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“S gsvv, yxmo S mkx mkdmr drosb kddoxdsyx.”
“Here we go,” Samantha announced as she set a basket-plate full of french fries on the table in front of Twilight, “the famous Pragmagic Fries.”
“Pragmagic?” Twilight asked as she took and examined a fry. She popped it in her mouth, chewed, and declared, “Not bad.”
Sam sat down across from Twilight and put her chin in one hand. “They’re a bit more flavorful than most restaurant fries,” she said, “but, really, the only reason they’re famous is because Ash considers them the best thing ever. He talks up these fries every time someone offers him fries from another place, and Gomer’s decided to run with the free publicity. It’s kind of cute.”
Twilight arched an eyebrow. “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard the word ‘cute’ applied to Ash,” she said. “How long have you known the Order-naries, exactly?” she asked.
Sam leaned forward and smiled. “Why,” she said, “I was practically the catalyst for them becoming an official team.”
“Really?” Twilight asked.
“It’s true,” Sam insisted. “I originally came here to Contentle to follow up on the story of how Ash and three local kids – that’d be Ray, Rachelle, and Carmilla of course – saved the library from a deranged anarchist mage. I had the bad luck to discover that that mage was just a pawn in a larger conspiracy, and I got kidnapped and impersonated to lure the M’Dales into a trap. The twins managed to not only get themselves free, but rescued me and fought off one of my kidnappers. That convinced Ash that the M’Dales had potential, so he agreed to mentor them, and then Carmilla decided to tag along, and the Order-naries were born. I’ve been the lead reporter on Order-naries news ever since.” She reached for a fry, but paused when she saw Twilight’s eyes had gone a bit unfocused. “What’s with the look?” Sam asked.
“Huh?’ Twilight said, startled. “Oh, sorry. I’m just straightening names out in my mind. Except for Ash, the Order-naries adopted very different names while they were living in Equestria. If I recall… the twins go by Gold Heart and Soul Mage, so that’s Rachelle and Ray, respectively. Carmilla goes by Gale. Ash extended his name out to Ashen Blaze. I think it’s an extension, anyway.”
Samantha blinked a few times, and then produced a small notebook and pencil from inside her vest and started writing. “Interesting,” she said. “Yeah, here, Ash is just Ash, or ‘Ash the Pragmagic’ when on the job. ‘Ashen Blaze’ does fit with his flair for dramatic names though.”
Twilight chuckled. “I guess it does,” she said.
“So,” Sam said when she finished her notes, “what brings you to Taryn, Twilight?”
“I’m trying to create a direct portal between here and Equestria,” Twilight answered. Sam nodded, started writing again, and was about to ask another question, only for Twilight to beat her to the punch with, “So, you introduced yourself as a reporter, a friend of the Order-naries, and a… wifwulf? What’s a wifwulf?”
“It’s a word Ray M’Dale came up with, which I rather like,” Sam answered, smiling. “It’s from Old Anglish roots: wif meaning woman and wulf being, well, wolf. The common terms are werwulf and lycanthrope, both meaning ‘man-wolf,’ which is more than bit gender-biased. Whatever you call it though, it means I turn into a wolf sometimes.”
“Ah,” Twilight said. “That… explains a lot about the… feeling I’ve been getting from you.”
Sam looked intrigued. “You can… sense my lycanthropy?” she asked. “You must be something special; most people can’t tell a wifwulf from an unturned human unless one’s transforming before their eyes. Speaking of which,” her expression turned sour, “if you want a demonstration, think again. Lycans have a garbage reputation in this country, and the only reason this town tolerates me is because of my connections.”
“I think you’re being a bit unfair, Sam,” said a male voice from the end of the table, startling both Sam and Twilight into tiny squeaks of fright. “Seems to me,” the speaker continued as he snagged several fries from the basket, “every time I step away from Contentle for more than a week or so, I come back to find you’ve charmed another sector of this fair town.” This newcomer was Ash the Pragmagic, a tall man with short-cropped black hair, an outfit consisting of black combat boots, dark pants, and a robe that was cut much shorter in the front than the back, and vivid, piercing green eyes said to strike absolute fear into the soul of any who gazed directly into them. Twilight had never experienced that herself, but the Order-naries and Rarity could all swear to the truth of it. Those eyes swept over Sam and Twilight without quite meeting either of theirs, and then focused on the fries in his hand as he said, chidingly, “Now, Ms. Smith, I believe I asked you to look after Twilight Sparkle, not interview her.”
“I’m not interviewing,” Sam protested, spreading her hands and trying to look innocent. “We were just getting to know one another.”
Ash raised an eyebrow. “You have your little notebook out, Sam,” he said.
Sam folded her arms and pouted. “Fine, you caught me,” she said. “But did you honestly expect me to pass up a chance to dig into one of your untold stories, Ashy?”
Ash chuckled and popped a fry into his mouth. “Point, newshound,” he said.
“How’d you get here so fast, anyway?” Sam asked. “I thought you were in Clara Gaton today, with the county reps.”
“I was,” Ash said lightly, “but when I heard that one of Equestria’s Princesses - and living focus of one of the most powerful forms of magic in the multiverse - had just appeared in center of Contentle, it wasn’t hard to get them to let me excuse myself.” He finished off his fries and folded his arms behind his back. “I still don’t know why they insist on getting my input; I have no interest in the politics of this New Avalon thing.” He turned slightly toward Twilight and smiled. “Give me a good mystery or disaster any day,” he said. “Is that what brought you here, Twilight?” he asked, “Or is this just… oh! You’ve finally made the direct portal between Equestria and Taryn, haven’t you?”
Twilight glanced to the side and gave an embarrassed smile. “Uh, yes and no,” she said. “We’ve managed to figure out how to do it, but the spell has to be cast from here to Equestria.”
Ash blinked. “Then… how?’ he asked, gesturing at Twilight and then the space around the group.
“Blind luck, mostly,” Twilight admitted. “I should probably hurry up, find a good spot for the portal on this end, and cast the… spell…” Her hands moved quickly over her skirt and blouse, searching for something and coming up empty. “Oh no,” she groaned, putting her head in her hands, “I was so excited about finding a way to get here that I forgot to grab the spell formula! Ugh!” She dropped her head from her hands and onto the table.
“Hm,” Ash said, not quite managing to hide an amused smirk. “That would be a problem. Good thing I happen to have a spaceship that can travel between universes.” Twilight raised her head, eyes shining with gratitude. “It’ll take a while, of course,” Ash said, “but-”
“Better than nothing,” Twilight said, surging to her feet.