//------------------------------// // A Certain Magical Sunset - Act 1 - 19 - Twilight - The Martian Necessity // Story: A Certain Magical Sunset // by Babroniedad //------------------------------// Twilight - The Martian Necessity Wednesday, August 20. Unknown local time, 6:00 PM Canterlot time Twilight looked up from her notes, noting the bright magenta flash from the control room. “Sunset’s back,” she smiled to herself. She turned back to her notes. Then looked up a moment later when she heard ‘Welcome to Mars’. “I wonder who that could be?” she thought. She got up and headed into the control room. She was greeted by the sight of Sunset smiling ear to ear, joined by two grinning mages. “Oh, wow! Hi, you two! I wasn’t expecting any company yet. Yeah! Like Sunset said, welcome to Mars!” greeted Twilight. “Come on in!” She backed through the doorway and gestured to the conference table. “Take a seat. I’ll get some drinks and snacks then we can have a chat. Unless you would rather have the tour first?” Stiyl grinned. “Mars, eh? I don’t know about you, Kaori, but I could go for the tour. Not every day you get to tour Mars!” “I’ll second that,” agreed Kaori. “Tour please!” “Okay! Tour it is!” Twilight smiled. “That was our control room.” She gestured to the room next to the control room. “This is our ‘farm’. Hydroponics and fish. Not much to see yet but the racks. We just planted yesterday so nothing has grown yet. Come back in a week or two and we can sample some of the goodies. Oh! Also, the cistern for our freshwater is there.” She stepped over to the next room. “Communal bath and toilets. The bath is nice! It's always good to enjoy a warm soak. Also, the wastewater cisterns are in here.” She moved to the last room on the left and pointed inside. “This is our storeroom. Chances are if you need anything, we have it stocked in here. Somewhere. I still need to organize it.” “I’m sure it’s fine Sparky! Not everything needs to be reverse indexed and triple categorized,” Sunset quipped. “Say’s you,” grinned Twilight back, sticking out her tongue. “This is our kitchen and dining area. All the basic utilities you need are here. There’s running water, a fully stocked fridge, freezer, and pantry. And appliances. Table comfortably seats 10 but we could get more packed around it if we really needed to.” Moving over to the other side of the room, she opened the door to her bedroom. “This is Sunset and my bedroom. Each room has three beds, nightstands, dressers, a closet, a mirror, and a small desk. We have three bedrooms so we can comfortably sleep nine.” “Pfft! Or 18 if they all sleep like we do!” snarked Sunset. Twilight blushed and smacked Sunset lightly on the arm. “Sunset! I’m sure they’re not interested in how we sleep.” “Or don’t,” giggled Sunset while wiggling her eyebrows. Twilight stamped her foot. “It’s not like that!” she growled. Holding her face in her hands, she shook her head and laughed. “Why do you do this, Sunset?! Why do you torment me?” she laughed. “Maybe you just look good in red?” grinned Sunset as she pulled her friend in for a hug. “Gah… you’re lucky you are so adorable!” grinned Twilight. “Oh, my word! You two are like an old married couple!” laughed Kaori. “Ugh… it’s not like that! I swear!” groaned Twilight. Shaking her head, she laughed again. She moved down to the last room on the right. “This is our media room. Game center, computer, large screen TV with surround sound, couch, and recliner. It’s where we relax.” Twilight grinned. “We already broke it in with our first Movie Night. I can also confirm that the couch and recliner are quite comfortable after spending a night or two on them before.” Gesturing towards the large conference table, she continued. “And this is the lab and conference area. Screens are tethered to the laptop on the table. The entire bunker is served by wifi from the hub in the control room. We are under about 3 meters of regolith to protect against any stray radiation. That’s important given that Mars doesn’t have a magnetosphere. Behind me is the entryway that leads to the ramp to the surface. We don’t have a real airlock on it so we are using a magical barrier to keep the air in and any sand and stray radiation out.” Both Kaori and Stiyl perked up at the mention of magic. “Any chance we can go up to the surface and look around?” asked Stiyl. Twilight looked to Sunset then nodded. “Sure! We can do that. We don’t have pressure suits yet though so you’ll have to be protected by a bubble shield with air. We did that yesterday for our friends so we could explore. We’d be happy to do so for you as well.” Both mages grinned and nodded. “Okay then!” said Twilight. “One moment. I'll get you some supplies!” Twilight went into the storeroom. She returned with two daypacks and canteens. Twilight proceeded to fill the canteens while Sunset went into their bedroom and retrieved the packs and canteens for herself and Twilight. They met at the doorway where Twilight passed the packs and canteens to the mages, then put on her own daypack. “Some supplies and snacks for while we are out. Ready?” Twilight checked. “Ready Freddy!” smiled Sunset. She ponied up, wings tucked behind her. Twilight did the same. “Wow!” grinned Stiyl. “That was a magic spike! Do you two do this often?” “Lately, yes. Several times a day it would seem,” agreed Twilight. “And certainly every time we need to go out. It allows us ready use of our magic. And when we’re ponied up we are virtually indestructible.” “That’s why the girls and I were all ponied up while we were on the moon. And why Dashie has wings in that video everyone seems so fond of lately,” grumped Sunset. “And you built out this entire bunker in one day?” continued Stiyl. “Well, that was mostly me, at least for the excavation and basic structure,” admitted Sunset. “And it was more like a few hours in the evening. Twilight did almost all the inside and filled the place out. She transferred all the equipment from a previous bunker she had.” She turned to her friend. “That she didn’t tell anyone about,” Sunny added with a frown. “Hey, I said I was sorry, okay?” smiled Twilight. “You know I don’t keep secrets from you! I would have told you eventually.” “Yeah yeah,” smirked Sunset. “Anyways…. Let’s go see the neighborhood!” Twilight grinned. She led them through the magical barrier and up the ramp to the entrance. The mages followed, with Sunset bringing up the rear. As promised, everyone was surrounded by a large teal and magenta bubble. When they got to the surface, Twilight stepped aside, thus allowing the mages to get a good look around. Sunset wheeled up behind them. Off in the distance, Olympus Mons towered on the horizon. As far as the eye could see was a barren landscape of rust-colored rock and sand. “Woah! We really ARE on Mars!” exclaimed Kaori. “That’s really Olympus Mons! I can’t believe it! OP much!” laughed Stiyl looking at the two of them. “Wha.. what’s that supposed to mean?” asked Sunset, flustered. Kaori laughed. “Don’t worry! Stiyl just isn't used to dealing with kind and benevolent eldritch abominations!” she snarked. “Hey!” pouted Sunset. “I’ll have you know I am neither eldritch nor an abomination! And I have a driver's license to prove it!” She laughed. Twilight just grinned and shook her head. “So, not to belabor the obvious, but how do you get around?” asked Kaori looking at Sunset. “Yeah. That’s a very good point,” admitted Sunset. “I haven't been off this rock we’re on this whole time we’ve been here. Face it. My chair just isn’t the wheels I really need for this landscape,” she smirked. “Well, you could fly, right? You did during the demonstration you and Twilight put on last week. Why not just do that?” asked Stiyl. “Mhh, maybe?” said Sunset. “Twilight discovered that Mars is almost magically inert so we’re not sure how well that would work. I might be able to fly around close to the bunker but I would seriously hate to lose my magic and plow into the landscape as a normal girl in this environment.” “How abruptly do you lose your magic?” asked Kaori. “Is it sudden? All at once? Or can you feel it fading before everything leaves?” “Going by what I observed yesterday, it does fade in an inverse-square relation to our distance from the bunker,” answered Twilight. “That said, we were several kilometers from the bunker before Dash lost her transformation so we have a fairly decent margin for error. We store mana as well. I could feel the depletion once I was paying attention to it after Dash got hit with magical exhaustion, but I still had more than enough mana to keep my own transformation and get us all safely back to the bunker.” Twilight turned to Sunset. “We should be alright if you want to try it out, Sunny. Feel like spreading your wings?” “If you think it’s safe, sure! You have my back, so why not?” grinned Sunset. “For Science!” “For Science!” Twilight cheered in agreement. The mages looked at each other and shrugged. Sunset spread her wings. The others stood back a bit, giving her some space. With a few swift beats, Sunset rose up from the chair and hovered a few meters over their heads. The teal glow left them as she rose into the atmosphere. She said something to them while waving and smiling. They couldn’t hear a word she said. “Ah! I should have expected that. Everyone, headsets on! They’re in your daypacks,” explained Twilight as she took off her pack and pulled her own headset out. She put it on then looked at Sunset. She pointed to Sunset’s daypack, still hanging from the back of her chair. Nodding, Sunset lowered down back into her chair. “Good thinking Sparky! One sec!” She turned and removed her headset from her daypack and placed it on. “Okay! Trying this again. For Science!” Once again, she rose again into the atmosphere. With powerful beats of her angelic wings, she once again hovered several meters above them. “This is awesome! Dash is going to be so jealous!” Sunset enthused. “Can you all hear me?” “Loud and clear, Sunny!” answered Twilight, giving her a thumbs up. She turned to the mages. Upon seeing them both wearing their headsets and smiling, she grinned. “Okay! Let’s go explore! Which way do you want to head?” “Is there anything interesting around here?” asked Kaori. “You tell us. We don’t know the area.” “Let’s just head towards Olympus Mons for now,” suggested Sunset over the headset. “We haven’t tried that direction yet. Maybe we’ll find something interesting that way.” “Oh yes! I would love to get a look at that mountain!” agreed Stiyl. “Ah, no! Not actually going that far. That would be way more than a day's hike,” cautioned Twilight. “It looks closer than it is. The mountain is over 16 miles tall. We would have to walk for more than a day before we would even be close.” Stiyl frowned. “Don’t worry, though. We do plan on exploring it eventually. Just we don’t have a vehicle that’ll let us even get to it let alone explore it. But, when we do, we’d be happy to invite you along if you want,” invited Sunset. “Heck yes! Count me in!” eagerly agreed Stiyl. “I’d certainly enjoy that,” added Kaori. “It’s a date then. We’ll let you know when we’re ready for that adventure,” nodded Twilight as she led them off in the direction of the mountain. The mages nodded, staying close by to remain in her bubble. Twilight pulled out her magic detector and took a look at the readings. “Sunny, go and fly ahead of us. Pay close attention to your mana levels. The moment you start to even feel the slightest drop then stop and let me know. Okay?” “Sounds like a plan, Sparky! Okay, I’m off!” Sunset darted ahead of the party pulling off into the distance. “Dang girl! Trying to give Dash a run for her money?” snarked Twilight watching her fade towards the horizon. She followed along with the mages trailing her. “Yes, mom!” snarked Sunset over the radio. “I’m watching my mana levels. No change yet. The moment it even starts to drop, I’ll stop! I promise!” She was just a dot on the horizon now. “Woo hoo!” came the thrilled cry through the radio. “She really needs to get out more,” snarked Twilight. The mages laughed. “Hey! I heard that!” laughed Sunset. “You were supposed to,” grinned Twilight. Sunset was far enough away they couldn't make her out on the horizon. “How far out are you?” asked Twilight. “Uh. About 10k I think. Ugh! We goofed. We should have brought an inertial tracker so we could measure this. Some scientists we are!” groaned Sunset. “Next time, Sunny. Next time. We’re just proving the hypothesis now. Hard data later. So how are you feeling?” asked Twilight. “Still going strong,” Sunset answered. “Sweet Celestia! I forgot how much fun this is!” Twilight grinned. “That’s my girl!” They continued following along behind her with Twilight taking readings from the magic detector and making notations on her phone. Sunset kept checking in with them every few minutes. Eventually, they were about 5 kilometers out from the bunker. Twilight called out to Sunset. “Okay. I’m starting to feel the diminished field. It’s down to less than 10 percent of its full strength here. I don’t know how you’re still going.” She stopped and sat on a rock taking a rest. The mages joined her. “We’re still in a safe range, right? No need to worry yet?” asked Kaori. “No worries! We’re fine. Ten percent is still more than enough to keep the shields up and the air fresh. I also have an abundance of mana in my core. Worse comes to worst, I feel I could easily teleport us all back to the bunker with my magic.” “That is a good question though,” replied Sunset over the radio. “How am I still going? If you are feeling it there I should definitely be feeling it from where I’m at. By my estimate, I’m close to 30K out from the bunker and almost a quarter of the way to the base of the mountain. I still don’t feel any drop in my mana. Want me to keep going?” “Sure. For a bit more,” agreed Twilight. A while later Sunset chimed back in. “Still no drop. Still feel fine. I wonder…” There was a pause. “Okay! I have an idea. I’m going to try something. One second.” A moment later there was a flash on the horizon. After that, a rainbow wave broke towards the mountain. “Woo hoo!” they heard Sunset yell through the headsets. “Sunset! What are you doing?” deadpanned Twilight. “Did you just do what I think you did?” “Yup, Sparky! Sonic Rainboom! I’m almost to the caldera!” came the excited reply. They watched as the rainbow arched up the side of the mountain then disappeared over the side. “Sunset Shimmer! You are such a dork!” groaned her friend shaking her head. “Hello, Sunny! Can you hear us?” she called out. “She can’t hear us?” asked Kaori. “No! These units are line-of-sight. Once she dropped into the caldera, we lost the beam. Sometimes I just want to wring her pretty little neck,” grinned Twilight. A short time later, the rainbow trail reappeared over the side of the mountain and turned back in their direction. “Sorry about that!” came Sunset’s voice over the radio. “I forgot these were line-of-sight. I didn’t realize what a dork I was being until it dawned on me you weren't saying anything back. Heading back to you now.” “You do realize that if something had happened to you, I would be hard-pressed to even get to you? I could shoot you for being so stupid,” groused Twilight. “Sorry, Sparky! Didn’t mean to worry you!” Sunset apologized. The rainbow was getting closer. A few moments later there was a rainbow flash of light. Sunset had stopped about half a kilometer away. She resumed her flight at a more normal speed then settled down on the rock next to her friend. “How was that?” she grinned happily. Twilight smiled then punched her on the arm. “Dork! Don’t worry me like that!” Twilight pulled her friend into a hug which Sunset returned. “So sorry, Sparky,” she apologized again. Twilight looked down to the magic detector still in her hand. “Hmm. That’s odd,” she noted. “What’s that?” asked Sunset, pulling back to see what she was looking at. “These readings. The ambient magic is back up to full level. That’s unexpected,” observed Twilight. “Just now?” asked Sunset. “Just since you returned,” answered Twilight. “So, what does that mean?” asked Sunset. “Eldritch abomination,” whispered Stiyl to Kaori. She laughed and slapped him on the arm. “Not 100% certain. Let’s try something. Can you fly back out, then come back?” asked Twilight. “Sure,” agreed Sunset. Twilight got up to give her some room. Sunset gave a few sweeps of her wings and was back into the air over them. “Okay! Back in a few!” She turned and lit out for the horizon again. Twilight kept an eye on the magical detector. After a minute she nodded to herself. “Okay, Sunset. That’s far enough. I have a good idea about what’s going on. Come on back!” she called out. “So what’s the verdict?” asked Sunset over the headsets. “You’re an eldritch abomination,” snarked Twilight. “Shut your mouth!” laughed Sunset. “I am NOT! I’m heading back.” Turning to the mages, Twilight held out the detector. “Watch this. See the reading level there? That’s at the 10 percent level I was talking about earlier. Watch the reading as she comes in for her landing,” She grinned. The mages gathered around her watching the readings. Sure enough, the readings started to go up. It was soon back into the green range. As the level neared the top of the meter, Sunset settled in for a landing next to them. “Whatcha doing?” she asked everyone, leaning in to see what they were looking at. The level was back up to full. “Eldritch abomination,” agreed Kaori with a laugh. Sunset groaned. “Come on! Enough already.” Back at the bunker, they were gathered around the conference room table. Twilight had her laptop set up. Both conference displays were lit and filled with data from the magical detector and the drone. Numbers and letters scrolled across the reflection of her shining glasses. Sunset rolled up to the table. She’d brought a tray with a pitcher of apple juice, a bowl of ice, glass cups, and bowls of snacks balanced on her lap. She placed the tray on the table then filled the glasses with ice and juice. She passed them out to her grateful guests and her friend. “Thanks for just teleporting us back, girls. I was not looking forward to slogging the five klicks back through those rocks,” grinned Stiyl as he took his juice and placed a bowl of salty pretzels by Kaori and himself. “No problem! Happy to do it,” answered Sunset as she passed a glass to Kaori. “Besides I think Twilight here would melt if she had to wait any longer to get back to her analysis,” she smirked with a wink to her friend. “You know me so well,” smiled Twilight while still going over the numbers from the detector. “So, madam scientist, what’s your conclusion?” asked Sunset as she set a glass of juice and bowl of pretzels next to her friend. Without looking away from the screen, Twilight took a handful of pretzels. “Mmm, thanks, Sunny. And I already told you. Eldritch abomination.” Sunset gave her a stink eye. “Sparky, I swear some days…” Unable to hold it in any longer, Twilight laughed and turned to her friend. “Now who’s too easy, hmm?” she teased. “Seriously though. Why is my magic not getting depleted?” asked Sunset. “Well, to put it bluntly, you seem to be your own portal. Wherever you go, you radiate equestrian harmony magic. With you around, levels are always at the top of the scale. That’s also likely why, no matter how far from the bunker you were, you never suffered any decrease and felt no magical exhaustion. I’m speculating here, but if I’m right, you can’t run out of mana. I think you are fully ascended,'' answered Twilight. “Huh? Do you mean like the princesses?” asked Sunset. “We can ask Princess Twilight to be sure. But yes, that’s my best guess,” answered Twilight. “Okay. Wow. That’s a lot to take in,” said Sunset pensively. “One thing I don’t understand though,” added Twilight. “If you have your own internal source of magic from your ascension, why do I seem to run low? I ascended as you did, so what's different? Is it the lower mana levels my counterpart mentioned? I’m not trying to be petty or anything. I just want to understand why and what we’re dealing with.” “That’s a good question Sparky. I don’t know. I thought ascension was an all-or-nothing kind of thing too. One more question for the princess,” agreed Sunset. “Interesting,” agreed Kaori, munching on a pretzel. “That would put you on the level of a demigod, Sunset,” she observed. “Demigod my flank!” snorted Sunset. “I’m still just me! I don’t care how much magic I have.” “And you, Twilight, would be easily on the level of a saint,” continued Kaori. “Whatever that is.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “That’s the level I’m at,” informed Kaori. “Sorry. I didn’t mean any offense,” apologized Twilight. “No offense taken,” assured Kaori. “So, simply put, it means both of you are extremely potent mages and we’re happy to have you in our camp, because anyone going up against either of you two is going to have their hands very full.” She grinned before taking another handful of pretzels. “The only ones who ever have to worry about that are those who want to take over the world or mess with my friends,” grinned Sunset. “And that’s something I feel we’ll never have to worry about from the two of you. I’m happy we’re working with you and your group against anyone abusing magic.” “What she said,” agreed Twilight with her nose still in her display. Sunset smiled and rolled her eyes. “And we’re happy to have you,” agreed Kaori. “So, back to one of my earlier questions”, responded Sunset. “How best to get a hold of you and your group? Is there some preferred way to stay in touch? Email, phone number, Owl delivery? Dragonfire?” she quipped. Kaori laughed. “Definitely not Dragonfire.” She shook her head. “As magic users, we are not always on the best of terms with technology. That said, you have my cell phone you can reach me at. We also have an email address that you can use.” She laughed. “And as for Owl delivery, I’m not even sure that’s a thing. Something you read?” she asked. Twilight laughed. “Yeah. It's from one of her favorite book series. Get her started on it and she’ll talk your ear off for the rest of the night.” Sunset laughed, “If you just read them you would too! You would have to admit they are completely awesome!” “If you say so,” snarked Twilight. “I got Dash to read them and she agreed they’re some of the best books she’s ever read! Right behind Daring Doo!” Sunset argued. “And there’s a literary review to hang your hat on! A recommendation from Rainbow Dash!” Twilight teased her friend. “Seriously?” grinned Sunset. “Don’t be dissing on Dashie. She acts like a jock but she’s just as much an egg-head as the rest of us.” “You're not wrong there. That girl is seriously tsundere,” agreed Twilight. The mages just looked at each other and grinned. Kaori rolled her eyes. “So back on topic!” she called out. “You have my cell number. You can reach me if you need anything.” Kaori texted them the email address as well. “There, sorted. Any other questions for us?” she asked. “What can you tell us about Academy City?” asked Twilight. “Academy City is in the heart of Tokyo.” Kaori answered. “It’s where children with psychic abilities go to master their skills. There’s a strong magical presence in the city too. That’s despite the antipathy between those with psychic ability and those who use magic. It seems you can’t have one without attracting the attention of the other. We have some friends there…” “Friends is a bit of a stretch,” cautioned Stiyl. “More like a friend and useful blockhead.” “Be nice, Stiyl. Index is our friend, and Tōma is her friend. And he is taking care of her. Plus she seems to adore him. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt, hmm?” answered Kaori. “Whatever. As long as Index is safe, I’m happy,” agreed Stiyl. “Too bad we can’t just leave her here! I’d like to see anyone try to get to her on Mars! Not to mention being protected by not just one but two eldritch beings!” he laughed. Sunset raised an eyebrow. “I meant that in the nicest way possible,” he amended with a grin. “She’s fine with Tōma. But, as a backup plan, that’s not a bad idea,” agreed Kaori. “Something we’ll consider if you two wouldn’t mind?” she asked Twilight and Sunset. “No objections from me! Any friends of yours are friends of ours!” agreed Sunset. Twilight nodded. “So … when do we get to meet them and the rest of your group?” Sunset checked. “What's our plan moving forward?” “The plan, I'm thinking, is a simple one. We could really use you two in Academy City backing up our friend Tōma who is protecting Index.” She glanced pointedly at Stiyl at the word friend. “You could also help us out looking into some serious magical incidents that have been occurring,” Karoi continued. “Basically, we’d need you to be our eyes and ears in the Academy. Our spies.” Karoi turned to Sunset. “Your empathic powers, as you described, are off the charts. I don’t think you’ll have any trouble getting into one of the academy’s schools.” Looking to Twilight, she went on to say, “You should be fine as well. Even if you had no psychic abilities, with your scientific mind and understanding, any of the schools would be delighted to have you. You two could be our ace in the hole for protecting Index.” “She must be very special to you both!” Sunset nodded. “But why would anyone want to hurt her?” she asked. “That’s the thing. Index is not just our friend. She has the arcane knowledge of every known codex and grimoire within her head. There are many unscrupulous organizations who would do anything to get their hands on the power unleashed through the knowledge she carries in her mind,” continued Kaori. “Woah! That’s fantastic!” exclaimed Twilight. “That much knowledge! I can’t wait to meet her!” Kaori gave Twilight a concerned look. “Hold up,” she said. “She is not to teach anyone the contents of those codices. That knowledge is forbidden. There are very few we would trust with the power contained within those writings. You may someday be among them. Only time will tell on that. Even Index herself is not allowed to meditate on, examine, or use that knowledge except in extreme emergencies.” She looked between Sunset and Twilight. “That knowledge has only led to suffering, destruction, and loss, all through human history. She holds the knowledge not to share, but to safeguard. To keep it from those who would use it for evil or selfish ends.” “Understood,” nodded Twilight. “I can relate to that. It makes sense.” “Ditto!” agreed Sunset. “You have some experience with this, I recall you mentioned?” asked Kaori. “Yes, sadly,” nodded Sunset. “I stole a magical artifact to gain power. I then attempted to take over my school. All so I could return through the portal that brought me here and conquer my home kingdom.” Kaori looked at her askance “Yes, it was completely stupid! It would never have worked but I tried anyway,” Sunset sighed. “Thank the Maker I was stopped by our dear friend Princess Twilight and the rest of our friends. Once the dust settled, I realized just how wrong I was. I joined with them in determination to stop anyone else who would use magic to hurt others.” Twilight nodded, giving Sunset’s hand a gentle squeeze. “And I stole the magic from Sunset and her friends. Following that, I kind of tore a hole in spacetime between our realms to gain more power and complete mastery over all magic.” She bowed her head. Sunset gave her a gentle smile squeezing her hand back. Twilight continued. “Sunset stepped in and stopped me. She showed me a better way.” She smiled at her friend. “I’ve been with them ever since, committed to protecting others and keeping magic from being abused.” Twilight turned to her friend. “I guess you've always been a little OP girl,'' she said to Sunset with a smirk. Grinning, Sunset pulled her in for a hug. “You stopped yourself, Sparky. You embraced the power of our friendship.” Twilight smiled, eyes watering. “Yes. Yes, I did. With no regrets!” “And as for OP? Eh, compared to some of what we’ve been up against, not so much,” Sunset smiled. Kaori smiled. “You'll both fit right in!” she said. Giving Twilight a final squeeze, Sunset released her friend and took her hand. “So, we’re heading to Academy City then. Okay! Let's plan this out!” The Maker loves us, not because we are good, but so we may become good - The Celestial Teachings Toma - Academy City Toma ran through the streets of Academy City looking for Misaka Mikoto. “This is just wrong!” Toma thought to himself. He was searching one girl, alone, the key to the madness occurring with her sisters, the apparent army of clones that had been made of her, and that were being brutally sacrificed on some experiment. Looking for any sign of where she could have gone, Toma scanned the cityscape around him. Stopping, he noticed something peculiar. Even though it was a completely windless night, several of the propellers on the massive wind turbines throughout the city were still gently turning. “The turbines produce electricity. If there is no wind, it might make sense that electricity could reverse that process and produce movement,” he reasoned. Looking more closely at the turbines, he could see they formed a rough line heading straight to the bridge he had found Mikoto musing on before. “That has to be it. She’s a level 5 electromaster producing energy every second. Even more if she is worked up about something.” He ran through the streets, heading to the bridge. Misaka Mikoto stood on the bridge, leaning on the railing, looking out at the sky over the bay. “How did things end up like this?” she sighed. She flashed back to the days when she first came to Academy City, a very young girl, and only barely a level 1. She had been working hard on her powers, practicing and honing them to the point she had begun advancing through the levels. She was still living and training in the institute that was sponsoring her. A doctor entered the room she was training in. “So, you must be the famous Misaka Mikoto, our rising star!” he smiled. The nurse who entered with him smiled as well. Mikoto smiled back. “Hi!” “You know, Misaka, there are many people with handicaps, in pain and unable to even move their own limbs,” commented the doctor, coming over to her and placing a friendly hand on her shoulder. “If they had the power to control the electricity within their own bodies, they might have hope! We could provide them with that hope.” “We could save a lot of people if we were to apply her powers to them!” the nurse enthusiastically added. Mikoto nodded excitedly, delighted in the chance to help others. Flash forward several years… Mikoto was now an accomplished electromancer, one of the most powerful in all of Academy City. She was heading into school in preparation for classes. A group of girls were gossiping, not having seen her approach. “I heard a rumor that the military is creating an army of clones! They’re using a certain level 5’s DNA as the base!” one of the girls hissed meanly. “And she goes to our school!” The other girls snickered, smiling and looking around. “I think I know who you mean,” giggled one of the girls. At that point, they noticed Mikoto heading towards them. They all grew silent, quietly moving away while giving Mikoto mean stares. “That’s a ridiculous rumor, and you should be ashamed to be spreading it!” she growled at them as she passed. Their hair all frizzed as they moved quickly off to their classes, Mikoto storming off to her own. The flashback over, Mikoto sighed, looking at the clouds. The crescent moon reflected on the water’s surface. Frustrated, arcs of electricity occasionally shot off from her as she leaned on the railing, caught up in her thoughts. In her mind's eye, she saw several of her sisters, the clones, before her. “Help!” she muttered weakly, lost in her thoughts. Her mind cut away to another scene. Her sisters were dead, lying in pools of their own blood. Accelerator was standing over them, smiling. “Help me!” she muttered quietly again, lost in her depressing thoughts. “Meow!” A black cat walked out of the shadows, moving over to sit beside her. Drawn from her depressing thoughts by the cat’s cry, she looked down and smiled briefly. She heard footsteps in the darkness the cat had emerged from. Toma walked out of the shadows. “Bugzapper, what are you doing?” he asked gently. Mikoto flinched in surprise seeing Toma, and grew defensive. “I’m doing whatever I want!” she stated imperiously. “I am the Railgun, top rated Electromancer in all of Academy City! And the 3rd most powerful Level 5 in the entire Academy! You are just a Level 0! You have no right to lecture me!” she responded, turning her back to him. “Stop it,” Toma replied. “Stop what, exactly?” Mikoto shot back. “What exactly do you think I need to stop?” Toma stood before her, hands on his hips. “Stop what? Oh, let’s see…” He paused for effect. “How did it go? Something like this… Tree Diagram predicts that Accelerator will be ascended to Level 6 by preparing 128 battlefields and killing the 3rd ranked Level 5 esper, Misaka Mikoto, 128 times. However, it is impossible to to prepare 128 Railguns, the Radio Noise project in progress will be used as a substitute for the Railgun. By using 20,000 battlefields and killing 20,000 clones of the Railgun, the same results can be achieved.” He looked at Mikoto with concern, “Sound familiar?” Mikoto looked at Toma in shock. No one knew that, there was no way he could know that. Then she grew angry and arrogant. “I don’t recall giving you permission to enter my room, let alone search it and find those documents,” she demanded. “You didn’t. Your roommate did, and she cares about you very much,” answered Toma. Mikoto growled under breath as sparks flew from her. “I’ll deal with her later.” She turned her attention back to Toma. “So, you entered my room, went through my things, and found those documents. And read them. Did you get worried after that? Did you think what you found out was unforgivable? Was that your judgment?” she demanded. “I am worried about you. And yes, I did go into your room, find the documents, and read them. And I am worried for you. I’m not lying,” he answered. “Look, you’re angry. Fine! I apologize for going into your room without permission and going through your things. You can zap me with any amount of electricity you want for it later. But right now, I want to know what you are doing. And for the record, the fact that you have these documents makes it pretty clear you didn’t worry about whether you were allowed to have them or not, so we’re not so different there! And what are these?” He added, pulling out a map with red Xs on it over different Academy Institutes. “What did you do at these places?” Mikoto looked at Toma. “Yeah. Well whatever you’re suspecting is probably correct. Those marks are my shot-down marks for the facilities that were taking part in the experiments on my clones. Those are the ones I’ve taken down one way or another using my powers. She growled in frustration, more arcs of electricity shooting from her in her frustration. “That was my plan originally. I was going to take down every institute involved in this, and force them to abandon the experiment. But it didn’t work. No matter how many I took down, other facilities jumped at the chance to take up the project in their place! “I needed to find a better way to end this. You’ve met one of my clones,” Mikoto continued. “They all understand the concept of being killed merely as part of an experiment. And this city is under constant surveillance by Tree Diagram. Nothing goes on here that it doesn’t know about. That means this experiment is being allowed by the Board of Directors as well! “I was the one that started this! I am the one that has to end it! It’s my responsibility. I am not allowing my clones to be killed! Making Accelerator stronger is the centerpiece of this experiment. So if he is gone, the experiment ends. So he needs to be gone!” Toma shook his head. “Sorry zapper. You're not going to take out Accelerator. That’s a lie. We both know if you could do it, you already would have. That means we both know you're not strong enough to take him in a match or we wouldn’t be having this talk no matter how badly you want to beat him,” Toma reprimanded. “Why didn’t you ask me? “Zapper, you knew you couldn’t take care of this alone. Seriously, why didn’t you ask me? You know I would help. Why didn’t you ask someone for help. You’re not going to be able to just take care of this on your own. We both know that.” Toma smiled at her gently. Calming, Mikoto smiled, playing with the railings as she looked out over the water. “The experiments needed 20,000 of my clones for Accelerator to reach level 6 because he can’t fight and kill me 128 times. Mikoto smiled, looking out over the water. “So, what if I were killed 128 times and Accelerator did not reach Level 6? What if the conditions of the experiment could be proven false? Tree Diagram calculated that Accelerator would kill me after a certain number of moves in our battle. “So!” she added, grinning at Toma. “What would happen if I fought Accelerator, and lost on the first move? That would cast doubt on the predictions of Tree Diagram, and they would have to disband the experiment. They wouldn't be able to trust their machines, and the entire experiment would be invalid. My clones would be spared. Problem solved, and I am the one to solve it!” finished Mikoto. “Ah, no, flawed thinking there, Zapper,” countered Toma. “The scientist would just restart the experiment again, even if you did get away with your plan.” “Thought of that, and nope. They wouldn’t be able to. I checked. A few weeks ago, Tree Diagram was destroyed by an energy blast from the surface. The scientists would need to recalculate to restart the experiment. And with Tree Diagram lost, they would not be able to, and would have to call the experiment off because they could no longer perfectly simulate the experiment and predict the results.” Mikoto corrected. Toma sighed. “It sounds like you want to die,” he said, dejected. Mikoto looked surprised at the suggestion, but shrugged. “Yes.” Toma scowled. “And you seriously think your sisters, the 10,000 of them still alive, would be saved by your death?” Mikoto looked out over the waters. “That’s right. “In fact, that’s what I am doing now. I’m going to Accelerator’s location, and I am going to fight him. And I am going to lose to him in the first move. And save my clones.” She stood up from the railing, and moved to walk past Toma. Toma stepped in front of her. “No,” he stated simply. Mikoto scowled. “Get out of my way, Toma!” “No!” he stated again. She shouted at him. “Toma, you idiot! Do you not understand that if I die, my sisters can live? 10,000 of my sisters live, for one death. Mine! “Or do you not care about them?! Are you alright with them dying, since they're just clones?!” “No Zapper! I don’t think they should die. I don’t know what to do to stop that. But even so, I won’t allow you to die! I won’t do it! I will not step aside just so you can go and get yourself killed by Accelerator!” he stated firmly, standing his ground. Frustrated, electricity arced and flashed from Mikoto. “I cannot bear to see my clones hurt! I won’t let it happen! Stand aside Toma!” Toma just shook his head, standing resolutely before her. “Toma, you clearly don’t understand the power I wield. I will not lose to you today! Nothing and no one will stop me. Fight me if you want to, but I am going! And if you don’t want to die here, you will stand aside!” Mikoto yelled angrily. From the distance, the bridge could be seen lit brilliantly in the night by blue flashes of electricity arcing from its surface. Before Toma, Mikoto stood, arcs of electricity shooting into the air, electrifying the bridge and air around them. The sharp smell of ozone filled the bridge as power arced from Mikoto, fully prepared to battle Toma, still standing before her. It was a frightening and intimidating show of power, clearly showing the lethal intent of the electromancer facing him. Despite this, Toma did not flinch or move, standing still in the spot before her. He held his arms out to the sides, inviting her to give her best shot. “I’m ready to kill you to do what I need to do! Idiot! What exactly do you think you are doing?” she raged in frustration. Toma just stood there silently, arms out, unmoving, staring at her resolutely. After a few moments, he responded. “I won’t fight you. Even if you don’t hold your powers back. And I am not moving. I am not letting you pass,” he replied. “Idiot!” Mikoto screamed. “Then fight me!” Arcs of electricity lept from her to the surrounding bridge, scaring the cat away and bathing the bridge in a blue glow. “Fight me!” She screamed at him again, sending a flair of electrical power at him. It whipped just past his ear, scorching the bridge structure behind him. Toma did not flinch. He stood resolute, arms out, blocking her passage. “Don’t look so smug! My next shot won’t be a warning. It’ll take you out. You will die. Stand aside or fight me!” she warned. He stood there, umoving. “Argh!” she screamed, unleashing a deadly attack at him, engulfing him in her electrical power. As the arcing flashes cleared, Toma stumbled, then fell to the ground. Seeing Toma fall to the ground, Mikoto gasped. “What have I done!?” she whispered, looking at where he lay. Just as she was about to run over to him, she saw him twitch. Then, his arm moved. He stirred, then sat up. “How?” She breathed to herself, watching as he stood again, and held his arms out once more. “Toma, why won’t you fight me?! How are you still moving after that?” “I will not fight you, Zapper. I don’t know why I won’t fight you. But I won’t. And I don’t know what to do. But I do know this. I am not letting you go die tonight. I never want to see you hurt. And I will never accept you dying,” he stated. As he was speaking, Mikoto thought back to what had happened to the sisters and grew visibly angry. “Shut up! Just shut up! I don’t deserve what you are saying! Even in a world where everyone smiles, I have no place there!” she cried out. Toma sighed. “Zapper, what you are planning won’t save anyone. And even if you did die, and somehow it did save the 10,000 remaining sisters, do you think they will be thankful for what you did? Do you think gratitude will be what they feel seeing you die?” he countered. “Just shut up! Shut up, idiot! Just fight me!” screamed Mikoto. She launched another attack at him, hitting him squarely. He staggered, but did not fall this time, standing through it. When the attack passed, he took a breath and straightened back up, resolute. “You idiot! I’ve killed more than 10,000 people! There is no reason a villain like me should be allowed to live in this world! Why are you standing there, trying to save a villain like me, you idiot!” she raged. Toma smiled briefly at her. “Zapper, you are not a villain. Why are you alive if you really think you are a villain? Do you know why I am still standing here, and not dead like I ought to be after an attack from you? It’s because you went easy on me. Even without knowing it, you don’t want me dead. You’re not a killer. You are not a villain.” “That’s not true!” shouted Mikoto. “I wanted you dead! Even though I know you won’t fight me, I will kill anyone who tries to stop me from saving my clones!” “If that were true, I wouldn’t be standing here arguing with you. I would be dead,” he countered. “You have yet to kill me. You won’t kill me. You are too good of a person to kill me, even if I am the one preventing you from doing what you want most. Even if I am the one stopping you from saving your clones.” “You don’t get it!” she yelled. “The only way to save them is for me to die! If everyone can be saved by my death, then my death is a good thing, and it’s good for me to die! Move out of my way, Toma!” “I will not move!” Toma stated loudly, still standing before her, arms outstretched. “Toma, you idiot! This is your last warning! My next shot will kill you! I promise this! No holding back! No regrets! My attack will kill you! Now move out of the way!” she stated firmly. “I’m not moving!” Toma responded, standing resolute. Electricity raged through Mikoto as she screamed out in frustrated rage. Her attack on Toma rocked the bridge, scattering the clouds above the bridge. From the distance, the entire bridge was bathed in a searing blue glow, engulfed by Mikoto’s power. As the flashes and arcing cleared, Mikoto could be seen standing. She had unleashed one of her most powerful and lethal attacks on the boy who stood before her. Her eyes were closed. She had closed her eyes while unleashing her attack, not wanting to see his smoking dead body. As she stood there, breathing in the burnt ozone air, catching her breath, she heard a sound beside her. “Meow.” She opened her eyes and looked down next to her feet. The black cat had returned, now rubbing up against her, demanding her attention. Tears in her eyes, she reached down and lifted the cat up, snuggling it against her. Noticing something in the distance, the cat flinched. “Meow.” Noticing, Mikoto turned her tearful eyes to see what it noticed. In the distance, she saw it. The smoking body of the boy she just destroyed had been launched back several yards by the power of her attack, landing by the bridge entrance. He laid there in a smoldering heap on the ground. To her shock, one of his hands twitched, then the other. He stirred, slowly sat, then rose, and stood. He struggled, standing and holding his arms out again, shaking and stumbling to keep his balance. Mikoto cried out in shock, her tears streaming. “No!” she whispered. “No more! No!” She raised her hand, stumbling backwards, prepared to launch another attack. “Stop!” she cried out, her tears clouding her vision. Toma stood there, swaying, lost in thought as he recovered from the brutal assault he had just survived. Though barely conscious, he relived what he had just heard. He saw Mikoto explaining. She had no choice but to die. She truly did not want to die. But she couldn’t see any other path. “Think, Toma, think! Is there any other choice to make? The only way to stop the experiment is to make the researchers realize nothing good will come from pursuing it.” he thought. With a shock, he came to a realization. He looked over at Mikoto, still crying, staring at him in shock. “Misaka!” he called out, reaching for her. Before he could say anything further, the last of his strength gave out and he crumpled back down in a heap, completely unconscious. One of Mikoto’s sisters was walking the streets of Academy City, alone despite the late hour. It was a windless evening; none of the propellers on the massive wind turbines throughout the city were stirring. A while later, the girl, still in her Tokiwadai Middle School uniform, entered a mostly empty railway cargo holding area. Stopping, she checked her current coordinates. “I am Misaka 10032, the test subject for this experiment. The purpose of this test is to develop maneuvers for battles where ‘reflection’ cannot be used, states Miskaka,” she called out loudly. As she spoke, she flashed back to her last conversation with Toma. “Who are you? What are you doing?” he had asked. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. “Why would I recall his face at this time, Misaka wonders,” she mused, returning her attention to the present. “I clearly do not understand that boy, notes Misaka.” She looked up. From the top of a nearby shipping container, Accelerator smiled down at her.