//------------------------------// // Birds of a Feather // Story: The Demon of Canterlot City // by Amadeus cancer //------------------------------// "If you want to identify someone's character, examine the friends he sits with." - Imam Ali. ______________________________________________________________________________ Gently closing the back door, Fluttershy releases a breath once she’s certain she’s out of earshot. Last night was brutal and painstakingly slow, it took longer than necessary for her to eventually lose to her urges and fall asleep. As her eyes dipped, she could still clearly remember seeing Sunset watching over all of them like a silent guardian, a testament to the unspeakable, yet undeserved guilt their resident ex-unicorn was struggling with. She doesn’t need to squint her eyes as she looks towards the city in the distance, the sun barely edging over the horizon. The air is cool against her exposed skin, bringing about a calmness she’d sorely missed. As if on que, she hears the faint sound of flapping wings before she automatically raises her arm for Gabriel to perch on her index. Tips of her mouth quirking upwards, she lifts her finger and nuzzles against the pigeon, laughter rising from her chest. “Good morning Gabriel! It’s good to see you too.” Her response is a melody of chirps, until she raises the kit in her opposing hand. “Okay, are you ready?” Though his facial expressions are limited, the telltale affirmation in his eyes gives her all the clarification she needs. “Then let’s do this!” ____________________ Canterlot City. Her city is bustling with people, normal for the end of a weekend. It does nothing to squash the butterflies in her stomach with each passing pedestrian in either car or on foot. The sun hat is too big to wear right now, and she doesn’t feel right covering her eyes with shades, so all she can do is sunk further into her seat each time she thinks she’s being observed. Sitting in the passenger side of her car, (more accurately on the headrest), Gabriel guides her through the streets of Canterlot towards their target. Although he’s not used to ground level, he’s able to make do as best he can. Eventually he has her park on the side of the road near an alley, which doesn’t help her mood. Her hand stays on the keys, heart steadily increasing its pace as she focuses on the area. Perhaps this wasn’t the best plan she could’ve made. Gabriel coos, causing her to look him in the eyes as he notices her anxious presence, though she quickly waves him off by smiling and petting him gently. She’d have to be brave, the girls were depending on her. Even if she failed to inform any of them where she currently was. Grabbing her hat and the kit on the floor, Fluttershy pushes open her car door and struts up to the building-side. Clenching the handle of the med box until her knuckles whitened, she reached the edge of the shop until it curved into the alley before stopping. She slammed her back against the brick wall as her breathing quickened. What was she thinking?! This was ridiculously dangerous, what if someone recognized her? Or worse… Could she really rely on her magic to get her out of this situation? What would the girls think? A small weight on her shoulder briefly brings her back to reality, her pigeon friend watching her nervous breakdown with fear in his eyes. Placing a palm on her chest, Fluttershy sucks in a few deep breaths, allowing the storm to fester, if only slightly. It was too late, she was here now and trusted her instincts enough to prove the others right. What was it Pinkie said? “He just needs some friends to help him adjust.” Taking in another shaky breath, Fluttershy scrunched her expression into her best ‘brave face’ before bouncing off the wall and turning into the alleyway; Only to shriek when a hand grasped her shoulder. Instantly a hand flew up and hastily clamped her mouth shut, fueling the caregiver’s terror. However, it doesn’t take long to recognize the newcomer’s arm. “Sunset?” Her words are muffled, yet thankfully the statement is recognizable enough for the unseen newcomer to drop their opposing hand and step into view. “Hey Shy.” The older girl’s expression is sheepish, guilty for the unintended scare. “W-what are you doing here?” The anxiety on Fluttershy’s face simply causes Sunset to raise a brow. “How did y-you know? How did you find me?!” Folding her arms, Sunset’s guilty look turns stern, causing Shy to flinch. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that? Although, something tells me I already know the answer.” During the last bit of her sentence, Sunset looks down at the med kit in the other girl’s hand. As if on que, Fluttershy attempts to hide it behind her whilst making certain to avoid eye contact. Sunset sighed and palmed her face. Was it natural to have another headache this early in the morning? She certainly didn’t think so. “No offense Shy but what are you thinking?!” She bit the inside of her cheek when her last words were forced out through gritted teeth. It’d do nothing to take her frustration out on the other girl, but the sheer absurdity of the situation already had burned through most of her battered patience. “I’m fairly certain the plan to meet him was intended for all of us to be together. We’re supposed to be laying low anyway, what if someone recognizes us?” True, it was still up in the air whether or not the CCPD caught wind of them playing a part in the battle against their newest enemy. Plus they were both in decent disguises, Sunset sporting a baseball cap and different jacket. However, there was always a chance… “I know.” Fluttershy sighed, looking at the ground like a scolded child. “But I also know that-” “WAIT!” Both ex-equestrian and human jumped a good three feet in the air when a voice called out, echoing across the mostly emptied street. In awe and horror, they witnessed the trunk of Fluttershy’s car lift open as a blob of pink plopped out, face-planting on the concrete in front of them. Recuperating as if nothing happened, Pinkie sprang up like a makeshift spring and jogged over to them both, wearing her own disguise. “P-Pinkie!?” Fluttershy gaped, not quite sure what to say or expect. “How the- when did-” “Oh that’s easy! When I saw you talking to that cute little birdie last night, I’d figured you were planning on doing the exact same thing I wanted to do!” Pinkie giggled as she reached into the pocket of her hoodie and pulled out what looked to be a fist-sized cupcake. It was decorated in blue and white icing, topped with yellow sprinkles and a red candle, perfectly preserved. “I wanted to write something on it, like ‘welcome to Canterlot, by the way thanks for saving our lives’. Unfortunately, I didn’t know what kind of flavor he might prefer, so I figured as an introduction I could give him some good ol’ vanilla as a start. Hopefully, after that I’ll know what flavors he likes after he tries it!” Her beaming smile could not have possibly been bigger, though it inevitably shrinks into a more sympathetic one once it aims towards Sunset. “Please Sunset? We’re already here, not to mention Fluttershy went through all the trouble to spy on where he lives so we can surprise him with gifts in a totally non-stalkery type of way!” The innocence in Pinkie’s voice did little to ease the horrified recognition of just what Fluttershy was doing, scrunching into herself with guilt written all over her features as the reality of the situation settled in. “Plus…” She added, oblivious to the reactions her words were producing. “…Maybe it’s better that it’s just the three of us. There are a lot of us after all, so who better formally introduce him to Canterlot then the few of us he knows best! Aside from Rainbow Dash, of course. I knew I should’ve woken her up.” Sunset opened her mouth to object yet stopped. That… actually made a lot of sense. Cole had saved Fluttershy from the fire, his previous meeting with Pinkie was obvious, and then there was her. Someone the girls counted on as the de facto leader of their group ever since Princess Twilight left. But could Cole really be trusted to handle meeting them this soon? She remembered his demands for answers, had the police not arrived there’d momentarily been a chance for her to finally get some clues on what was going on with their powers. She gave the two a once over, contemplating the ordeal in rapid pace, desperate for a satisfactory conclusion. Despite his reputation, Macgrath was quick to protect her friends and herself from danger. He’d visibly healed Dash and Shy without hesitation and stalled for time to get them all away from authority eyes. Perhaps if they played this right, he’d be willing to communicate more openly. Friendships came in all shapes and sizes according to Princess Twilight’s teachings, maybe Pinkie was right. Maybe that was all he truly needed: Friends. Hanging her head, she sighed. “Okay. BUT-” Her finger pointed out to the other two, who were right on the cusp of celebrating. “Why don’t you let me stick to the talking first.” Fluttershy’s quick approval was overlooked by Pinkie’s pout, yet ultimately an agreement was made before they entered the alley. It was dark, obviously, though thankfully not very grimy. Though it was a far cray from what you’d expect a superhuman to call home. It actually made her feel guilty, to think someone who spent all his time and resources helping people had been pushed into the dark cracks of the city, all because everybody feared his powers. Memories of her time spent at CHS after the fall formal resurfaced, countless eyes constantly watching her every move, with harsh whispers and teasing following close behind. At least she had a reason for being an unwanted outcast. Someone nudged her shoulder, looking over it to see Fluttershy point upwards at a ladder. With Gabriel on her shoulder, the bird must’ve followed Cole up there Wait a minute… “This… This is Carousel Boutique.” Sunset balks, recognizing the frame of the building even on it’s backside. “N-no way.” "Ooooh, you think he takes inspiration from Rarity?” Pinkie squeals. “He does look pretty flashy!” While their friend is busy laughing at her own pun, Sunset clears her throat and cups her mouth. “Hello? Mr. Macgrath? It’s-” She pauses. In the miniscule time they’d had, she’d forgotten to introduce herself. “We met in Scorpan Park when we fought alongside to stop the Cyclops.” No response as expected. She gestured to Pinkie and Fluttershy. “There’s just three of us; You know Pinkie, and you might recognize Fluttershy? Please, we just want to talk, that’s all. You said you had questions you needed answers, and we can give them to you.” Still nothing. That was until someone unseen from the rooftop kicked the overhanging mechanism, sending the rest of the ladder down with a rattling thud. Though Fluttershy and Pinkie gasped in surprise behind her, Sunset bit her tongue as she walked over and grabbed the bottom of the ladder. “Okay then, I’ll take that as a sign to come up now.” She glanced at her friends, her voice hushed and stern. “Be prepared for anything. Stay close.” Her hands were shaking as she steadily shimmied upwards, keeping her eyes locked on the roof’s edge until she was clambering over it. Once in place she made a quick note of the lack of audience before making certain the other two safely made it over the side. All together again, the three girls took in their new surroundings. Because of the still early morning sunrise, most of the area was clouded in shade. Well, most of the areas that mattered anyway. There was an old recliner nestled against a short wall, beside it a small table littered with newspapers and a wooden bucket filled with small amounts of packaged foods. Other than that, not a soul to be seen. “Hello?” Sunset tried calling out again in vain, nervously approaching the table. As she did, something caught her eye on the front of the paper, encouraging her to pick it up as until she heard a sound to her right. “Pinkie!” She hissed. “Get off of that!” Said girl whined as she lifted herself off the chair, brushing dirt flakes off her jacket. Ack! “Actually, I change my mind! Instead of just treating him with yummy deserts, how about we take him shopping for better furniture. And food for that matter, I can tell a bunch of these were stolen!” She tutted whilst glancing at the ration displayed before her, shaking her head disappointment. “Hey now, not all of us can be so lucky.” Once again Sunset and Fluttershy found themselves nearly jumping out of their skin, Pinkie looking upwards in the direction of the voice with pure glee. Leaning against a chimney, Cole watched the three from his standpoint on the neighboring rooftop. The two he’d scared were more bashful at being caught then Pinkie, who looked as though she was next to bursting. Cole resisted the urge to groan. He could’ve ignored them while they were still in the alleyway, left their unwanted presence to themselves until they eventually caved and retreated back to whence they came from. Sadly, he’d find it difficult to lie and say they hadn’t peaked his interest, not to mention simply ignoring them could ignite their outrageous determination to the point where there was a chance they’d try more intrusive methods to gain his attention. “You’ve been researching us.” Red states, lifting the news article with a very recognizable rainbow on the front.” “Can you blame me?” He shrugs. “Like I said, you and your friends aren’t great at being subtle.” Dropping down off the roof, as he landed Red backed up alongside Fluttershy in caution. Placing his hands on his hips he surveyed them carefully. “Ok…” He hummed, noticing how Red watched his every move like a hawk. “…Aside from that med kit your friend’s got there, you said you’ve got some questions and answers?” She nodded, earning him a smile. “Okay then. For starters, I know them…” He pointed to Pinkie and Fluttershy before gesturing back to Sunset. “…But I don’t know you. What’s your name kid?” “Sunset. Sunset Shimmer.” She began, extending a hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Officially, under better circumstances I mean.” “Tell me something I don’t know.” He sighed, taking her hand. “Alright Sunset, mind if I start-” His vision is blocked by a blur of pink and a beaming smile, followed by a million questions in the span of seven seconds. “Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie, but you already know that I guess! How long have you been in Canterlot Cole? Do you like it here? There are so many fun and exciting places we can take you, that is if you’re comfortable with crowds! Do you like parties? What kinds of deserts do you like? Do you like cupcakes? Here, I made you one as a thank you for all you’ve done for us!” An actual cupcake comes from nowhere straight into his face, barely registering him time to back up as she continues her spastic talking. Thankfully, Sunset pulls her away by the arm with an apologetic look. As his brain momentarily restarts from the overload of events taken in such a small amount of time, one of them actually verbally apologizes before he’s functionally fit enough to annoyingly glare at Pinkie. “I’m so sorry about her.” Sunset weakly grins, clasping a hand over Pinkie’s mouth. “She… has really been looking forward to seeing you again for some reason. Please, continue.” Shaking his head, Cole nods. “Right, anyway, let’s cut the crap and get to it: How long have you had your powers? You and the rest of your group I mean.” Sunset bit her lip, off the gate it was a big and personal question. He sure didn't beat around the bush did he? She wouldn’t dive deep into specifics, for the sake of the others. “I don’t know, a year, maybe a year and a half by now?” She shrugged. “Why? What about you?” He’d placed a hand on his chin, as if considering something she’d yet to understand. “Almost a full year. Does anyone else in this city or region have powers like us?” Memories of countless adversaries pulled from the back of Sunset’s consciousness, and she shook her head. “Not that we know of. There were a few in the beginning. But we…” Fluttershy and Pinkie met her expression with shared optimism. “…We had to stop them from hurting others.” “Nice.” She notices a glint of recognition in his features, though ignores it for the sake of the fast conversation. Fluttershy suddenly gains the courage to walk up towards him, holding out the kit in her possession as worry plagues her expression. “Are you alright? Last night when we separated I heard- I heard gunshots, and thought… and especially after the fight…” She looked like she was about to cry. Cole steeled himself, suddenly unsure what to do in this situation. He wasn’t the absolute best at comforting others, but remembering how banged up she’d looked under the bleachers was sure to urge him to try. Bending on his knee, he looks the teen in the eye whilst lowering his voice to a much softer tone. “Hey, it’s okay. We all got away safely, that’s what matters doesn’t it?” He motions to his body, hoping she wouldn’t see the stitched-up bullet holes. “I’m good, kid. But thank you anyway.” She seemed hesitant to accept his insistence, though he stood above her regardless to ruffle her hair, earning a blush. Pinkie giddily sat on the ground next to the table, pulling out a couple pillows from bumbfuck nowhere for her and her friends to sit. As the three got comfortable, Cole began pacing back-and-forth. He needed so many answers, and it frustrated him to no end knowing these kids seemed just as confused as he was. “Let’s make this simple and keep doing what we’re doing. I ask a question, then you. We each answer one another truthfully.” He proposed, folding his arms. “I know we’ve just met, and on an ordinary day I bet we’d each like to keep most of our secrets to ourselves. However, these days an ‘ordinary’ day sounds like wishful thinking doesn’t it?” He tried chuckling to ease the tension, though knew his efforts were fruitless. They appeared to agree with the memo fortunately, thus he looked at the leader. “Sunset, got anything for me?” Narrowing her eyes, the teen looks at her hands for a split second until popping the question. “Are you from Equestria?” Cole pauses, actually taken aback. Obviously not, however regarding the rest of Canterlot’s blatant ignorance to the rest of earth he wondered if his answer would even be deemed sane. “You mean the country we’re in?” “No.” She shakes her head, raising a hand to stop him. “I mean are you from the magical world of Equestria? The place where our magic comes from.” He takes a minute to process the words he’s just heard, thinning his lips into a narrow line. “What?” That’s all he can muster. Suddenly Pinkie raises her hands to uncap the top part of her pendant, much to the other two’s horror, as she proudly displays it in front of the conduit. “You know, where these babies come from!” The rock inside is glowing brightly, radiating the air with familiar energy. “They come from Equestria, like all other magic! Well, most of it anyway.” While her friends were busy silently berating her for such an info dump, Macgrath felt a chill race up his spine. “You’re not conduits.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement. A concrete fact solidified by the confusion in his audience’s eyes. “What’s a conduit?” Fluttershy inquired, nervous about his change in attitude. He takes a deep breath before continuing, audibly more terse in his wording. “Someone born with their powers; Powers that can only be activated after a certain age, or through a Ray Sphere blast.” He explains, already knowing full well they won’t get it. That’s fine, it simply further proves his fears. “What are you talking about?” Sunset demands. “This world doesn’t have ‘conduits’, at least I don’t think so. And there’s never been any records of those people in Equestria-” “You keep mentioning that. This… other ‘Equestria’.” He interrupts her, settling himself down on his chair. “Tell me more about it.” Sunset doesn’t look like she’s willing to tell him, instead full-blown panic written all across her face as though she hadn’t expected this. She shuffles in her seat, eyes on him yet mind swirling for answers. “W-wait. This doesn’t make any sense.” She stutters, looking back at her palms. “I’ve never heard of conduits in my entire life! If you didn’t come from Equestria, through the portal, t-then…” She places a hand on her forehead, desperately trying to calm herself down as Fluttershy pats her back. When she’s finally able, Sunset meets the older man’s gaze with uncertainty. “Sorry, I- what was the question again?” Witnessing her momentary breakdown made him hesitant. If this was bad, how would she react to his full story? One little thing at a time he supposed, judge their reactions to test out if they would be of help this way, or better off with them separating. “This different version of Equestria.” He tried again. “Start off with that, kid.” “Okay…” she’s tentative, he notices the restraint in her words. “… Like pinkie said, it’s where our magic is naturally born. I-I’m not entirely sure how, but the magic from there, from Equestria, is somehow constantly leaking out into this world. So many people have come into contact with it, but as I said before, it tends to be… misused.” As he mulls over the information, she looks at him suspiciously. “How did you know we weren’t conduits. I mean, we aren’t, but you seemed pretty sure of yourself.” Cole says nothing until reaching over the armrest to grab his bag, unfolding the zipper, and pulling out none other than Sunset’s pendant. Despite her understandably shocked expression, he tossed it over to her. Instantly she unlatched its lid to see her geode sparkling with life. Upon contact, Sunset could feel the energy return to her body like one big stress reliever; A piece of her soul returned to fill a missing gap. Half of her was tempted to be angry at him for taking it, although a larger part wanted to thank him for returning it. Or in the very least keeping it safe. “I found it after you kids managed to escape last night.” He shrugged. “Figured when one-eye bucked you off his back, it must’ve fallen off your neck. Was wondering when you were gonna mention it.” Cole watched as she hastily applied the necklace on, all the while keeping his eyes glued to the hidden geode. “Whatever that thing of yours is, I’ve never seen anything like it. Sure, conduits can manipulate stuff around them, but a magical rock alone isn’t a regular find.” He raised his hand, sparks igniting from his fingertips. After his shocking discovery, he’d tried connecting with whatever energy the small object held, yet all it did was agitate both power sources until he gave up. It felt as though he was doing it wrong. Sunset pondered the statement, flexing out his words. When crossing realms, Equestrian magic typically stores itself through random devices, or the ancient, magical Equestrian artifacts fall through the cracks themselves. Thus far, never before has pure magic automatically clung to a person from this world. His explanation of his people added an entirely new factor. With age your powers were presented? That or something called a ‘Ray Sphere blast’ brought them to light? In her state of confusion, Pinkie took this as a sign to start her own questions. “So, do you like parties? I bet you’d be amazing at fireworks, imagine your zippity-zappity lightning with my explody sprinkles! It’d be all like: Pew! Pew! Boom!” “Yeah, not gonna happen.” He rolled his eyes, baffled as to why of all the people in this world, she had the misfortune of being able to explode shit. “Speaking of which, what are the chances that cupcake of yours blows my head off? I think I’m starting to prefer that instead.” Ignoring their conversation, Sunset cut through their conversation with her next question. “If you’re not from the world of Equestria, or even from this world’s country version of Equestria, then where are you from? Why did you come here?” “Wasn’t on purpose, I can tell you that much.” He replies bluntly. “Nobody else in this city recognizes the landmarks or cities I come from, so I don’t have much hope either of you will.” She hums, tapping her fingers impatiently on the table. “Try me.” … He mulls her challenge over, leaning his face on his palm. “Earth.” The girl blinked multiple times, finger under her chin as she mulled over the blunt answer. In doing this, she failed to witness the dread hiding skin deep under Cole’s otherwise stoic gaze. As the minutes ticked by, the increasing tension did not go unnoticed by her and her friends. She was interrupted by Cole abruptly standing from his seat and walking away towards the edge of the roof. “Wait, where are you-” “Out.” He growled, looking down off the edge. “I need a minute. Clear my head and shit. Go home before anyone recognizes you.” “What?!” She gulps before standing alongside the other two. “Please, don’t leave! I-I have so many questions, and we just got here…” “I SAID-” He bites his tongue hard to shut himself up. Yelling won’t do anything, but right now he needs to move. Be anywhere but here. He sucks in a breath and places his hands back on his hips, struggling to come up with a solution. “Maybe…” A small voice perks up, driving the company’s attention towards Fluttershy. Blushing under the spotlight, she forces her stage fright down to continue. “…If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, perhaps we could come back with the rest of our friends later today. That way with all of us together, we might help answer some more of your questions.” She’s still openly anxious under his gaze, yet she’s hopeful he’ll come to trust them. “If that’s fine with you, u-um, of course… We promise not to tell anyone where you are.” “Yep!” Pinkie salutes, doing some weird movements with her hand tracing over her body. “Cross our hearts, hope to fly, and stick a cupcake in our eyes!” The offer is sound, he’s tempted to take it despite the risks. “Three o’clock sound good?” When they nod, he turns back around, speaking over his shoulder. “Meet me back here. Until then, keep yourselves hidden.” With a wave of his hand, a long string of electricity fires out and contacts with a building on the other side of the street. As the tether yanks Cole off his feet, the three girls quickly run to the spot where the conduit had just been standing, watching him disappear. “WAIT!” Pinkie shouted, yet to no avail. “Aww man, he didn’t take his cupcake.” What could have made him leave like that? Was it something she’d said? Sunset scrunched up her face as she replayed the last few minutes, wondering where she went wrong. Fluttershy must’ve noticed her inner turmoil, clasping the older girl’s shoulder as reassurance. Though she’s thankful, Sunset can’t help but feel like they’ve uncovered something a tad out of her depth. This’ll require expert help. _______________________ Elsewhere. In truth, Cole’s life as a conduit has been relatively short as opposed to fortunate people who’d learned to flesh out their powers through time and age; However, through a mixture of pride and brutal honesty, Cole could also say he’d dealt with more crazy shit in what others would consider a short amount of time compared to anyone else. He’d thought himself ready to face any challenge no matter how inane, where any sane person would begin to question their mentality and beliefs upon witness. Monsters, superhuman freaks, titans bringing about cataclysmic destruction. All under the span of one year total. Hell, Kessler himself traveled back in time without the use of any aiding technology. Just simple, raw, untethered power of a grieving conduit clutching to desperation. Cole often did his absolute best not to think about the old man whenever he could, yet the revelation still came back to haunt his nightmares every so often. It seemed the world couldn’t offer more surprises. Now the word ‘world’ didn’t even feel right. He sneered, keeping up his pace as he ran, and ran, and ran across the rooftops. Color him fucking surprised, the rainbow-colored people of Equestria and their ‘magic’ weren’t conduit related. He’d desperately tried to make heads or tails of Sunset’s geode, studied its every angle, and tried tapping into its power with his own. Only to be outright rejected by it, like oil against water he’d been denied merging with whatever energy was stored within it. Unlike when he’d healed Fluttershy and had gained his radar sense back. As if it required both parties to willingly cooperate for any form of conclusion. But he did get one definitive answer though: This places’ magic was an entirely different breed compared to anything he’d seen before. So where was he? The lack of geological understanding, knowledge about anything remotely close to the Americas or any other country across the globe, their wacked out history, and the final nail in the coffin: Sunset’s obvious ignorance to the simple word of earth. The implication was simple: He. Was. Fucked. Whether the RFI killed him or not no longer mattered, now he needed to know how it seemed to transport him to another Goddamn planet entirely. Even the mere thought made Cole want to put himself in a psych ward. He wouldn’t be contacting Zeke. John’s status would be left up to the imagination. All conduits’ lives would. Why? Why did he have to be alive? And why was he brought here? At least he was familiar with the concept of death. Perhaps this was retribution for attempting to bring every conduit with him to the grave. The electric man felt his insides boil with rage and fear, he wanted to leave this damned city and never look back. To clear his head and rethink a plan. Unfortunately, fortune was never a part of Cole Macgrath’s charm. No matter where he went, crazy was sure to follow like a cloud. He was a natural disaster, bringing chaos to himself and those around him. Besides, he couldn’t just leave those kids like this, scared, and stuck in a city clearly riddled with problems they couldn’t handle alone. Besides, they could all still help each other out. If world traveling was a common occurrence here after, perhaps getting back home wasn’t as hopeless as it sounded. Gliding along a livewire, Cole followed the noise of the city and its people. Cool breeze fighting against the storm inside him. _______________ ??? No matter how many times she went through, Sunset would never get used to the portal. Groaning, she blinked away the messy splotches in her vision as a figure steadily approached. “Sunset, are you alright?!” The voice was familiar to a certain scientist back in the human realm, yet distinct enough to notice a difference. “Just peachy.” She drawled. Nothing like feeling your body stretch and bend like taffy with a blinding light searing into your eyeballs and all. Not to mention the portal had a nasty habit of literally spitting out its traversing occupants as though they were bad food. Lifting up her appendage, Sunset felt her hoof wrap around the others in order to lift her up. Despite being naturally born as a unicorn, the extended length as a human often had her desperately rewiring her instincts to get used to the four sets of hooves she now repossessed. Shaking her head, Sunset looked up to see Princess Twilight Sparkle; The alternate version of her human friend, and self-diagnosed mentor. Princess Twilight was beaming, instantly enveloping Sunset into a tight hug. Once they were finished with their greetings, the younger equestrian seemed both ecstatic and concerned. “So, how are the others?! How’d you defeat the cyclops, I was almost going through the mirror when you wrote to me.” Despite herself, Sunset cringed at the memory, gulping before rubbing the back of her mane. “Oh yeah, that...” Her expression became serious, doing little to ease Twilight’s intrigue. “…You’re going to want to sit down for this one.” Twilight waved her off with a raspberry, although complied nonetheless. “Pshaw. Way ahead of you, I’ve prepared enough notes to understand this plenty!” {Ten minutes later} “WAIT! I ran out of room- SPIKE!” Sunset rolled her eyes as Twilight screeched, a young dragon bursting through the double doors of the library carrying more scrolls in his little arms. Flying across the room he dropped the scrolls at Twilight’s hooves before setting off again as fast as his wings could carry him. Sunset emphasized with the knowing look on his face, noticeably unbothered this was nearly the fifth time he’d been called. All around the princess were piles of notes and frantic scrawlings dedicated to the information she’d been given. Nearly quadruple the number of written spells and research Twilight had done upon hearing about the monster attack originally, via initial message through book. Sunset was thankful she’d managed to finish her story, that way it allowed Twilight more leg room to complete her scribbles in classic hasty fashion. Clearing her throat, Sunset smirked. “You finished?” “Finished?!” the princess balked. “We barely just begun! We already discovered more portals between our worlds aside from the CHS statue, but now that it’s actively sending creatures out instead of just magic is astounding! And incredibly hazardous, as we’ve seen.” Twilights horn glows to drag over a tossed scroll rechecking it before speaking. “And this human you speak of, saying he’s capable of controlling electricity and ice? Amazing!” “The ice part is only what Rainbow Dash told me.” Sunset shrugged, taking a sip of her water provided to her earlier. “Twilight, I’ve never in my life seen or heard of anyone within our borders who possesses what he does. There’s not many Equestrian artifacts I can think of either.” “You mentioned he has a weapon.” The alicorn spoke again. “Could that be the source?” She places a hoof under her chin. “No. I wouldn’t rule it out completely from being a possibility, but even without it he could still utilize his magic. It seemed to come from himself.” “I see. And you said he talked about ‘people like him’, these ‘conduits’. He thinks you’re one of them?” “Not anymore.” Sunset shook her head again. “After he found my geode, he claimed he’d studied it, and that he’d never seen anything like it before. Same with our own magic, he’s just as confused about us as we are with him.” Twilight nodded, pulling out books from high shelves with her magic to rest near their sitting frames. “And you plan to meet him later today? If it’s alright, mind if I send you off with a couple of my own questions?” “You’ll have to be careful with what you ask.” Sunset scoffed. “He tried explaining where he’s from, yet when I didn’t know he stormed off all angry.” “To be fair…” Twilight hummed. “…It sounds reasonable. From what I gather no one else in your world knows the places he’s mentioned. What was it again?” “Earth.” The orange unicorn muttered. “He called it earth. I also heard he mentioned places like America, New Marias and such. Have you ever heard of those places?” The princess mulled over the question, narrowing her gaze towards an invisible problem. Suddenly, Twilight’s eyes widened, as though she’d just found a possible solution. Instantly she sprung up and ran over to a nearby shelf, darting through the countless manuscripts until eventually finding the right one. Sunset perked up as Twilight set a large hardback before them both. It was old, withered, yet well maintained enough to be used. She recognized it, although her memory was slightly fuzzy on most of what it entailed: It was a book once kept in the library inside the castle of the two sisters. More specifically, it was dedicated to research in regards to magic outside of Equestria’s borders, as well as the possibility of magic outside of their world in total. In human terms, it was the theoretical sci-fi book amongst the other non-fictional works, one many a pony took as a joke. However, the two sisters always seemed intent on keeping it no matter the lack of respect it received. Sunset watched Twilight with curiosity, noting her friend’s newly uncomfortable expression. “Tell me Sunset…” Princess Twilight began. “…Have you ever thought about our shared universe? How easily we’ve managed to brush aside that two worlds are connected through magic and travel purposes?” Sunset felt her body freeze before the next words left the princess’s mouth. “What if I told you, we’ve been connected to more than two.”