CCC-Back Home Again

by Fresnor

Preparations

While they were all gathered around Fluttershy I took a moment to try to get a feel of the magic in this world and replenish my own stores a bit. The magic really was a lot like it was in Equestria, but there were some subtle differences as well. I didn’t want to mess with the energy field too much though as it was still growing and adding too much of a new variety of magic wouldn’t be a good idea.

I really must have been distracting myself more than I thought since when I looked up again I was greeted with another familiar hairstyle. I wasn’t really that surprised to see her here since I had been told of her by Twilight, but I was surprised by the fact that she didn’t have any wings or horn like I would have expected. “I had heard that there was a strange creature in the school. It makes sense that it would involve the Twilight from beyond the portal showing up once again. Well if she’s here then I guess there is nothing to worry about except for trying to explain things to the government yet again.”

She walks off again before I can even respond leaving me wondering what just happened. Of course since this world’s Celestia is supposed to only be a principal then she probably doesn’t have the same experience as the one I knew. Of course that one also did enjoy shoveling responsibility over to someone else so there wasn’t much difference I guess.

Shaking my head I turn back to the nearby group who was starting to break up again now that the excitement over Fluttershy was wearing off. When I look at Sunset I remember an earlier question and I actually have an answer this time. “Hey Sunset, when you asked if there were going to be any other changes I’m actually pretty sure there might be some more. It looks like the magic field isn’t at full strength yet since there seems to be at least one that hasn’t changed yet, and I’m guessing there is a second as well.”

She looks a bit worried at my words. “Do you have any idea what the further changes might be? Please tell me that everyone here isn’t going to turn completely into a pony. I don’t think I could handle being responsible for ruining my friends lives like that.” I actually have to stifle a laugh at that as she truly is worried.

“Oh I’m pretty sure it’s not going to go that far. Full species changes are not something caused by this type of phenomenon since the original body template would reject it. It’s only because the magic was from Equestria, and the fact that the two worlds are so closely linked, that the changes are like this. From what I was told about the changes that happened after the first time I can guess at least two more things that could change in the future.” Sunset and the others look confused for a moment before Rarity brings one of her hands to the top of her head.

“You mean those cute ears from before might actually be permanent? Ooh I just have to find my old sketches I made for new earrings.” I see AJ rolling her eyes at her but she still has a smile on her face so I can guess they are used to Rarity’s antics. Rainbow Dash was actually listening, surprisingly, and asks the question I was waiting on.

“While the ears are kind of cool, what is this second change that you are expecting to happen, huh?” I am about to answer when I notice the design on her clothing and I quickly look at all the others I recognize to find the same thing with many of them, or at least something of those designs. I just point a paw at the cloud a with rainbow lightning bolt coming out of it on her clothing.

“Well for you that will most likely appear somewhere on your body, mostly likely around your rear if it’s like with the ponies. I’m only guessing that it hasn’t shown up since it is basically a visible symbol of their magic. I never studied much about them but Sunset or Twilight could tell you more.” I turned towards Sunset to explain but was interrupted a moment later.

“What is it you want me to tell them now?” I turn around to see the two Twilights walking back to the group from their little competition. It was obvious which Twilight won as the other one was busy muttering to herself as she tried to write something down in a book she had.

You know, this is starting to get a bit confusing having two Twilights here. It would probably be a good idea to keep the one distracted while the other one keeps the others occupied so I can talk with Sunset uninterrupted about everything that is going on. “So Twilight they were wondering about what exactly cutie marks are so why don’t you explain it to them,” I turn to look at the other Twilight and try to distract her, “and Twilight; just think of this all as an entirely undiscovered branch of science. Maybe you can write the first book on the subject that this world has ever seen?”

I see the eyes of both Twilights light up at this as they each run off to start on my suggestions while I drag Sunset further away. “That should keep them distracted for a while so we can finally talk. What in the world is going on here and how have those creatures not overrun everything yet?” She seems surprised that pulled her away but my question just causes her to sigh.

“Well I was hoping to have some time to catch up with Twilight, but I guess that can wait until we stop those things.” She grabs a drink from a nearby table and leads me to a corner seat where she makes herself comfortable. “We aren’t sure where they came from but they hit the city pretty hard when they first arrived. It could have been much worse though if the military didn’t step in and try to stop them initially.” I raise an eyebrow at that as I doubt much would have changed with them around anyways.

“You see the city was already under quarantine because of the magic changing everything even though whoever they sent also started to change. Principal Celestia has been dealing with all that but the soldiers already here evacuated the area the creatures were first spotted and brought them to the other end of Canterlot. We almost lost hope of stopping them until Rainbow Dash found the Sirens who were caught out near the edge of the forest surrounded by the creatures.”

“It was only then that we found out that we could use our music to create a barrier to hold the creatures back. It’s only been the last few weeks now that they started slipping through to roam the streets but for some reason they haven’t been hostile. Strangely enough the creatures have only been congregating around the outside of the barrier if they don’t make it in. It’s as if they are after something since they haven’t gone after any other cities yet.”

I consider this since I knew the creatures were drawn towards magic, but I wasn’t sure how they would react to the lack of any. “Some of that makes sense since they seem to be drawn towards large sources of magic which is also needed to destroy them. Also considering that harmonic magic, or whatever you want to label musical magic as, can be used in either a positive or negative manner it makes sense that it makes a good defense against the shadows. Where were the creatures first sighted anyways?”

Sunset tilts her head to the side as she thinks about my question. “If I remember correctly the first time they were seen was on the borders of the Everfree Nature Preserve and…” she pauses for a moment before she slaps a hand over her face, “and the portal is inside that place isn’t it? Even in this world the Everfree is always a source of chaos and insanity.”

I just shake my head as I actually agree with her somewhat as there is too much unexplored area of that place on the Equestrian side. I kind of wondered about the history of the forest on this side of the portal and added it to my list of questions for much later. “Well it’s good to know that it’s somewhere rather isolated. I’m not sure how much magic it’ll take to seal that portal but the less interruptions when we find it the better.”

She nods her head a couple times before she pauses. “Wait, what do you mean by ‘we’? We don’t have the magic to face those creatures directly and while I may have been good with magic it has been years since I’ve had any real practice and even then I know little about portal magic.”

I raise an eyebrow at her. “So you don’t think that unleashing the same magic that you all used to defeat the Dazzlings will help at all? Since that power was given by the Elements of Harmony it’s bound to do something useful.”

Sunset raises her hand with a finger pointed up to contest this but after a moment slams her head into the table. “Ugh, of course you would have to mention that. Do you really think that it’s that easy to activate that power? We’ve been trying to get it to work ever since those things appeared yet nothing has worked beyond the barrier.”

I once again curse myself for not taking the time to study the Elements of Harmony more closely since knowing more about how they work would have really been useful right now. That’s even assuming that the knowledge would transfer over to this world. Wait a moment; can they even do anything without Twilight? “Would it even be possible to call on that power without Twilight in the first place? I’ve never heard about them working without the entire group so even getting that barrier up is a miracle in itself.”

Sunset Shimmer just throws her arms up in the air in frustration. “Fine, if you can convince the others to go along with this then fine. Just take a bunch of people who have no idea how to even use magic out into danger and hope everything works out.”

I chuckle at her which causes her to glare at me. “Do you really think that they would even stay behind if I told them to? At least half of them would follow us even if Twilight and I told them to stay and would probably get themselves hurt. Especially Rainbow Dash considering her habit of acting before thinking. Besides, between the two of us we could easily hold those things back for weeks at a time if needed.”

She sighs in defeat at this. “You’re right about that. It’s just; I’ve been trying to keep out of the public eye the last few years since I really don’t belong in this world. If it wasn’t for Principle Celestia giving me a job here I would probably be either out on the street or relying on my friend for food and a place to live.”

This actually gives me something to think about for the future, though I hint of an idea does come to mind. I save that for later when I notice Twilight and her friends moving towards our place in the corner. “What are you two doing hidden all the way back here?”

I stand up and stretch before turning to the group. “We’re just making some plans about what to do about the shadows. We have an idea of the general area where the portal is, but I’d like to send something to scout the area out so we can find the exact location before heading out to seal it.”

Of course it was at that moment that Rainbow Dash decided to fly up into my face. “Who is this ‘we’ you are talking about, huh? I don’t remember agreeing to follow you anywhere.”

I flick her nose with a tail causing her to jerk back. “Wouldn’t the better question be would you actually stay behind if I told you to while Twilight and I went and fixed everything? I’m pretty sure whatever I say at least you, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie would follow while dragging the other three along behind you.”

Applejack slaps Rainbow Dash on the back as she lets out a chuckle. “Well she sure knows exactly how you would react. Of course I’d like to know how she knows so much about us all.”

I look over at Twilight who was looking a bit nervous for some reason. “What? Did you never tell them Twilight? Of course even if you didn’t I would think they could have at least guessed considering the fact that there were two of you here.”

I could tell from Twilight’s reaction that she never did tell them but Sunset it quick to pick up on what I was hinting at. “So she really did know the Equestrian versions of you five. No wonder she was able to make friends with you all so fast when she first showed up.” Her eyes widen then as something else hits her and looks over at me questioningly. At my nod she turns back to Twilight and looks at her with a look full of pity.

Of course Pinkie Pie chose this moment to put her own spin on things. “You mean that there was another me and nobody told me about it?! Can you imagine all the parties we could put together if there was another me around? I’d be able to do twice the amount of partying!” Everyone looks at her with wide eyes and no small amount of fear at the thought of two Pinkie Pies being in one place.

“Right… I guess that would have been a good reason not to tell them about it Twilight. It probably would be as bad as an idea as giving Pinkie a large sized whipped cream-topped chocolate triple espresso or asking her if it’s a cherry-changa, chimi-cherry, or chimi-cherry-changa.” I see Applejack wince at the last part which has me guessing that something like that actually happened on this world as well.

I probably shouldn’t have mentioned those things as I saw Pinkie’s eyes lighting up but Rarity headed off that problem. “Pinkie dear; why don’t you go over and try to cheer Sonata up some more? She looks rather lonely sitting over there behind the bleachers.” The others let out a sigh of relief when Pinkie gets a serious look on her face and dashes over to the ex-Siren.

“Flarenza, please don’t give her any more ideas. We have enough problems keeping her under control without you giving her even more ideas or reminding her of old ones.” Sunset look rather annoyed at me but I just chuckle while Twilight glares at me.

“If she knows what’s good for her she won’t try that here on this world as well. It’s bad enough that she gave Pinkie that drink in Equestria once already. It took months to clean up Canterlot after that and we even had to make a law so it didn’t happen again.” The group looks at me wide-eyed except for Rainbow Dash who actually looks impressed which Twilight notices. “And no Rainbow Dash, it’s not worth it as a prank because of how badly it backfires. Unless you like being dyed pink for a couple months like Flarenza was.”

I blush at that old memory while Rainbow Dash shudders at the thought of being completely pink for that long. I make an effort to redirect the conversation to somewhere a bit less embarrassing after that. “Anyways where would I be able to find a small variety of trees for a quick spell? I’d like to know exactly where the portal is before we take off instead of blindly hunting for it.”

I would have expected Applejack to speak up but Fluttershy did so instead. “Um, they should have something in the agriculture department right now. They often have potted trees and seedlings ready for spring planting if those would work.” I nod to her and gesture for her to lead the way. I’m not sure if I should be surprised or not that she isn’t cowering away from me but considering how I already helped her as well as my shape I went with not.

While she was leading me towards the area the trees were I noticed that it was starting to get dark outside now. This was highlighted by the fact that many of the lights in the school were shut off so I made a small light to lead the way, much to Fluttershy’s relief. After a few twists and turns we reach the door where they were keeping the trees.

Once inside I looked around and was a bit disappointed that most of them were too small to be used, and the ones that I could use wouldn’t do for a full sized timberwolf. I was considering looking elsewhere when I glanced at Fluttershy and came up with an idea. “Hey Fluttershy, do you happen to have any pets?”

She looks surprised at my question, but she just shakes her head. “I take care of a lot of animals at the shelter and animal clinic for the nature preserve, but I haven’t had a pet since my bunny died a couple years ago.” I smile as an idea comes to me and I brush a tail along her wings, knocking a few loose feathers out of them as well as causing her to shiver a bit.

Taking the feathers I examine a small weeping willow and find that it will work perfectly for what I want. Since I’m not trying for a full alpha level creature I won’t need as much preparation as usual so I just focus on the form and personality that I wish to imprint on it. Fluttershy watches with wide eyes as I mold the tree into the shape I am picturing and use the feathers as a binding point for the creature.

Fluttershy may not know exactly what I’m doing, but considering I’m picturing a form she should be intimately familiar with it doesn’t take long for her to let out a sharp gasp of surprise. “Is that… Angel Bunny?” My only response is a nod as I finish the spell and watch as a wooden creature shaped like the mentioned creature stands up and stares at the two of us.

Author's Note:

Another chapter down and soon some of my plans shall be set in motion. Oh the plans I have for the future. Just try and predict them, I dare you. Also remember to leave any typos and comments below.

Comments

[DJ Discharge]

Angel Bunny...The general of hell has returned to the mortal plain! :P

[zooba]

I predict space monkeys in the future.

[xoid]

Flarenza made a lesser timbergolem based off of Angel Bunny. Please tell me that this world’s Angel Bunny is already dead; there isn’t a chance that it could contain the concentrated evil of two of him.

[Amos Anon]

I would have expected Applejack to speak up but Fluttershy did so instead. “Um, they should have something in the agriculture department right now. They often have potted trees and seedlings ready for spring planting if those would work.” I nod to her and gesture for her to lead the way. I’m not sure if I should be surprised or not that she isn’t cowering away from me but considering how I already helped her as well as my shape I went with not.

This paragraph was pretty confusing. I managed to decipher it, but maybe could use a rewrite? Liking the story, btw.