//------------------------------// // Hunting Big Game // Story: The Demon of Canterlot City // by Amadeus cancer //------------------------------// "Following the glowing footprints! So convenient." -Bucket (Evolve, 2015) __________________________________________________________________________________________________ She held a breath as her gaze lingered, curls and knots constricting her chest which kept her rooted on the spot. Normally walks alongside the cityscape were a great tradition of stress relief, a test too strenuous or a certain Pie’s over eccentric attitude grating on your nerves? Canterlot had a wonderful remedy being an almost unnaturally peaceful town, that is when civilians weren’t plagued with paranoia or under the influence of danger, (Dark magic or otherwise). The darkened woods looming before her expressed a completely different impression, every shadow so visibly thick it felt suffocating just to look at. No birdsong, not even the chirps of crickets echoed from the grass, as if all indication of life had ceased to exist in Scorpan Park, swallowed up in a black hole. And their friend was inside. Sunset didn’t twitch when shoe soles scrapped against the concrete, closing in until a hand clasped onto her shoulder as Applejack stepped into her side view. The other girl held a more unreadable expression compared to Sunset undoubtedly haunted look, more fuel to the fire of burning insecurities restricting the red-head’s movement. From somewhere behind them Twilight spoke. “Are we all still caught up on the plan then?” A triage of affirmations followed before the rest of her friends stepped beside her to face the forest. Even with her attention averted Sunset could still feel a thread of concerned gazes nervously examining her every move. Eventually someone broke the ice, the slow, methodical voice of Fluttershy cutting through tense air. “Sunset, are you alright?” Although she’d yet to turn at the sound of the voice, Sunset stiffly jerked her head up and down eyes continuously glued to the spectrum of blackness coating the nearby tree line. Oh, she was far from it, however honesty would only result in more panic, and they were running deathly short on time. Fifteen minutes was more of an eternity considering the time it took to jog several blocks down to Scorpan Park, it was a miracle they’d all arrived together. Going head-on into the fray two at a time would be costly. How she wished her body would cease its nauseating alarm bells, to be in control of the distracting static filling her mind just so she could deal with the billions of fallout theories and concerns screaming for attention. But again, now was not the time, whether Princess Twilight got her message or not wasn’t important now either, all they needed was for Dash to be safe and this monster dealt with. A thundering roar too close and too familiar made nearly everyone wince, before six sources of varying light caught their attention downward. to their amazement, every one of the girls’ geode necklaces were glowing vibrantly. A static in the air made their neck hair stand on end and fidgeted as sharp invisible sparks danced across bare skin, Sunset looking over the foliage in time to see what had to be a bright blue aura flash faster than light followed by another unnatural yowl. “Yeah, let’s go.” _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Cole grunted as a branch twice his size collided onto the spot he’d previously been standing, immediately summersaulting just in time to avoid a paw strike intent on carving him to pieces. Easily regaining his footing the conduit unleashed a rocket into his foe’s forehead, momentarily stunning the beast, clutching its head in a stunned confusion. Right as it did this, wind picked up around the both of them as a blur pounced out of nowhere to deliver a swift yet harsh rebuttal to the Cyclops’ injured side. This new action drifted their mutual enemy’s train of thought to grasp at its bloody spot, allowing Cole full range to aim square in its sole eye. Enraged the monster blindly lounged in the man’s direction, who dodged again via ice launch as it tumbled through bramble and thickened forestation. The investors would’ve had to pray for a miracle for this park to reopen ever again, it was practically a dirt filled meadow now what with all the tree roots and bushes overturned. Helping himself to a better position, Cole watched the manic creature try to swing wildly at everything in its path whilst covering its eye, crimson blood leaking from between its fingers covering the pupil. He let out a sigh of relief, the poor bastard really was at the end of his rope. Just a few more well-placed attacks now. Tossing a smaller grenade, the fizzling energy exploded under the cyclops’ hand instantly encasing its appendage in ice, allowing his newfound partner to drive her heel into the exposed orb once more. Ignoring the earth-shattering screams, the young girl expertly bounced across the uneven plain until casting off into another sprint outside of the battlefield. Judging by their past, if extremely limited, meetings Cole had no doubt the girl would be a pain in the ass to cooperate. However, to his surprise she’d seemed to take his criticisms and tactics to heart, now only engaging in combat once he provided a swift opening. She was still obviously enjoying the fight a bit too much, not that he blamed her in any way, though he was thankful for one less setback. That of course was one of the very few reasons he’d begrudgingly allowed her aid, her determination and desire to take vengeance on the monster who’d hurt those she cared about all too familiar to simply ignore. Didn’t mean he’d let her run into battle only to lose more than consciousness. Watching Rainbow Dash was like watching a mirror, and by God if that didn’t threaten his with the world’s worst migraine. “He’s not slowing down!” To his surprise, he turned to find said teen standing right beside him, too stuck inside his own thinking to realize. She was right too, they were hurting him, but the ending result only seemed to further piss off the beast more rather than gain an advantage. It usually took him a while to finish off the more supernatural enemies before, either their exhaustion or injuries a major advantage compared to his abnormal healing. The conduit didn’t feel tired by any measure, however his enemies doped up levels of fury was starting to get him concerned. It no longer moved like a cornered animal, more of a massive wall of pure destruction currently foaming at the mouth with an unclear purpose. He hated it, the uncomfortable warning of danger prickling at his skin almost like his instincts were demanding retreat. That and there was a kid currently in the line of fire. “Everyone’s got a limit, if we can’t exhaust him we’ll find another way.” Scanning the ruins surrounding them, his gaze landed on a tree split in half with needle sharp spokes jutting from both sides. He faced the smaller girl jutting out a thumb for her to trace his intention. “I’ve got an idea, try and get his attention over there in that little opening, once he’s there I’ll take over.” For a second Dash looked back and forth between him and his direction, head rotating in stiff clockwork as his plan began to reveal itself in her head, evidence from her cheeks slowly turning a shade of green. “Uh… A little brutal don’t you think?” “You got a better idea?” “……Fair point I guess, but still, gross.” She cringed before speeding off without another word, speeding across the field in no time until her tiny frame was near within arm’s reach of her much larger enemy. Hands on her hips, the young teen shouted something to the Cyclops, who glared back down with such a seething hatred Cole almost found it comical. “Hey big guy, too bad your aim sucks as much as your smell!” CRASH! “Too slow! Not so tough without your cheap shots!” Dash called behind her back whilst being followed close in hot pursuit. Twisting over and around the debris with ease, she’d entered to area her ally had motioned for in seconds before jumping out of the way to avoid two rows for sharpened jaws clamp loudly in her place. Proficiently side stepping whatever untethered throws were sent scrapping the edges of her dirt-stained hair until she rounded his hooved feet to catch him flailing off balance. Unfortunately the Cyclops didn’t have the mindset to process the electric rocket crashing into his cranium before it was too late, completely eradicating his momentary stability resulting in his feet giving under the weight of sixteen tons as gravity dragged him downwards. Dash covered her ears at the sound of tearing muscles and creaking wood which echo across the park and most surely into the deepest delves of her future nightmares, the following silence so tense it made her wonder if they’d finally won. Not that she was too worried of throwing up upon confirming her suspicions, the local “terrorist” evidentially held nothing to say either. That was until a bloodcurdling scream almost gutted her hearing, whiplashing to watch the Cyclops try desperately to wiggle free from the jagged root penetrating through its left kidney. She held her breath to hold herself from inhaling the bloody odor as Cole darted towards the fallen beast once realizing it was not yet down, a simple wave of the conduit’s hand showering his foe in dozens of fiery balls of electricity. For a moment the screaming increased as smoke arose to obscure the horrific scene, the floor beneath her threatening to send her sprawling as she tightened the hold on her ears, although her eyes refused to tear away. The screaming had stopped, slow at first sounding as if the mouth had been full of marbles before sowing into an array of moans. Moans turned to silence, despite Cole continuing to toss grenade after grenade clouding the area of dust and charred grass. Seemingly drained of energy, Cole ceased his attack too, though kept his guard stiff. From a few feet behind RD could hear his ragged panting whist he glared at the area where the Cyclops laid. Somehow silence was worse than enraged roars, minutes akin to hours of her holding in a breath and feet aching to move in the chance of a surprise attack. Taking a hitched step backwards, Cole kept his eyes forward as he backpaddled to her side. Looking up at him RD felt a shiver run down her spine when seeing his expression. Stoic, yet deadly, a cold promise of death she was thankful wasn’t aimed towards her. despite herself, Dash forced her grimace into a grin, combing her fingers through her hair as she shrugged nonchalantly, meeting his gaze. “Eh, he could’ve been tougher-” Suddenly her vision is blocked as Cole steps up to guard right before a massive shape explodes from the smoke like a demon from her nightmares arms raised and teeth open to devour them both. In the same moment a white light arrives out of nowhere to slam into the Equestrian monster’s face. Releasing her grip on Cole’s shirt, (When had she done that?), Rainbow swallowed the rest of her sentence in place of a quiet breath. “Good shooting.” She congratulated while they backed away. Instead he narrowed his eyes further, darting around skeptically on edge. “That wasn’t me.” He grunted, guarding her between his arms as pearl white gem shields began pushing the injured monster away. The hairs on her neck stood as unknown energy began to expel from the man’s body encircling them like a defense, fascination growing within her excitement. It felt nothing like the magic from Equestria that she’d been exposed to dozens of times before, this new energy far more aggressive yet subtly hidden in comparison. Though if she recalled correctly, the Equestrian magic they’d dealt with thus far were mere fractions of the copious amounts back in their home world. “DASSSHHHYY!” RD didn’t have time to glance in the familiar voice’s direction before she’d been scooped into a bear hug full of energy and blinding amounts of pink. Over her friend’s frantic sobbing Dash could hear their new ally groan in irritation when the rest of her group scrambled over. That said, most of them froze in response to the noise a few feet away from them, some giving looks of skepticism while others were more focused on the massive creature currently throwing a tantrum. She did not dare miss the side glares Sunset, AJ, and Twilight sent her way, she shuffled her feet while peering down unable to match their eyes. Sunset stepped up to settle the confused tension as compensation to regain their main focus, looking up at him with determination. “Ok, we have a plan, if you’re willing to hear us out.” Sunset gestured as a sign of peace, Cole rather glancing between the Cyclops and Rarity standing to the side holding her glowing necklace wearing a terse expression. Folding his arms across his chest, the man nodded. “Let’s make it fast.” Too focused on the severity of the situation for all of them to sigh in relief, their de-facto leader cleared her throat in order to keep her from fidgeting under the pressure. “I’ve got this power, it… lets me see things, people’s memories. When I make contact with others I can see who they really are or where they’ve been.” As they awaited his response, he hastily mulled the information in his head, brushing aside any ‘rational’ thoughts quick to ridicule the concept while piecing together the puzzle on his own. “You want to see how he got here.” It was more of a confirmation than a question, one she confirmed by looking in RD’s direction once more. “Rainbow Dash was going to fly me up to his head while Twilight and Rarity held him down, are you still up for that Dash?” The athlete finally looked away from her feet, disappointment and fear still lingering in her older friend’s expression, though thankfully stunted by the burden of the current scenario. “Yeah. Yeah I’m game.” She confirmed flashing two thumbs up in response. A grunt of frustration garnered their attention to Rarity who wiped her forehead, her body shaking in a worn-out manner as her glowing geode faded. Loud thuds trailed by glass-like shattering alerted them the Cyclops had broken free of his containment, yet strangely had not yet come barreling over to greet the group. Snapping back into action, Cole motioned towards Rarity’s prone form, practically calling over his shoulder. “I’ll keep him busy, give your friend there time to breath until she’s ready.” With that said he was off, already trading blows with an opponent five times his size who was desperate to crush him into paste. Indeed the cyclops’ progress differed vastly contrasting to the way he carried himself prior, muscles straining like weights the more he tried to catch the smaller man. Seeing him stuff his hand tightly against a concealed wound on his side, blood spilling in-between fingers and down his fur earning the six newcomers a shared queasiness; Fluttershy in particular covering her gaping mouth in her palm, unsure what to make of the sight. Sunset whipped to face Twilight locking the other’s gaze with silent affirmation, nodding in unison before Rarity returned to her focus. Kneeling hunched over the grass the fashionista busied herself trying to calm her rugged panting whilst Applejack hovered above watchful as ever. Dragging Rarity further into the fray would be guilt ridding, but they were short on time and already there were so many people hurt, they needed to finish this. “Rarity…” Sunset eased, her voice soft yet strong enough to earn her audience. “…Think you can still help us end this?” Though she had to heave a lungful of air, her friend stood up, (Albeit with the help of Applejack’s influence), fluffing the out of strand hair loosening from her bun and returning a smirk. “Ready as ever dear.” Speaking of which, Sunset focused on her last remaining object of importance, Rainbow Dash. the normally egotistic teen was standing on the outer rim of their huddled position making herself as small as possible, similar to how a child would behave in the aftermath of their parents’ scolding. Resisting her more prevalent disappointment, Sunset mutely walked over until they were nose and nose patiently awaiting the younger to look up with a visible grimace. Now she could see the bruises and cuts aligning Dash’s faces up close and personal, burning scraps staining her healthy blue cheeks in sync to the bloody split on her upper and lower lips. Though the question was obvious, she found herself asking anyway. “Are you ok?” Rainbow apparently hadn’t expected that type of question, eyes widening full of surprise for a second before rushing back into a fraction of her signature cockiness. Hands on her hips, Dash flashed a thumb and smiled a smile full of teeth. “Yep! Just say the word boss, I’m ready to kick some butt!” She didn’t know whether to feel disappointed or comforted RD was so quick to switch her personality back to brashness. Both applied perhaps, they could talk after, no matter how much the latter hated opening publicly with her hidden feelings. Resting a gentle hand on Dash’s shoulder Sunset returned her own determined smile before motioning her to follow behind, wordlessly signing the others to their rehearsed positions. She pretended to not see the way Fluttershy backed away when RD subtly attempted approach the other supposedly out of everyone’s view, feeling the crushing look on Dash’s expression. She couldn’t help but feel the same. ___________________________ Cole, you utter Goddamn moron. Trusting strangers usually landed him in shitty situations, the likes of Moya and Kuo seeing to that. He wasn’t stupid though, Cole knew he wasn’t the most tactful when it really came down to it, preferring to rely on his on-the-spot thinking to pull him out of a situation by the skin of his teeth more often than not, despite having been shown the hard way it wasn’t the best strategy in response to certain events. He’d been betrayed by his own choices more times than anyone alive. Cut to him questioning his sanity for abnormally following blindly behind a group of high school students decades below his age in desperate hopes they could end this nightmare of a fight. Jesus Christ he was such an idiot. Sidestepping a thrown object, the conduit snarled as he froze the monster’s blocking forearm before sending a wave of electricity at its clutched wound, burning the covering hand. It still did nothing to deter his enemy who waved his claws in Cole’s direction, the speed stunted enough for the human to dodge easily. Whatever hellish energy was giving the cyclops the energy to continue fighting was wasting its resources, the monster was falling apart by the seams, he was practically battling a walking corpse now. That was supposed to be good news, why did he still feel that unwanted nagging instinct that something worse was right around the corner? A row of blindingly white, sharpened gemstones cut through the ground like serrated knives splitting the two foes apart in equal shock. More accurately they were closer to the cyclops who was right in the middle of another uncoordinated swing, shins tripping and cutting themselves over the odd weapons as the foreign creature belly flopped onto hard soil. As the air flew from its lungs, the cyclops had no reaction time for a purplish hue to engulf its hands locking its movement in place. Two smaller frames rushed to both his sides, the glasses kid and the shield girl each with their hands outstretched, different colorful hues fitting their individual selves igniting the skin over their arms. As their enemy barely reacted to the new ploy, other than muttering a choked whine, Cole barely raised his own offending hand before something caught his attention overhead. Sure enough Rainbow Dash and butterfly, (Or something similar which his memory refused to recollect), came swooping in from below the trees with Red, (as he’d temporarily decided on calling her), between each arm hovering by… Wings… They had fucking bird wings on their backsides, were those always there? When working alongside Dash he’d thought for a moment he’d seen wings trailing behind the younger girl whilst she was speeding in and out of battle, although initially chalked that up to him simply seeing things. By God this place made Empire city look normal. When the cyclops motioned his ugly head too much for comfort once the two flyers drooped closer with Red only a couple feet from the mass of furry backside, Cole sent out a spray of electricity from his fingers startling the two beside him. Squaring the monster straight in the forehead, it let out another gurgled whine as its body uncontrollably twitched under the countless fiery currents frying its brain. More of a warning shot on Cole’s part, worrying an offensive attack might trigger a much more dramatic retort endangering their plan. With as much gentleness possible for holding your friend five feet above an extraterrestrial monster, Red was dropped from her perch landing split-legged over the massive spine, much like one would sit on a horse, steadying herself by holding her palms on the sides. During said action he was certain the pair froze for a split second, Red going ramrod straight as her eyes flashed an abnormal shade of pure white following in their mutual enemy also stiffening into a state of hypnotic shock. Were the scene dragged on any longer than one to two seconds he might’ve been weirded out, however upon recognizing the physical contact with the small human, the cyclops shook itself like a dog with a seizure throwing Red off in a yell of surprise from all parties. Glasses beat him to the punch, switching her hold onto the monster’s arms to Red’s, yelling out her name as she moved the girl covered in purple aura away. Predictably sensing the newfound lack of restraint holding him back, the cyclops stumbled to his feet, trying to regain balance from the rapid fire of iced electricity and materializing crystals. Stepping in front of the last remaining girl by his side, the former courier leapt back into the tiresome fray with the farmer kid on his heels. _______________ Twilight grunted as she dragged the limp form of her stunned friend away from the heat of battle, luckily Sunset still had the instinctive mentality to aid in their struggling escape. The hairs on the back of her neck spiked as crackling blue lightning ripped through the atmosphere, making her wince at the unfamiliar energy. One miniscule glance at Sunset was all the young genius needed to confirm whatever vision the ex-equestrian had just witnessed would definitely be a harrowing revelation. Though right now they simply needed to move. She’d made a point during their earlier conversation, one the other girls would eventually come to realize too. Even if they managed to finish this without any more bloodshed, they needed to question that man, people with massive amounts of equestrian magic tended to be a danger whether consciously or not, it was only a matter of time before it exploded in everyone’s faces. She would know after all. Over Sunset’s head Twilight couldn’t tear her gaze from the gruesome sight. Each of her friends continued bouncing back and forth from offensive to defensive, fighting between the fear driving them to the sidelines and sparking determination rooting their feet into the fray. Thankfully their new ally made constant attempts to keep the monster’s focus, however she could see he was more sluggish than normal. Perhaps running low on magic? Before she could ponder more, a surge of cold unlike anything the group had ever felt carved through the atmosphere, stabbing into them like needles in a pincushion. Instantly the seven girls backtracked in confused horror, not sure where to look, while lightning began igniting around Macgrath body in defense as he planted himself firmly on the spot. Even the cyclops faltered in his mindless rage in response to whatever had introduced itself. The sensation increased to unbearable levels until grinding to an unfathomable conclusion as a thin line sliced through the cool night air a few feet from the monster’s back, as if someone ripped a tear into the very fabric of reality. She felt hypnotized just by looking at it, a tension in the air so thick you could choke on it. No one dared move, nor breath, all too fixated on the logic defying power source now piercing their very souls. Have you ever stared into the abyss before? Many theories and ideas of what the abyss is have been passed down and rumored about for as long as humanity has existed, but the universal agreement being that it was a void of untethered shadows. Once you dared to meet its soulless eyes, only your gaze and your gaze alone would be its sole concern waiting patiently until you mistakenly blinked. Despite the near pitch darkness engulfing the forest, Twilight could still see whatever was just barely poking out of the portal was blacker than any night sky could ever dream of being. It was like getting a real-life glimpse of a black hole, where any and all light had been suffocated alongside any hope of life. A flickering bulb caught her eyes half narrowing down, noting in terror that her geode was seemingly trembling under the crosshairs of this unspeakable source. The darkening night sky grew worse as six other equestrian geodes began to waver of their normal vibrancy, unfortunately their hosts were far too focused on the sentient claw mark staring them all down. Her fears were confirmed as the power behind the strange portal appeared to visibly fuel the Equestrian-born monster’s depleting energy, and a familiar dark aura clinging to the cyclops’ fur, once previously fizzling out of existence, returned with a broad vengeance. Collectively grimacing at the loud roar which followed, the cyclops bolted merely two steps forward, arms raised to strike the exposed humans below. Twilight felt the world turn slow, stomach turning sick at the sight of applejack and Rarity’s eyes widening under the giant shadow eclipsing the moon. Uncontrolled she thrusted both her arms up, otherworldly energy screaming inside her body like an agitated roar of her own. Much like her open palms, a purple glow hovered over the darkness engulfing cyclops’ and his movements went stiff, although that didn’t stop him from quickly recognizing the situation and struggling to escape her grasp. Sweat beaded off her brow as she tried shifting him towards the portal, hooves marking deep trails into the weakened soil whilst she continued dragging his unwilling body away from her friends. She could lift plenty of things using her magic with ease, as long as it was within reason. So far her greatest challenges resided in camp Everfree, where she needed to rid her and her friends from massive objects three times their sizes, boulders primarily. She’d come a long way from being terrified of the very notion of powers, refusing to give into Midnight Sparkle’s hate-filled whispers and sickening leers whenever she so much as thought about anything Equestria related. Further strengthening her resolve after defeating Gloriosa on that fateful day. However, this was much, much worse than any oversized rock or car. Obviously being a living being opposed to a simple piece of earthy material, Twilight could honestly say never had something fought against her magic before. And certainly not to this level. It was like pushing against an opposite moving bike or struggling to fight against a falling bookshelf. Ignoring the burning sensation in her hands, Twilight let out a noise from her dried throat whilst leisurely maneuvering her captive closer to the target. He screamed, he writhed like a feral animal, clawing and biting at purple magic making her grow an unwanted gnaw of sympathy. His battered state was awful to look at even from this distance, Twilight was sure she’d have nightmares for days, and now she’d be hand feeding this broken beast to some unspeakable evil that undoubtedly thrived beyond their fabric of reality. Said reality also came back to haunt her mind; Memories of countless screams for help, raging fires ruining things built for fun. Worst of all, Rainbow’s fallen form, Fluttershy’s injured state, even Sunset’s empty eyes upon the situation crashing down on the ex-equestrian burned brighter than any other memory. The cyclops meant to cause harm, he meant to hurt her, he meant to hurt the girls. And it was time for him to go back home. Immense Aching within her body only fueled the angered adrenaline now overstimulating her senses, Twilight forced the spiking energy coursing through her veins into an airtight focus. Almost a year’s worth of restrained magic happily letting itself break free from it makeshift bonds as her geode burned brighter than she’d ever seen, until the glowing around her hands spread to cover the rest of her body. She barely noticed her wings sprouting proudly, the feeling of materializing skin pulling against skin too familiar to be distracted by. The bright aura combating the darkness illuminating over the cyclops’ fur grew excessively adding more force against the monster’s vain attempts. In less than a second his backside was brushing the portal opening, sole eye widening in what clearly was a sensation of unadulterated horror. She felt a sickening tingle of satisfaction at the sight, somehow watching his normally haughty/feral expression finally falter into something more deserving of the treatment he’d bestowed on others granted Twilight small relief. This sensation unfortunately didn’t aid her against the mass amount of stress suddenly overtaking her psyche, as if her temporary adrenaline rush was still too weak to take on the strength of a building-sized monster all alone and her body too weakened to withhold any more power than necessary. Struggling against the weight of thousand-pound invisible sandbags roped over her neck and arms, Twilight grew fearful as the powerful magic inside her clearly began slipping from her grasp. Either back into the confines of the geode or not, it certainly was no longer under her control, spelling doom for her group. Thankfully their new ally appeared to recognize the danger, lifting his hand up with strange precision before a needle thin line of electricity zapped into the cyclops’ open eye, causing the beast to momentarily loosen his opposing struggle against her magic to cover his injured face. A fatal mistake on his part, as Twilight used the last remnants of her wavering strength to propel the monster into the portal with a disgusting squelching sound echoing across the forest as his body slid through the gap easily. Soon as the body was through, on command the portal closed, and the darkness seeping out from its cavity wafting through the air dissipated like smoke. _______________________ Unlike back in the Equestrian mountains just a few hours ago, when he was forcibly dragged into the portal Rameses was sure his skin tore against the thin edges of the newly opened rift, emitting an atmosphere he almost considered labeling as furious. Opposed to his last encounter the rift did not seem to want to open, rather accepting his presence begrudgingly more than anything. However that was nothing compared to the torturous agony which followed after his entire body finally entered a different dimension. He only stumbled for a moment in his blindness, (Damn that guardian to the pits of Tartarus), before succumbing to the deepest depths of pain he’d ever felt. Whether it be his gravely injured eye or the dimension itself, all Rameses could see was total darkness while something immediately began eating away through his skin at rapid speed. He tried to scream, yet his throat felt tight binding any semblance of a word deep in his mouth, so he settled on blindingly batting at his chest in hopes of finding the cause of his pain. An impossible feat when you can’t even see your own chest or arms. As his body floated in the darkness, Rameses mind broke into flurries of emotions and regrets. Anger, horror, sadness, betrayal, the cyclops could hardly hold onto a single emotion whilst his muscles and bone were gnawed and torn like paper. Rameses wanted to call out to his mentor, to anyone, yet someone else beat him to the punch. Before the unseen force reached his very soul, the cyclops froze despite himself, too focused on the form in front of him. A form that was very much not Arimaspi yet spoke in that horribly identical tone. “Such a disappointment, but admittedly foreseeable.” With that, Rameses fell silently screaming into the maw of the Void. ___________________________ A pregnant silence hung in the air as they watched the portal close with the cyclops’ frame disappearing into the blackness, like water droplets into a murky pond. So many questions blared in his mind, yet each word died in his gaping throat, leaving Cole just as thunderstruck as the seven kids surrounding him. Fortunately or not, the settling acceptance of one major obstacle now dealt with came with the remembrance of one other, Red’s eyes sharpening on his position before hopping to her feet and marching closer. Her sudden action attracted the rest of the group who in turn followed her source of assiduity. Standing toe-to-toe with him, Cole lowered his gaze to meet hers while she defensively raised her hands to her hips. “Who are you?” So much for subtlety. Her voice is stuffed with exhaustion and labored fear, visible stress pulling at her eyes which nearly gives him a feeling of pity if not for her pissed off expression. Despite her demand, he watches the others shift in the background, mixes of distrust, anxiety, and wonder bundled together, reminding Cole he’s currently dealing with a bunch of scared teenagers who’d just fought a beast from fantasy land. “If anything I should be asking you that question.” His smirk startled some of the others, particularly the farmer and glasses girl, though he was hoping his nonchalant tone could more or less ease the tension. Cotton candy, (Pinkie, her name was Pinkie), perked up at him no doubt ready to burst into whatever tangent she’d cook up upon seeing him again, yet when their eyes briefly met the message was clear to keep her excitement down. “You know what I mean.” Red huffed crossing her arms. Seems she really wasn’t in the mood for games. Good, neither was he. “Haven’t you watched the news lately?” He folds his arms lightly returning a glare not fully intended for his current audience. “Apparently I’m a wackjob terrorist, someone you probably shouldn’t be seen with, might damage your image. Although if we’re being honest, you kids have been doing a damn fine job at that on your own.” Collective winces of realization fall amongst the more timid of the group, Red’s gaze faltering in what he automatically recognizes as guilt. Said emotion floods his consciousness and Cole loosens his glare, frowning whilst tiredly rubbing the bridge of his nose, biting his cheek for his unintended harshness. “Look…” he responds more cooly, returning their attention as he struggles his boiling irritation to a simmer. “… why don’t we let’s start this other. Something tells me we could really use each other’s help.” That lightens up the crowd more, farmer girl even stepping down from her defensive stance from right beside Red. Slackening her shoulders, Red opens her mouth mid-sentence before a blinding light encompasses the blackened forest. While the girls raise their hands in defense, Cole lets the electricity flow down his arms on instinct until a familiar sound of moving gears/engines and a blaring microphone send a chill down his spine. “THIS IS CCPD, PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR! WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED!” Aside from the heli, Cole notices several blinking lights racing in their direction from the forest edge giving him a clear inclination of what’s about to go down. waving his hand around, Cole shoves Red in the direction of her friends, shouting at their bewildered expression before aiming. “GO! I’LL KEEP THEM OFF YOU!” He doesn’t see them leave, too busy running into the direction of danger and sending bolts towards the chopper. It doesn’t take long until gunfire echoes out and he feels a spiking heat dig into his shoulder. _______________ Approx. One hour later Fluttershy holds her mouth from screaming when she thinks she hears another gunshot in the far-off distance, the many patrol cars they’ve hidden from and choppers flying overhead certainly add a deepening sickness to her stomach she’ll never recuperate from. Normally she found solace in the officers of Canterlot city, but now she wanted to crawl in the darkest hole… actually scratch that, bad comparison. Sunset and AJ mainly led the way silent and reclusive, only speaking when it required the group to move from ally to ally in hushed whispers. She felt as though she were in one of Rainbow’s old spy movies, where the protagonist hid from corrupt agents or murderous goons. But these were no evil villains, these were well-meaning police searching for supposed criminals, aka them. Ultimately they decide on venturing to her house of all places, with Zephyr temporarily living in an apartment downtown and her parents on a well-deserved vacation on a yacht for the next two days. Perfect seclusion and privacy. Cue her unlocking the backdoor like any normal teen arriving late from a party, seven shabby teens flooding inside like a spluttering hurricane before lining up to collectively collapse in her living room, enjoying a long moment of relieving quiet while nothing but the sounds of slowing pants filled the silence. Choosing to lean against a photo ridden wall, Fluttershy watches her friends melt into her couch and rug as awareness of the situation begins to dawn in the form of a looming vapor cloud, fearfulness and silencing recognition brightening in every widening pair of eyes. She can’t help herself from standing despite the protest in her still sore body, making her way into her kitchen and ignoring the many worried glances sent in her direction before they disappear behind the counters. Settling out seven cups from a nearby cabinet, she began filling the glasses to the brim with cold sink water off to the side whilst keeping an ear out for any source of conversation. When none follows Shy has the incentive to feel dread in regard to the girls thoughts on the matter, even Pinkie hasn’t spoken a whisper since leaving the forest. Footsteps catch her attention, leading her to meet Rarity’s gaze at the kitchen entrance. A silent pact is made as the older female moves to collect several of the drinks until both are walking shoulder-to-shoulder back to the group. Rarity’s presence is comfortingly welcome, yet Fluttershy’s hackles are still raised. Together they give each girl their beverage, murmured “thank you’s” and smiles of gratitude all that can be energized until the silence is back. Applejack currently lays between the youngers of the group Pinkie and Twilight on Shy’s couch, a sort of protective guard still radiating from her posture as she holds pinkie’s mud hand for comfort while Twilight sticks close via shoulder. Rarity chooses to sit on a cushioning chair next to the coffee table, eyeing Rainbow who is scrunched in a tight ball making certain not to look any of them in the face. Perhaps Fluttershy shouldn’t have allowed her frustration to consume her thinking, not sharing a single word with her childhood friend since the escape, only maintaining eye contact to ensure they all were together. Sunset is furthest from them all, by an older chair Fluttershy’s grandfather usually resides on during holidays and special visits, her eyes burning into the wall with untapped intensity. They looked horrible, those of whom attended the sports event had their jerseys in tatters, Rarity worked so hard on them too. Mud and grim painted most of their skin and in their hair, she would definitely be using extra conditioner to remove the filth out. Many bruises marred her normally healthy yellow body, thankfully not sharing some of the worse cuts and busted lips her friends were suffering, she’d be retrieving the med kit as soon as her exhaustion wore down. It isn’t until Pinkie’s expression explodes into something that isn’t excitement, and Shy prepares for the worst. “Sunset, your geode’s gone!” Reaction time was instantaneous, five jolting upright while the girl in question immediately patted her collar for clarification. Pinkie was right, Sunset’s geode was nowhere to be seen. Multiple voices spoke up in an attempt to solve their problem, speaking over one another in a frantic mess. “Perhaps it broke off in the forest dear, we’ll check tomorrow.” “Ta Tartarus with that! That place’ll be crawling head to toe with police come mornin’ and we for sure ain’t needing more attention. We probably lost it somewhere in the city.” “No, no, no, no, this can’t be happening. this can’t-“ “As that would make things any better Applejack!” “We-we could use our other geodes, maybe they can connect with each other. Like a GPS!” “Alright, alright, everyone cool it!” RD got up in the group’s middle center, cutting off the others as she took on several glares. Though she soldiered on despite, a solution clicked in her head, and she obtained a hopeful smile. “You know what? I’ll bet he found the geode for us, you probably lost it after that monster shoved you off his back Sunset. We can just find him again and ask him to give it back!” Sunset looked frozen, as if processing the theory over and over in hopes of her athletic friend not being right. From the corner of her eye Fluttershy could see Twilight place both hands on her hips to further display her surfacing irritation. “Sure thing Rainbow, let’s go ask the town crazy guy to give us back an all-powerful Equestrian artifact.” Dash scrunched her face, confusion and apprehension leaking into her tone. “What do you mean? He’s not crazy, he helped save our butts!” “He set fire to CHS, not to mention whatever business he’s got with the Changlers! All he’ll bring us is trouble and attention, not that you’ve done any better!” “And what’s that supposed to mean!” Both girls were dangerously close, several of the group stepping up in preparation as Applejack wedged herself between them. “Alright now, that’s enough!” The cowgirl growled, matching their glares. “Now Dash, many of the things you’ve done today rank up as some of the stupidest decisions ah’ve seen you make; And that’s saying a lot. However, you’re right about him taking Sunset’s geode, we need to get it back sooner rather than later before it’s long gone.” Rarity perks her own voice above the crowd, wary on the heating tension currently boiling over thus preserving her voice into a cooled timbre. “But how in the world do we find him? Are we even certain he lives in the city? If we ask the locals we’ll appear skeptical.” Backing off from AJ and Dash, Twilight rolled her eyes whilst beckoning at the front room window and scoffing. “A bit too late for that. The police saw us with him, I’ll be surprised if our families don’t see us on the morning news tomorrow.” “Twilight…” AJ warned. “…That’s not helping our situation.” “Good! It’s not supposed to!” “Will you all just settle down for one second so I can think!” They all went quiet at the exhausted voice shouting over them, looking over at Sunset Shimmer furiously rubbing the bridge of her nose. Although many still continued to stand, the ex-unicorn continued resting on her chosen seat as she concocted whatever plan was slowly coming to life. Against her better judgment, curiosity got the best of Fluttershy, keeping her voice high enough this time for the other to hear. “Sunset, do you know who he is? Could he be another person from Equestria?” Whether their foreign friend had fully pondered the inquiry or not, it was hard to tell due to her stoic yet drained face. Sighing Sunset leaned further into her chair. “I don’t know. If I remember correctly, during my time studying extensive student teachings with Princess Celestia, neither ponies nor the creatures in the lands beyond were recorded to have the abilities in harnessing electricity, certainly not to his extent. The sheer amounts of volts and currents were always too risky for prolonged exposure, even the princesses were known to be wary on utilizing that kind of power.” Her audience held a multitude of reactions, mostly nervous with the exception of Twilight’s slightly peaking in interest. “AJ’s right too, we’re laying low for now. We’ll just have to find out on our own if he lives nearby.” Sunset shrugged, hoping it’d remedy the argument and allow them to decide a strategy. “Why of course he lives in Canterlot sillies!” Pinkie cheered with a forced smile. “After all, I met him in the mall just a couple days ago!” A collection of groans and self-inflicted slaps on the forehead resonated around the room. “What!?” Rarity spluttered. “Why didn’t you say anything!?” Placing a hand on her chest, Pinkie let out an overdramatic scoff. *Gasp* “I have a life outside of you, Rarity!” “And you weren’t at all concerned about him bein’ a supposed terrorist and all?” Applejack groused in frustration. To Pinkie’s credit, her faux expression turned sour at the words. “Hey, he’s not a terrorist.” Her uncharacteristically provoked tone made her audience blink in surprise. “Sure, he may be a little grumpy, but that’s probably because everyone’s been so awful to him! He just needs some friends to help him adjust.” Twilight fixed her glasses, this time lowering her tone in a much less aggressive light yet maintaining her signature skepticism. “Still, he said it himself remember? If we’re seen together it’ll bring more suspicion to the police as well as Canterlot as a whole. People are scared, they won’t be hesitant to rat out any suspicious activity, even if the people their reporting happen to be familiar.” “That’s exactly right. We’ll wait until morning, if news arrives regarding us specifically, then we’ll figure something else out. If not, then that gives us more time to begin our search without distraction…” Fluttershy suddenly felt like tuning them out, sitting by her windowsill to glance into the darkened night. Hours of constant movement and activity were gaining on her, tired eyelids threatening to drive her into unconsciousness, voices in her background muddling into white noise. That is until a greyish, feathery body with a bright green neck dashed into her viewpoint. Blinking, Fluttershy craned her head back to see a small pigeon fluttering around outside, his beady eyes patiently awaiting her. Uncaring whether she was caught or not, Shy unlatched the window for her little friend to happily fly in and cling to her extended two fingers, cooing loudly almost immediately. Sweating at the noise, the young teen desperately tried to sooth him. “Shhh! Shhh! It’s okay Gabriel, I’m okay, but you’re going to have to slow down!” With a giggle she lightly pinched his beak between her fingers, displaying a silent message before releasing him to allow the bird to speak. “Away for too long. Forest home was attacked. Could hear you and other friends yelling. Was scared, are you alright?!” He chirped in his own speech. Her heart melted at the concern of her little friend, nuzzling his forehead affectionately while she reassured him. “Oh Gabriel, we’re alright. There’s nothing to be scared of anymore, you and your forest friends are safe now.” If she didn’t know any better, she’d say a glimpse of sarcastic disbelief crossed his expression, nonetheless, Gabriel chirped again. “Forest is shaking. Something bad still lurks. All friends are scared back home.” A knot grew in her stomach. “Something still lurks?” What could that mean? They’d stopped the Cyclops, wasn’t that the problem? Fluttershy gulped, half aware she was still under the presence of company. If there was still a threat, and she didn’t feel it, then they needed to find some way to uncover this mystery. Or perhaps…someone. Gabriel apparently caught o to her pursed look, flapping his wings and pipping up for the scoop. Though glancing bac down Shy made a sympathetic face. “Oh, it’s nothing my little friend…” she coaxed. “…I just had an idea is all.” He still persisted, intent of discovering what was causing his human friend such a complex expression. Though she momentarily scanned his frame, a wave of guilt held back her growing plans. “No, no. You’ve already gone through so much, there’s no right for me to place anything else on you.” This time Gabriel puffed himself up in an attempt to look daring, and she laughed proudly at the pigeon’s display of bravery. “Alright.” her warm grin morphing into seriousness. “There is something I need you to do….” __________________________________________ Somewhere Else If there was one thing Cole didn’t miss in large cities, it was their damn sewage systems. As he carefully lifted the lid, he graciously took in the sweet night air while darting his eyes back and forth for cars. Trusting his limited gaze, he pushed the heavy metal lid off and planted his feet on the lip, letting the sewer cap to easily slid down his back and cover the opening like nothing had happened. This street seemed completely empty, though he wasn’t going to take any chances either. Hastily jogging into an alleyway, careful to avoid any source of lamp light, Cole made his way through the darkness calculating he trajectory by key points. How lucky he was to have studied the map detailing said drainage systems, after days of practiced exploration, (when he’d nothing else to do with his time), the experienced courier could mark key points both underground and topside in order to reach his destinations in more efficient ways. Reaching the ladder attached to the building’s backside the conduit shimmied up until he could hoist over the roof. Being attached to one another the boutique was provided with a welcomed layer of shade next to the taller building it neighbored. Unclipping his bag to toss it off to the side, Cole melted into a ratty recliner once meant to be tossed out by unhappy storekeepers. Leaning backwards he massaged his face unable to hold back a long overdue breath. “Christ.” He mumbled. “What I wouldn’t do for a drink about now.” His many broken bones and bruised muscles would surely heal overnight, it was the ass load of material he’d be forced to mull over that’d be the death of him, (second death, or whatever he supposed). In honestly he’d figured himself prepared for the inevitable meeting with whoever’d been poorly concealing their powers around here, guess he overestimated himself. Having previous encounters with other conduits limited only either to happenstance or those sent to kill him. So what in the hell was he supposed to do with a posse of scared kids? Yes, they presented themselves as confident and strategizing in times of danger, but their body language cried of self-doubt. This wasn’t some ego-driven bureaucrat or vengeful pack of psychos, these were just a group of confused teens who didn’t understand their situation. On that he could perfectly relate. Alas it would be better for both teams to stay separated, him being spotted near them would cause more harm than good. And as for the forest, considering the ruckus Scorpan Park would be closed for investigation, a hinderance to any future returning exploration on his part. Laying himself further into the chair, the conduit gazed into the stary sky to relieve his stressful thinking, pausing when he noticed a small object sitting on the telephone wire above. Blinking several times, he saw the object ruffle its feathers with a silent coo, almost feeling those beady eyes burning straight through his skull. Cole found himself chuckling for an unknown reason, memories of winged messengers from familiar times flashing through his mind as the pigeon took off into the night.