//------------------------------// // Chapter 19 // Story: The Blessing and the Curse // by Equestria Buck Yeah //------------------------------// Several blocks worth of lamp posts, traffic lights, windows and waste baskets had been turned into wreckage under the glowing, purple boot that was Twilight's bubble shield. From time to time, when they managed to pick up some speed and plowed into an oddly placed car or ran into the corner of a building, it managed to crack under the duress, but thankfully, all she needed was a moment to compose herself again. Matt seemed to be the only one in the Hummer not panicking whenever they smashed into something that compromised their defenses – or even when they hit something simple. It was a good thing the sidewalks were wide enough to allow them to drive around the occasional subway entrance. Seeing one of the biggest cities on Earth seemingly deserted made an uneasy, creeping feeling crawl its way up Matt's spine as they drove. He had half-expected zombies to suddenly start popping up from behind random cars as they got deeper into the city. They had made it about halfway to their destination and were cruising smoothly along a sidewalk when something entered Matt's line of sight from around the corner several yards down the way. Despite the lavender presence in front of his eyes, it was obvious that it was a small group of people and that they had ducked behind a couple cars further ahead. What they might have been doing out was clarified in a flash as a flurry of sparks suddenly flew off Twilight's barrier. "Holy shit!" The vehicle swerved back and forth, its shell tearing into its more fragile surroundings. "W-what's going on?!" Fluttershy screamed. Even their hostage instinctively balled up in the middle of them. "It's my back-up!" "Tell them to stop! Fuck!" Matt hollered as he straightened the Hummer out. A small gap between cars off to the left caught the corner of his eye. It was a risk, but if something happened to the shield, they'd be sitting ducks with a bunch of cops no doubt on edge due to recent circumstances and ready to shoot at the drop of a hat. "Stay with me, Twilight! Got an idea!" "I'm trying!" she hissed through gritted teeth. The sharp turn into a street full of carnage didn't help her focus. Their bubble shattered, leaving a two-foot wide hole, as they plowed into the first bumper in their path. Matt's tires squealed on the pavement as he continued dragging his battering ram to the left and around the back of the next car. The shield clipped the rear and splintered further. The fact that the girls were being tossed around wasn't helping matters either. Just ahead was enough room for them to reach the sidewalk with minimal problems, but one last large one was still in the way. With a hard right, Matt curled around and wrecked their way into the front end of a cab, breaking open another hole in their bubble. Fortunately, the officers firing at them wouldn't be able to take advantage of this one, being on the driver's side. The cab was stubborn and refused to make way though. With the shield weakening and stuck, the Hummer rolled up against its underbelly. Matt had to floor it, resulting in the front end crumpling and his tires blowing out a thick pillar of white smoke. "Come on, come on!" Fortunately, the much larger SUV was more than a match for the small yellow taxi and slowly but surely skidded it to the side. Several lavender shards crackled off and fell to the ground. As soon as they broke through, Matt nearly had to slam the brakes into the floor as they jumped the curb and came within inches of the building in front of them. He quickly threw it in reverse, straightened their ride out and pushed ahead once more. "We've still got holes here!" Matt yelled. "I can't concentrate!" Twilight fired back. "Can't you just fill them with something as long as they can stop bullets?!" The shaken unicorn snarled and redoubled her efforts, plugging the barrier with a thin wall of magic. Was better than nothing. "Dammit, make them stop shooting at us!" "Uncuff me!" the cop demanded. "What?!" "Get me out of these things! I don't feel like getting shot either, y'know!" Matt growled as he made his quick decision. "Fine! But if you try anything..." "Yeah, cuz I'm in a real position to." "Rares, you see his keys?" The officer leaned slightly, and the white mare spotted them hanging from a belt loop. Her magic fiddled with them for a moment until she figured out the key ring's mechanism and unhooked it. Now the fun part began. Rarity quickly skimmed through the myriad of options and bit her lip. "Which one is it?" "Long and thin; only like, one tooth on it." One by one, the fashionista slid the duds along the ring until she found a match. Taking a cuff in her hoof, Rarity found the keyhole and, after adjusting to the shaking and shimmying of the vehicle, managed to unlock the restraints. The officer whipped his now-free hands apart, snatched the keys out of the air and undid the other cuff. As soon as the metal rings were off, his thumb found the radio. "This is Officer McCarthy, listen up! If you're shooting at a–" He sneered at what was probably going to sound ridiculous on the other end. "–purple...thing heading down Park Avenue towards Midtown, cease fire! Do you hear me? Cease fire!" The little speaker buzzed back with gunshots going off in the background, "Say again, officer? Something purple?" "Dammit, I can see you from in the car! Now stop shooting at us!" "Which car?" "The one under the purple ball! Now, hold your Goddamn fire!" Shortly after McCarthy's angry request, the popping and blasting of gunfire came to a halt. They must not have heard him shouting the first time. Finally with a moment to catch her breath, Twilight repaired their barrier to full strength. "Are you alright in there? What the hell is that?" a different voice asked. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just..." McCarthy glared at Matt but was spotted in the rear view mirror. "Can I tell them where you're going?" "Why in the world would we want you to do that?" "You want to get to the Waldorf without any problems?" It was Matt's turn to glare. Still, if the officer could prevent others from being aggressive, it would definitely be beneficial. As long as he kept his word. "Yeah, alright." "Officer?" the radio said. "I'm here. Don't worry about the purple thing, okay? Just don't fire on it, and get word around about that. I'm...escorting someone and his friends to the Waldorf Astoria. Says he can help us get home." "And you believe this why?" McCarthy eyed his four-legged traveling companions, all of whom were watching him carefully lest he say just the wrong thing. Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity were the least trusting of him. "You know those things we've seen news reports about? Those...creatures flying around that city across the water?" "Yeah." "He's traveling with a few of them. Don't worry, they're harmless." McCarthy shot Rainbow Dash a nasty smirk, hoping that she realized he was doing her a huge favor – and himself too, in a way – by not mentioning her more violent tendencies. The pegasus smirked right back. "I still don't understand what that has to do with us getting home," the radio said. "They had knowledge about what was going on before I even said anything about it. Kinda tells me like they may actually be able to do it, y'know?" The radio was silent for a minute, in all likelihood due to the cops on the other end discussing the situation. "Let's say we believe you and that this guy happens to be telling the truth. What're we supposed to do?" a fellow officer finally said. "Just let this thing through and don't shoot at it. I already told you that." "Couple other things," Matt interrupted, speaking up a bit to be heard over the destruction he was causing. "What?" McCarthy asked, his thumb still pressed down on the button. "When we get to the Waldorf, you think your boys can keep people away from the place? I don't know what's going to happen once we actually get to work fixing things. Why have an audience, right?" "I'm sure we can probably arrange that, yeah. What else?" "I'm...expecting a visitor. I don't know when they'll be here, but, provided she hasn't gotten a new car since I saw her, she'll be driving an old, beat-up blue truck. An F-150. Name's Rachel. Can you make sure she gets through? I can tell her to give her name if she's stopped so your friends know not to throw her out." "That it?" Matt spotted the shotgun out of the corner of his eye and winced. "Yeah, she's going to have a gun on her too. I suggested she bring one, considering...well, I'm sure you can understand with what's going on." "You could say that," McCarthy deadpanned. "Just don't shoot at her, please?" "Long as she doesn't give us a reason to, I don't see why that'd be a problem." "I'll let her know." They paused briefly, waiting for Matt's next demand. "Oh...uh, that's all." McCarthy and the girls flinched as another obstacle was run through. "You guys get all that?" he spoke into his mic. "Loud and clear." "Good," the cop sighed. "Over and out." "Now then," the dressmaker said, floating the pen in the air and causing the officer to stare at the oddity, "which way do we go?" ----- About another hour had disappeared before the last abandoned vehicle was forced out of the way, allowing them to come to a stop in front of the luxurious hotel, just barely squeezing under the overhang. As the bubble faded away, Matt grabbed his weapon and stepped out first. He made his way to the tailgate while scanning the area for any signs of trouble. All he happened to notice were a few groups of policemen who had converged on their location as per McCarthy's request. For a moment, he was worried that they'd see his shotgun and start firing again anyway – and they did look a bit anxious from what he could see – but he decided to just play it cool and act as if nothing was the matter. Maybe they'd get the hint. The back door was popped open and the girls filed out one by one, their saddlebags, groceries and Matt's things all in tow, followed by Officer McCarthy. Matt wasn't the only one who noticed the blue crowd gathering from around the block. While the Elements huddled together nervously, the lawman waved his associates back. It seemed to do the trick, though after seeing the colorful equines face to face, the police looked more curious than anything. Matt slamming the tailgate closed got McCarthy's attention. He turned to see the young man's backpack hovering in place and before he grabbed it and slid it on. He also saw the large gun in his hand. But, thanks to his fellow officers surrounding the area, McCarthy knew Matt would be crazy to actually try anything now. Still, no one really did anything even after the handcuffs were undone. Not that the officer would have been able to defend himself in such tight quarters against six...horse things. Even after spending more than an hour driving around with them, it was still a little hard for him to take in. The two men's eyes met, both exuding caution as they glared at each other. McCarthy smacked his lips and went first. "Well, here you are." "Mhm." "I'll do what I can to keep our end of the deal as long as you do too." Matt shifted his eyes and lifted a brow. "My end?" The officer sighed and answered, "Getting us home." Folding his lips in, Matt nodded firmly. "Oh, uh...sorry about..." He wiggled his Remington and motioned at McCarthy's crotch. It wasn't something he wanted to be reminded of any time soon, but as long as they were being somewhat diplomatic, the cop figured it best to return the gesture, awkward or not. "Yeah." As he turned to join his brethren, Matt added, "The...safety was always on. So, uh...y'know." McCarthy stopped mid-step, let the words sink in and shook his head. Been a long couple hours. Not wanting to bother anymore, the officer continued on his way. Matt and the girls breathed a collective sigh of relief as they were left alone. The human took the lead and marched up to the revolving doors. He expected to find them locked, but on the other side, there appeared to be a piano leaning up against the entrance. The other sets of doors were also blockaded with chairs on top of being locked as well. It was all rather flimsy and he could have easily just shot through the glass and pushed the barricades out of the way, but that could stir things up and he'd rather continue to keep things quiet. "Twilight?" "Way ahead of you." Her horn glowed fiercely, and in a flash, the group warped only a few feet away, safely behind the frail rampart. The forces outside stood there ranting in shock, trying to piece together what in the world just happened. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy took to the air to hold Matt up once again after the teleportation. Once he shook off the cobwebs, they turned around to be greeted by a staircase decorated with an elegant, swirly tan carpet. Matt held his shotgun tightly and flicked off the safety as they quietly crawled up the stairs, keeping their eyes and ears peeled for any danger. Upon reaching the top, Rarity immediately spotted the enormous mosaic in the center of the floor – a large bushel of flowers with numerous people surrounding it They laid eternally in each others' embrace, waiting to be walked over by honored guests. To the sides were more staircases, leading who knew where. The massive, crystal chandelier with its countless prisms and beads and dozens of electric candles overhead was nearly blinding. The glossy marble floors, large stately vases, tremendous space, and whispered golden colors told the story for the high class mare. She knew just by the first room alone that they were standing in the lap of luxury. Her heart pounded hard in her chest and heavy breaths escaped her as she took in the glamourous sights. Even Canterlot would play second fiddle to what she saw in terms of beauty. Still, Matt found it a little odd that nothing seemed terribly out of the ordinary here, especially since he assumed that the typical resident of such a hotel would probably be among the first to go completely off the deep end upon realizing what was wrong. They pushed forward past a hallway with several square pillars and then beyond several elevators. Just ahead was a tall clock tower in the center of a large room – the main lobby – each of its eight sides adorned with an undoubtedly important person's face. On the top stood a familiar majestic lady and her torch. The soft blue and white carpeting kissed their hooves in an almost relaxing way as they walked, and if they had laid down on it, they could have easily nodded off. A 'Help Desk' stood empty on the far side of the lustrous brown room as did the check-in counters off to the right. To the far left of the lobby was what appeared to be a restaurant or lounge of some kind at a quick glance. The only thing they didn't see was another person. Not really a surprise. ----- A sweep of the first floor didn't provide any results the group was hoping for. They had found a few torn-up restaurants built into the hotel with any doors leading to the outside blocked by tables and chairs, some relaxation areas scattered strategically, numerous antiques and historical remnants stored safely behind glass that looked as if they should be in a museum, and other assorted amenities one would expect to find up and down a city block rather than in a single floor of a hotel. But for their efforts, all they found was ghost town. Gathering again in the lobby, Matt made the bold suggestion to broaden their search by heading to the next floor. If there were any hotel employees anywhere, they had most likely taken up residence in one of the hotel rooms. It'd make logical sense. The girls followed their bipedal leader to a series of silver double doors where he pushed a small button with an arrow. After a few long minutes, they heard a ding and climbed into a cramped metal box. Matt told them what an elevator was, but they had heard of such things in the skyscrapers across the bay in Manehattan; none save for Rarity had yet to experience one thanks to visiting a few big cities for fashion-related reasons. It was a bit refreshing for Matt to not have to explain what something was in detail for a change. They disembarked at the next floor – technically the third of the building – and strode down the long hallways, knocking on each door as they went. If there was anyone in any of the rooms they stopped at, they were keeping silent. Maybe they saw his brandished weapon, perhaps it was the ponies at his side, who knew? With so much time being wasted hunting for another human being, Matt started gritting his teeth. This was one of the most famous hotels on Earth! Where was everyone?! His irritation came to a boil and he started hollering at the top of his lungs. "Hello?! Anyone work here?! Just want to find someone who works here!" A stupid, nonsensical idea came to mind, one he couldn't believe he was about to say. "I have a Pinkie Pie and I'm not afraid to use it!" Six sets of eyes blinked as one and the Elements could only stare at him, utterly baffled. "...What?" He shrugged sheepishly. "I dunno, maybe if they heard someone yelling something just...completely fucking bonkers, they'd check to see what the hell was going on?" They continued to silently stare. "Why me though?" the party planner eventually asked. "Pinkie, I've been here a year and a half and I've seen you do things I'll never be able to explain, no matter how used to it I've gotten." The bubbly mare tapped her chin. "Hmmm... If you say so!" she giggled. "That was still rather rude, dear," Rarity scolded. "Can you explain it?" Matt retorted. The refined lady gazed at her silly friend. A moment of deep thought later, she answered, "Alright, point taken." Pinkie beamed brightly and bounced with more giggles. Sheesh, did anything phase her? Matt smirked in annoyance as he scanned up and down the corridor. "Suppose I could always start shooting to get some attention." "Um, could you please not? That...thing is so loud and scary," Fluttershy pleaded. He saw the anxious looks on their faces. It wasn't like he was really going to, but considering all the things they told him they had experienced before he first landed in their laps, he was surprised that they were so uneasy around it. Surely they knew he wasn't going to hurt them with it, no matter how loud it got. "Eh, was just kidding." He sighed heavily, wishing for something – anything – to hurry up and happen. He really didn't want to keep pestering Twilight about popping them in an out of places nor did he know where exactly the largest rooms were, never mind the temporary dizziness he was always left with. "Guess we should keep going." A few more unresponsive doors under their belt was starting to irk them. He was sure there were people on the other side of them but had no way to confirm anything. So far, no one had made a sound after they knocked. That would change when he finally heard a muffled shriek inside one of the rooms. "Hello? Come on, we need some help here," Matt yelled. When no response came, he gritted his teeth and leaned his shaking head against the door. "Well, could either shoot the door knob off or..." He glanced at Twilight and smirked. With a groan, she lit up her horn and burst them into the entrance of the room. The middle-aged couple screamed and backed up until they had nowhere left to go, despite seeing Matt stumble for a moment. The wife curled up in a ball in a corner and wouldn't stop whimpering, much to the annoyance of the two invaders, while the husband couldn't stop shifting his gaze between Twilight and the shotgun. Shaking, he stepped in front of his panicky spouse and cautiously lifted his hands, silently begging not to hurt them. "Maybe you should wait outside," Matt quietly suggested. With a nod, Twilight magicked the door open and went to be with her friends. Matt went to speak a few times but was noisily interrupted by the woman on the other side of the room. As he slouched, he realized what he still had in his grasp and gently set it down beside him. The husband lowered his hands as the Remington was placed on the floor and stared at the intruder. Unfortunately, that didn't stop the woman's blubbering. "For God's sake, dude, could you please shut her up?" Matt groaned. The girls waited and waited for must have been a good five to ten minutes or so. Ever the embodiment of patience, Rainbow Dash was slumped against a wall tapping her hooves on the floor. Twilight took a moment to take a couple of the canned goods from their grocery bag and was examining them curiously with Pinkie Pie. Rarity was gushing over what they had seen so far into Applejack's indifferent ears, and Fluttershy was vigilantly keeping watch more than anything. A creak behind them snapped them from their activities as Matt slipped out of the room. "Find out anything?" Applejack asked. He nodded back in the direction they came from and continued on. "Room 404, next floor up. They said they bumped into one of the front counter guys at some point and he said he was staying there in case anyone needed anything. Guess he'd have access to stuff they wouldn't since he works here. If this guy isn't found, I'm going to hit something cuz this is getting old." ----- It was a short trek to the door once they disembarked from the lift. Matt went to knock but hesitated, remembering what happened in their previous encounter with other people. He set the gun down a few feet away and whispered to the girls as he waved them back, "Stay out of sight for the moment. But, I will take this." He took the grocery bag from Rarity's magical grasp and put on a nice, facetious smile. Hopefully he didn't look like a door-to-door salesman. Taking a breath, he knocked on the door and waited patiently. The man who answered looked to be maybe a few years older but his disheveled, salt-and-pepper hair and week-old beard betrayed his youth. The eyes were bloodshot and the bags underneath looked to be almost as large as the luggage their bellhops must have brought up before this whole mess began. His clothes, likely his only set, were unkempt and stank a bit. "Yes, can I help you?" the host mumbled. "Hi! We heard that you worked here, yes?" "That's right." "Oh, good. Well, um, this is probably going to sound a little odd but...I was wondering if me and my friends might be able to get a room?" The employee stared blankly at Matt. "You...y-you can't be serious." "I am. We're from out of town and–" "Listen, sir, I don't know how you got in. I mean, I could have sworn all the doors were barricaded, but in case you haven't noticed, we–" Matt smirked and pulled out a can of pork and beans from the grocery bag, displaying it in all its tin glory. The shaggy worker's eyes made a beeline for the gift. Checkmate. "For you – and all the rest of what's in here if you can help us out." The food and drinks were given to the clerk and he went wide-eyed at the sight. No doubt by his reaction, the hotel had run out of food, as Matt had predicted. "Uh...y-yeah. Yeah, okay, sure. Are you friends here?" His eyes shifted to the side and back. "Yeah, they're right here." As the hotel worker went to look, Matt raised his hand up before he could see the big reveal. "Err, tell me something. Is TV still going? Like, are any of the channels playing anything?" "Some are. Even the news stations are playing reruns though." Oh, nice. While they wait for Rachel to arrive, he could show the girls some good old-fashioned human entertainment. If he was lucky, maybe some of the news reruns would catch him up on a few things that had happened since he disappeared. "Did you, by any chance, happen to hear about something...weird after that yellow glowy thing happened about a week ago? Like another city appearing across the water?" Matt asked. "Yeah, it was on... You said you were from out of town. How do you know about that?" Matt lowered his hands and took a step back, nodding at the patient ponies. "Did its residents look something like this?" With an eyebrow raised, the employee stepped out and jumped in surprise upon seeing the girls. "They're with me, it's cool." "Um, hello," Fluttershy squeaked, forcing a smile. "Did...d-did that...thing just–" "Yes," Matt stated bluntly. "Wh-what are they doing here?" "Did you see anything on the news reports about that black cloud thing hanging over the city?" "Y-yeah, what about it?" "We, uh...we think it's the reason this all happened and we believe we can get you home," he solemnly explained to the employee. "Not sure how just yet, but we're fairly confident. They're kinda the go-to guys when it comes to, err, serious shit around here. Like Green Berets or Navy SEALs or something." "What makes you think they can do anything about...this?" "We've...kind of saved the world a few times, sir," Twilight spoke up. "Just our thing really." The hungry man looked at the girls curiously. It definitely wasn't something he ever expected to hear or see in his lifetime. He knelt in close and studied the girls' shape, their large sparkling eyes, their wings and horns. "I-I saw something like them on TV from the news helicopters. I...I didn't think they were really real. I mean, I figured they were making things up for...some reason, I don't know. Just what the news always seems to do, yknow?" "Heh, they're real alright." As they were looked over inquisitively, Rainbow leaned back awkwardly and chimed in, "Yeah, that's not creepy or anything." "Rainbow, be realistic. You did the same thing to me when I landed here," Matt grumbled. "That is true, darling." "...Eh, I suppose you're right," she groaned back. "You happen to know if anyone's run into them over here? Like, have them come over to investigate at any time?" Matt asked. "I'm not real sure. I don't think so. I haven't seen anything on TV that's indicated as much anyway. What makes you think that cloud or whatever it is is behind everything?" the man asked Matt as he stood back up. "There are a bunch of other places and things that shouldn't be here. We bumped into a lot on the way here and we had to deal with a bunch of shit back in their hometown. This is the only time one of those...things showed up. And nothing as big as New York has landed in our laps either, not by a long shot." Matt gave the gentleman a tired, pleading look. It wasn't far from how he was really feeling. "Can you help us out, man? We've had a hell of a hard time trying to get here." The clerk glanced down at the mares. Half of them were playing along and giving him sad, pathetic looks, eyes wide, ears folded, and lips pouting. It broke through his last defenses quite quickly. "Uh, y-yeah. You said you needed a room, right?" "Please," Matt happily sighed. "You have any available with, like, three or four bedrooms? I'm..." He paused, a small smile creeping across his cheeks. "I'm expecting a visitor soon. I'm figuring today or tomorrow at the most, hopefully. Plus, there's six of them here too, so..." Applejack fidgeted and shifted her frustrated gaze to the side. It rubbed her raw every time she was forced to think about it, whether she had anything ultimately to worry about or not. "Well, if I remember right, the President's Suite is available. That's one of the biggest and most luxurious suites in the building. Should fit what you need." "Ohhh, the name alone screams 'decadence'! Matt, say you'll take it!" Rarity squealed. "Uh, yeah, that's kind of a given. Seriously though, man, you don't have to do that much. I mean, shit, we appreciate it–" "Look, I haven't eaten in almost three days and my wife's gotta be worried sick. I have no idea if you can actually undo this mess, but if you really can, then yeah, I'm going to scratch your back a little. Let me just go put this down inside." For a moment, as their gracious host went to deposit his new bounty, Matt worried he'd lock the door on them – not that it would have done any good, of course. But when the entrance was left ajar, any doubt left him. They had been getting lucky with the right people. Their new chum stepped out not long after, sliding his plastic key card in his pocket. "Name's Matt, by the way." "Frank," he said as they shook hands. "Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy," he noted, each of them waving or nodding as Matt introduced them. Whether the names would actually be remembered or not was anyone's guess. "Uh...h-hello." Matt grabbed the shotgun off the floor and slung it over his shoulder as they headed back toward the elevator. Frank did a double-take upon seeing the weapon but quickly put any worries aside. If Matt was going to shoot him, wouldn't he have already done so? And why give him a bag full of food in the first place? Wouldn't have made any sense. He nervously cleared his throat anyway. Matt noticed Frank's reaction and shrugged. "Figured we oughta be prepared in case any crazies came out of the woodworks on the way here, y'know?" Their host stifled a chuckle. "You should have seen what they showed on TV those first couple days." "Yeah, I can imagine."