left behind, landing on her as the thief reappears and runs ahead. She quickly rips said cloak off before giving chase again, right around the time the group were catching up.
The thief reveals themselves as a female unicorn, who briefly turns to see her chasers and tries speeding up. Twilight speeds up without her realizing, almost reaching her crown before it was slowly moving out of her reach. In a desperate attempt to stop her, she tackles the thief down, slamming the two of them into the storage room.
The impact was enough to knock the crown out of the satchel, right into a magical mirror! Twilight just saw it happen as the thief saw the glow, the latter smirking before the former questions her:
"Where did my crown go!?"
"Sorry it had to be this way..." The thief then teleports again, reappearing near the mirror before finishing in a mocking tone:
"Princess."
She then jumps into the mirror, disappearing before their eyes as the group caught up to them. They were in shock at what just transpired before somepony said something, who happens to be Fluttershy:
"Who was that?"
"I-I wish I knew. I don't recognize who that pony was." Twilight answers.
"We better get the princesses fast!" Rainbow demands, which the others unanimously agree.
It didn't take too long as they rendezvous at the throne room, where they met with said princesses. Twilight kept her story short as they listen intently, only getting a reaction after she finishes it. Princess Celestia closes her eyes before speaking:
"She finally returned, but why like this?"
"Do you know who it was, princess?" Spike asks her.
"...Yes. The pony you described was a former student of mine, Sunset Shimmer."
The name didn't ring a bell for any of them, which Celestia goes on to clarify why:
"Before Twilight attended the School of Gifted Unicorns, there was another student I saw great potential in and decided to take as my protege. She was able to learn and master every spell she put her mind to, surpassing all of her fellow classmates in a short time."
"You've never mentioned her before..." Twilight tries recalling such a memory.
"Yes, for my own reasons. But unlike you, she fell into a darker path. With her magical prowess, she grew more ambitious by the day until she believed that she was worthy of becoming a princess. Despite her demands, she lacked the discipline and disregarded the responsibility of what a princess is about. Then one day... she disappeared. I found out she last was seen entering the mirror, where a parallel world lies."
The group took some time to proceed her story before Spike asks one question:
"Do you know what's inside that mirror?"
"Unfortunately, I lack the knowledge of what lies beyond. Although, it's clear you all will know more about it than even me and Luna."
"What do you mean?" Twilight wonders.
"Come, we'll explain after we prepare." Luna assures them as the three princesses lead the way.
After prepping their satchels for the trip, they meet up in the storage room as Luna begins to explain the mirror:
"This mirror is actually a gateway to another world, one that opens once every thirty moons. It's always been kept in the storage room of Canterlot Castle, but we moved it here for Princess Cadance to watch over instead."
"I've always hoped that Sunset would return, to come back and seek my guidance again. Unfortunately, that isn't the case..." Celestia laments.
"Twilight, you must go into this other world and retrieve your crown." Cadance informs them, "Without it, the other Elements will lack the necessary power to defend Equestria from future threats."
Twilight steps forward as Luna adds to that, "Your crown does not belong in the world Sunset now calls home. In her hooves, she'll most likely use it to rule over the inhabitants of that world, and they won't be able to even defend themselves..."
Celestia places her student's satchel on her student as she asks the important question:
"Do you understand the importance of your task?"
"Of course." Twilight didn't hesitant with her answer, which Celestia was glad to hear as the others group around Twilight.
"Good. We will guard Equestria for the time being while you're there. I wish you all the best of luck." She finishes.
They nod at her assuring words before Luna gives them a serious warning, "Remember, your time is limited. You have until the end of the third day, when the moon reaches it peak, to make it back here in time. Otherwise, the portal will close and it'll be another thirty moons until it opens again."
"Don't worry, we'll be back before you know it!" Rainbow assures them, "Right, girls?"
"Right." Twilight answers in their stead.
Pinkie was shaking in anticipation, "Ooh, I'm so nervocited!"
"You do know that's not an actual word, right?" AJ points out.
Twilight leads them towards the mirror, where she places a hoof on the glass surface. Unlike normal mirrors, it ripples like water upon contact as she pulls away. After a deep breath, she enters with her friends in tow. Spike was supposed to stay with the princesses, but he couldn't stand the idea of them possibly being stuck in another world.
Without him realizing it, his legs ran towards the mirror at full speed. Despite the princesses calling out his name, he enters the portal to follow his friends. Unbeknownst to them all, the other world was unlike anything they expect it to be...
Opening her eyes, Twilight felt her body laying on concrete as a ladybug crawls on by. She slowly pushes herself up and blinks to regain her vision, looking around to find her friends nearby. Or what she believes to be her friends.
"Uh, Twilight?" She recognizes the voice as she looks around again:
"Spike? You're not suppose to-" She stops herself upon seeing a puppy, who's color scheme resembles the baby dragon:
"Spike? W-Why are you a puppy?"
Looks like he didn't realize that upon looking at himself, "I-I don't know. But, I have no idea what you are."
She raises her hooves to see what he means, only to find... arms? Claws?
Her mind wasn't able to proceed this, making her freak out. Her scream was enough to wake the others as they also notice their new forms. They were more confused if anything as Twilight eventually stops her scream short. Spike wasn't too concerned about his form either, even casually itching his ear as Twilight continues examining her body:
"What are these!?"
"Hands and fingers." A brand new voice answers.
The group turn to where they heard it, seeing someone standing next to a horse statue. They weren't sure what to do as he took the silence to speak:
"Don't worry, I'll answer your questions soon. First, let's get you up to speed on your new bodies."
The girls were hesitant before Spike makes a good point, "We need all the help we can get."
Twilight eventually agrees before she looks to their new ally, "We appreciate your help, but do you mind telling us your name first?"
Getting a better look at him, he had pale light amber skin and dark green hair under a black beanie with white accents. Said hair was long enough to reach his ears, with bangs parted around his right eye, where said eyes were magenta lilac in color. He wore a brown jacket over a magenta t-shirt, green pants and brown sneakers.
"Shade Scintilla. What about you all?" The girls went one by one:
"I'm Twilight Sparkle, and this is Spike."
"Rainbow Dash."
"Pinkie Pie."
"Applejack."
"Rarity."
"F-Fluttershy."
He gives them a small smile in response, "Nice to meet you all. Now, let's get the basics done."
They did just that, which was a process. Shade was hoping it wouldn't take an entire day, but the girls managed to figure it out in about an hour. Once that was out of the way, he escorts them to the soccer field to answer their questions, starting with the obvious:
"What do you know about us?" Twilight wonders as she and the girls sat down.
"And how did you know we're not from around here?" Spike adds after taking his seat.
"The answer to both is very little." Shade admits, "A friend of mine told me to do a favor for him, and it was this. I ask him about it, and I got no answer. So here I am helping you guys when I figured it out. You must be reinforcements."
"Reinforcements? For what?" Rainbow repeats.
"Tell me, are you familiar with Sunset Shimmer?" They were surprised at the name drop, which was an answer in itself.
Pinkie then spoke up, "Wait, so what you're saying is that you think we will help you take on Sunset?"
"That's what I guess, yes." Shade answers, "I'm part of a little group who want to knock that girl off her little throne."
"While Ah like the idea of us having help here, this is still kinda suspicious." Applejack points out, which is understandable as Rarity agrees:
"I can understand that darling, but what else can we do? We don't know anything about this other world."
Fluttershy then realizes something, "How did your friend know about us?"
"That's what I asked him and he gave no answer. I get your skepticism though, so here's my proof."
Shade then pulls out a device they didn't recognize and shows what appears to be a message board. They read the exact words he quoted earlier, where they learn the name of the friend who sent it:
Someone named 'Contour Luster'.
Either way, it was enough to let them go with the flow for now. Shade puts his phone back in his pocket as he spoke:
"I texted my friends about the situation earlier and they agreed to meet up at the Sweet Shoppe. Come on."
He leads the way for them as they headed there, the girls' minds now curious if the boy is telling the truth. One way to find out.
They soon enter the midtown district, seeing more people walking the shops and motorized vehicles going through the streets. The girls and Spike were taking in the sights until Shade stops, revealing their destination:
"Here we are. Oh, best to keep Spike close." He warns, picking up the pup and gives him to Fluttershy.
He then opens one of the doors, letting the ladies go in first. They took a look around and found a group of boys sitting near the corner of the shop. They were a bit hesitant before Shade assures them:
"That's them. Don't be shy now."
He walks on over as they follow, where the group of boys gives a warm greeting and introduce themselves:
"Ya'll must be the otherworld girls. Welcome to the Shadowolves, name's Stylite Stream." One greets while tilting his cap a bit before pointing to who's who, "You already know Shade. This is Levin Reed, Visor Chevalier, Ventus Vivacity, and finally my brother Pixel Stellar."
Stylite has long violet hair that reaches his shoulders, white highlights on the edges and tied in a ponytail with loose bangs framing his face. Said hair compliments his royal blue eyes and light gold skin. An interesting detail they noticed was his scars, a small one on his right brow and a long one on his right cheek. His attire was a black fitted cap, a violet t-shirt under a blue jean hoodie, black fingerless gloves, blue denim pants, and black sneakers with purple laces.
Levin has black hair with sapphire streaks, the full length reaching his neck, that's styled in pulled-back spikes with a few loose bangs. The streaks match his equally sapphire eyes and light tangelo skin. He wore a pair of rectangular-framed goggles on his head, likely custom made, and a black wristwatch on his right wrist. His attire consists of a black zipped-up hoodie, with sleeves rolled up to the elbows, over a blue short-sleeved shirt, green pants and black converse.
Visor has crimson red unkempt hair that reaches his ears and has orange highlights on the edges, silver eyes and pale light amaranth skin. He wore a black t-shirt under a red orange-accented hoodie that's zipped up to his shirt collar, where he has a pair of sunglasses with dark red frames and black lens. Completing the look is black pants and red sneakers, the latter having orange accents and laces.
Ventus has short sliver hair in a faux-hawk style, orange amber eyes and pale light gamboge skin. He wore a white t-shirt under a gray zipped-up jacket, where he had a pair of custom black gloves in one of the pockets. Completing said look is black denim pants and gray running shoes.
Pixel has wavy unkempt golden blonde hair with bangs reaching his eyebrows, vermilion red eyes and pale amber skin. He wore a pair of thin rectangular-framed glasses, a gold t-shirt under a gray zipped-up hoodie, gray cargo pants and gold sneakers.
After hearing their group name, Spike couldn't help but wonder aloud:
"The 'Shadow Wolves'? What's that?"
That got their attention as they stare in surprise and awe. The girls weren't surprised at such a reaction as Ventus spoke:
"We now believe ya'll from another world." The boys nod in agreement.
"Told ya." Shade casually said with a smirk.
From here, the two groups sat down and discuss the current matters. The main topic was Sunset Shimmer, who the boys explain what she's been like over here. The school they were at is her 'castle' of sorts, ruling with an iron fist and making sure things go her way. Specifically, she wins every dance to be crowned princess, believing it's some kind of power over others.
The girls tell them about her stealing Twilight's crown and bringing it to their world. Not only did Twilight recently become a princess, but it was also the main source of the Elements of Harmony. In layman's terms, a very powerful magical artifact.
"Looks like we do have a common goal." Stylite summarizes from all that before Rarity points out something:
"Hold on one moment. If Sunset has the crown, wouldn't she be using it by now?"
"Funny you mention that." Levin spoke up to answer, "From what we gathered, she's likely the one who stole the crown that they use for the Fall Formal dance. This morning, someone found it and returned it to the school. Most likely, your crown might be what they found."
Twilight then recalls the false crown, "That explains the switch..."
"So how are we gonna get it back then?" Rainbow questions, "I doubt we can just walk in and tell them the truth. We'd look crazy!"
"Well, there's another way." Pixel brings up, "And what better way than to beat the queen at her own game?"
The boys smirk at the idea as the girls were kinda curious, though Spike points out the obvious:
"And how are we gonna do that?"
"It's gonna take some time to set up. Before we do that, best we gave you girls the tour." Visor answers.
With that said, the groups then left the cafe to head back to the school. Twilight wasn't entirely sure how this came to be, but she is grateful that they gained allies in this other world so soon. The way it came about though... whoever this 'Contour Luster' is, he seems to be friendly as evident from his group. But one question lingers in her mind:
How did he know about their arrival?
And done! So that's the general idea of how this story will go. I'm taking out most of the high school cliches as they didn't add anything to the original. And as you can guess, with the human counterparts out, I decided to put in my own OCs to help out the Mane Six. I kept the beginning mostly the same as it's the incident to kick the plot off, with some added details here and there.
With that said, thanks for reading and I'll see you next chapter!
