//------------------------------// // Ch. 1 // Story: Hexes and Horsepower // by ShadowFall //------------------------------// “Hello? This is Twilight Sparkle speaking.” “Good afternoon, Miss Sparkle. This is Dial Nine calling on behalf of your application to Wendigo Magical Research and Development. How are you doing this fine afternoon?” A smile grew on Twilight’s face as she came to a stop at the red light, her Toyota Corolla feeding her the woman’s voice on the other end through its Bluetooth speakers. “Just fine!” she replied as the light turned green and she eased herself on the pedal. “That’s excellent to hear! Now, we’ve reviewed over your application that you had submitted a month back, and after careful consideration, we have decided to accept you into a starting laboratory intern in our current arcane department.” Everything Twilight had ever worked for had let up to this moment, all the college and grad school, nearly ten years of effort. But it was completely worth it. Dial Nine spoke from her side. “Though your details and resume are extremely promising, we would like for you to get some hands on experience with our organization. Does that sound acceptable?” The faintest of sighs escaped Twilight’s lips. Being the only person out of her friends who studied the mysteries of magic in her world, she was ecstatic when Wendigo Magical Research and Development had come into fruition. A corporation that had also discovered the presence of magic and wished to understand its abilities and mysteries got Twilight even more excited about the future of magical research. However, it seemed that even after every detail she had put into her application, Wendigo MRD still wanted to go the safe route with her, giving her an internship. Nevertheless, as prestigious and advanced as a company they were, she had to accept the chance to join their quest at unlocking the full potential of magic. “That sounds fantastic! Any schedule for me to come in?” Twilight asked as she rounded another corner, driving to where her friends were waiting. “Oh, well… there isn’t a schedule yet, but would Friday next week work for you? I’m sure that you’ll have much to take in and learn, so I’ll try to get you started as soon as possible!” “Friday will work just fine.” Twilight was keeping herself from exploding with joy inside her car in hopes of not freaking out the driver next to her. “Are there any questions you have?” Nine gave the obligatory closing. “Oh, not really. I think I’ll be asking them when I actually get there.” Twilight kept herself humble, not adding about how much research she herself made on the subject and would like to present it to the heads of Wendigo. The call operator probably didn’t want to hear it. “Excellent! We await for you on next Friday.” “I’m looking forward to it!” The call ended, and Twilight suddenly got another incoming call. Unsurprisingly, it was Rainbow Dash. The name “RD” was shown on the touch screen, and quickly gave way to the time counter as she picked up. “Hello?” “Twilight, where the hell are you? We’ve been waiting for half an hour for you to show up!” the familiar raspy voice loudly projected the voice into the car, getting Twilight to dial down the volume quickly after cringing at the sudden burst of noise. “Sorry! I had to run an errand to pick up food for Spike!” she explained, knowing that Rainbow Dash wouldn’t press on the subject too hard if she knew that she was still coming. “Ah, whatever. Speaking of Spike, have you seen Rarity? She’s usually just as punctual as you. What gives?” Rainbow Dash’s voice was continuously cut off by the background noise of screeching car tires, of which she addressed immediately, “Pinkie! Stop doing donuts on the track! I’m on the phone and you’re just destroying your tires!” Twilight couldn’t help but chuckle. Sounds like Pinkie got bored waiting for her and Rarity to show up. “Don’t worry, I’ll be at the track in three minutes and about forty seconds, give or take.” Twilight turned her car onto an off-branching road that was free of intersections and stops, the path to Rainbow Dash’s track. “You know, I’ll time you on that one.” Rainbow Dash laughed on the other end and hung up. Twilight rolled her eyes and blew a raspberry as she advanced upwards along the road, coming over a hill to see the winding ribbon of black asphalt that snaked into a circuit. Garages and other buildings were located near the finish line. Twilight noted four other cars already present. Rainbow Dash’s Mustang GT was in the garage, an abnormality for her machine. The Grabber Blue-painted muscle car was always tearing it up on the track, despite the rather questionable state the asphalt held. If it was indoors, she was probably modifying it in some way. Again. Applejack’s 1989 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck was currently stationary in the rather small and roughly paved parking lot that indicated the condition the track had fallen into before Rainbow Dash had taken it over. The black truck always had dust and dirt swathed over the wheels and sides, the reliable powerhouse chugged on through the decades it had seen ever since it was purchased for Sweet Apple Acres by the late Granny Smith. Fluttershy’s hand-me-down 1994 Burgundy Subaru Outback was sitting in the parking lot as well, the animal carriages that usually sat in the back absent due to the blistering high ninety degree weather. Twilight still had her own objections about Rainbow Dash’s suggestion to get together at the track when the weather report called for a possibility of crawling into the triple digits. Thank god Fluttershy had her day off today. And Pinkie... the spinning car in the middle of the billowing cloud of smoke was unmistakable. The Pink Volkswagon Beetle was tearing it up in circles as usual, its energetic driver never seeming to get bored of donuts. Or dizzy, for that matter. “Come to think of it, I’ve never seen her replace her tires…” Twilight wondered as she parked her Corolla adjacent to Fluttershy’s Outback, and stepped outside. Oh, how she missed the air conditioning already. Nonetheless, the previous phone call with Wendigo MRD did quite the spell to give Twilight an aura of confidence and satisfaction in her step. Sunglasses still on her face, she swung out the door into the garage where Rainbow Dash was leaning down underneath her Mustang. Applejack was on a creeper, asking Rainbow Dash to hand her a wrench. “Oh, Twilight’s here!” Rainbow Dash looked at her stopwatch, “Wow. Two seconds off.” Twilight giggled a bit as she walked in, growing used to the smell of gasoline and grease, “You actually timed me?” Applejack rolled out from underneath the muscle car and swiveled around until she was sitting up. “Glad ya’ could make it, sugercube. Just in the middle of trying to get this kink in RD’s nitro worked out. Rainbow, ah’ swear that ah’ know more about your car than you, and ah’ don’t even own the damn thing!” “You want another beer or not?” Applejack grunted, got onto her back, and slid underneath the car. “So, you’re looking a little proud of yourself. Did ya get the job at Wendigo?” Rainbow Dash was about to crack open a can of beer, but stopped herself before doing so. It appeared that she wanted to go out on the track. “Yeah, actually! Well… more of an internship-” “Oh my god, really?” Rainbow Dash immediately turned her head. Thunk! “Ow, son of a-!” Applejack slid out from under the Mustang, rubbing her head and looking towards Twilight. “Wow, congrats Twi’! They’d be stupid not to hire ya, after all.” Applejack smiled as she wiped the grease off of her forehead, “They called back?” “Yep! They said I’ll go in next Friday for an internship right into their labs. I mean, it’s just an internship.” Twilight sat down on a stool by the workbench of the garage, catching Fluttershy coming into the garage out of the corner of her eye. “Congratulations Twilight, I knew that you’d get in.” Fluttershy was thankfully heard as no power tools were being operated as she spoke up, “Should I tell Pinkie Pie? She’d be ecstatic to hear.” All of a sudden, it was apparent to the girls that the screeching outside of Pinkie’s donuts had stopped, and her VW Beetle was parked neatly in the lot. Twilight gave a smile and braced herself. She was bear-hugged from behind, lifted from the stool from Pinkie’s explosive strength as she screamed in glee, “Omigosh, congratulations Twilight! I can’t believe that you got in! Well, you’re the only one of us that studies magic, so it’s like the perfect match! Like sugar and spice, Gummy and dental appointments, and Twilight getting into that super-duper high tech company that studies the same thing that she does… and parties!” She quickly set Twilight down and pushed her forehead to hers, eyes wide as dinner plates. “I’m throwing a party.” Twilight giggled, a bit uncomfortably yet genuinely, “Of course you are.” Applejack threw aside a dirty rag and set the wrench down on the workbench, “Tell ya’ what Pinkie, ah’ know that next time it was my turn for us to do something, but ah’ think you should throw a party instead of us just hangin’ around the barn and doin’ nothing all day.” “Nothing? But I love shooting your Winchester at the rotten apples!” Pinkie deflated, but instantly rose back up again, “But don’t worry! I’ll throw the biggest party ever! You won’t regret this Applejack!” “Wait a second, hold on. Ya like shootin’ the rifle? Ah’ just brought it out that one time cause’ we were bored and had nothin’ to do at the barn.” Applejack looked back, an eyebrow raised in complete confusion. “Uh-huh!” Pinkie nodded rapidly, and Rainbow Dash also chimed it. “Kinda fun. But not as fun as getting on the track and tearing it up!” Rainbow Dash patted her Mustang’s hood, “Too bad none of you really got anything to compare.” Then, the door opened again, and a familiar lady in a white designer shirt and black pants walked in, her signature and very well styled violet hair at a short hairstyle. After all, short was the new long. “Hello girls! I’m so sorry that I’m late!” Rarity waved to the others waiting for her. “Rarity!” Pinkie came up and hugged another dear friend of hers, “We thought you wouldn’t make it today! You would have missed hearing that Twilight got into Wendigo!” Rarity gasped, “Oh. My. God! Forget for a minute what I brought, from the deepest depths of my heart, congratulations Miss. Sparkle! There was no doubt that a company as prestigious as them would let you in with open arms.” Twilight pulled her hair lightly and bit her lip, her face turning a bit red, “Okay, I think that’s everyone who wants to thank me. Like I said, it’s just an internship! An internship at the research firm that studies and wants to understand magic for us all to advance in co-existence with it…” “There is no need to be overly humble about it!” Rarity batted her eyes and embraced Twilight, “This is such a huge accomplishment!” “Alright, anyone else here need to congratulate me?” Twilight chuckled as she looked back at her friends. “Congratulations-” “Oh hush up, Rainbow.” Applejack smiled and shook her head as she cracked open her beer can, “Anyways, you were tellin’ us about some sort of ‘surprise’, Rarity? Not to be rude or anything, ah’ just don’t think it’s gonna compare to Twilight gettin’ into Wendigo, ya know?” Rarity shrugged, “Maybe not. But it is something that might get Miss Dash to put her money where her mouth is.” Rainbow Dash cracked a smile, “Really? In what way?” “You always say that nothing we have can compare to your Mustang, of course.” At this, Rainbow Dash immediately took a lot more interest in Rarity’s surprise, as did the rest of her friends, “You sure about that? What are you packing, a Lamborghini out there?” “You may be let down at first, but you’ll eat those words like a fresh out of the kitchen coq a vin.” Rarity motioned for her friends to come outside. “Cock-a-what?” Rainbow Dash blanked. “French dish of chicken braised with wine, lardons, and mushrooms. Speaking of European…” Rarity walked out of the door, followed by her eager and curious friends to see what was parked out in the front. Standing out like a un-sore thumb against a sore parking lot was Rarity’s new car, an imported Jaguar XJ. The luxury car had a crisp dark blue paint job, free of imperfections. The girls were amazed in their own rights, particularly Rainbow Dash who took no pause to lift her palm over her forehead to peer through the window. “Aw, it doesn’t have the pop-out wine table? I was sure that if you’d get a Jag, it’d have that.” Rainbow Dash turned after she could see Rarity join the window’s reflection. “No, Rainbow Dash. That was the thirty model limit exclusive back in 2013 that was over a hundred and fifty thousand dollars. And besides, it was far overpriced for what it really had to offer.” Rarity crossed her arms and looked over her new set of wheels, “But mind you, this is no ordinary XJ. A friend of mine from Britain, Red Velvet, wanted to get me one after I had collaborated with her on a fashion line. I couldn’t let her just pay for it just like that, of course. But when I saw the car she picked out, I just had to have it.” Rarity giggled, “Too bad not even being a lead fashion designer at age twenty eight can get you an Aston Martin One-77. But nevertheless, a seventy-five thousand dollar investment should more often look as gorgeous as this.” “It’s so fancy…” Fluttershy peered in and glazed her eyes over the beige interior. “Yeah, fancy as this is, I don’t think it’s gonna have a chance against my souped up baby in the garage. No offense, it’s a really sweet car.” Rainbow Dash crossed her arms and looked over to Rarity with a half-smug, half-doubtful expression. “Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure. It’s had its fair share of tuning.” Rarity swiveled back and matched Rainbow Dash’s look. “Tuning? I don’t even think you know what that word means if you think you can think that’s gonna beat me. Honestly, I’d hate to see the thing get dirty.” Rainbow Dash was about to open a can of beer before Rarity interjected. “How about we prove it? I got the right tires, even brought my own neck brace and helmet so I don’t have to borrow one of your sweaty ones.” Rarity placed her hand over the hood of the Jag. Dash put the beer can down, “Alright. Looks like you came here to race. Who am I not to give you one?” “Excellent.” Rarity opened the door to her Jaguar, and waved back at Rainbow Dash as the engine started up, a solid purr emanating from the hood of the car, “Don’t be too surprised, dear.” Rainbow Dash snorted and smiled as Rarity’s car started to roll out towards the track, “Is the nitro fixed, AJ?” “Yep. And just as Rarity had arrived too. Been meanin’ to tell ya.” Applejack pointed back to the garage. Rainbow Dash grinned back, her smugness as dense as diamonds, “Perfect.” The wreckage shifted, metal lifting to reveal an arm rise from the carcass of the armored truck. Fire licked the vehicle from the gasoline spilling down the side of the overturned mass of metal. The door came open, and a man emerged from the slag and flames. “Urgh…” he grunted as he clambered up through the door, then stood on top of the side-stricken vehicle. He looked ahead on the road to find the silhouette of his escort disappearing over the hill, riding away as if nothing had happened. Reaching back inside of the cabin, he slung his ACR rifle and squinted down the scope of the gun. Just as the crosshair came over the motorcycle, it vanished over the hill. Gone from the scorching desert in front of him. A brilliant execution, he had to admit. Explosives placed both within the cargo chamber of the armored truck to destroy the machinery inside, and a large swath lined within the interior of the truck, just above the back right wheel. No one would have known. His escort did the inspection. Full Metal Jacket took a glance back at the unconscious driver, the poor soul tossed and turned during the time the truck had gone airborne, and then back at where the motorcycle was supposed to be. No point in tracking the escort right now. Full Metal Jacket’s ride had been immobilised and the rider would have had the brain to remove their tracking device. He thumbed his radio, “Aurora, this is FMJ. The arcanic stabilizer’s been destroyed.” He hefted the rifle over his shoulder as he glared back at the hill which the motorcycle escaped over. “But that’s gonna be the least of our problems.”