Cyril could handle a great many things that he never knew he could. After he had been snatched from his home and thrown into Equestria Cyril had quickly learned to use his powers. He learned to hunt, to kill, to hide, and most importantly he learned to survive. During the time he learned all these things he faced many challenges. His first fight with a timberwolf had been bad, but he prevailed. When a hydra had sought him for a snack he had managed to sneak away. When Twilight Sparkle searched for him endlessly he had fooled her into thinking him dead.
Cyril could handle a great many things, but what he could not handle was his own raging emotions. Coming back to the cave with seven dead rabbits only to find Angelus gone had done nothing to set his already frazzled nerves to rest. Having left the rabbits on the floor of the cave he rushed out to try and find Angelus.
His half hour long search ended abruptly when Cyril flew over Rainbow falls to see that Angelus had wandered into the town. She was currently in the middle of fighting several guards, and seemed to be losing. It wasn’t until she knocked one of the pegasi out of the sky that she gained the upperhand, and with that the battle was done. The guards quickly retreated back into the town and Cyril retrieved Angelus.
The trip back to the cave was long and filled with silence Cyril having taken the form of a hawk made it impossible for them to speak to one another. When they arrived back at the cave Cyril noted with a growing frustration that the rabbits he had caught had mysteriously disappeared. This did not help the mood.
“The hell were you thinking?” He yelled at her as he began to stitch up a new wound Angelus had gotten on one of her wings.
“Well excuse me, princess. All I was trying to do was get out of your hair when they attacked me,” She replied rolling her eyes at him “It’s like you actually want to take care of a dragon that does nothing but cause you trouble.”
“Shut the hell up!” he growled at her. “You still think this is some kind of game? Because it’s not! It’s hard to like a dragon when they tend to eat you!” he said shaking his head as he pulled the bandages tight around her wing.
She glared at Cyril. “I know this isn’t a game! Before I slid into that town I almost got ran over by a girly-looking train and two ponies helped me by bandaging my wounds, the pink one said I should give ponies a chance to be nice so I did.” She paused holding back a wince as he tightened the bandage. “I held back from killing those ponies because I knew it would lead to too much trouble.”
Cyril sighed and sat back. The stress of the day had been wearing on him and now that he had finished tending to her wounds, it was all catching up to him. “You went about it wrong. Those ponies have a herd mentality. You want to make nice with them, you have to do it one at a time.” Cyril said as he stood and sat in front of the fire he had started, his back to Angelus “As for why I’m helping you... When I first showed up here, I was confused and didn’t have anyone to tell me these things.”
There was silence for a moment before Angelus snorted, a small puff of flames escaping her nostrils and catching her by surprise. “You actually think I care what you’ve gone through?”
There was his anger again as he turned to face her. His eyes burning not from the fire light but with rage. “I’ve come so close to dying so many times I’ve lost count, I’ve broken bones and had to reset them myself so they wouldn’t heal wrong. I’ve had to hunt and kill and hide just to stay alive!” He was practically screaming now. “If I hadn’t shown up when I did that dragon would have killed you and you know it! So stop being a snarky asshole and just accept my help before you get yourself killed!” he said his anger flaring out of control for a moment
Angelus’s glare deepened as she spoke in a low tone, “I am accepting your help, whether I like it or not you are the only one that seems to want to help me. I’m being as nice as I can to a male like you so I don’t end up freezing to death out here!”
He turned to face the fire again trying to calm himself down. The silence between the two of them lasted for what seemed like minutes. “Two mares helped you earlier? What did they look like?”
“One was completely pink, the other was a rainbitch called Dashie.”
His head snapped up but he didn’t turn to turn to face Angelus. “Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were around here? You didn’t tell them where we were did you?”
“Why, you scared of little mares like them?” She laughed amused at her little joke “No, I didn’t, but they did ask about you.”
“What did you tell them?”
“Only your name.” She rolled her eyes again before she moved to stand at the entrance of the cave. “Geez, it’s like you actually are afraid of them.”
“...They are two of the most powerful mares in this world. They’ve battled a corrupted king, a mad god, a warring Queen and a tyrannical centaur bent on world domination, and they once tried to catch me. I think being cautious is a more accurate word for how I feel right now.”
Cuckling Angelus laid down staring out into the receding light of day. “So I insulted what amounts to Goku, eh? They didn’t seem like they’d attack anything indiscriminately, so I think we’re okay for now.”
“If they’re not looking for me then why were they out here?” He whispered more to himself. “Did they say where they were headed or what they were doing out here?”
“No, they were on the train that almost ran me over. Seriously, didn’t you pay attention to what I was saying?”
A sigh left him as the good news helped to calm his nerves. The prospect of facing Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie was not on his top 10 list. “So long as they aren’t near me I think I’ll be fine.”Silence reigned in the cave as both collected their thoughts and tempers.
“Heh, he’s definitely afraid of them,” Angelus whispered unaware that she was speaking aloud. “Now what was that with the fire earlier? The only thing I can think of is the metal from the spear and sword being the difference. Maybe that’s how dragons actually breathe fire? They eat different metals and what they eat determines how hot their flames are? Maybe part of their diet as well since I’m not as hungry as I was before.”
“Glad to know I can just bring you any metal I find instead of hunting for enough rabbits for the two of us.”
Angelus jumped in embarrassment as she turned to face Cryil, “Not just any metal. I’m not going to eat anything that has rust on it or is brittle.”
He nodded poking one of the coals before he sighed and spoke up. “How did you get here?”
“.... You led me here...?”
“Equestria not this cave.” He deadpanned.
She shrugged and turned to face the cave again “Dunno. I was in a tournament for a reboot of an extremely old game, like before the disappearances. I won the tournament and when I went to take the prize I was suddenly in that valley where you found me.”
“Disappearances?” He asked his ears perking up. “What disappearances?” he hadn’t heard her mention anything like that the last time they had talked.
“Some gamers from over a hundred years ago disappeared from a ‘con. My dad thought it would be a good idea to host his first in the same building.”
“You happen to know any of the names of the people who disappeared?” he asked, fear snaking it’s way up his spine. people had disappeared at a convention, but this wasn’t what had him scared. It had happened 100 years ago for Angelus. Cyril only hoped she was talking about a different universe
Angelus looked up in thought, trying to recall what she had seen before she had been taken from her world. “Now that you mention it, I did see the name Cyril among the ones who had disappeared.”
“You said the disappearances happened a hundred years ago?”
“Yeah, a hundred thirty-two to be exact.”
“Oh....I see.” he said dejectedly. Getting up Cyril moved to the back of the cave. “If you need something let me know alright,” he said before he transformed into a large bear and turned to face the back wall.
Despite his form and thick fur a coldness began to set in. Neither the warmth of his fur nor the warmth of the fire that filled the cave could push this coldness away. “A hundred years?” he mentally asked himself. Images of his friends and family flashed through his mind as the realization that he would never see them again became evident.
In his current form Cyril was incapable of shedding tears, but his body shook in sorrow and misery. Despite his lack of tears, Cyril was indeed crying and soon, with his head resting on the cold hard stone of the cave floor, he fell asleep.
00000
“Beast Boy? Really?” Jake asked as he looked Cyril up and down. The green body paint that covered his face and hands made Cyril stand out among the other people currently gathered in the great hall.
“Oh I see and dressing up as Cloud makes you so much better?” Cyril asked as he pulled the wig off of his friend and waved it above his head. Jake jumped furiously trying to get the wig back even going so far as to punch Cyril in the arm to retrieve the piece of his costume.
Finally snatching the wig back after Cyril had relented and held it out to the boy, he quickly fixed it on his head and used his phone to ensure it looked right. “Yeah well you know me I’m a big Cloud fan,” he replied laughing despite the minor disagreement.
Cyril nodded. “You and about thirty other people,” he commented pointing out at least seven different people who wore a costume similar to the boy. “Honestly Jake I don’t see the hype? A sword that big? No one could swing that thing, especially not your scrawny ass,” Another laugh left the two boys as they shared in a joke only friends understood.
“‘Scrawny’, he says. This coming from the guy who’s so skinny he could fit through a crack in a door?” There was some minor punches and a few harsh words that the boys exchanged before things settled down again. “So what do you want to do first?” He asked as he looked around the large hall.
“We just got here and we’ve still got two more days of this, and you already want to get started on doing everything?” Cyril asked shaking his head. “Learn to take things slow and enjoy the moment man. We worked our asses off raising the money to get here and you want to spoil it by turning this experience into a race to see all,”
Jake smiled ruefully and shook his head. “Cyril this is our first Con, you can’t tell me you don’t want to see it all?” he asked as he lifted his large Styrofoam sword and placed it on his shoulder.
“Hmm?” he hummed as he pretended to think about it. “I do, but we have two more days to see it all.” Jake sighed and shook his head before he pulled his phone out and looked at the time.
Jake's eyes got wide as he quickly put his phone away. “Hey the contest it about to start you coming?” he asked as he quickly looked around fidgeting in place.
Cyril shook his head again. “Na I’m going to look around a bit, you know me, I don’t like a lot of attention on me,” he said waving his friend away.
Jake nodded and took off heading for the back of the convention hall leaving Cyril standing alone with strangers all around him. Shrugging his shoulders, Cyril began to walk around. He was taking in the sights of the different characters. Some had dressed up as people from cartoons others from games, and he even saw some characters that could have been OC’s.
This place was exactly what he thought it would be. It was loud and crowded, and there was no shortage of colorful characters. The only downside to this whole thing was the noise. Cyril was not a fan of loud noises but he could put that aside. Today and the rest of the weekend would be fun.
Walking around Cyril talked with some of the other con goers, some of them wanted to take pictures with him, and he even found a guy dressed as Robin. The argument of who would win against who soon ensured, both agreed that Robin would have his problems against Beast boy but inevitably it was agreed upon that Robin would most definitely win. It was a fun disagreement, and it got a few laughs out of both parties, especially when it came down to some of the outrageous suggestions that each party threw out.
The Robin and Beastboy look alike's ended on good terms even going so far as to give their real names before both went their separate ways. Feeling pretty good about the day Cyril walked towards the area where they had set up food stalls. A quick wait in line and Cyril had a double bacon cheeseburger in hand. He hesitated for a moment the irony of who he was dressed as and what he was about to do not, was not lost to him.
The people around who recognized who he was dressed as, quickly pulled their phones out to take a picture for when he took a bite. No doubt he would become a meme but he didn’t mind. Giving the onlookers a grin he took a large bite and ripped away the meat as if he were a real animal. Flashes of lights and the sound of shutters were heard and laughter. Cyril chewed slowly before swallowing.
Once lunch was taken care of Cyril continued to explore the convention hall until he came to an area where shops seemed to be set up. These stalls sold an assortment of different items. Some were replicas of weapons and accessories from games and movies, while others were plastic toys and memorabilia meant for the sole purpose of bringing back memories of fun times, but it from said movie or game or from having visited the convention center.
Cyril couldn’t help but be drawn to the stalls. He had enough money to get him and Jake back home, as well as a little extra for food expenses, but maybe if he bought something cheap...Passing by the many stalls he couldn’t seem to find anything that really called to him, that was until he spotted a Teen Titans communicator. The shop owner was lazily browsing through a magazine.
It was odd since the other stall vendors seemed to be smiling and greeting customers as if they were friends. Still though Cyril wanted to see how much for the communicator. Walking up to the stall Cyril began to asked the vendor.
“How much for the-” he started before the vendor cut him off.
“$10” he said without looking up from his magazine.
“But you don’t even know what I wanted?” Cyril replied a little put off.
“The communicator? I saw you eyeing it, it’s $10, now buy it or leave” he said not sparing Cyril a glance.
Reaching into his pocket Cyril pulled his wallet out and slammed ten bucks on the counter before snatching his prize. The guy wanted to be a dick then Cyril could be just as rude as him. Replacing his wallet where it had been, Cyril took my new communicator and walked off. The rest of the day consisted of people watching, attending panels and overall joking around.
Jake had lost the costume contest but he had managed third place which warranted him a small third place ribbon. It seemed the day was just starting to settle down. Jake and Cyril were currently sitting on a bench going over all that they had done that day.
“Big whoop you got a communicator, but does it even work?” he asked as he snatched it out of Cyril hands.
“Of course it doesn’t work moron, it’s a replica meant for nothing more than to sit on my desk and remind me of this awesome time I’ve had here,” Cyril replied while snatching the communicator back and slapping Jake upside his head.
The two shared a laugh when Cyril stood up. “I’m heading back to the hotel what about you?”
“Nah, there’s still an hour or two left, I’m going to chill here while I can,” Jake replied as he leaned back on the bench he was sitting on.
Cyril shrugged as he headed for the doors. Though something inside him told him that something was wrong. The cheery air was quickly replaced with dread as something nagged at the back of his head and told him to run and not look back. Shaking his head Cyril looked around and quickly spotted why the sense of dread had formed in his chest.
All around people looked sad or scared, some even seemed to be rushing around trying to find something or someone. “I’m telling you he just disappeared!” A mother cried to one of the staff members of the convention.
“Haley! Where are you?”
“Has anyone seen Ashley?”
“He’s gone man, Jackson is gone! No I don’t know he just sank through the fucking floor!” That last one caught him off guard. Sank through the floor? The guy must have been exaggerating.
That’s when the chaos began to happen. Before anyone know what was happening a scream ripped through the air, causing all heads to turn towards the sound. Then more screams rang out through the convention hall. Many were confused, as was Cyril, until the person directly in front of Cyril suddenly faded from view.
Shock was the first thing Cyril felt, then horror at the impossibility that had just occurred, and finally terror. Soon like a tidal wave, people began to scramble towards the doors trying to escape, but it didn’t matter as people still disappeared.
Some would be running only for what seemed like a portal to open in front of them, others feel through the floor. Some just disappeared in the blink of an eye, and others still faded away. Cyril was among those that stood still shocked or too terrified to move, as if his immobility would grant him sanctuary.
It wasn’t until he was knocked over by someone that Cyril began to run as well, though he ran in the opposite direction. The majority of people who disappeared seemed to be headed for the front doors, maybe by staying away from the group, he’d be safe. With that thought in mind Cyril ran as fast as he could his eyes searching desperately for a place to hide and wait out the insanity. he didn’t get far however as the ground beneath him opened up to swallow him.
Desperately he clawed at the edge trying to pull himself up, but the hole enlarged and soon he fell into the blackness.
00000
Cyril sat up with a start, and looked around. The fire near the front of the cave still burned brightly and it seemed that Angelus had fallen asleep. Noting that he was still a bear, Cyril returned to his human appearance and moved to sit by the fire. The cold had seeped into him despite the thick fur as a bear.
The fire was warm, but the cold remained, a deep sorrow worked it’s way into the pit of his stomach as the nightmare that had been that day finally came back. It had been awhile since he had that dream and now he was worried. Nightmares were Princess Luna’s domain, with a nightmare she could locate someone and Cyril didn’t want that.
Thankfully though it seemed he wouldn’t have to go back to bed. The sun was barely visible on the horizon, and while it was still dark out, morning had assuredly come. Turning to look at Angelus he calmed down as he spotted her bandages. They seemed to be fine but he would still check them when she woke.
It was strange, at least to him, but whenever he took care of her like this, checked her wounds and hunted for her...he felt at peace. The rage that threatened to take control of him, seemed to be muted and restrained. Maybe it was the act of caring for someone who couldn’t care for themselves, after all Cyril had always wanted to be a father, maybe he hadn’t lost as much of his humanity as he had thought.