//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: "Hedgehog's Dilemma" (1.07) // Story: Rebuild of Magic: 1.0 - 序/Beginning // by Smiles //------------------------------// Semi-Refined Ver. Rebuild of Magic By Smiles "In the magical universe there are no coincidences and there are no accidents. Nothing happens unless someone wills it to happen."— William S. Burroughs    A blaring siren, used in only the most highest tiers of alerts, echoed throughout a room. The room in itself was enormous, big enough to house an entire mansion. All around the room laid computers and holographic interfaces that streamed terabytes of data. All around, holograms seemingly floated in midair like magic. Three individual floors separated the different levels of the room. The bottom level’s pathway for people to go about their duties was in the shape of an M. The middle level was located twenty-four feet higher than the lower level and was positioned mainly at the inverted arch of the M. On it were three identical platforms that also held three tall identical metal containers. At the top level, a floor was situated 50ft higher than the lower level, granting it access to observe the entire room. It had only three chairs at the front and a single chair for a single individual hung at the back. Three figures sat in the chairs at the top level; two young males and one young female. All of them wore the same outfit that the personnel of the facility could also be seen wearing earlier that day. Everybody knew them as the bridge bunnies. They knew themselves as Shigeru Aoba, Makoto Hyuga, and Maya Ibuki. The two men wore a tan fabric jacket with two orange stripes on each shoulder tucked into tan trousers held by a belt at the waist. Hyuga was short, wore glasses, and had his hair spiked upwards. Aoba on the other hand was tall and had shaggy hair. Ibuki wore a similar jacket, although it wasn’t tucked in and was shaped around her body. Her legs were dressed in a white skin tight pants that were held by a belt at her torso. Her hair wasn’t very long either, as part of her tomboyish appearance. Ibuki looked around at all the holograms in the room as large red text that said a variety of things such as “WARNING” and “ALERT” started popping across the room. “Mid-level alarms; what in the world could set those off?” Another man entered the room from behind with a serious look on his narrow pale face, his folded-back grey hair radiating elderly age. “Status report. What’s setting off those alarms? Is it an attack?” he asked as he walked up behind them. His brown leather coat and black leather pants set him apart from the three bridge bunnies. “Unknown Vice-Commander Fuyutsuki, we’re still trying to determine the origin of the alert. Hyuga, shut off those alarms, they’re annoying as hell!” The shorter bespectacled man nodded and typed some commands into the holographic keyboard in front of him before the alarms stopped. A notice appeared on one of the holograms. “10 minutes ago at approximately 7:53:05 p.m. (GMT + 9:00), Magi sensors detected the brief presence of an A.T. Field twice 5 minutes from each other in the...old sections of Tokyo-3,” read Ibuki as she almost whispered the last few words. Hyuga added silently, “T-thats where the pilot of Unit-01 and Misato live...” Aoba typed in some commands on his side as the holograms began changing text. “All three Magi are unable to come to a consensus on the pattern of the first appearance. It shifted through most if not all patterns for about 1 second before disappearing. However, Casper and Melchior have been able to determine accurately the second appearance. It’s... no, that’s impossible.” “What is it, Aoba?” Fuyutsuki asked the shaggy haired man quietly. Aoba typed in some commands on his keyboard. “Displaying results now...” All the holograms in the room showed the exact same thing. Pattern Analysis: Blood Type RED (Error) “...It’s red,” Aoba finished as all the holograms started coming up with the same conclusion. Fuyutsuki narrowed his eyes as he looked at the results. So it's here. Just like Ikari predicted of the old men. “Pattern Red? But that pattern is only theoretical. To emit an AT-Field like that is practically impossible,” said the girl as she spoke with awe and fear. “Neither was Unit-01 reactivating when it was out of power, Ibuki, but it still got up and beat the crap out of that Angel,” Hyuga replied to the girl, chuckling a little to lighten the tone. “Can the appearance of the patterns be pinpointed to its exact location?” Fuyutsuki asked the three. “Negative, the A.T. Field that was generated was too brief for the sensors to fully identify and was comparable to that of a human in scale and size,” Aoba replied as he turned to the Vice Commander and shook his head. “Pinpointing its exact location would be like finding a needle in a haystack, even for our supercomputers." “Balthasar was able to confirm that both appearances however originated from the same being. Casper and Melchoir are still flip-flopping between decisions.” added Hyuga. “Cameras in the area are unable to detect any visible anomalies nor odd soundwaves,” said Ibuki. Her fingers dashed across the keys at lightning fast speeds as holographic screens popped into existence, showing a peaceful and sleeping district. She turned towards her superior and asked, “Vice Commander, what will you have us do?” Fuyutsuki took a deep breath for a moment, closing his eye in thought. His eyes reopened as he replied.  “File this down under EEE-Level clearance, and send a copy of the report to Commander Ikari. This isn’t Green or Sepia; whatever happened out there needs to be recorded.” “So tell me again, this time a little slower without switching back to English, what are you and why were you trying to molest Shinji?” asked Misato, an unamused expression on her face. It was supposed to be a peaceful night for her. The night weather was nice, it wasn’t raining, and she had cooked a nice juicy steak without putting any soy sauce, random chocolate bits, or a little beer that she usually put in all of her own food, making it more “edible” for Shinji. After that little talk in the car, she wanted to find a way to try and get a little closer to Shinji. As his guardian, it was her job to make him feel well at home, and she was trying her very best at it. He was just so pessimistic and jaded the first time she met him, always assuming the worst. Sure there would be some outbursts from time to time, but it overall just felt like he didn’t enjoy living. Just like me, 15 years ago. So, she tried to spice up his life a little, showing him some enjoyment and adventure. Maybe then he would stop sulking around and open up to the world around him. Make some friends and push his life to the fullest. And this dinner was supposed to be that first step towards that seemingly impossible goal. Now it was ruined. All because this thing decided to pop out from nowhere. Sitting in front of her on the dinner table was a purple candy-colored pony with a horn on its head. Her brain, that part that wasn’t drunk right now, was telling her she was seeing things. 1. Equines on Earth didn’t have the cute and cuddly body shape she was currently looking at. 2. No mammals on Earth ever had purple fur, as that kind of color was bad for survival. 3. Unicorns never existed on Earth, as they are mythical creatures originating from Europe. 4. Many species on Earth, including horses, were extinct.   Misato massaged the bridge of her nose as a frown formed on her face. If this was some kind plan from Nerv’s 5th Branch in China to get her to retire, it was working.  “I-I already said I wasn’t trying to molest anypony!” Twilight Sparkle stammered as her huge blush forming on her face. Misato felt her left eye twitch at the word ‘anypony.’ Twilight took a deep breath before raising her hoof to explain herself. “Once again, my name is Twilight SparkIe, personal student of the co-ruler of the land of Equestria, Princess Celestia. I am a unicorn pony, one of the three subtypes of ponies that exist, along with earth and pegasus ponies. I was trying to cast a language spell on him so I could learn the dialect your kind speak.” “I keep hearing the word spell. I suppose that's magical too then?” Misato deadpanned. Twilight looked bewildered. "Um, yeah. That's what spells are, magical,” Twilight replied like it was the simplest thing in the world. "Don't you know the basics of the most fundamental thing on Earth?" Misato’s right eye twitched in annoyance at the mare’s attitude before she fiercely bared her teeth at her, making Twilight jump. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please don’t eat me!” the frightened mare said quickly as she cowered behind her forehooves. Misato sighed before saying tiredly, “You were talking about how you got here.” Twilight gulped. “I-I’m really just as lost and confused as you ponies- er- people, really. I’m not here as some alien invader,” she motioned wildly with her arms, “or some science experiment gone wrong. I-” Twilight ears flopped down as her eyes saddened. “I don’t even know how I got here...” Misato's eyes softened at the sudden mood change of the animal in front of her, not really understanding how she got here either. She assumed that this horse was female and roughly the same age as Shinji, judging by her voice and mannerisms. As such, she felt a pang of empathy for it too as she watched it stare helplessly at the ground. From what Twilight had told her a while ago, supposedly this unicorn came from "The Magical Land of Equestria," in which she was trying to save her friends from wrong cutie marks and what not through the power of "friendship," which had somehow ended up on top of Shinji instead. Then she started rambling about tests, star swirls, and other things about her home to herself for about 5 minutes straight before Misato asked her to repeat herself. Unbeknownst to the mare, Misato was a keen listener and observer, and had been mentally jotting down every extra little detail that Twilight let out every once-in-awhile, things such as "Elements of Harmony," "Discords," etc. Of course, that didn’t mean she considered any of it fact. In actuality, Misato didn’t believe all that junk, not for a moment, and thought the strange horse in front of her to be some an insane lab escapee. Although it did sort of explain the glowing horn and screaming Shinji a while back. She would file that information away later. She sighed. It was going to be a long night, and she still had to figure out what to do with the "alien" sitting across from her. Why, tonight of all nights, did her cell phone’s contract have to expire? Now she had no one to call! Misato glanced towards the closed door leading to the living room on her right, her mind drifting slightly to the unconscious boy she placed there on the couch 10 minutes ago. 10 minutes ago~ Shinji was not used to having something shoved in his mouth while he was screaming. Shinji laid in the now mostly empty bathtub naked, eyes wide with shock and fear as to what was transpiring. On top of him was Twilight Sparkle, who also had the same look in her eyes but for different reasons, mainly for Shinji’s blood curdling scream. Her hoof was also in his mouth (tasted like blueberries, very tangy). Surrounding them was a centimeter of water and one Element of Harmony that found its way to the corner of the room. The water in the tub had cushioned Shinji from Twilight’s drop just enough so that he wouldn’t be feeling it in the hips the next day. Unfortunately, about three quarters of the contents of the 42-gallon sized tub was now splattered all over the floor, drenching the entire room as well as a very ornate tiara in hot bath water. The pair were left in an awkward position. Some would even consider it ‘hot’ or romantic. With the situation they were in, with Twilight sitting on top of Shinji, her hoof in his mouth and their eyes locked on to the other, had it been a middle aged man with sexual fantasies for candy colored horses, they would find the situation an erotic dream come true. Unfortunately, Shinji was not that sort of person at the moment. He was, after all, only a 14-year-old boy who just a minute ago was having a awfully depressing monologue about his tragic life in only his birthday suit. So, instead of imagining all the kinky and sexy things he could be having with Twilight Sparkle, all he saw was a giant purple people eater. Thoughts raced through his head. What was this thing? Was it a monster? An alien? Some escaped science experiment that gave people heart attacks? How was he supposed to know?! And where was Misato when he needed her?! He just screamed at the top of his lungs for crying out loud! Meanwhile, in the kitchen~ Misato sighed as she heard an ear piercing scream come from the bathroom. “Pen Pen must be scaring poor Shinji witless again. I swear, that penguin can be so immature...” Misato said, not noticing the irony of her own statement. Misato carried the steak she was cooking onto Shinji’s plate before taking a swig of beer from the counter. “Yebisu” was labeled on the can. “Ahhh, it’s things like these that make living worthwhile!” she said a little too happily as a blush formed under her eyes. Unbeknownst to her, a penguin entered the room from the living room with a can of Yebisu in its claws and turned left towards a large fridge. It pushed a button on the side before a small door slid open, allowing it to walk inside and sit on a miniature couch before the door slid closed. Back in the bathroom~ “L-look, I know you’re scared, uh, whatever you are... B-but there’s no need to panic!” Twilight nervously said, sweating like a pig as her eyes darted back and forth. She then noted she had unconsciously stuck her hoof in his mouth while he was screaming, which was sure to have probably scared him more.. She pulled it out, leaving a slightly calmed down but still scared-as-hell sputtering Shinji. “S-see? Look, I-I’m not dangerous or anything!” Twilight said as she nervously laughed to herself. Twilight had been speaking English (it was an archaic term, now more commonly known as Equestrian Common, but that’s a different story) since she first got here. Unfortunately for her, Shinji was and only spoke Japanese and had not taken English as a language class the prior year in 7th grade. All he heard from her was incomprehensible gibberish. Shinji, in his own “moonspeak,” managed to reply through the fear, “I-I’m sorry, b-but I don’t understand what y-you’re saying.” Twilight blinked. This thing didn’t speak English? Preposterous! Every living being spoke or at least could understand Equestrian Common. It has been the world’s official language for 1600 years! Shinji was still having a panic attack in front of her, and she didn’t know what to do! She started looking around muttering to herself. “Come on, think, Twilight, there must be some way...” She then gasped as she remembered and old spell that her mentor had taught her when the should the situation ever arise. “The ‘language comprehension’ spell! Why didn’t I think of it before?” She did have a history of pulling out rather exotic magicka out from nowhere. Oh well, better for her she guessed. She looked at Shinji again with a determined look on her face, her eyes slightly narrowing. “Don’t worry, uh, whatever you are. I know a spell that will fix everything!” She bit her lower lip as she concentrated on her Deus Ex Machina, focusing her magic into her horn as it produced a pinkish glow. If Twilight could see her own expression, she would have stopped her spell right then and there. Indeed, as in Shinji’s eyes, he was about to get treated to an unhealthy dose of beastaility. With a loud yelp, Shinji moved his right leg suddenly upward to try and get out of the tub and get away from the alien. This however caused the opposite of the intended effect, as a surprised, wide-eyed Twilight was launched forward into Shinji’s face. In a pure stroke of bad (or to the aforementioned dreamers, good) luck, their lips connected. Moments passed. Twilight turned redder than Apple Bloom’s mane. Shinji couldn’t take the insanity anymore and lost it. “GYAAAH!” Using all the strength and sanity he could muster, he quickly pushed a very embarrassed Twilight off his chest and onto her back before jumping out of the bathtub and tripping on the wet floor. Twilight looked into the ceiling with a dazed look, her eyes rolling around in circles. “Oww... Maybe doing that wasn’t such a good idea after all...” “MISATO!!!” Twilight heard Shinji scream, snapping her back to attention on the matter at hoof; keeping him from getting help. Shinji stumbled on the drenched, soggy and slippery floor before sliding the door that went into the washroom open. To his left was the kitchen where Misato was, his only form of help. (He never did question why the bathroom was so close to the kitchen.) Not far behind him was a mare, intent on stopping him, which to him, was actually intent on molesting him. He opened the yellow curtain separating himself from his salvation, spotting his guardian at the table across from him casually drinking a can of beer. “MI-MI-MI-MISATO!!! TH-THERE’S A T-THING!!!” Misato blinked twice in confusion and put her beer down. “Haven’t you already met Pen Pen?” she asked. “NO I-I I ITS I DON KNOW I ITS-GYAAH!” That was all Shinji managed to incoherently blurt out before he felt something ram into his back at a breakneck speed, knocking the air out of his lungs. Misato watched with an incredulous look as Shinji was tackled into the ground by something purple, creating a loud *THUD* that shook the table and almost knocked her half-finished Yebisu to the floor. It was going to be another one of those days. Sighing depressingly before silently looking over the table to check on Shinji’s condition, she rose an eyebrow at the sight before her. Was that a miniature unicorn pony on top of Shinji? She rubbed her eyes a couple times to clear her vision and make sure she wasn’t seeing things. Nope, the thing was still sitting on top of Shinji, still doing something weird with its horn. She sat back down, took her beer can, and looked inside at the tan colored liquid before quietly placing it on the table as far away from her as possible. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea for her to have ten cans in one day. Misato heard it grunt a bit, inciting her curiosity again as she peaked over the table once more at her supposed hallucination. Shinji was now tied up in ropes around the wrists and ankles behind the back with the pony having an almost evil looking grin on its face. “Now that you’re all tied up, I don’t have to worry about you running off for help! Now hold still this time so I can actually cast my spell on you!” Misato heard the thing in front of her speak eagerly as it tapped Shinji in the head with its glowing horn. Huh, a talking, english-speaking mutant horse. It wasn’t everyday she saw something like that. Although, this isn’t the first time I’ve seen something like this either. Unlike the gagging and foaming boy on the floor, Misato knew how to speak English, along with Chinese and Arabic (It came with being a government official). She of course had trouble fluently speaking all 3 languages, Chinese being the easiest, but she did however understand all of them fluently, allowing her to understand every word it had said. Oh, and now she was thinking to herself again at the worst possible time. Priorities Misato, priorities. Better do something before her boy gets raped or something. That smile didn’t look safe after all. Twilight’s horn stopped glowing before she spoke in perfect Japanese, “Much better! Hopefully, I can sort this whole thing out befo-” Misato knelt down and grabbed Twilight by her horn tightly before dragging her away from Shinji, causing Twilight to let out a loud gasp of surprise. “Uh oh...” Twilight said softly, her eyes shrinking into pinpricks as the situation turned from bad to worse. The attention she was trying to prevent was now on her, and the thing she tackled earlier’s backup now had its hand on her nerve-filled horn. As long as her sensitive horn was covered, she couldn’t cast any magic! Twilight watched with fearful eyes as Misato brought her closer to her face. “T-t-this is just a big misunderstanding, r-really! I wasn’t trying to hurt anypony!” “Uh huh,” Misato deadpanned as she looked the unicorn over, absorbing every small detail.  Twilight’s imagination going into overdrive. What was it going to do to her? Maybe it would throw her into a dark and scary dungeon. Or maybe it would fatten and tender her up then eat her alive. Or even worse, it would throw her into a dark and scary dungeon, fatten and tender her up, then eat her alive! She squeezed her eyes shut and focused. No! This was not the time to be panicking! She had beaten things bigger and scarier than some naked ape! So, what if she couldn’t use her magic, she still had her mind, she just had to outsmart the vile beast! “H-hey, don’t hurt me! Listen, I-I’m a magical genie that can grant anypony three wishes of anything within my power! If you let go of my horn, I’ll let you have those wishes! Promise!” Twilight proclaimed, before wincing how stupid that sounded. Not even a diamond dog would fall for such a- Misato let go of her horn. Twilight blinked. A pink flash of light later and Twilight was on the other side of the kitchen near the open door to the living room, which to her delight also seemed to lead to a balcony and the outside! “Ah ha! You fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book!” “Oh no, you tricked me! And I really wanted those wishes too!” Misato wailed sarcastically as she walked leisurely over to one of the kitchen drawers, taking out an object that was hidden from Twilight’s view. Twilight didn’t catch the sarcasm. “Well tough love baby! You don’t always get what you want!” she triumphantly replied before she began charging towards the balcony, her freedom. “I, on the other hand, am not getting eaten today! I have my freedom b-” *THUD* Misato casually walked over to the unconscious mare, who had mistakenly ran into one of the reflection-reducing plexiglass windows that separated the living room from the outside. “Well, I guess I did get one of my wishes granted after all!” She giggled fiddling with a roll of duct tape in her hands. “Now, how am I going to get my revenge for that little stunt you pulled there?” Twilight awoke to the sound of breathing, and opened her eyes to find herself sitting on the floor, her captor’s face only an inch from her muzzle. Misato smiled wide, showing off her gleaming incisors in particular. Twilight screamed. Well she tried, but all that game was a muffled “MMMPH”. She tried bucking Misato, but found that her legs wouldn’t move either. She didn’t even try to use her magic, that distinct feeling of something wrapped around her horn outshone the feeling of duct tape wrapped around her legs and mouth. Dread filled her. She slowly stopped struggling as she finally understood how hopeless everything was now. There was nothing she could do. No way for her to escape or fight back. She didn’t have her friends here this time, no one to help her. It was over now. Her achievements, her glories, and the bonds she had formed with her friends, all of it gone, and she didn’t even know why. And that thing kept smiling that infuriating grin! Misato waited for the mare in front of her to slowly stop struggling before she slowly and gingerly pulled off the polyethylene-coated tape off Twilight’s mouth. “Wow, you were out for an entire 5 minutes! You must have hit yourself pretty hard huh?” “W-w-what are you going to d-do to me?” Twilight asked through her quivering lips, her life flashing before her eyes. Misato mischievously grinned, purposely showing off her carnivorous canines to Twilight, terrifying her as tears began breaking out from her wide eyes. “What am I going to do with you? Hmm, well since you asked so nicely, I’ll let you in on what’s going to happen.” “First I’m going to lock you in my dark and scary basement, where I’ll torture you without end with no one around to hear you scream.” Misato said cheerfully as she slid a finger down Twilight’s stomach, causing her to shiver. “Then, I’m going to make you all nice, round, and plump before making you all tender and smooth.” she added with a sincere smile as she gently pulled at Twilight’s cheek (and wow was it stretchy!), causing her to tremble at the lips. “And then finally, when you’re broken, fat, and tender, *SNAP*,” Misato finished as she chomped down her teeth loudly only an inch from Twilight’s muzzle, eliciting a high-pitched squeal from the poor mare as Twilight began crying. I didn’t get to even say good bye to my friends... Please, dear Celestia, don’t let it end like this! “That is unless...,” Misato whispered quietly. Twilight’s ears perked up as she looked up at her kneeling predator, hope swelling in her heart. She didn’t notice that Misato had begun slowly taking off the tape wrapped around her body. “You do everything I say. For now, you tell me what you are, where you’re from, and how you got into my apartment. Deal?” Misato asked with her hands on her hips as she stood up. Twilight eagerly nodded. Misato gave a sincere smile. ~Present Hope/Despair The long road of route 40 was pitch dark, the night had blanketed the mountainside with its pure darkness. All the road lamps were shattered, their tiny invisible blades scattered all over the sides of the road. Not a wave of sound could be heard across the landscape. The dead sea, once vibrant, now still as a corpse. The silent winds, once offering their music, now offering no tunes to the ground. A cold naked boy ran without end from an unseen terror behind him as he travelled down the road, racing for an unknown but vibrant light ahead of him. He ran for the light, carrying all his hatred, sadness, and despair. The cold night did not deter him one bit as his raw bare feet pounded constantly on the hard and unforgiving Earth. And as he ran, he prayed. As anyone would, he prayed for some clothes, he prayed not to be chased, and he prayed for someone to get him the hell outta there. But deeper inside if one knew what to look for, he prayed for warmth, peace, and friends. He prayed for love. He wanted to someone to love him, to warm him from the cold, to give him peace from the dread, and to be his friend in his dark time of need. But that’s all it was unfortunately: a prayer. For as he ran for his life, he journeyed alone, a lone soul in a sea of life. Maybe at his destination, he would find what he was looking for. Maybe as he held onto the hope in his heart, the light would grant him his wish and save him from the terror. Maybe, he wouldn’t have to carry all his hatred, sadness, and despair alone anymore. Maybe finally, he could be warm, he could be at peace, he could have a friend. And even maybe, he would find the love that he oh so deeply searched and longed for. And as he came closer and closer to the light, it revealed the unseen terror as a lifeless but living giant crawling towards the boy with its arms, its lower body torn away leaving hundreds of fleshy legs being dragged from its rotting torso. It pulled against differently colored wires that tied it to the abyss, its mouthless face crying tears of blood from its empty eye sockets as it crawled relentlessly towards the boy at the center of its vision. The boy wasn’t afraid though, as hope began to grow within his woebegone heart. It was only a few meters ahead now, he was drawing closer to his salvation. Maybe he could finally be happy in a world that only granted him darkness. A featureless, horned and winged beast emerged from the light, shocking and scaring the boy before embracing him with its love and friendship. The boy was pulled into the light. The boy only found pain and suffering. The boy never found his happiness. Shinji woke up with a gasp, snapping his eyes open and then regretting the decision as light flooded his retinas. He slowly opened his eyes as he regained consciousness, staring into a tiled wall with a bright light that greeted his vision. Another unfamiliar ceiling... Probably not the last. Shinji sighed before he gradually sat himself up, grunting as his hurting body groaned in response. He blankly looked around at his surroundings, his mind slightly groggy for some reason that escaped him. He recognized the familiar feeling of corduroy on his hands as he pushed himself up. “H-how did I end up in the living room?” Shinji blankly asked himself, realizing he had been sleeping on the only sofa in the apartment. He also felt a bit of a draft all over his body, almost as if he were naked. But that was not important right now. What was important was how he ended up sleeping. He slowly tried recalling the events that had led up to this point as he massaged his aching head. Misato seductively teasing him during breakfast... Check...   Kids crowding around him as the new gossip news at school... Check... Getting beat up by a “Brad” on his first day of school... Check... Pilot Simulations... Check... Blood-Curdling Screaming... “Wait, why would I be screaming?” Shinji tried recalling the specific event which led him to do such a thing, which much to his chagrin drew a blank. He groaned softly in frustration, rubbing his face in an attempt to rid himself of the drowsy haze in the back of his head. Maybe he should ask Misato, she would probably know what happened. In fact, it really wouldn’t surprise him if she really was the reason behind it. Speaking of his guardian, he could hear her cheery high-pitched voice coming faintly from the kitchen. But who in the world could she be talking to? Well, he needed to ask her a question anyway, might as well find out. Shinji slowly moved his bare feet to the carpet floor and pushed himself off the two-seater sofa, carefully stepping over some cut brown rope and clothes that he had found odd doing out in the middle of nowhere before making his way to the slide-open kitchen door. “...and remember, as long as you’re staying here, you will listen to everything I say, got that? Try anything funny and I won’t help you find your way home and you’ll be my dinner instead, crystal?” he heard Misato’s voice penetrate the somewhat thin doors, speaking to an unknown third-party. Not in the mood for eavesdropping, Shinji casually opened the door. “Misato? Who are you talking to...” On his right sitting at the kitchen table was his carefree guardian, Misato, with a can of Yebisu in her hands. On his left sitting across from her was a purple horned thing. Shinji could only stare blankly at it. It stared back with wide violet eyes. Misato only smiled. “Oh, you’re awake Shinji. I hope you enjoyed your 1 hour nap! Just in time too; I was about to wake you up and introduce you to our newest guest,” She pointed towards the lone elephant, or in this case pony, in the room. “This here is Twilight Sparkle. Isn’t she just the cutest thing?” She giggled. “Say hi to Shinji now! Come on, don’t be shy!”   A nervous Twilight sheepishly smiled. “Ahehe, h-hi there. N-nice to meet you, Shinji,” she said in perfect Japanese. An awkward pause filled the kitchen. Ahh, now he remembered what happened. “HKKKKK,” Shinji gagged with his mouth open, slowly bringing up his finger and pointing at the lone mare. “What’s the matter, cat got your tongue, Shinji?” Misato asked with a carefree grin. “Mi-Mi-Mi-Misato, t-that’s the thing!” Shinji managed to let out through his shaky teeth. “Uh-huh.” Misato kept smiling. “T-that’s the thing that ambushed me in the bathroom,” Shinji added, with a hint of annoyance that she wasn’t taking this seriously. “Yup!” Misato said cheerfully as she grabbed a beer can from somewhere and snapped the can open. “Why aren’t you taking this seriously?! It could have killed me!” Shinji exasperatedly  shouted, his fear of Twilight entirely gone and instead filled with annoyance at Misato’s lack of concern. Twilight’s nose scrunched up a bit, insulted that he would even suggest she would do such a thing. “Well you’re not dead now, so stop worrying about it. Besides, how could this cute little thing hurt anyone?” Misato replied as she ruffled Twilight’s mane, earning her a disapproving look from the mare before Misato took a mouthful of her sugar-filled alcohol. “IT TRIED TO SUFFOCATE ME WITH ITS MOUTH, MISATO!” 4 oz. of beer mixed with a tad bit of Misato’s saliva completely drenched Shinji’s upper body. Twilight hadn’t revealed that to her. She sat her beer down on the table before she handed a nearby towel she had lying around to a very annoyed looking Shinji, before glancing towards Twilight with a raised eyebrow. “Not trying to molest ‘anypony’, eh?” she said to Twilight with a smug look as the mare’s face magically turned redder than an apple. Her reason for embarrassment was lost to Shinji for a moment before he realized what Misato was probably thinking. Knowing her, it wasn’t cardiopulmonary resuscitation. As the two began stammering and failing terribly at explaining what happened to Misato, she donned a childish smile filled with mischief as she teased the two. “Say, why are you guys so flustered, hmm? You’re both blushing like tomatoes.” She put her hand to her mouth as she giggled. “Oh I see, I would have never guessed that you were into that kinda thing Shinji, you little devil. And you, my little Twilight Sparkle, my, so forward!” “It-it-it wasn’t l-like that!” Shinji and Twilight both hysterically said at the same time as they both turned redder and redder. Misato couldn’t stop laughing as she held her sides for an entire minute, never having a good laugh like this since ages long forgotten. Shinji’s blush disappeared as he visibly grimaced with a slight frown at his guardian’s antics, already familiar with her immature type of teasing. Twilight on the other hand was still a little red, staring and pawing at the carpet floor embarrassed. Misato wiped a tear from her eye, still giggling a bit at her little fun. “Ahahahah, my sides... you kids are so easy to tease.” Twilight stopped pawing at the ground before narrowing her eyes at Misato. “I’ll have you know I’m actually a full grown adult.” “Oh? And when were you born exactly?” Misato snidely asked. Twilight grinned and proudly stated, “I was born on March 30th, 2001. That makes me 14 years old and a full grown adult.” Misato snorted before she began giggling again, making Twilight feel embarrassed again. “W-what’s so funny? You don’t believe me?” Shinji watched the exchange between his guardian and the thing that molested him not too long ago with a confused expression, not interested in what it was about but rather on why it was happening. The two were talking to each other like they knew each other. He would’ve understood if Misato was acting this way to a random guy off the street, but this thing wasn’t human. Wasn’t Misato scared about the strange thing in her apartment? What was going on? “Oh it’s not that I don’t believe you,” she began to giggle slightly, ”it’s just that, well, you’re the same age as mah boi Shinji here,” Misato replied as Twilight went wide eyed. “I’m... the age of a child here?” Twilight whispered to herself as images of Magic Kindergarten filled her mind. “Huh?” Shinji absently said at the mention of his name before an empty beer can hit his forehead. “Oww...” “Geez, stop spacing out all the time. I said she’s the same age as you!” an annoyed Misato said. “She?” asked Shinji as he rubbed his head, bewildered at how Misato knew that. Just because it sound like a girl didn’t mean it was one. “Yes Shinji, it’s a she. Why, do you need me to show you proof?” Misato deadpanned as she slowly moved her hand towards the mare’s tail. Ah. That’s how she found out. Shinji sweat dropped as he rapidly shook his head and hands. “N-n-no thanks Misato, I-I’m good.” “Hmph, you’re no fun,” she pouted before slapping Twilight in the flank, causing her to yelp. “Stop daydreaming and wake up already!” Shinji watched with a dumbstruck expression. “The reason why I planned on waking you up earlier, Shinji, was that I wanted to talk about our new guest,” she said as she pointed to the now-recovered Twilight, who was looking curiously at Misato. “Oh, alright. Well, what about?” he replied. Misato closed her eyes and smiled. “Well for starters, since it’s the middle of the night and I haven’t figured out what to do with her yet, she’ll be staying here overnight!” A horrified face stared back at her as she kept smiling. “WHAT?!” Twilight already knew all this, as Misato had already briefed her about it earlier. “Secondly, all the rooms I have here are currently full right now. So, since your room is always so empty Shinji, you two will be sleeping together! Won’t that be fun?!” Misato cheerfully added. That was new. “HUH?!” came two shrill voices. Misato wasn’t even fazed. “And finally, I want you two to get to know each other, which means no escaping into the living room couch, Shinji. Twilight here is supposed to know all sorts of friendship techniques, so I’m sure you’ll become best of buddies in no time.” Twilight gaped as Shinji sputtered. “Ah...Wha...You...” “Bu-bu-but I’ve never slept in the same room as a s-stallion before. A-and I’ve never read anything about it either!” Twilight stammered as she fiddled with her hooves. “Well, there’s a first time for everything, isn’t that right, Shinji?” “Y-you’ve gotta be kidding! W-who are you to be making all these arbitrary decisions?” Shinji said angrily. “How do you expect me to be able to sleep with the thing that ambushed me in the bathroom? She’s not even human! It’s crazy!” Although the statement was true, Twilight nevertheless felt hurt by his statement. She was being treated like some horrid and wicked monster that ate little fillies in their sleep. And deep down, she felt like she deserved it (she did shove her hoof down his throat after all). “Oh but Shinji dear, that wasn’t a request; it was an order,” Misato said a little too sweetly. “But-” Shinji froze, a chill filling the room. Misato opened her eyes into menacing slits, her smile still broadly shining. Shinji thought he could see a forked tongue flailing at him. “What part of ‘Commanding Officer’ don’t you understand?” Shinji gulped. Twilight looked at Misato, horrified. I thought Fluttershy was the only one who could do the stare! Misato sighed. “Just, think of her as another roomie. And now that you’ve met,” Misato paused to throw his pajamas at him. “Why don’t you go cover up? You’re going to catch a cold like that, unless you’re comfortable with Twilight having a full view.” Shinji caught his clothes with a confused look on his face. What was she talking about? “What’s wrong with not wearing any clothes?” Twilight innocently asked. Shinji blinked and looked at himself. He had been stark naked the entire time. “AAAGH!” Shinji gasped before quickly rushing himself into his room. Twilight blinked, still confused. She walked around naked all the time. What was wrong with that? “And there will be no complaints from you either, right, Twilight?” Misato asked from behind her. Twilight turned back towards her. “I-I don’t know, I don’t really know him all that well either. I-I did sort of traumatize him in the bathroom after all, so I don’t really-” Twilight stopped herself as Misato made that familiar gesture with her teeth. Twilight gulped. “N-n-no complaints here, ma’am.” Misato smiled. “Good, so kick back and make yourself comfortable, kay?” Twilight nodded dumbly. Misato giggled. “I’m going to be taking a nice hot bath in the meantime, so tell Shinji for me that his dinner is on the table waiting for him when he comes out, kay?” She said as she walked into the bathroom. She screamed later, “There’s water everywhere!” Twilight laughed embarrassedly to herself, before she looked towards the table in the kitchen, the now-cold cooked cow meat sitting nicely in a flower patterned plate standing out to her. She shivered. I hope that’s not going to be me later.  Her own stomach then grumbled, as she realized that she herself hasn’t had dinner yet either. And in a land of carnivores, what was she supposed to eat here? *SLURP* Shinji watched in awe with his mouth open at the unusual spectacle before him, his attention on a pink glowing fork that floated around and moved with life-given precision, bringing squiggly tan noodles to Twilight’s mouth as she ate. “Wow, this stuff is really good! You’re a really good cook!” Twilight exclaimed as she practically inhaled the noodles in a styrofoam bowl. Shinji’s recently microwaved steak sat on the table without a bite as it grew cold again. “O-oh it’s nothing really, but uh...thanks,” he replied, more a mechanical response built from years of habit rather than an actual thought-out reply, too busy staring at Twilight’s magically covered horn. Twilight made one last loud slurping noise as she sucked in the final bits of the soft and tasty carbohydrates still sitting in the bowl before having a content look on her face. “That really hit the spot!” she said happily. “I’m sorry for repeating myself, but thank you for making this for me, really. You would not believe how hungry I was earlier. What kind of noodles are these by the way?” she asked as she tried reading the words on the side of the bowl with her newly-absorbed language. Shinji, who was now just staring at the fork, which had now lost its glow and simply sat on the table as Twilight no longer needed it, snapped to attention at her question. “Hmm? Oh, it’s a korean style ramen, an instant noodle that takes about 3 minutes to make with just some hot water. I would have made you something else, but this is all we really have at the moment.” He laughed a bit to himself. “Sorry about that, uh, Twilight Sparkle, right?” She nodded with a smile on her face, “Mmhm, that’s right! But you can just call me Twilight.” She then motioned towards the noodles. “But, um, I thought you were a carnivore. But what you gave me is a carbohydrate-based food, stuff only herbivores like me eat. Why would you even have it?” Shinji, whose attention was towards poking his steak with a fork, replied, “Humans are omnivores, not carnivores. We don’t just eat meat; we can eat a lot of other things too.” Twilight became confused. “But I thought you were a Korean. What’s a human?” Shinji shook his head. “Human is the species name, and I’m Japanese to be precise. Koreans are kinda like a sub-type of human,” he replied with the best explanation he could come up with at the moment for the foreign alien. “Oh I see, like Earth Ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns right?” Twilight replied. Shinji blinked at her with a confused look. “Um, sure,” he responded quietly. Twilight giggled at his expression. “You’re a pretty quiet guy, ya know? You’re not even asking me any questions! Like about what I am, where I’m from, why I was in your- um...” Twilight stopped herself, realizing she had almost mentioned the sour incident in the bathroom. “I-I apologize that I didn’t say this earlier, but I’m sorry that I, uh, scared you and, well, kinda attacked you,” she said, blushing to herself as she found the table leg particularly interesting to look at. Shinji put a small piece of steak in his mouth, chewing tiredly before responding. “It’s fine, I’ve had worse things happen to me, actually. I just figured you wouldn’t have given me any answers about yourself, even if I asked.” Twilight shook her head with a smile. “Nope, ask me anything and I’ll answer it. I don’t have a lot to keep secret, so ask away!” Shinji resumed to just watching himself poke his steak with his fork. “Well, I haven’t really thought of any questions to ask you... So...” “O-oh, I see.” Twilight expression saddened as she looked at the ground, hoping in her heart that she could truly befriend the “human” she ambushed earlier through conversation. Not because of what Misato had threatened but because she was still feeling guilty. Unfortunately, it looked like that effort was about to end here. Shinji noticed the sad mare across the table and sighed, her pained appearance wrecking his heart. He put his fork on his plate and pushed the steak away from him. Why does everyone have to hurt me? Now what could he ask her? Well, he didn’t know what she was yet, so he guessed he could ask that. “What are you exactly? Do you have a name for your kind?” Twilight immediately brightened, although with a confused look. “I’m a pony, a unicorn from the country of Equestria to be exact. You don’t know what I am? Odd. Misato seemed to know what I was, or at least something to relate to.” Shinji sighed. Again, someone berating him for not knowing something. That’s what he got for asking questions.”Misato is a lot older than I am, and I’m told that the Earth had a lot more variety in species 15 years ago before most of them went extinct, so she probably recognized you as one of them.” He gazed out into the night sky through the next door living room’s slide-open glass door. “I’ve never really had an interest about learning about the past, so I don’t know too much about the old world other than what they teach in class at school.” I’ve never really had an interest in anything really. I’ve always just let life take me where it takes me. That’s all life seems good for anyway. Twilight wondered what had happened all those years ago, before Shinji got up and put his meal in whatever room that wasn’t Yebisu or Doritos in the fridge. It would be sitting there for some time to come. “I’m not really that hungry right now, so I think I’ll just go to bed now. I’ve already set up your own futon in my room for you, so come in whenever you please...” he said tiredly as he began to walk out of the kitchen. Twilight smiled at him, unaware of his own inner turmoil. “Oh, that’s so nice of you! And again, thank you for the meal! I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship, don’t you?” She winced as she realized how forward that sounded. “Um, I am your friend, right?” Shinji paused before he walked out the door and faced her with an awkward smile. “Oh, yeah, sure.” Friends, huh? “Well, um, enjoy yourself, I guess.” As Shinji slowly walked out of the kitchen, Twilight could only look on with sorrow and think about that awkward smile that he gave her. A forced and fake smile built up from years of habit. Did I say something wrong? Shinji laid on his dark blue futon with his S-DAT in his right hand, idly listening to his “From Beethoven 9”  as he gazed at the ceiling. Three feet away from him on a golden yellow futon slept his new roomate, Twilight Sparkle, snuggling in his pure white blanket that he had given her when they both couldn’t find anymore left. Twilight Sparkle... She’s not a bad person... And she seems to be really nice... “But,” he murmured to himself. “Everybody, even friends, always hurt me in the end.” Unbeknownst to him, Twilight had not been engrossed into her world of dreams. The S-DAT’s second track ended at 4:01 minutes before moving onto the third song. It was debatable on several levels whether it was healthy to live a life with Misato, with her odd eating habits, beer consumption, and lax attitude that led to some embarrassing situations. Of course, no one could ever argue about her absolutely gorgeous figure. Her very gifted body rested in a tub of hot water, the same one where Shinji had a freakout about an hour earlier. Around the bathtub was about 10 beach  towels, all soaking wet with lukewarm water. Oddly enough, if one were to enter the room as it was now, the first thing they would have noticed would surprisingly not be either the towel-filled room nor Misato’s well-endowed chest, but rather instead a large, gold, curvy, and ornate crown with a large pink and majestic 6-pointed star at its top. A gold crown currently being held in Misato’s left hand. “An animal from old European mythology, a mythological magic-wielding unicorn that calls itself Twilight Sparkle, packed with its own history, personality, and culture. Either this is some well-planned-out prank by the Bio-division after I sneaked Pen Pen away from them, or this is the real deal...” Misato whispered to herself in deep concentration, looking into the dim ceiling light. “Not only that, but it was able to speak English, a human language of all things, before it cast a so called ‘spell’ on Shinji to learn to speak Japanese somehow instantaneously,” she added as she looked off to the side. “She even used the same Gregorian calendar system as humans do.” She bit her bottom lip. “But the strangest thing, other than the plausible stories she told me earlier, is her similarity to the frozen horse NERV’s Science Division dug-up in one of the high mountain ranges in the States. “Although Twilight doesn’t have both wings and a horn like the one we discovered, her body shape is almost exactly the same. She even had a tattoo on her flank, even though it wasn’t of a feather in a bottle of ink. It does fit her story of what cutie marks are, and even explain why they weren’t able to remove that odd tattoo from Specimen LF. Could they somehow be connected? “And how in the world did she find herself on top of the Third Child? There was only one entrance into the bathroom, and I was watching it the entire time! And I’m pretty sure it didn’t just waltz into my apartment either; Pen-Pen would have told me. “The only way any of this works is if her story was true, but it just seems too... perfect. The way she described her world is like out of a story for children. Could all this just be coincidence, or is there something darker in the works here?” She sighed to herself as she laid back in her tub again. “Maybe I’m just being paranoid, and all this is just a really bad stroke of luck.” She snorted. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it though.” She finally brought the crown up to her face, looking into the pink star-shaped crystal at its top. Staring back at her was a pure white curvy earth pony with a dark purple mane. Both narrowed their eyes at each other. “I really do wonder though... What role do you play in all of this, Element of Magic?” The morning sun shone brightly into the apartment room, showering everything in its view with its pure sunlight. Shinji had already left the complex to walk to his school about five miles away from there. In Misato’s room was a large amount of trash, trinkets, and beer cans scattered everywhere. Sitting in the middle was Misato happily drinking the final bits of her morning beer before there were several knocks on her slide-open door. “Come in!” she called out. The door slid open, revealing a sad-looking Twilight. Well, mostly sad, until she looked around Misato’s living space. “What happened to your room?!” Misato tilted her head. “Hmm? Oh, I’m just a really messy person. You should have seen the apartment before Shinji came and helped clean it up. It’s only a little messy really.” Twilight’s orderly and obsessive-compulsive personality began to take a hold of her as she looked around the trash-filled room, trembling. Was that a sleeping penguin sitting on top of a drawer with a bag of chips over his beak? “T-t-t-this i-i-is a l-l-little m-messy?” Misato giggled at those words. “You know, Shinji asked me those exact same words when he first arrived. Speaking of Shinji, how was your first night’s sleep with him? Did you guys do anything special?” she teased. Twilight immediately forgot about the state of the room and blushed a tiny bit at the question. “I-I had a good night’s rest, I think. A-and ne-ne-no, I-I-I d-didn’t, u-u-u-um.” Twilight found it increasingly harder for herself to form words as her face heated up. Misato giggled some more at her embarrassed expression. “That’s alright, I completely understand your need to keep quiet about your little adventures.” “P-please s-stop teasing me...” Twilight muttered. It would be awhile before she got used to Misato’s antics. She pouted. “Oh, you’re no fun either. So what did you want to see me about? I was about to leave for work.” Twilight twirled her hooves in small circles. “Its about Shinji...” Misato gave her a confused look. “I thought you didn’t want to be teased anymore.” “It’s not that. It’s just that, for someone who is supposed to be my age, he seems really down. Jaded even.” Twilight sighed and sat on her haunches, looking down at the ground with a pained expression. “Yesterday, he was being really nice to me. Even though he said some pretty hurtful things after he woke up, it seemed like he just forgot all about what happened in the bathroom and started treating me like a friend. After all that I did to him, he didn’t give me any dirty looks, talked nicely to me, and even cooked edible food for me when he could have just given me meat,” she said quietly before she looked off to the side. “When I asked him if we were friends, he looked so hurt, as if I brought up some really bad memories by saying that... Did I... Did I say something wrong?”  Misato sighed as well. “You didn’t say anything wrong, Twilight. He’s probably not even mad at you for anything really.” Twilight looked up at her with a bit of hope. “You think so?” Misato nodded in agreement. “In fact, the way he acted towards you is really just how he acts to everybody. He was like that to me even though I suddenly forced him to live here.” Twilight gave her a baffled expression. “Y-you forced him to live with you? You mean you’re not actually his mom? Why?” “Same reason why I wanted you two get to know each other, and the reason behind Shinji feeling hurt when you mentioned being friends,” she said before she finished the last few sips of her beer. “You see, Shinji’s personality isn’t really geared towards making friends. In fact, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want any, even though deep down there somewhere, he really does.” Twilight looked up towards Misato, confusion written all over her face. Not geared toward making friends? That’s didn’t make any sense. Either somepony wanted to become friends with others or somepony didn’t. What did personality have to do with it? “What do you mean?” Misato got up and threw her beer can over her head without a care where it landed. “Have you ever heard of the ‘Hedgehog’s Dilemma?’” “I-I never have, actually,” Twilight sheepishly replied, feeling slightly ashamed that she didn’t know something for once, especially in front of a new race. She was too used to being the ‘if you don’t know something, ask Twilight’ back in Ponyville. “But what do hedgehogs have to with Shinji?” Misato took off her yellow tank top, revealing her bare back to Twilight for a moment as she wrapped a bra around her chest. “Well, with hedgehogs, even if they want to get close to one another for warmth, the closer they get, the more they risk hurting each other with the spikes on their bodies.” Twilight remembered something like that actually, although it was with porcupines. It had only been a few months ago last year during the Winter Wrap Up when her friend Fluttershy was showing her and Spike what she did during the event: waking up animals from their hibernation. She had rung her little silver bell in front of a small den, in which 2 porcupines exited, yawned, and then hugged each other, covering themselves both in each other’s barbs. Twilight had found it a little silly when she first saw it, giggling to herself silently at the time. But now with Misato talking about it, it didn’t seem like something to laugh at anymore. Misato continued while taking off her boxers and putting on white colored panties, “It’s no different from people really. He’s afraid about what will happen when he lets someone get too close; he’s afraid of that pain. It’s that which makes him pull away completely from others before they get the chance to know him.” Twilight thought back to the previous night, the way her new roommate had acted friendly towards her, but at the same time, secluding and protecting himself. Misato began dressing herself in a tight, black dress. “He’ll probably figure it out someday. The part of growing up is allowing yourself to get hurt sometimes, to keep letting people in until you can find that safe distance where you can be close without hurting each other too much.” “I hope you’re right...” Twilight said quietly. Back in Equestria, after becoming friends with Applejack, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity, she thought she knew all there was about the concepts of friendship, and how to reach out and create the bonds of magic with each one. Now, in this new land with new creatures, she wasn’t so sure anymore. It was then that she noticed Misato leaving with a big brown box with tape all over it. “What’s in the box?” “Hmm? Oh, it’s nothing, just something I need to bring to work.” Misato replied nonchalantly. “Oh, and remember what I told you last night, alright? I don’t want to be the one responsible for starting a panic in the city, so make sure you don’t go anywhere, kay?” Twilight nodded before Misato added cheerfully, “The TV is in the living room and the entire apartment is open to you, so go make yourself comfortable while I’m gone alright?” “Alright.” Twilight dumbly nodded again. What was a Tee Vee? Misato smiled at her. “Well then, I’ll see you later! Ciao!” she said before she left her room. Twilight then heard a door open outside before closing again. Twilight walked into the living room, looking for something that was a ‘Tee Vee’ before looking out the apartment patio. It was really nice and sunny outside, and she still hadn’t seen the city yet. “Maybe I could take a little peek...” she whispered to herself. She shook her head. “No, I shouldn’t break Misato’s and Shinji’s trust. Misato doesn’t want me starting a panic.” She looked outside again. “Oh, but it’s so nice outside!” Well, a few teleports couldn’t hurt, right? And as she opened the glass door and looked out into the grand city, she couldn’t help but wish Misato had told her what was inside that box. She couldn’t get the feeling out that it was something important. The Tokyo-3 First Municipal School was established around the same time 15 years ago in the year 2000 when Tokyo-3 first began construction over the small towns of Ubako and Sengokuhara within Hakone on the northern shore of Lake Ashinoko. It was built to be a fairly large school, with the intent and purpose of centering every student in the city into one school, from the 1st grade all the way to the 12th. It was here in which Shinji was now attending school as a 9th grader, leaning over a steel railing at the top of one of the buildings that prevented a four-story fall. Because the institution was situated on a mountain with full view of the city, Shinji had a beautiful view of the grand fortress-like city. Of course, nice things never last forever. “Up on da’ roof, all by his lonesome. The pitcher of da’ tragic hero!” came a familiar voice from behind. Shinji grimaced and turned from the beautiful view to face the offenders of his perfect tranquility. It was Toji and Kensuke, the duo who he had fought with the other day. Well, mostly Toji, but Shinji subconsciously considered Kensuke part of him. At the moment, Toji had his arms crossed and his legs spread wide, a smug look on his face. Behind him, Kensuke simply waved with his right arm, his other pocketed in his pants. He had a nervous look on his face that radiated the words, ‘sorry about this’. Shinji sighed. “You guys again... What do you want now?” Toji walked up closer to Shinji before pointing a finger in his face again. “MORON! What makes ya think we’d want anythin’ from you?!” “Oh, okay then. You must really be bored to check up on me for no reason,” Shinji replied nonchalantly as he turned to face the city again. He didn’t get the chance as Toji marched into his face and brought his finger upward toward Shinji’s chin. “I may not have a reason to be talkin’ to you, but one thing’s for sure! I hate yer guts!” Toji whispered angrily into his face, like something out of some overdramatic shōnen manga. Shinji wasn’t fazed in the slightest. “Toji,” Kensuke cautiously but sternly said from behind. He ignored him, however, as he got even closer to Shinji, their faces only inches apart. “Dat hot-crap attitude of yers, dat mister innocent look on yer mug... Why I outta-” “So you just came by to pick a fight with me... Is that it?” Shinji calmly said as he cut Toji’s sentence off, but loud enough for Toji to hear. His left eye twitched. “Why you-” Shinji stepped to the right, away from the assaulter of his private space, interrupting Toji for the second time in a row. Shinji then did something that surprised the two just like the day before: he smiled. “It’s okay, if you don’t like my attitude, I’ll apologize. But then it’s over. I can’t afford to worry about how you’ll feel every time I do something.” Toji stood still, listening to his strangely mature words. “I can’t be bothered by total strangers...or a total flake.” “Whaaa- hey!” Shinji turned away and started walking away from the two, no real plan for where he was going. As long as it was away from them, it would be fine. “You can’t just walk away from a man-to-man conversation!” Toji yelled out to him. “If you want to hit me again, that’s fine with me,” Shinji replied, before turning to face his antagonizer fully in the face. “But this time, don’t hold back! Do it like you’re trying to break an arm or two,” Shinji continued,  facing Toji and looking him directly in the eye without a hint of falseness in his face. He motioned with his right arm toward the steel railings. “If you want, you can even push me off this roof.” Toji’s eyes widened as he sputtered, surprised again by Shinji’s words. Who did he think he was challenging him to do something like that? Shinji thought he couldn’t do something like that, the nerve! He’d show him! “FINE!” Toji replied fiercely, veins popping out and puffing smoke from his nostrils like a bull. “Remember, ya asked for it! Don’t go cryin’ ta nobody afterwords!” he said as he clenched his fist and reared it back. “Not again,” Kensuke sighed to himself as he prepared to stop Toji from doing anything rash like yesterday. “Ikari...” came a quiet and soft voice. Toji’s fist hung motionless in the air. Everyone turned to look towards the owner of the voice. It was a blue-haired girl with red eyes. She was a tad bit shorter than Shinji and was wearing the school’s blue and white sailor fuku. Her right eye and the rest of the right side of her head was covered in pure but old white bandages. Her arm was set in a sling and bandaged as well. The wind flowed through her hair and body as she spoke, her face devoid of all emotion. “We just received an emergency call. I’ll see you there,” she said as she began walking away from them. “Bye.” Toji and Kensuke blankly watched as the girl ran off, Shinji following close behind. “Was that... Ayanami?” Kensuke spoke flabbergasted as he broke the silence. “Huh. So that’s what she sounds like. Never heard her say something before.” Toji snorted. “Tch, emergency or not. You’re still going to get it! You got that, pu- hey, where did he go?!” Kensuke blinked. “...I think he managed to slip out of that one...” “BITE ME!” Toji snarled. Twilight Sparkle stood on the top of the tallest tower in the central block of the city. She was tired and magically drained after having completed several teleportation jumps. Standing on the ledge, she gazed at the city that was now her new home, at least until she could find a way back to Equestria. It had really only been a day since she had arrived here, and she was already amazed by the civilization of the beings that called themselves humans. These humans had reached technological levels that far surpassed many of the known species in her world. From what she had observed so far, humans had been able to develop a system of weather control without the need of personal maintenance like what Equestria required with its Pegasi teams up in Cloudsdale. It was a simple deduction of course since she saw clouds up in the sky that day and no winged humans or anything tending to it. They had also developed a unique form of transportation. Because humans were bipedal, they couldn’t move as fast as a quadrupedal species like hers, and instead created a multitude of artificial machinations that helped them in their ability to get from one point to another. Many were even faster than a cheetah, the fastest recognized land animal known to ponykind! Far at the edge of the city was what appeared to her to be a train and a train station. While Equestria too had trains, the trains here were more sleek and aerodynamic in appearance, and they didn’t seem to run on rails like they trains did back home but rather on thick boxed-shaped metal rods. They also seemed to be powered by electricity rather than steam or magic, which in all honesty puzzled Twilight, as electricity was a luxury item back in Equestria. And the size. Wow, it was huge! Tokyo-3, a name she had learned from looking at the various building writings, was a lot bigger than Manehatten, the largest city in Equestria, in both area and building size. The building she was currently standing on was even taller than the Crystal Empire’s tower! It was then that her ears twitched and picked up the distinct sound of Sirens echoing across the cityscape, snapping Twilight away from her amazement. “A special state of emergency has been declared for the entire Central Kanto and Chubu regions, centering around the Tokai Region. All residents, please proceed to your designated shelters immediately. Repeat...” An anonymous woman’s voice boomed throughout every street, constantly repeating itself after every cycle. Her eyes widened in surprise at the warning. A special state of emergency? Shelters? Were Shinji’s people at war with another species? But everything here looked so peaceful, the humans calm and mostly friendly from what she could see. Why would humans ever be in a war? She shook her head. No! Now was not the time to be dwelling on things like that. She could ask Misato later when she was safe. The voice said to go to the nearest designated shelter, but where was that? She just got here yesterday, so should she just go back to the apartment? Twilight snorted. She’d handled things like Nightmare Moon, Discord, and other super villains of Equestria. Whatever was going on, she could- And then the city sank into the ground. Next Time: “Harbinger of Tragedy” “Let Me Swing Among Those Stars”