//------------------------------// // Painting the town // Story: The Demon of Canterlot City // by Amadeus cancer //------------------------------// "I already told you, love is a luxury you can't afford. Not anymore. The Beast is coming, and its ravenous, unstoppable." _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Canterlot City, Larson Square. Friday The city of Canterlot buzzed with noise. Flashy neon billboards advertised their selective stores, people wandered the streets for work/tourism, and cars whizzed by like flies. It was a perfect day for many to simply relax and enjoy the day. For others, it was a time for celebration regarding the end of yet another stressful week of school. One such person was none other than high school student Lyra Heartstrings, who had just escaped the grueling clutches of her CHS math exam and was currently headed towards Larson Square in order to meet up with her BFF, the both of them having a whole evening of fun planned just for the two of them. Humming a catchy tune, the mint-colored girl casually sidestepped the many other pedestrians in her way while skipping cheerfully, her mind already zipping with ideas of what her and Bon Bon would do for the day. Maybe they could go to the arcade and win a giant prize, or maybe they could go to that new sandwich shop the Crystal prep students talked so fondly about. Oh! Or instead, they could take a nice long stroll through Scorpan park and gaze at the beautiful nature. She giggled to herself, the opportunities were endless. Reaching a stoplight, she stopped to wait for the signal to cross. After about a minute, she peered away from the light and towards her surroundings, when she eventually looked down the street and saw her. Sitting on a bench next to the Canterlot amphitheater, was Bon Bon, currently staring down at her phone with a semi-bored expression on her face. Smiling widely, Lyra gasped and nearly toppled over the people next to her as she bolted down the crosswalk once she saw the signal to cross, running quickly to her friend at near light speed. In about two seconds flat, Bon Bon was beyond startled when a force collided into her. The shock faded immediately once she felt a pair of slender arms engulf her into a bear hug, the familiar squeal of Lyra calming her sudden nerves and causing her to smile. “BEST FRIEND!” Bon Bon placed her phone down and turned her torso as best she could in order to return the hug, her face squishing into Lyra as she let out her own squeal of joy. Ignorant of the confused staring of passersby’s, the two old friends continued to hug before eventually releasing their respective grips as Lyra held out her hand to help pull the other girl up to her feet. Gratefully accepting the offer, Bon Bon grabbed the other’s hand and stood, a Cheshire grin growing ever so wide. “Guess what!?” Bon Bon began. “I heard there’s this new place next to the dinner theater where they have these new silly strings where…” Before she could finish, Lyra smiled while blurting out the rest of Bon Bon’s sentence. “It reminds you of the cake you had on your 12th birthday?” Gasping, Bon Bon widened her eyes while nodding her head. “Exactly! Where Pinkie Pie gave me…” “…Those blue binoculars!?” “Yes! Just like…” “That camp party two years ago!” “That camp party two years ago!” Both girls exclaimed with excitement, before laughing with joy. Putting each of their respective arms around the other’s shoulder, they continued giggling while strutting away from the bench and down the sidewalk. “You know me so well!” Bon Bon chuckled. “You know me so well!” Lyra countered, her mood skyrocketing to abnormal heights. Walking down the road, the two girls made their way to their destination, when they soon passed an alleyway, where Bon Bon suddenly stopped in her tracks, forcing Lyra to hit the brakes. Raising an eyebrow, Lyra turned her head towards her friend, confused at the other teen’s sudden halt. Bon Bon on the other hand peered at the alleyway, her expression deep in thought, before she looked back at her friend with a smile. “Hey, I think I know this alleyway!” She exclaimed. “This may be a shortcut!” Lyra stared back at Bon Bon, before tipping her head to look down the alley. Between the buildings was a lone small street, dark shadows blocking most of the evening sun and large dumpsters laying next to the concrete walls, making it seem rather claustrophobic to the naked eye. At the end, she could see the light on the other end, where she could barely see the street, looking miles away. Swallowing nervously, Lyra looked back at her friend, speaking in a hesitant voice. “U-uh, are you sure?” Noticing Lyra’s discomfort, Bon Bon gripped her friend’s shoulder tighter, smiling warmly. “Hey.” She spoke smoothly. “It’s okay, I know this part of town. It’s pretty docile, trust me.” Lyra blinked before looking back down the alley, gulping nervously before giving a shaky smile. She trusted Bon Bon with her life. And the cream-colored teen had yet to disappoint her. Shaking her head in affirmation, she walked along with her friend as they turned to walk down the small alley. Once the two of them entered the tight space, both were immediately covered in the dark shadows as they made their way down. Lyra scanned the surrounding area, nervousness growing. The seemingly harmless dumpsters seemed so big in the darkness, looking like big mountains instead of metal bins, and the back windows of the buildings appearing tall and imposing. As they pressed forward, Lyra nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard glass crash sound off behind her. Whipping around, she almost fainted on the spot when she saw a large rat scurry from one end of the alley to another, squeaking loudly as it hid underneath a cardboard box. She stared at the spot where she saw the small mammal silently shaking in fear. Bon Bon frowned at the sight of her terrified friend, before bringing a hand up to the mint-haired girl’s chin, gently pulling it so Lyra could meet her soft gaze. “Hey, hey, hey, look at me.” The scared eyes of Lyra gazed into Bon Bon’s, her fear clearly evident. “It’s okay Lyra.” Bon Bon coaxed. “I’m right here okay. Don’t worry, I’ll never let anything happen to you.” Lyra’s shaking decreased slightly once she saw the calm protectiveness in Bon Bon’s eyes, making her give an unsure smile. Once she saw the other girl’s fearful expression slightly fade, Bon Bon nodded before turning around, sliding her hand down to meet her friend’s palm in a comforting grasp as she began walking again. Tightening her grasp, Lyra followed her friend while shuffling close. After a few minutes of walking, before Bon Bon spoke once more. “Look at that!” The cream-colored girl exclaimed from behind her shoulder. “We’re halfway there.” Sighing in relief, Lyra smiled as she quickened her pace, ready to get out of this dark, scary place. Unfortunately, it seemed her sudden found happiness was misplaced, as no sooner had Bon Bon spoken, when a shadow seemingly morphed from an unseen corner of the alley a few feet in front of the girls and stood in the middle of the street. Both teens halted, eyes widening as a gravelly voice broke out. “Evening ladies.” Lyra watched in pure terror as the figure walked forward in their direction, a deep chuckle filling the air. Clutching her friend’s shoulders with her free hand, Lyra slowly shuffled backwards, as Bon Bon glared ahead. “It seems like today must be my lucky day.” The figure, an adult man by the sound of his voice, continued, as he seemed to pull something out of what could only be a jacket. A small shing could be heard as he pulled out a large hunting knife, which appeared large and massive in the dark. Now fully terrified to even so much as speak, Lyra, not sure what to do, looked back over her shoulder to see the other end of the alley in which they had entered, which now looked very, very far away. Bon Bon backed up alongside her scared friend, her eyes locked onto the opposing man. “We don’t want any trouble.” She spoke calmy, yet affirmative. “We just want to get to the other side.” The man let out a quick laugh, twirling the blade in his fingers. “Oh, what a shame, because I do. See, there’s a price for crossing this way.” Bon Bon glowered, bringing a hand back in order to protect her friend from any potential danger. “Which is?” she questioned. Coming closer, Lyra watched as he stepped into a spot of light that the sun had set through the darkness, and it was there where she could barely see a portion of his features. He seemed to be sickly pale, with stringy, unkept hair and a stained five o’clock shadow on his chin. What’s more, she could also just make out a collection of deep, big bruises marring his face, almost as if someone had gone to town on him with punches. Opening his mouth to show a row of yellow teeth, he raised his weapon dangerously with glee before answering. “A life. You and your little girlfriend’s to be exact.” Lyra paled as Bon Bon stepped back even further while guarding her friend, bringing up a fist to block any future attack and glaring at the evil man, not daring to show any sign of submission. Lyra closed her eyes as she waited for the inevitable, terrified for Bon Bon’s life, as well as her own. This was supposed to be a day of fun, why did this have to happen now?! “Hey asshole.” All three froze at the new voice, two out of relief and one out of frustration. Lyra opened her eyes to see the mugger groan in anger before slowly turning around to face the newcomer, obviously annoyed from being interrupted from his work. Once he turned, the teens saw a second figure right behind their attacker, his body cloaked in the shadows as he stared down at the other man. Through her fear, Lyra raised her brows. Last she checked, there’d only been just the three of them here, where’d this new guy come from? She hadn’t even heard or seen him approach from behind. Not that she was speaking against aid. Arms folded; the new stranger spoke again in a cocky voice. “Why don’t you piss off and leave those two alone.” The mugger in question sneered as he brought his knife back down to his sides, Bon Bon ushering the terrified girl further behind her back while carefully watching the whole ordeal. The mugger growled like a rabid animal and pointed his weapon at the other man. “Why don’t you go save a kitten in a tree and mind yer own business, boy. Can’t you see I’m busy?” The newcomer tipped his head to look towards the two girls behind his enemy before bringing his attention back to the attacker and scoffed. “Yeah, busy, right. I bet you’re real proud of yourself for threatening kids buddy.” The mugger tightened his grip on his weapon to where Lyra thought he was going to break its handle until he stalked towards his enemy, seemingly forgetting his two other easy victims. “First that little red-haired bitch, now this.” He snarled. “Can’t a guy get a break in this city? I’m really getting sick of insects disrupting my work.” The newcomer seemed to let out a bark of laughter, his tone mocking, yet still with a bite of aggression. “Well, if you suck at this so much, how about you just get an actual job then? How’s about a receptionist? You seem like the type to enjoy people’s company.” Without warning, Lyra watched in fear as the mugger let out a roar and charged forward, his knife raised over his shoulder while he barreled towards the teens’ supposed savior. Reaching the other man, the mugger swiped down and was about two seconds away from plunging his knife into the younger man’s skull, when quicker than light, his enemy ducked and sent a defensive knee strike into his attacker’s stomach, causing the sickly man to let of a loud grunt of pain and dropped his weapon. Before anyone could understand what had happened, Lyra’s savior brought up a fist which began to spark a brilliant bright blue and swinging it towards the back of the would-be mugger’s head, sending him to the floor. Once he hit the concrete ground the mugger went stock still, going seemingly unconscious. For a few seconds all was quiet. Lyra let out a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding and visibly relaxed, still clutching onto Bon Bon’s shoulder. Supposedly hearing her, the savior lifted his head to finally look back at the two females, before slowly walking towards them. Seeing this, Bon Bon unconsciously shielded Lyra again until she heard the man speak. “Are you two alright?” He questioned, keeping his distance from them to try and ease their current stress. Hearing the concern in his voice, Bon Bon slowly lowered her defenses while keeping an eye on him. “We’ll live. Thanks for that.” She uttered, close to letting out her own sigh of relief. The man nodded silently, seemingly satisfied with her answer. From behind Bon Bon, Lyra smiled at the man in gratitude, ready to thank her savior when her eyes widened in shock as she saw the mugger groan and start to lift himself up from the ground, grabbing his knife off the concrete. Bon Bon noticed this too, her body tensing as she shot her hand back up to protect Lyra once again. “LOOK OUT!!” Lyra shouted as the she witnessed the mugger flip around and bolt towards the other man with a scream packed with rage. Not missing a beat, her savior twisted around and brought up his hand, the alleyway lighting up as a stream of concentrated blue light shot from his fingertips and pierced into the criminal’s chest, tossing him back like a ragdoll and landing him back on the floor. Once again, the alleyway had gone quiet as the mugger lay on the ground, this time twitching as blue sparks shot from his body. The savior glared at his enemy, seemingly watching for any other sort of movement, before turning back towards the two younger girls. “Sorry about that,” He spoke. “Was sure I’d knocked him out.” Bon Bon stared in absolute shock at the sight before her, now completely unsure as what to say. Apparently, her friend on the other hand knew exactly what she wanted to say, as the mint-colored girl gasped and bounded towards the man, her pink shirt over skirt bouncing as she squealed. “WOW! That. Was. Amazing! How in Equestria did you do that!?” The man turned towards the teen next to him, chuckling softly when seeing the excitement on her face. “Eh.” He shrugged. “It’s no big deal. You two trying to get across?” Lyra nodded extatically while her friend spoke up. “Yeah, I knew this pace was a shortcut to the new shop in town.” Bon Bon said, before placing her hand on her hips while speaking in a sad, disappointed tone. “I thought this part of town was easy going, I… I had no idea…” Turning around and Seeing Bon Bon begin to get upset, Lyra moved away from the man and placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort. She would never blame Bon Bon, and she certainly didn’t blame her for not knowing, she knew her old friend had a good grasp on most of the nicer parts of town. “Hey kid...” The man’s gruff voice called out, gaining both of their attentions. He gestured towards the downed mugger while continuing. “…don’t beat yourself over this. People like him are a dime a dozen, there’s no telling where they might show up. All you gotta do is always be prepared for next time.” Bon Bon gave a small smile as the man waved his hand for them to follow as he walked down the alley. “Come’on, you two made it halfway across. Follow me.” Looking towards Lyra who gave her that amazing comforting smile which always made her heart soar, Bon Bon took her friend’s hand and followed the stranger down the alleyway, giggling when Lyra stuck her tongue out at the unconscious mugger as they passed him and walked out into the next street. __________________ As he watched the two girls wave him goodbye, Cole chuckled before turning his heel back down the alley, his mood somewhat brightened. He never really considered himself much of a “kid person”, most of the time finding their overzealous personalities and thousands of questions regarding his powers annoying. However, it just didn’t sit right with him to leave those two by themselves alone after such an intense situation like that. Reaching the downed mugger, Cole placed a foot onto the man’s spine and aimed his hand down, electricity seeping from his palm and creating cuffs on the criminal’s hands and feet. The stupid dumbass was lucky he’d held back so much; were they alone, and Cole would’ve happily fried him into oblivion. With the would-be mugger held down, Cole bent over and shuffled through the dirty man’s jacket, fiddling around until he felt the familiar form of a wallet through the cheap clothing. Tearing it out from its pocket, he opened up the small leather pouch and was immediately created with the sight on a good set of cash, obviously stolen, in the folds. He sighed before plucking it out and placing it in the zipper of his pants pocket. It was dirty money, but he needed something in order to keep himself steady, and what with the cops all but dousing his name, he doubted there would be a job in the nation that would hire him for a single buck. He nearly let out a groan. Why was it every time something bad happened, people were always quick to point their fingers at him? Sure, okay, he had powers, but he only tried used them on bad guys. And so what if he got into a few illegal scraps with Zeke before from time to time, he sure as hell wasn’t some psychopathic killer zapping every little thing just for shits and giggles. Damn it, why did it always feel like the world hated his fucking guts?! Sighing, he rubbed the crick in his neck before walking towards the side of the building and jumped onto a nearby wall pipe, scaling upward to the roof. Maybe a little sun would clear his head. Reaching the top in record speed, he pulled himself up before stretching as the rays of the sun soaked into his shirt. He always loved the fresh outside air, it always felt like a stress reliever. After he was done, he adjusted his bag and pulled out the map from the zipper, unfolding it to see its contents. Once again, he saw the overview of Canterlot and all its glory. In the days following since both the terrorist attack and his scuffle with the police, he’d hightailed it straight for the location where he witnessed that Rainbow Ring sprout out into the sky. Unfortunately, whatever caused it must’ve immediately vacated the area, because once he finally managed to get there, all he saw was scattered litter and a whole horde of extremely concerned citizens. It didn’t help that when he tried using his conduit pulse to anticipate where the owner of the weird thing went, he’d gotten next to nothing. Other than those few specks of clues, the case went cold. He considered asking some pedestrians on what they saw, but quickly disregarded that idea once he saw the sheer dumbstruck looks on their faces. Not to mention he was pressed for time as the sounds of even more police sirens could be heard coming his way, and he was almost sure after his hasty escape earlier he was now considered a “shoot on sight” suspect. With that checked off his list, the hero quickly scoured the city for a place to set up shop before anyone called him in, eventually finding once in the form of a nice, shaded rooftop of so kind of small, flashy dress shop here in Larson Square. After that, he decided laying low for the next couple days, wanting to wait until the supposed heat died down. Which of course was nothing but a pipe dream once he saw the news officially labeling him as a terrorist extremist last night. Idiot cops. Whatever, He’d dealt with far worse circumstances in the past, after all he only did this hero schtick to help the people. Screw the cops who hated him, he never actually cared what the people thought, He’d dealt with harsh opinions from others all his life. Considering it was still an early message, technically there was still time for the next step in his master plan. Looking towards where the map showcased the outer rims of the big city, he laid his eyes on the desired location: Canterlot City Mall. Even as a conduit, he still needed to eat something, and a mall was the best place to buy groceries as well as a phone. Although he decided to stay, the man still had no idea where exactly on earth he was, perhaps another state or country? He needed to contact Zeke and let him know that he was still somehow alive. What’s more, how Kuo, Nix, John himself, and maybe all other conduits could still be out there. Luckily, the people seemed to speak English here which would definitely make his tasks far less difficult. According to the map, he was still quite a ways from the mall, probably about fifteen minutes from his current location. Folding the paper up, Cole put it back in his bag before turning to his right and running down the row of rooftops, hopping over each gap like it was child’s play. After a solid few minutes, he reached the edge of the rooftop path and immediately jumped off from the water gutter, a five-story drop sat below him alongside unknowing civilians. He paid the otherwise perilous jump no mind as he activated his thrusters, which sent him upward a few feet and gently traversed him to the next building across the street. In the days after the attack, it seemed all was normal in Canterlot City had gone back to normal once again. Everywhere he looked, life thrived peacefully as if they didn’t have a care in the world, and the strange, warm feeling he’d had when first entering the city only seemed to grow the longer he stayed. The people here were also a real sight to behold. Whereas he expected them all to keep their distance from his rather odd and otherwise abnormal appearance, they were actually incredibly nice. Instead of giving him ugly stares and sneers, the people gave him friendly waves and offered him advice whenever he asked for directions. At one point, a couple of people had even asked about his Amp, wondering what it was and asking if they could take pictures with it. Strangely enough it actually made him feel more relaxed, despite not being much of a social butterfly himself, as opposed to when he was in Empire or New Marais where people tended to keep a twenty foot distance. He was starting to really like it here. Reaching his arms out, he quickly grabbed the next building’s ledge once he was in range and hoisted his body up before continuing. His jog down the row of rooftops only lasted a few more minutes when he finally saw his target. The Canterlot mall stood separated from the rest of the tightly spaced city, resting in a secluded and open spot, its height similar to a large apartment like what Zeke had. Jumping off the rooftop, he landed steadily onto the sidewalk, this time noticing the lack of an audience watching him, and immediately bolted towards the building, crossing the empty street and reaching the massive parking lot with relative ease. Passing by families and parking cars, he instantly noticed that the parking lot was packed to the brim with people, which meant it was going to be slightly difficult for him to meander about without someone recognizing him and calling the authorities. He’d have to make this quick. Reaching the double doors, he slowed his pace to an even strut and pushed them open, gaping the sight that laid before his eyes. On the outside, the mall looked huge enough, however on the inside it seemed like a whole other city entirely. Shops and restaurants of all kinds lined the walls of the building, while small snack/shopping carts, benches and a small water fountain filled the open area. Taking in the scenery, he whistled in admiration before walking forward, placing his hands in his pockets while scanning all around him. The roof of the place was made almost entirely of glass, giving him full view of the blue sky above, and large escalators lead up to the second story above. The smell of cinnamon and cleaner spray wafted through the air alongside the sounds of chatting friends and laughing children. Passing a smoothie stand, he looked around at the surrounding area, searching for some kind of grocery store or food mart. He saw a sports store, a couple more restaurants, hell even a sign pointing to a movie theater, but that was about it. “COME ONE, COME ALL!” Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted when a loud voice cut through the air, its volume surpassing the many others of the mall. All nearby heads, including Cole’s, turned to see a sea greenish-blue skinned teen wearing what Cole could only describe as hippy clothing waving his arms like a lunatic showman as he gestured towards a large, makeshift cart packed to the brim with food with a crudely sign labeled “Breeze-feed-machine”. “Come, have your tastebuds wowed at the magnificent, the astounding, the fresh, Breeze cart! Where I have your every assortment delicious delicacies! From juicy fruit to scrumptious veggie-tables, to…” The teen paused midsentence before once he seemed to take a whiff of something foul, taking a moment to look over his shoulder back at the cart and squinting at what appeared to be a massive pile of bruised fruit. “…And whatever this is.” He mumbled while sharply poking it, before suddenly remembering the audience before him and turned around with a tight smile. “Y-yeah! Come one come all, have a taste! Don’t be shy, don’t ask why, just be…spry?” Cole raised an eyebrow, was this clown for real? The other people around him thought seemed to think the same way, as many simply rolled their eyes at the young man’s antics and continued on with their day. He himself was about to do the same, when a second voice called out, authority clear in her voice. “It’s you!” Immediately tensing, Cole whipped around in a mixture of surprise and fear, his stomach chilling when he saw the form of a female security guard approach the scene. As she made her way forward, both her expression and body language clearly showing off signs of aggression, Cole instinctively backed further into the crowd before she continued to speak. “How many times have we told you this sir!?” He stopped once she said this, growing confused as to what she meant. A gasp sounded out to his left, causing his eyes to move from the cop and back onto the greenish teen, who seemed to also tense at the sight of the officer. Cole watched as the frustrated woman passed him without a second glance nd continued walking towards the now terrified teen, pointing a finger at him. “The mall will no longer allow you authorization to sell items to customers due to your lack of experience and permit. We’ve already discussed this more times to count Mr. Breeze.” The kid, Breeze, Cole guessed was his name, paled at the approaching officer before seemingly abandoning his post and bolting down the mall aisle with a scream, much to the shocked officer. She quickly placed a hand on her shoulder while speaking into the radio. “This is officer Peach, I’ve got a runner, male, name is Zephyr Breeze…” As the cop made her way down the hall, Cole snorted at the sight as he tried to get away from her field of view, hoping she wouldn’t see nor recognize him. Boy, did he feel glad he’d left his Amp back at the rooftop he was staying on. As useful as it was, that thing was a target for good and bad attention. Apparently, this whole ordeal was a common occurrence, because he saw many of the onlookers laugh at the scene while taking pictures and videos of the chasing pair, allowing Cole to make a quick getaway with some of the fresher looking fruits and snacks on Zephyr’s cart. Scanning to make sure no cameras were looking, he stuffed the items, about two fresh apples, and an orange in his bag and continued the opposite direction. Passing a corner, he noticed there was a lack of maps in the place. That made it frustrating, perhaps he could ask someone. But who? Everywhere he looked people seemed too busy to talk, rather focusing on calling others on their phones, families dining together, and no workers in sight. He placed his hands on his hips while gruffly sighing, trying to find something that could help him. Walking down the new corridor, he once again shifted his gaze at the surrounding scenery of the massive store, noticing the glass ceiling from the front lobby had given away to a brightly colored tile with separated glass domes giving him more views of the outside above. Soft music sang through the speakers while he heard the sound of water spraying in the small water fountains that laid at every cross section. Multiple people passed by him without second thought, instead focusing on which shop to go to next or what food place to eat at. At one point a pair of three young girls all dressed up in adventuring costumes bolted past his legs, screaming thing at the top of their lungs like “Daring Do!” and “Canterlot Movie Club!” Reaching a small bench, Cole decided to sit for a moment in thought. The place was rather nice, but he was still on a time crunch. It was only a matter of time before someone spotted him and called his ass in, and he still needed to find a phone. So far, there were no directions, and he really wanted to do this himself just so no one would say they’d had a connection to his intentions. Crap, What now? _______ Canterlot Mall “Pinkie, are you sure about this?” The timid voice of Wallflower Blush spoke up as she followed the bubbly pink girl before her, who was practically bouncing off the walls as she led the sweater clad teen down the hallway of Canterlot Mall. “Abso-tivly-loutly!” The Party girl smiled, wrapping an arm around Wallflower’s shoulder, causing the socially awkward girl to tense. She’d seen Pinkie Pie and her hyperactive nature from afar, often feeling bad for many of her unfortunate fellow classmates getting roped into her antics. Now, she found was rather intimidating at times when Wallflower herself was suspect to the girl’s excitement. After, certain, events, she was now officially under Pinkie’s friend radar, as the pink girl had felt horrible once realizing just how left out Wallflower had been over the years. That’s not to say she didn’t dislike Pinkie, nor the younger girl’s attempts to hang out with Wallflower and attempt to get the shy teen some more friends who would appreciate her for herself. Pinkie was unironically a very nice person once you got to know her, she just got excited on certain occasions. Like they were doing right now, in the very crowded mall. Pinkie offered the local galleria last time, however the both of them quickly found out Wallflower had accidently gotten too carried away with all the beautiful floral to make friends, prompting Pinkie to practically force her to come here after school ended. Luckily, the two of them agreed the best place to meet people of Wallflower’s taste would be the new flower shop on the other end of the mall. Currently, they’d just passed a frantic looking Zephyr Breeze running from a couple of security guards, which had honest to god been one of the best things she’d seen all day because of the look on all their faces. “This is going to be so much FUN!!” Pinkie all but shouted with barely contained happiness. “We could go to the dance floor and bust some moves, or go to the bakery and watch them make a yummy cake, or see that new mold sculpting shop, “Baker family-something”. Oh, or, or, or, we could watch the magic show, which by the way seemed rather unconvincing in the advertisement if you ask me, but hey, I told myself Pinkie, you can’t judge someone by their special effects budget, which is weird because last week Twilight had said…” As the friends walked by many people along their way, Wallflower continued to try her best and keep up with Pinkie’s rambling, until she eventually found herself slowly tuning out, instead focusing on the decorative floral and trees decoratively planted in the middle of the hallways. Passing by flashy shops full of clothing and food shops, the two eventually found themselves stopping by to get some fruit smoothies, as Wallflower had gently cut in Pinkie’s talking before they moved past it, and sat at a nearby wishing pond. After a few minutes of talking about random and fun things that came to each of their minds, mostly Pinkie rambling with Wallflower listening, all of the sudden the cotton candy colored female gasped mid-sentence and nearly dropped her raspberry drink in her shock. Jumping from her seat, Pinkie’s eyes gleamed as she looked towards her friend. “Oh. My. Gosh!” She exclaimed, “I totally forgot, someone I totally know someone who you should meet! And if my intellectual clockwork is correct…” Placing her drink on the top of her scalp, Pinkie lifted up her free wrist which held a “party watch”, (What she used it for Wallflower had no idea. And she for some reason felt like she shouldn’t ask), and gleefully pointed to it before continuing. “…Her shift is taking a break in right about…Now!” Without another word, Wallflower gasped as her newfound friend grabbed her hand and the pair whisked down the hallway. “Whoa! Pinkie slow down! Stop, Halt, Heel!” Pinkie laughed as she dragged the green-haired girl alongside her, who was doing her absolute best as to not drop her own drink while they barreled down, nearly running at a speed similar to Rainbow Dash. In what felt like two seconds flat, Pinkie skidded to a halt and nearly dropped a very shaken Wallflower Blush who was hanging onto the other girl with their interlocking elbows. Wallflower lay limply beside the pink girl, her eyes spinning, and her mind confused on what just happened. Pinkie on the other hand seemed to not notice the mossy green girl’s predicament and instead lifted her drink to gesture at the business before her. “Ah-ha! Here we are!” The response to her enthusiastic exclamation was a simple groan from below her feet. Dropping her skin splitting smile, Pinkie looked down in confusion before finally noticing the drooping girl sitting at her legs, who from this stance looked as though she was five seconds from face planting. Letting out a guilty chuckle, Pinkie bent down and grabbed Wallflower’s shoulder and gently began to pull the shy girl back to her feet. Shakily latching onto Pinkie’s closest shoulder, Wallflower felt her legs wobble slightly before giving her friend a half glare, who returned it with a sheepish smile. A tenseness shortly hung in the air before to Pinkie’s surprise, the other teen dropped her glare as she busted out laughing. The pink girl watched in confused astonishment for a little bit watching as Wallflower clutched her stomach continued to laugh out loud, which after a while got Pinkie to giggle along with her because of the hilarity of it all. Pretty soon, Pinkie found herself letting out a full-blown laughter. For a minute they laughed, with Pinkie at near tears and Wallflower clutching the other’s shoulder just so she didn’t fall over. “Oh, man!” Wallflower giggled, “Sometimes Pinkie, I wonder if you had magic even before that princess came to town. Cause one things for sure, you certainly know how to make an impression.” Pinkie on her end giggled even more, smiling widely before propping her body straight like a spring. “Yyyyep! I’m pretty good at that!” “Pinkie Pie?” Both girls looked to their left to see a new girl head towards them, this one wearing an expression of joy. She was a lighter color green as opposed to Wallflower’s dark mossy color, with long glasses adorning her face and a worker vest over her normal shirt, indicating she was an employees of some kind. While Wallflower peered at the stranger, Pinkie smiled and gave out a friendly wave. “Hiya Juniper! We just came to see you!” The female, who Wallflower assumed was Juniper, shyly adjusted her glasses while stammering. “M-me? O-ok, cool. What can I do for you?” Once again, Pinkie quickly bent down and grabbed Wallflower’s shoulder and pulled her close, gesturing her hand towards the gardener. “Juniper Montage meet Wallflower Blush, she’s a friend of mine back at CHS.” Both respective girls looked at each other, with Wallflower giving a small wave and Juniper replying with a smile while Pinkie continued. “I thought you two would make a perfect pair! Both of you want to make friends, both you feel bad about…” Pinkie clamped her mouth shut before she could finish, immediately switching her eyes to the two girls who both gave the party girl a bemused look, causing her to gulp. “Hehe…” She sheepishly fidgeted, “…Sorry, no offense.” The other two smirked slightly before turning to face each other once more, with Wallflower shyly breaking the ice. “So, I heard you’d worked on the set of the Canterlot movie studio.” She started, “Um… what was that like?” Juniper seemed to beam at the question, adjusting her glasses while smiling. “Oh, yeah! I was my uncle’s gofer during the sets. Usually, I helped by getting him drinks and helping with film shoots, stuff like that.” Wallflower gave her own smile as she stepped forward, her interest growing. “Really, you helped the director set up the sets? What was it like watching them film? I’ve never really gotten into Daring Do or other adventure movies.” Juniper chuckled as she walked over to Wallflower and Pinkie, gleaming at the newcomer’s sudden interest while gesturing them to follow. “Girl, have I got some stories to tell you. Come’on, since I’m on break I was headed over to the deli to get some grub.” Pinkie Pie and Wallflower followed closely behind, with the pink party girl giving Blush a thumbs up. The three walked for a few minutes with Wallflower and Juniper spending the time discussing their respective hobbies, with Pinkie gleefully watching the two, until they eventually came to a cross section and stopping. Standing in the lead, Juniper looked around at the separated hallways, pausing from her conversation with Wallflower. Pressing a hand to her chin, she hummed in thought while looking down the mall for a solid minute before finally sighing. “Man, I really hate that they removed the maps for reconstruction, this place is way too big for its own good sometimes.” Her other two companions noticed Juniper’s confusion and decided to peer around themselves, hoping to find the familiar sign of the deli restaurant. Eventually Pinkie’s eyes scanned away from the hallways and into the giant room she and her friends were currently in, before her attention passed over a man sitting on a nearby bench. For normal people, they’d see nothing out of the ordinary, but in a girl like Pinkie Pie’s eyes, she saw that the man looked rather down struck. His shoulders were sagged and his expression a mixture of both annoyance and slight panic. In other words, it simply would not stand! _________ Resting his arms on his knees, Cole once again scanned around the room one more time, growing frustrated as the time passed. There seemed to be no end to this mall, which should have meant he’d have passed some kind of technological store by now. If he were an Apple store in a mall, where would he- “Hiya!” With a yelp, Cole flew backwards as his peripheral vision was bombarded by a shrill voice and a wall of pink. Grasping onto the handlebars of the bench to steady himself, he edged his head back to see a young teenage girl standing right in front of him, bending over so her face was mere inches from his, her teeth filled smile so wide he was surprised her head didn’t split in half. He didn't even hear her coming, so how the hell did she get so close to him without his noticing? Once she was satisfied she’d gotten his attention, the girl backed her torso up and stood straight, that way he could see the rest of her features. She wore an attire that would seem to belong to a modernized clown, with her large purple-pink skirt and bright t-shirt adorning a heart shaped insignia which covered most of it. As for the rest of her, Cole was certain he’d never seen so much of the color pink in his entire life. Her skirt, her hair (to which he was surprised a neck could hold that amount of tuff) and dear god even her damned skin was coated in the color. How she managed to walk around public without burning holes through people’s retinas he honestly had no idea. Clutching his still rapidly beating heart, Cole caught himself flinching as the girl before him shot out a hand while speaking, clearly not noticing his initial surprise. “I’m Pinkie Pie, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around here before, what’s your name?!” He blinked a few times while his brain cogged back to life. Pinkie Pie. Of course, because what in the hell else? Whatever parents lived in this place must’ve all had a collective sense of humor. Realizing that the female before him wasn’t any sort of threat or otherwise, Cole rolled his eyes before eventually lifting himself off the bench and standing up to his full height. Easily towering over the 17-aged high schooler, the conduit lifted his own hand and firmly met hers with an annoyed scowl. “Cole.” He greeted simply. However as soon as he grasped her hand, she almost tore it clear out of its socket by shaking it like a soda can rather than a human appendage. Before the conduit was almost certain he’d lose his shooting arm to a hyperactive high-schooler, she released her grip and tucked her hand behind her back while continuing to gleam up at the man, who was now rubbing his sore wrist, speechless. The young girl took a moment to check out his appearance, her eyes instantly traveling to his sling bag and parkour shoes. “I like your outfit!” she giggled. “Do you practice parkour, cuz I know someone who would totally enjoy that too! Actually, now that I’m thinking about it, she probably already knows parkour. And speaking of your clothes, you really need to wash them, they look like you’ve been rolling around on the floor. No offense. Hoo boy, Rarity would flip if she saw this, I tell you!” Was this kid on something? Her eyes looked as though they could pop out of her skull any minute, not to mention she was practically bouncing at the hip like a toddler on a sugar high. She could definitely give even the particularly possessive fangirls back home a run for their money, which in turn made him feel unsure whether to be concerned for her health or extremely unnerved. Before his mind could comprehend anything further, he watched as the girl seemingly blurred from sight, leaving only a comedic outline of her body in kicked up dust and felt a pair of hands pull down one of his arms. “Wow! These are really cool! What kind of stylist do you go to? You know, a friend of mine actually considered getting a tattoo, but then saw how it was made and totally denied it afterwards. Which is fine by me because those things look like they really hurt.” He swung his head to the left as the kid held out his wrist and gazed in awed wonder at the many tattoos displayed on his skin. It took him a minute before he swiftly yanked it back from the offending teen with a growl, unused to having a stranger this close to him. Cole’s eyes narrowed, to which Pinkie returned with an innocent smile. “Is there something I can help you with or do you greet every random stranger like this?” he replied gruffly. To his growing horror, that question seemed to only excite her more, her laughter ringing in his ears. “Oh, no, I’m perfectly fine, thanks! I should be asking you that silly!” For a second her gleeful expression actually seemed to tone down, if only a little bit, as she gave him what he guessed was a soft and understanding look. “You seemed pretty upset. Are you lost? I could help you with that you know. My friend over there works at the movie theater over there, maybe she could help you!” He inwardly groaned at the girl’s offering, ready to forge his mission altogether and just go back to his rooftop hideout. He never had a problem with chipper people, but he was having a very bad week already and this kid was bouncing on his razor thin line of patience like a trampoline. However, he felt himself pause for a moment. As erupt and strange as she was, the girl wasn’t wrong, as he was in fact lost and in need of assistance. Peering back down at her from behind his palm, his unamused frown met her curious gaze, contemplating his options. She certainly did look like she wanted to help, and come on, what more did he have to lose? Plus as a bonus, that way he could actually get her to go away. Relenting to the rather unwelcomed plan, he sighed before opening his mouth to speak, only to stop on a dime when he felt something inside him stir. The new feeling, whatever it was, made him look at her, really look at her. She was definitely strange, that much was clear, but there was something else. He felt the supernatural senses inside him begin to twitch and spark with agitation, obviously in response to something he couldn’t see. Yet this time he was prepared, he forced his powers back down like bile, as to not let it explode out to a whole lobby full of people. Did this girl have something to do with the strange senses he’d been having? No, that couldn’t be. Could it? He felt his eyes unconsciously trail down to the necklace hanging by her chest, something tugging at his subconscious. Suddenly, two other girls came running up to him with their focus dead set on Pinkie. One of them, a girl wearing what had to be an uncomfortably embarrassing employee’s outfit quickly grabbed Pinkie’s arm and pulled her away from Cole, giving the man a knowing and regretful look. “Sorry about that sir.” She stumbled once getting a good view of him. “Our friend here is just…. Easily excited to meet new people.” Cole blinked, nodding slowly before looking at the newcomers. He felt a similar aura radiate off the other two as well, only their “scent” seemed to be much smaller and vague. Noticing that their stare fest was quickly starting to get awkward, Cole coughed into his fist and looked away before clearing his throat. “Uh, no problem. Hey…” Looking towards the female in the employee outfit, he asked with precaution, “…you’re an employee here right? Do you know where I can find some kind of technology store, preferably one with phones?” The girl in question seemed to shrink slightly at his annoyed and slightly edged tone, forcing her memory into hyper-drive. “Uh, yes!” She said while fidgeting with her skirt, before pointing to the hallway. “Down that way to the right, you can’t miss it.” His head turned the direction in where she was pointing, until eventually looking back at her and giving a curt nod. “Thanks” He simply replied before strolling past them, ignoring the inner senses within him screaming in protest and rather focusing on his deteriorating rational side begging him to escape before things could go south. Although he paid the three still staring teens no mind while trekking away, he felt the strange aura in the air grow tighter and more constrictive the more distance he made from them. Almost as if something was telling him not to leave. He ignored it regardless. ____ Seeing the strange man leave, Wallflower broke from her stupor and looked to Juniper with bewilderment. “What just happened?” The theater worker returned with a shrug, unsure herself as what to say. Pinkie on the other hand continued to watch the stranger as he traveled down the mall corridor before disappearing behind the left corner, her smile turning into a frown. Perhaps she’d gone just a little too far that time. Sunset and the others had always warned her before that some people wouldn’t take her excitement the same way her friends did. But she always just assumed her friendliness was a one-way ticket to making a new buddy. Feeling a slight nudge on her shoulder, she turned as Wallflower gave her a reassuring smile before gesturing her to follow in the opposite direction, to which Pinkie Pie nodded thankfully. She had yet to notice her necklace, which housed her Equestrian geode, was glowing bright pink. ____________ Cole held his head down as he trudged away from the three, hands deep in his pockets and body deadset on walking as far away from the trio of what had to be highschoolers as possible. “Well, that wasn’t awkward at all.” He grumbled lowly, eventually reaching the left turn the young employee had told him about. His mind rehearsed what had just happened not five seconds ago, replaying the situation from the eccentric girl getting in his personal space, Pickle spry, or something like that if he remembered correctly, to him straight away having a near heart attack from the amount of irritation his conduit senses had stirred inside of him. What just happened? Call it crazy, call it superstition, but somehow, he knew those girls were connected to whatever was hiding in this town. Most notably the pink girl, as she’d radiated a far stronger sense than the other two. But how? He hadn’t sensed the conduit gene in her, but what in the hell could explain the weird ass behaviors? Perhaps she had a way of hiding it from him. Cole shook his head. This damn place must’ve been getting to him. What was he thinking? She was just some random, overly friendly teenager, nothing to get worked up about. Whatever was out there must’ve just been messing with his mind in order to steer his train of thought in the wrong direction. Well fine, two could play at that game. Staring ahead, he saw what had to be the mall’s technology store, with its large signs and advertisements on the latest phone product. Letting out a sigh of relief, Cole picked up his pace before entering the large opening of the store, almost taken aback at the sight of all the brightly lit technology. Rows of phones large and small trailed down wooden table aisles, and massive, big screen TVs stood tall in the larger sections of the room. he smiled as he soaked up the feeling of electricity in the air, already feeling his stress begin to slightly waft out of existence. Reaching on of the tables, he overlooked the grand selections of cell phones and other calling devices, peering at their sizes and costs. A cheap phone would have to do, all on account him only needing to use it for calling. A small phone would also be preferable, as it would be much safer for the weak device and easier for him to keep it tightly stored in the phone pouch on his sling bag strap. Having a cheap and small enough phone would be an absolute jackpot. Unfortunately, the phones on the table seemed to all be the newer models, with prices ranging from understandable to inconceivable. He huffed before walking down, noticing that the models ranged down in age and price the further he went. But their sizes only seemed to consist of one far too big for his bag pocket. Walking alongside the rows of tables, he passed by many other customers who conversed amongst themselves. He mostly ignored their conversations, more focused on his objective then them. However, he did manage to overhear some separate sentences that almost gave him pause. “Did you hear about the terrorist attack earlier this week?” he heard someone say from behind him. “How could I not, the whole city is up in flames about it. I heard the Changlers had a stolen military vehicle with them.” Another voice hushed. “No, no, but did you actually hear what happened? Some people say some group of civilians stopped them! Like a resistance group!” Soon, a third voice joined the fray. “That’s not what I heard. I heard someone say it was the government who stepped in. Maybe they’re finally deciding to help.” “As if! My friend’s sister was there during attack and she said she actually saw an angel come in and save a little girl and her brother!” “Didn’t your friend’s sister have a few drinks that day too?” he rolled his eyes and continued his search, moving away from the conversation. However, even more reached his ears as the crowds of shoppers walked by, their words now barely gaining his attention. “It’s said that the terrorists are now in hiding, probably embarrassed they lost their new toy.” “Even so, you never know when those freakshows might turn up again.” “Did you know that those two Changler prisoners kept going on about some guy? Someone clearly made an impression on them.” “Everyone’s talking about the Changlers, but have the cops even focused on those disappearing? I’m afraid to go out at night.” “Why do the Changlers even want to be here? We didn’t even do anything.” “Faust, what is this city coming to?” “Berrypunch said one of her brother’s coworkers stopped coming in about two weeks ago and no one has seen or heard of him since.” “And what’s with those mafia gang sightings down by Larson Square, don’t we have enough to deal with?” “Willow said she saw a major freak accident by the hospital, yet she refuses to talk about it-“ “I was in the attack, and at one moment I saw this guy jump off a five-story roof and land without a scratch, I couldn’t believe it!” “Hey Willow, did they ever say how Camp Everfree was recovering?” “You think that’s crazy, I saw this girl at the park grow wings, no joke!” “Are they really going to have another Friendship Games after the last one? I would’ve they’d cancel the activity altogether.” “Have you seen those seven girls. Weirdest. Bunch. Ever.” “Do you think that guy from the news really had anything to do with the attack, I passed him on the street that same day and he seemed like a pretty chill dude.” “Did you know that a few of the students from that high school downtown claimed to have some kind of demon girl? Kids these days.” “I heard that CHS is cursed. I don’t know about you, but I’m steering clear away from that place.” “Good lord, did you see that video of the giant monster girl last year, someone needs to teach me how to cosplay like that!” “That high school was weird before, but now with all those weird sightings, many people are wanting the place closed down.” “I saw we book it out of this valley before something really bad happens.” Ah-ha. Cole grinned once he passed by a small phone resting on the table, its size just about right and the price a measly 110 dollars. Which was much cheaper than all the other devices in the place. Reaching into his pants zipper pocket, Cole brought out the wad of cash he’d ‘borrowed from the mugger and also pulled out his wallet. With the bills in his hands, Cole took out the money from his thin wallet’s sleeve and shuffled it together with his other money, flipping through them as he scanned the amount. 20, 20, 20, 10, 10, 5 and six ones. Oh no. His smile sunk as he counted the money. That can’t be right. Shuffling them back together, he recounted the money in his hands, this time looking as closely as he could through them. No use, ninety-one dollars was all he had. The superhero gulped as he peered back at his wallet to look inside the sleeve, making sure it was fully empty. When nothing but empty leather met his gaze, he shoved the wallet back down in his pants pocket and reached into his leg zipper pouch, fumbling around for more cash. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. “Damn it. God-damn it.” He silently cursed, glaring back down at the small, desired device. Now what? He couldn’t just pocket it and leave. The store owners would catch him right away, what’s more, he’d already stolen enough things as it was. Begrudgingly putting the cash in his zipper pocket, he looked around the store, hoping to find another phone that had a lesser price. Luck it seemed, was not on his side, as all other devices in the room only went from 100 to up in cost, with no telling on the tax. Great. He rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration while letting out a barely contained sigh, how in the hell was he supposed to contact Zeke now, through telegraph? His thoughts were interrupted for what felt like the 40th time that day when he heard a small, barely audible gasp. Peering from over his hand, he was granted a sight that nearly made his blood freeze to stone. A young employee stood horrified in the room, her eyes dilated in pure fear. What’s worse, was that she was looking directly at him. Oh. Crap. He moved not a muscle, his eyes locked on her as she slowly began to pull out her phone from her breast pocket while not wavering from her gaze. The other shoppers and workers in the store had yet to notice the two frozen people, as they continued their activities as normal. Cole kept looking at the woman as she shakily unlocked her phone and began to access her calling screen. Meanwhile, the conduit drooped his arms tiredly, already making up his mind on what to do. Before she could type in her desired number, she watched in shock as the man before her whipped around bolted clear out the exit, brushing past others as he made his escape at a speed she could only dream of catching up to. Practically flying out the store, Cole went the opposite direction of where he came, hopefully to avoid meeting that pink teen and her friends again and began searching for a detour. After a few minutes of turning corners and hopping over obstacles, he finally saw a sign attached to the ceiling labeled with a big red Exit. Eventually, the sight of the double doors greeted him as he all but rammed into the mechanical handle and tumbled out of the building and into the parking lot. He didn’t stop there though, as he quickly made his way back to the other buildings ahead of him where he planned to make his getaway. Well, so much for shopping here anymore, maybe there was someplace else he could find a phone. But as for now, he just needed to get as far away from this place as possible.