“Gybbi xyd, Cscdob. S’fo mkeqrd rob, kxn coxd rob grobo cro xoonc dy lo.”
“Sd gkc k xokb drsxq, Lbydrob. S kw cdkbdsxq dy poov… myxmobxon klyed drsc.”
“S’vv gkdmr rob kc sp cro gobo yxo yp wsxo, kc iye rkfo nyxo pyb wo. Rob gsvv sc swzboccsfo.”
“Hey.”
Ah, so hearing came back first this time, Twilight thought sardonically. And coherent thought is a close second.
“Hey, Miss?”
Male voice, Twilight noted as she slowly became aware of her body again, and the feeling of grass under her. He sounds a bit annoyed, or maybe angry. Great. She tried to move, but voluntary motion still escaped her. Well, she thought, I’m sensing fingers and toes instead of hooves, so I’ve gone human again. Feels like I’m wearing clothing too. That’s good.
“Hey, Miss,” the voice said, shifting to a concerned tone, “are you ok?”
Twilight’s sight returned then, and she managed to prop herself up on her elbows as she blinked her eyes into focus. A man in a blue uniform with a matching cap and a shiny shield-shaped badge on the chest was kneeling over her, his tense, blue-eyed face relaxing slightly as he saw her eyes open. “Are you ok, Miss?” he asked again.
“Mostly,” Twilight answered, sitting up properly and getting a good look around. She seemed to be in a small park in the midst of a town or city, and the wall of a large building was directly behind her. Aside from the man – who Twilight realized was probably part of the local police – there was a small crowd of people a short distance away, watching her.
“Good to hear,” the policeman said. “Now, mind telling me what you were doing?”
“Um,” Twilight said. She wasn’t sure how much she should reveal about herself. While the Order-naries were fairly well-known in Equestria, Twilight didn’t know how what information, if any, about Equestria was common knowledge in Taryn. In any case, the police man was a stranger and wouldn’t know Princess Twilight Sparkle from a diamond dog.
Magic, though, Twilight knew from conversations with the Order-naries, was not an uncommon sight in this world. So, the answer she finally gave was, “I was trying a spell, and it didn’t quite work as expected.”
“Oh?” the cop asked. “Can’t say I’m an expert in magic, but popping out of a solid wall seems like something hard to do by accident.”
Twilight stood up and turned around to look at the wall. She reached out to touch it, and found it was as solid and rough as it appeared. “Well,” she said, “I assure you I did not intend to emerge from a wall, of all things. Or end up here, necessarily. I’m not in trouble, am I?” she asked, giving the policeman a worried look.
“No,” the policeman said, “but you did appear unexpectedly, and one of the Avalon Vaults is right below us, so I have to be sure of your motives. You understand, right?”
“Uh, sure,” Twilight said. Although I don’t know what an Avalon Vault is, she added to herself. “I’m trying to track down some friends,” she told the policeman. “They’re a mercenary team called the Order-naries. Have you heard of them by chance?”
The cop blinked, and then started to laugh. “Heard of them?” he exclaimed. “Ma’am, you’re standing in the heart of their hometown, Contentle!” He sobered a little and regarded Twilight with an askance glance. “There are better ways to get in contact with folks like them, you know.”
“Maybe,” Twilight said, casting her gaze down, “but I don’t exactly have the means… Could you help me get in contact with them, officer?”
The cop rubbed the back of his head. “Well,” he said “I’d have to call in to headquarters to get their contact information but-”
“Oh, you don’t need to worry, about that, Officer Graven,” called out a woman who had separated from the onlookers and was typing quickly on a cell phone as she approached. “I’m having a chat with Ash right now.”
“Ms. Smith,” the policeman said, giving the woman a hard look, “you’ve snuck back into town, I see.”
The woman lowered her phone for a moment and returned the cop’s glare. “I’ve been in town for the last two months, sir,” she said, “and a respected member of the press like myself does not ‘sneak’ anywhere. Especially not into this town.” Her phone chimed, she checked it, and then turned to Twilight and asked, “So, wall-girl, what’s your name anyway?”
“I’m Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight answered.
Ms. Smith blinked, then typed away on her phone. After a moment, the phone chimed and, after looking at it, the woman stepped closer and held the phone out to the policeman. “Look at that officer,” she said smugly, “Dear old Ash wants me to look after her until he gets here.”
The cop glowered, but threw up his hands and walked off. “Fine,” he said, “just don’t cause any trouble, understand?”
“Morag,” Ms. Smith muttered, rolling her eyes. She turned back to Twilight and gave her a bare-toothed smile, revealing unusually large canine teeth which, combined with her golden-brown eyes, gave the woman a predatory air. Twilight took a step back, and her fingers tensed as she tried to recall the lessons Ash had given her on Taryn’s weave-style magic. “Don’t worry,” the woman said with a trace of humor, “I don’t bite. Not the good guys at least.” She held out a hand and softened her smile a little. “My name’s Samantha Smith,” she said, “ace reporter for the Unseen Happenings paper, longtime friend of the Order-naries, and proud wifwulf. You can call me Sam.”
Twilight shook the proffered hand and gave the woman a closer look. She was tall, with a more muscular build than Twilight’s concept of the average female human. Her hair was very dark brown, shoulder-length and tied into a ponytail. She was wearing a white button-up blouse under a dressy blue vest and matching slacks. It was a professional-sounding ensemble, but the effect was spoiled by how loosely it all fit on her and that she was wearing scuffed green sneakers with it. Studying her face, Twilight sensed determination and – more importantly – friendliness behind Sam’s wolfish features. Twilight decided that Sam fit in the same category as griffons and Changelings: a little frightening on the outside, but not inherently bad.
“I’m pleased to make your acquaintance, Sam,” Twilight said. “Any friend of the Order-naries is a friend of mine.”
“You took the words out of my mouth,” Sam replied with a laugh. She released the girl’s hand and put her arm around Twilight’s shoulder instead. “Now come with me; Ash’ll be a while, so we have plenty of time to chat and I know the perfect place to do so.”
“Oh,” Twilight said, smiling weakly. “Great.”