//------------------------------//
// Interlude: Twilight's Investigation 
// Story: That Strange Stallion 
// by Gunther the Green 
//------------------------------//


That Strange Stallion


Twilight's Investigation



	
"Thanks for coming over, Martin," Twilight told him. She had several books floating around her, not really paying attention to the boys.
"It's no trouble. I was more then happy to. Although, when you said I was getting a library card, I didn't think I'd be picking out every book," he joked. He gave a chuckle while Spike and Twilight only had smiles. The reason behind the mess ruining the joke for them.
"Would it be alright if I asked you a few things while we worked?" Twilight asked out of politeness. 
"Sure, what would you like to know?" he allowed without a shred of hesitation.
Twilight glanced at her check list, her notepaper, and her quill, making sure she had everything ready. "So, to start off, you said you got here through an ethereal world, correct?" She planned to ask him in order of when the information was acquired. 
"That's what I believe yes," he stated.
"What was it like there?" she asked. She had tried to research it but there wasn't much to go on. It had been theorized by several magical scientists and was confirmed to exist by Princess Celestia but that was it. Nothing about what it looked like, what it was, or anything. If Martin could answer, and he wasn't lying, this may very well be a groundbreaking discovery. Twilight was almost giddy with anticipation.
"It was very cold," he said simply.
"Just cold?" Spike decided to enter the conversation. He'd been told by Twilight that he was free to speak his mind. She thought that having a second opinion would maximize the information they could acquire.
He glanced up at Spike, "That was the first thing I noticed when I exited the portal. It was incredibly cold. Like below freezing kind of cold. Had I stayed there longer then I did, I might have conducted hypothermia. I might have even had icicles on me. Boy wouldn't that have confused Fluttershy," he chuckled again. 
"That sounds dangerous," Twilight stated as she wrote furiously on her note sheet, "What else can you describe?"
"Well, there was no gravity at all. I was just floating through the area. Luckily I was able to move myself back through the portal before I drifted too far away from it," he answered. Twilight mumbled to herself about a realm that had no sun or land.
"Doesn't really sound like a fun place," Spike commented.
"Probably not, but it was so beautiful," his voice took on a wistful tone, "The whole place was like endless masses of mist and each speck a different color. It was like a drifting painting." The other two occupants of the room briefly wanted to see such a thing but immediately changed their mind when they remembered the other horrifying things of the place. "Don't bother asking about what the magic was like there. All I know is that it mutated the portal and it felt massive. I don't know enough about magic to describe it any further then that," he answered the unasked question.
"Interesting," she hummed in thought while writing down the last note. She rolled up the notes and set off to start a pile that would probably become large soon. Time to move onto the next question. "About Broken Depths, where is it exactly? What country is it in?" she asked, getting a new note ready.
"Broken Depths is in the United States of America, or USA for short. More specifically, the state of Texas," he answered which seemed to confuse them.
"United States of America? I don't think I've ever heard of that country," Twilight searched her memory but came up with nothing. It's a little weird to name a country after a union of communities inside a continent called America. Maybe it's significant to their history? "Why is it called that?" she urged him to continue.
"Cause it's made of multiple states of America?" Martin guessed, a little confused at her question. It didn't seem like Martin knew much about the history of his own country. May as well be polite and change the subject.
"Nevermind," she rolled up the new note and added it to the pile, "What about your friend Sven? What can you tell me about him?"
Martin smiled, seeming to be glad to talk about a friend, "Hoo boy, Sven is a character. He is the second in-command of the Militia and the poster boy of it."
"The Militia is that group with the experimental equipment right? What does he use?" Spike asked. When he first heard of it, it sounded so much like a superhero group. They must have some interesting stuff.
"Being second in-command, Sven got access to more then he's normally allowed. Normal members get only one equipment, two if you got lucky. Sven though? He got four. A sword that's razor sharp and can reach temperatures of the hottest flames. A shield that can swallow any non-living substance and throw it into the vastness of space. Mechanical wings that allows him to fly and reach traveling speeds of super sonic. And his signature and favorite piece of equipment, a device that lets him teleport anywhere a short distance away," he described. Both Spike and Twilight stared wide eyed at him.
"That sounds awesome!" Spike gushed. That sounded totally like a superhero! He definitely had to get Martin to tell some stories later.
Twilight however had a differing opinion, "How are such things possible?" Maybe the wings could be designed very well and the sword enchanted. But the other stuff couldn't be real. A pegasus that could teleport at will? That seemed so unreal. 
Martin shook his head, "I couldn't tell you how it works. Director is a genius but he doesn't reveal his secrets. He will sell some he deems simple, however. That's how he got his fortune."
"How rich is he?" Spike asked curious how much somepony could make off of superhero making equipment.
"No idea," he said with a shrug, "I haven't seen a limit to his fortune so I'mma just gonna say he's a bajillionaire." 
Twilight leveled an unamused stare at him for the fake word while also making a note to see if Equestria can buy some of Director's equipment. "You were saying about Sven?" she tried to get him back on track. Although, he did partially answer her next question.
"Oh right, well besides his position, Sven is a massive flirt, to the point of being weird," he described.
"What do you mean?" Spike asked, immediately thinking of protecting Rarity.
"I don't think I should explicitly say it, so I'll just tell you that it's something we try to dissuade him from," Martin vaguely said. Spike and Twilight didn't like where it was going, so they decided to drop it. Twilight made a note to keep any female delegates away from Sven when possibly making negotiations with Director.
She set the new note into the pile and brought up a new one, "What can you tell me about Director himself?"
"Director is probably the oldest looking in our group of friends. Tria being the oldest because she's an ageless goddess. He's also possibly the most emotionally neutral of us. The only thing we really see out of him is impassive seriousness. Director invents equipment and leads the Militia so you know he keeps the really good stuff for himself," Martin mentioned getting Spike's hopes up for something interesting, "His personal equipment allows him to bend the natural elements to his will. The ground, the sky, and the seas are his tools. He is ranked in the top 5 of Broken Depths strongest fighters." Spike wasn't disappointed. That sounded awe inspiring. 
"You have a ranking for your fighters?" Twilight asked. Maybe Fluttershy had a point about Broken Depths constantly being in danger if fighting happened enough for there to be a ranking system. 
"What rank is Sven?" Spike continued the question. Somepony who had those kind of equipment had to be pretty high.
"Yes, and Sven is considered the weakest actual fighter," Martin said surprising Spike. 
"He has all that stuff and he's the weakest?" Spike asked incredulous. That didn't make any sense, the rest of the Militia was stronger then him?
"Sven is a capable fighter, but the ranking only applies to the strongest of the town. The others of the Militia aren't up to par. So Sven is the weakest of the strongest."
"Interesting," she readied a new note, "You mentioned you've met a species called wyverns before. Could you please describe them?" Spike immediately perked up, interested in what he had to say about a cousin of dragons.
"I've only met the one wyvern. He's a resident of the town and is actually the adopted baby brother of Jordan," Both Spike's and Twilight's eyebrows raised at that. The delinquent has a wyvern as a baby brother? The pony and the dragon glanced at each other finding something in common with this Jordan pony. 
"Can you describe his species?" she urged him to continue.
"I've only seen Regi's specific species, that's his name, so I couldn't give an accurate description for all wyverns but I'll describe it as best I can. Regi is about 1700 inches long from horn to tail. He's covered in gold and brown scales, has an ax-like horn on his head, he has a massive wingspan and bird like feet with talons. He can actually throw old and loose scales as projectiles which explode on impact," as he talked both Spike and Twilight listened avidly. Twilight's quill zooming over the paper with thoughts and theories. "As for his diet? As far as I've seen, he's extremely carnivorous. Even when provided a decent amount of imported meat, he's still not satisfied and will go out to the nearby forest to hunt."
That made them both pause in their excitement. "He doesn't just eat gems?" Twilight asked.
"I don't think he can," Martin answered with a shrug. Spike was glad there wasn't another species after gems but now he was a little worried they'd be after himself. "Some of the residents are afraid he'll go feral and start going after them but Jordan keeps him in check. I'm still not sure how those two communicate, Regi's vocal cords aren't good enough for anything but growls and roars and yet the two can still talk. I guess it's just a sibling thing." Twilight hummed in thought as she finished off the note. Not much to go on for other aspects of the species but she didn't expect to get the full details from Martin. Spike was trying to figure out how big 1700 inches was.
"I think that's enough of that," she added the new note to the pile, "What about your best friend? Theo? You said that was his nickname, do you know his actual name?"
Martin's smile grew in size at the mention of his best friend, "Of course, he used it to introduce himself. I'm actually the one who gave him that nickname and it stuck. All the others have used it ever since. His real name is really Theemeo."
Twilight raised an eyebrow, "Theemeo?" Honestly that was the oddest sounding name so far. Of course, all the others were odd because they didn't seem like pony names but this one took the cake. No wonder they prefer Theo. "You called him a powerful magic user, how proficient is he?" she asked out of curiosity. Perhaps they could share notes?
"Well he enjoys spells that are functional over powerful. Such as levitation, shield, bind, stuff like that. He also kinda uses magic to do less work. Like when I'm off running somewhere, he will walk at a leisurely pace and then teleport when I start to get out of sight. In terms of raw magical power, I don't really have anything to compare it to. You remind me of him though, so I'll say you two are equal with different preferences," Martin stated. Twilight couldn't help but feel proud that Martin thought of her as proficient and capable as his friend.
"Thank you," she told him as she put the note away, "You keep mentioning somepony called Voodoo Man and there was the 'spell' you used on me. Martin, voodoo isn't a real magic, it's just coincidences and manipulation."
"Then it's some kind of magic only he can do and he calls voodoo because no other magic can compare to it's capabilities," he told her. Spike moved to ask what he meant but Martin continued, anticipating it. "Whatever he's using, voodoo or something else, it's not outright powerful but it's extremely precise. It will do exactly or obscurely what it says it will do. If you can word it out, he can deliver you results."
"Wait, so if you say it, he can grant it? That sounds a lot like wish making," Spike spoke up. 
"In a sense, he can  grant any wish you make, except anything that deals with money. You see, he will do almost anything for you, but at a price. A literal one. The more prominent the wish, the more expensive it will be. He will, however, give you the wish for free, if you owe him a favor. Never, I repeat, never owe him a favor. He will use that to manipulate your body and spirit to do any task he wishes and there will be nothing to break you out of the contract until you complete the task," Martin warned. Both Spike and Twilight stared wide eyed at him. This Voodoo Man sounds shady and not trust worthy. "What I love though, is that Voodoo Man and Director have a rivalry going on. Director is all about surpassing magic with his inventions while Voodoo Man is trying his hardest to keep his power above that but the gap is closing. It's amazing seeing those two try and surpass each other. Two geniuses of a particular field having a battle of the wit," Martin said bringing the mood back up.
"Wait so none of his inventions actually use magic?" Twilight asked, glad to move away from that tidbit, but still surprised by that reveal.
"Well some incorporate magic because of the user but generally, his equipment is open for anything to use," he told her. 
"Even dragons?" Spike asked. Martin nodded which got him even more excited. He could just imagine himself with a giant set of armor that could stop boulders. "How old do you have to be to join?" he asked mostly out of curiosity. He would never leave Twilight or Rarity, but it'd be interesting to know if they'd accept him.
"Um, I'm not sure if there's a limit on the age. You just have to have certain requirements, such as your guardians permission, whether you're sentient, and whether you're willing to follow the instructions of your leaders. I actually know a guy who's ten years old and he was able to join," Martin explained, amazing the two of them. Twilight wrote down a few things in her Militia notes and set them both down for now.
"You mentioned somepony in a hat to Applejack. They wouldn't happen to be in the Militia as well would they?" she guessed.
Martin smiled kindly to her, telling her she was correct, "Yep, there are actually two that wear that kind of hat. A pair of brothers. The younger one is named Tex, his hat is black and a different style. His older brother is named William and his is white looking much more like Applejack's. Before you ask, yes Tex was named after the state he was born in. You know, William actually reminds me of Big Mac. Rarely talks and always got something in his mouth, except Will likes to have pretzel sticks." Martin got a chuckle out of that.
"Speaking of food, why is it that all of your food is imported? Can nopony make a farm in the area?" she asked, already anticipating an interesting answer.
"Now there's something interesting about that," looked like she wouldn't be disappointed, "Because of the happenings around town, both inside and out, the soil has... changed. The whole area is filled with unnatural magical and chemical compounds that mutates any plants that happen to grow. That's why the forest nearby is off limits. Several of those plants have become hostile. Even most animals are afraid to go in there."
"You have something like the Everfree Forest too?" Spike found that interesting, that the two towns have a few things in common.
"I've never been in the Everfree Forest but the fact it spooks the locals with its monsters, Imma just say yes and move on," he answered with a shrug. Twilight moved on as well and got a new note ready. Martin seemed to just enjoy talking, which was good for her. Although there was still doubt that all of this was just Martin's active imagination. How can one place attract so many bizarre things? Those questions could come later.
"What about Tim? You said he has a condition to be anywhere in town but only behind a cash register. What does that entail exactly?" she asked. This may be the strangest thing he's told. Somepony who could be literally everywhere but only behind a specific object? He claims it's not magic or anything else but then what could it be?
"Well I have to correct that. Tim's condition isn't limited to just the town. We believe it has something to do with our brand of cash registers. So if you had that specific make and you set it down, Tim would appear behind it immediately. Even all the way out here," he said, amazing them once again, "You know, he could actually get me back to Broken Depths like that. Tim is connected to all those spots constantly and is able to transport items to each one."
"Woah, that sounds way faster then dragon mail," Spike pointed out. Being able to move anything across an entire continent instantly? That sounded so unreal. 
"Maybe, but he would be terrible at delivering mail. He can't move away from the cash register. The best he could do is lift it up and physically walk it there," Martin said with a chuckle. Spike's pride was boosted, knowing he could do something somepony as weird as Tim couldn't do.
"And there's nothing else you can mention about his condition?" Twilight asked. Martin had already mentioned it was a mystery even to those who knew Tim. Maybe they could use a fresh perspective with her help. 
"Not much else I can say. Although there is a rumor going around that he could make you go unconscious with just a simple touch," Martin shrugged nonchalantly, "They believe that Tim can quickly move you through different spots and overwhelm your senses." 
"Has he ever actually done it?" she asked, worried about his sudden threat level. But Martin shook his head in the negative, alleviating her fear. "Moving on," she set the new note down and brought up the one about the Militia again, "The Militia would get called into action but the problem is dealt with before they could get there. Why is that?"
"Well you remember the top ranked fighters I mentioned before?" she nodded, "Well most of them aren't affiliated with the Militia. So they aren't trapped behind red tape and can act on a problem as soon as they hear about it. The Militia is a lawful organization, so they have to follow the rules before they can act. It's made them slow but they won't get shutdown for any illegal actions. Unlike the rest of the fighters who stand on the line of illegal actions," he paused in thought, "Well most of them. Guy's like Triple B are all the way criminal."
"They can't forgive them for acting off record?" Spike asked. If somepony was saving the day, you'd think they could get away with breaking a few rules.
"That may work for the vigilantes but the Militia is more useful working inside of the law. So they follow the rules, relying on the others for anything that needs to be dealt with quickly. Although," Martin lowered his voice into a whisper as if somepony was listening, "Several members are spiteful because they want to go out and help before they get called on."
"Interesting," she put the note on the Militia back down and took out a new note. She hesitated on asking this next one, fearing it may upset him, "You mentioned that somepony you knew didn't get a second chance. Do you think you can explain that?"
Martin's smile turned nervous and he rubbed his neck, "You heard that? I'm afraid I can't tell you. It delves directly into Jordan's past and he doesn't like to reveal that for any reason." Twilight was both disappointed and relieved. She didn't get any useful information beyond the involvement of Jordan but was relieved because it sounded like it would have been a sad story.
She set down the vague note and got a new one ready. She decided to not bring up what Princess Celestia had told her because that would reveal her true intentions. It was also best to bypass John Silver as Martin already mentioned he didn't know how he lost his eye and limbs. Digging further then that didn't seem necessary. "You mention that tourists come through your town, but they never notice anything weird?"
"Well as I told Rarity, they hardly ever stay longer than a day. They will notice something strange about the town eventually but the introduction of Jordan and Triple B will dissuade them from lingering. I think Jordan does it to keep the citizens safe. Triple B does it just to mess with them," he answered with a shrug. "Tourists are far and few to come by. Most all visitors of the town have some business inside it and are usually already aware of the strangeness it involves."
She nodded in thought, "And what can you tell me about the layout of the town?" she asked for archiving purposes. If they were to ever visit Broken Depths it would be a good idea to have a general idea where everything is.
"Well, in Broken Depths we have entire section devoted to one aspect of a society. The two largest being residential and commercial, since those areas see the most use. This helps keep the citizens safe for when there's an emergency lockdown in progress. They aren't scattered as much. The education section is just one giant campus though." 
"Emergency lockdown?" Spike asked.
"Some threats to Broken Depths can stretch to encompass the entire town so civilians are advised to go inside a home or a nearby bunker while the problem is dealt with. A bit like what happened with Nightmare Moon when Mayor Mare said to lock yourselves in your home," Martin compared.
"What kind of threat?" Twilight pushed.
"Well most recently we had a giant hydra bust out of a nearby mountain. Thing was about 17000 inches long. Luckily Jordan was able to deal with it," Martin revealed.
"S-se-seventeen thousand?!" Twilight shouted in shock, "How in Equestria did he make it leave?" Spike was equally as shocked. The thing was 10 times bigger then the wyvern he mentioned before.
"He beat it into submission," Martin said nonchalantly, "It still lives nearby but it's too afraid to come closer." Both Twilight and Spike stared at him, mouths hung open in surprise. Just how strong was this Jordan pony? Was Martin lying to them? Twilight didn't voice that thought. Even if she did, he would just claim it was true and they would get nowhere.
"I-I see," she stuttered, getting a new note ready, "You said the founder built your town because he found a lonely girl that lived nearby. That girl was the shapeshifter Stranger?"
"That's right, and before you ask. No, she did not trick him. He was well aware of her capabilities. He saw not a monster, but something that needed a little company," Martin said, warming their hearts and dowsing their fears.
"That's so sweet," Twilight mentioned, putting the note aside for now, "Everypony in your town wears clothes. Why is that?"
"It's the law?" he said, unsure of her question. She was afraid of this. He was so used to it, he didn't question why they do it. No point going further down this road.
"Nevermind," she dismissed, "What about your currency? You don't use bits, then what do you use?"
"Well we do have metal coins as well, but we primarily use paper notes as money. Printed currency. Why they went that way, I'm not entirely sure. I don't know my history that well," he answered with a shrug. Paper money? That seemed easily damaged. She supposed it was lightweight and easy to make. They must also have complicated and precise printing so forging isn't easy.
"Interesting," Twilight said while moving on, "Spike mentioned that one of your friends hates the concept of super heroes. Is that Jordan or Carlos?" Both seemed to just hate things to hate them. So she made a guess. Spike got a little nervous, hoping he won't mention his friend hates the Princess's too. It would make Twilight upset and call him out for not telling.
"Jordan. As I said to Spike, he probably has a deeper reason for hating them then the reason he gave me. I mean, at this point he's not an ordinary citizen anymore, but he still clings to the fact that he's just some guy with a lot of tools, his own strength and wit, up against everything else," Martin stated.
"He sounds really proud," Spike pointed out. The guy wasn't willing to admit what he really was and hung onto his own belief rather then fact.
"In a way, but that same pride is what keeps him going. The indomitable spirit to protect Broken Depths and it's citizens," that seemed to get a warm smile out of Martin.
"Interesting," she said getting a new note ready. Spike gave a sigh of relief, glad to move away from the topic. No accidental reveal of his fib. "What exactly is up with Carlos? How did he get like that?" Twilight asked.
"I'm not entirely sure. Carlos doesn't talk about his past, or talk in general. He'll just use every insult and dirty word he knows into what can be vaguely assumed is a sentence," Martin answered with a shrug.
"He sounds like a potty mouth," Spike pointed out.
"He is very foul mouthed, but we're doing our best to make him better. It's been difficult though. I think we're the only ones who've grown from it," he said with a nervous smile, rubbing his neck.
With nothing else to go on, Twilight decided to move to the next note. "You mentioned that you plan to come back here after you go home and you plan to bring some of your friends?" Twilight asked. This was the biggest reason for investigating his friends. If they planned to show up, she wanted to be properly prepared. Especially for somepony like Jordan. Somehow he was able to beat a giant hydra into submission. She didn't want to imagine what else he could do.
Martin smiled widely, "Of course, when I'm in a completely foreign place with no idea on what's going on. You ponies and the Princess's accepted me for who I am and let me live here. Sides, I want my new friends to meet my old friends. Well most of them anyway, there's no way I'm bringing Carlos or Triple B here. That would just end badly." Twilight guessed that was why he was unsure his old friends wouldn't like his new friends.
"Is that why you wanted to send a thank you letter to the Princess's?" Spike asked.
"That's right. They let me into their country with open hooves. I should at least show my appreciation," Martin said.
"With a joke?" Twilight pointed out the oddity. She was having trouble imagining somepony giving Princess Celestia a joke as a thank you gift.
Martin chuckled, "Well yes. I actually plan to divide my left over bits to all of my friends before I leave. I can't use them in Broken Depths so I may as well give them to those who can and I definitely consider the Princess's my friends." That got a raised eyebrow out of the two librarians. He was going to send the princess what was essentially a hoof full of bits? It wasn't even a drop of water in the ocean of the royal treasury. 
"Well just ask me when you're ready. I'll be glad to forward it to the Princess for you," she said getting a new note. Despite her efforts, she had gotten no information from Sweet Melody. The spiteful mother still refusing to have casual conversation with her. So she wasn't sure if Martin had revealed anything to the mare or not. "What can you tell me about Doctor Styles?" She was interested in the medicine of a foreign country. Maybe they had insights. Although getting anything detailed out of Martin may be difficult.
"He's a really great guy. And a very smart doctor. He could double as a vet with the amount of creatures he's saved or healed," Martin mentioned. Huh, that's interesting. Although that would concern Fluttershy about all the injured animals that seem to happen. Twilight figured she won't mention that to her. "He's the go to doctor for anything and can multitask really well. One example could be him checking the lungs of a patient while also giving instructions for a surgery. He never makes a mistake."
"Does he have a specialty?" she asked.
"Um, I couldn't tell you what he specializes in. But he's had plenty of practice with setting broken bones," Martin finished. She could already guess how those broken bones happened and decided to move on. She knew the next part might get complicated.
"What can you tell me about Jordan?" she asked, preparing for a long winded speech, her quill at the ready.
"Jordan is the very reason why our town still exists. Stranger may have been there longer but she didn't care about the town or its citizens. She only cares for it's secret, the memorial park, and Kreig." Twilight suppressed a sigh, taking out the list of names and adding 'Kreig' to it. "Several years ago our town had shown an increase in attacks from different sources. This was before the forming of the Militia, the reforming of Triple B, and even before the others were even in the town. The town had no defense against these forces but Jordan decided to stand up and push back. With physical prowess and ingenuity he was able to defeat every opponent that came to do harm to our town. Every day he got better physically, mentally, and got better tools to assist him. Throughout his experience, he's gained allies from those he's helped, those he's defeated, or those who could be useful. Eventually, he became so effective, that the mayor made a small tax to help fund his efforts and he gained the approval of Officer Vern, giving him more legal leeway. Over the next few years, the others in our circle of friends began to arrive but he still refused to let them get close. It took him nearly losing to a threat that could have wiped out the whole town before he finally accepted help. He opened his heart a smidge and we all just shoved our way in. So far? He hasn't pushed us out." As he explained, Martin just had this happy smile on his face. He seemed so proud of this Jordan. She could kinda see why. 
"How strong is he?" Spike asked.
"His physical prowess is far above what should be possible, but that's not where he only excels. Jordan is a bit paranoid and will mostly think of the worst case scenario. With this mindset he's gone above and beyond preparing himself for any situation. He's prepared for nearly anything, even a temporal paradox," Martin stated. The two purple beings wondered how somepony could prepare for an anomaly in time. "Although he's still not prepared for an army of toilets, he has nowhere near enough underpants for that." Martin chuckled at his own joke.
Both Spike and Twilight could stare confused at that statement and decided to drop it. "What about Marribelle? What's she like?"
Martin outright laughed at that question, making the two of them wonder what was funny. "Hoo boy, Marribelle, she is one mouthy lady. In simple terms, she is a lady that really likes to poke Jordan verbally. She doesn't push his buttons or antagonize him, so she doesn't make him angry, just annoy him out of good fun. Besides that she's really high class. That's why I think her and Rarity would get along easily. They could probably spend hours trying to design a dress that will end up looking like a record player or something else bizarre."
"Interesting," she said, writing in the new note. Next on the list was Triple B and Tria but she already knew enough about the psychotic criminal and Martin had already said he refused to go into Tria's past without her permission. "Officer Vern, he's the chief of police in Broken Depths right?"
"That's right, has been for a good many years. I've looked up to that guy while growing up. He's like the lovable dad of the whole town," Martin had a heartfelt smile on his face. Clearly glad to spread word of the officer.
"Did you like him more then your own family?" Spike asked, wondering if he had family troubles.
"Nah, I love both of my parents. Even my extended family is a joy to be around. You should see our family reunions. They are just a riot. My mother's a house wife and my father is a teacher. They don't live in Broken Depths anymore. They moved away a couple years after I moved out, assured I could live on my own. I miss their presence but we keep in contact." This time Twilight and Spike smiled along with him, caught up in the love for family. The both of them were away from their family as well but no distance could make their love grow weaker.
Twilight brought up the Stranger note again, "What can you tell me about what Stranger is? I know you don't know much about who she is, but can you please explain what she is and what she can do?" Shapeshifters weren't mentioned much in the books she researched. She was curious about what an age old one could do.
"Well to start off, she does have an original form, as weird as it is. Her form is a cloak that reaches all the way to the ground and inside the hood is nothing but blackness that seems to absorb the light around it. In that blackness is a single bright red light. We assume that's her eye. The form has no mouth though, so she needs to shapeshift into one of us in order to just talk. When she transforms, she becomes a mass of flesh that reforms into the desired shape. When the shape is done, it gains color and she becomes a copy of what she desires. She can even take on properties of what she transforms into. She could turn into a plant and conduct photosynthesis or become sand and drift in the wind. It doesn't have to be an exact copy either. She could become you but with wings instead of a horn." At the mention of that, Twilight looked towards her side, trying to imagine what she'd look like with wings but couldn't really picture it. She finished the note and set it aside. There wasn't much left on the list but the next bit was something she was having the most trouble figuring out.