The Cat, Witch and the Wormholes

Chapter 8. Paradise Lost

[... a powerful solar flare reached Earth in span of fifteen seconds, making a semicircle along the circumference of the planet and penetrating the atmosphere above Ellisburg, New York, briefly touching the surface of the earth. PRT Chief Director Costa-Brown made a statement that this solar anomaly was the result of a malfunction in the tinker-tech device, she also said that the perpetrator was identified as forty-years-old Jamie Rinke, a former employee of the Ellisburg State Bank. He is also confirmed dead, and is added to the total death toll, the number of which now stands at twelve hundred seven, among them there are also ninety-two FEMA's Response and Recovery field operatives who assisted in the evacuation of civilians. Chief Director Costa-Brown also confirmed that the rumors about flesh-eating monsters were true, and they were also cybernetic creations of Jamie Rinke. The PRT does not believe that any of his creations have survived, and they all perished together with their creator at the moment of failure of the tinker-tech device, which led to attracting to Earth the fastest solar flare known to the date and turning into ashes a territory within a radius of three miles. Chief Director Costa-Brown denied any accusations ...]

"Are you still watching this bullshit?" Uttered Curie entering the Piggot's hospital room.

"They play it on all channels, as if there is no other news." Emily huffed, clicking the remote to turn off the TV.

"Already a week has passed, and they are still going. I still can't believe that they twisted the story in this way."

"They can't reveal the truth, without admitting the existence of another powerful parahuman on a scene."

"Of course they can!"

"And what?! Made the girl a target for all sorts of fanatics and lynchers who want to avenge the town that has already been lost?"

"No, you're right, she doesn't deserve it. Well, she saved our collective asses in the end."

"And did more than all these self-proclaimed heroes."

"I can understand them. They didn't want to become a victim of another S-class supervillain."

"Yet they left us to die."

"Yeah." Curie strode across the room and sat on the chair by the Emily's hospital bed. "So, how are you, Piggy?"

"The same. I'm anxious to get out of this hospital."

"Any news? What did these leeches say?"

"No major changes. They were able to patch my kidneys, but could not do anything with my legs."

"I'm so sorry, Emily." Curie mumbled sympathetically.

"It's okay, I guess, could be worse. But it looks like my career in FEMA is over."

"They commissioned Mattews too."

"What? Why?"

"They said that his shoulder wouldn't be able to withstand the same load as before. So, he will be transferred to the office"

"Shame, he was such a good soldier."

"Yeah..."

"And how are you? I haven't seen you for a week."

"Me..." Curie fell silent.

"What's wrong, Jean?"

"Just ... I don't know how to tell you."

"Jean?"

"Sorry, Piggy, I just couldn't say no to this."

"To what?"

"They offered me an early advancement in the rank and position of commander in field operations."

"That's great! Congratulations!" Piggot sincerely congratulated her.

"What? Why? I thought you would be mad."

"Mad? Why should I? You are good at planning and tactics, it would be perfect for you!"

"But, you always wanted this position."

"Yes, but I can't be in the field anymore."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault."

"Still..."

"Still nothing! Stop considering yourself guilty and carry a new rank with honor, commander! This is an order from your former superior!"

"Yes ma'am!" Mockingly saluted Curie. "Damn, what a mess."

"So, you will replace Jeeves?"

"Yeah..."

"How are you holding up? I knew you and he..."

"It's okay, I'm fine, we weren't 'that' close, and it’s not like I was going to leave FEMA for him to become a housewife. So, I'll be fine."

"Are you still mad at Calvert?"

"Well, he's a cretin, and incompetent, but I mostly blame this fucking parahumans."

"Do not forget that we also owe our lives to parahuman."

"The girl."

"Yes, the girl." Emily made a point. "Heard anything about her?"

"Yeah. They say that when she woke up, she was hysterical, and they were forced to sedate her so that she would not harm herself and others. But the next day she woke up and asked how long she was out, and when they told her she became catatonic and cried without stopping. Does not talk to anyone, does not leave the room, does not eat enough, just cries, hugging her cat."

"Cat? They actually allowed him to be in the hospital?"

"They thought he would make her feel better and that she would come out of depression. But she only began to stroke him and hug, and did not stop sobbing."

"Most likely, she understood everything that had happened, and now she is in deep shock."

"She almost died in a bad way. I don't know if even I could ignore something like that."

"And this, without even mentioning the fate of her relatives."

"In fact, she does not have them. She is an orphan."

"What?"

"Yup. It turns out that her name was absolutely unique in the whole country, and they found a copy of the old file from the California Beacon of Hope orphanage. Which was burned down ten years ago. She was the only child whom they failed to evacuate the burning building, and they thought that she and her body perished in the fire."

"But apparently, she didn't."

"Nope. It seems she somehow survived and escaped, living on the streets on her own."

"And with her healing power and these fire blasts."

"She triggered at the age of three."

"God be damned."

"My thoughts exactly."

"This poor girl. To survive in one hell and end up in another. Speak of a fate."

They sat in the silence of the room, both thinking their own thoughts. Seth reflected on his failures, and Sunset grieved over the loss of her home, the loss of her mentor and, more importantly, the loss of her best friend.

When she awoke the second time, the nurses said that they had to sedate her earlier because she was hysterical and wasn't lucid. When she asked about how long she was unconscious, they told her the truth, which pierced her heart. She was late to get home, and the portal was closed. She was cut off from Equestria and didn't know what to do. She was never prepared for something like that. But she still had hope that she could somehow open the portal until she heard the whole truth about what had happened.

A female in a dark suit, wearing a steel helmet and draped in a long heavy cape entered her room and told her that Sunset had almost died there, and on the verge of death she was able to beat the odds, by invoking her powers to heal herself and destroy all monsters, but with them she destroyed what was left of the town, including everything, and when Sunset asked about the statue, surprising this female, she was told that they were destroyed too. There is nothing left because everything was turned to dust. This means that she destroyed her only known way home with her own hooves.

She cried again and again, unable to keep herself from feeling her loss. At least until the cat came back. Carrying with himself a small part of the lost Equestria. She hugged him dearly, mumbling her apologies and asking him for forgiveness for her stupidity, which left them trapped in this world. And oddly enough, he stayed with her, not leaving her alone for long. Keeping her company and giving her kindness and support in this difficult moment.

Seth wasn't considered her guilty of their tragedy. If everything he blamed Princess Celestia for ever showing that damned mirror to Sunset. She should have known what the demonstration of such an artifact for an impressionable filly could lead to. He was not a parent himself, but over the years he has gained enough experience in growing foals, and even he knew that showing a new forbidden shiny toy to a foal would always lead to tears.

This damned mirror and the Royal Vault itself weren't even guarded! It doesn't even had a lock! Why the Tartarus is such a dangerous thing was left without supervision? Did Celestia really plan all this? Did she want Sunset to go through the mirror, or was she just incompetent? It was a very chilling thought. And both outcomes were terrifying. The image of the cold, cruel and manipulative Celestia was so real, and knowing the typical fate of her enemies, he felt sick. But if she was just incompetent, it was even worse. This can lead to so many horrors that he was not ready to acknowledge even the most mitigated possibilities.

But now he must focus on much more pressing things - their means of survival in this strange world. He has already learned that they are not accused of destroying the town, since it was overrun by monsters. And they are not going to be arrested or executed for trespassing into this world, because everyone considered them native. No one even asked questions much.

They tried to talk to Sunset, but with her deep grief she wasn’t that helpful. He learned that her belongings were not confiscated, but were simply stored in a locker somewhere in the building, and they will be returned at her first request. But Sunset did not seem willing to get them back immediately. The local food was edible, and they even adjusted the menu for Sunset's herbivorous preferences, but he still got the meat. And not just fish, but some actual meat. And although he hoped that it was not the meat of a sapient being, he wasn't going to give it up. And everyone around them was nice to them, very different from Tau'ri, whom he remembered from the past.

He could not find out which planet they were on, or whether Goa'ulds still around, because of his inability to talk to them, and their written script was unreadable for him. But at least they still speak Equish and not some strange dialect. And their advancements were impressive. They build buildings higher than the tallest tower in Manhattan, they have better medical equipment than the royal infirmary, and their vehicles were faster and more numerous. Of course, they were not as advanced as Goa'ulds, but it was still breathtaking. He especially liked this panel with news broadcasts and entertainment programs. Why Goa'ulds had never created anything like this in his past, he couldn't understand.

Nevertheless, it was a wonderful way to kill time while Sunset was sleeping or crying. He, of course, supported her as much as he could. And he was also sad, but he could not grieve all day, it would be too tiring. He needed to do something else. Like for example, take a walk around the hospital, or listen to Tau'ri's conversations, or watch this news panel, or scout the way for a possible escape in case of an emergency. And if they ever want to go home, they should start looking for means as soon as possible. But this should wait until Sunset becomes more cohesive.

Emily absentmindedly clicked the TV's remote, switching between channels, looking for entertainment while she was locked up. She had nothing better to do, and nobody was here to talk. She even thought about asking for a laptop to browse news on the Internet or even read the PHO forum, she was very bored, alright. So, when the door opened, and instead of a nurse a middle-aged hispanic women in expensive business suit and very recognizable face appeared at the doors, she nearly double-take.

"Miss Piggot, I presume."

"Chief Director Costa-Brown from the PRT."

"That's right, glad to meet you."

"I can not say that it is mutual."

"It's your right to have your opinion. But could you tell me why I personally did not please you?"

"This is nothing personal, I just do not like how your organization manages its affairs."

"I see. Hopefully this will change."

"This will be unlikely. So, why did little me owes you a pleasure?"

Chief Director Costa-Brown opened her briefcase, fished out a folder and began to loudly read out.

"Emily Piggot, thirty-eight years old, born in Jacksonville, Florida. Divorced, no children. One nephew, Gavin Miller, on the side of her brother. Completed a four-year degree at the Atlanta's Georgia State University College of Law, then, unexpectedly, spent eleven years in the United States Marine Corps, rose to the rank of Master Sergeant, then honorary discharge and another five years at FEMA's Response and Recovery as field operative. Received the rank of First Lieutenant, honorable discharged due to disability received in the field. By her executive officers she is noted as a determined leader, an excellent fighter and a responsible officer. Many times distinguished in battles. Has numerous awards and was awarded with the Medal of Honor, for the courage shown in the battles in the Middle East, during Reclamation Wars."

"Someone did their homework. Though, I didn't know I had already been commissioned. So what do you want from me?"

"Sharp as ever. Miss Piggot, you are an excellent officer. You are injured in battle, ensuring the evacuation of civilians. And with your injuries, your FEMA career is over."

"Tell me something I didn’t know."

"Despite the fact that the FEMA has already finished with you, you are more than ever needed in the PRT."

"The PRT needs me? I'm a cripple!"

"This may be true, but even in your state we have a job for you."

"A job?"

"Miss Emily Piggot, I want to offer you the position of director of the PRT branch at Brockton Bay."

And, despite everything, Emily clearly did not expect such an unexpected turn in her career.

At the end of the first week, Sunset’s grief began to falter, and she became more responsive and attentive. She still gave evasive answers to the questions that she was asked by local law enforcement officers, but mostly she was doing fine. Even her nightmares about monsters have become less common. She began to eat more and even watched this strange flat TV a little. But she was not as eager to continue watching TV as Midnight did, and she preferred to draw with a pencil in a notebook, which she received from nurses.

She didn’t know what she was going to do in the future, but if she ever wanted to see her home again, she needed to learn more about this world and its magic. Although it will not be so easy. The inhabitants of this world seemed to have a completely different alphabet, and she had to learn it first, before she could hit the local libraries for information.

And she will need funds to sustain herself and the cat, while she is studying and looking for any useful information. This means that she will have to get a job. But she didn’t have many practical skills, because at home she was still a student who was far from completing her education, and apart from her basic everyday skills, she got nothing on the matter. But it seems that Fate has become kinder to her and decided to help her with her difficulties by sending someone who can direct Sunset in the right direction.

And so, when this woman in armor again appeared at the door of her room and made Sunset a proposition for a job, she was beyond relieved.

Enraged, Clark threw the file onto Rebecca’s desk in the office of the PRT Chief Director.

"What does this mean, Becca?! Have you finally gone senile?" He shouted.

"What exactly don't you like?"

"What I don't like it's when you do things like that behind my back!"

"And what am I supposed to do? Lock her in one of the Cauldron's cells?"

"As if stuffing her into my Wards team was your best decision!"

"She must be monitored."

"And then what? We were forced to make up a new threat class just for her! She is Extinction-class threat, Becky! What if we wouldn't be so lucky as we were with Ellisburg and she would attract her Solar Flare for longer than a third of a second? Even this was enough to erase the town from the face of the earth!"

"Her powers is a great boon for our cause..."

"Our cause? This is it? This is all you care about? When you and Contessa told me to move that statue from a small town to Ellisburg, you promised that everything would be better!"

"There was an seven percent improvement in the final outcome!"

"If turning the whole town to ashes was an improvement, then I'm not even sure that it was worth it."

"Projection showed that the town will be lost in any outcome. In this way we did not get us a new S-class threat!"

"Yeah, because we got us the EX-class tragedy in the making! And you want to throw a girl into every S-class threat, hoping that she will wipe them at the expense of one city at a time?! Are you fucking crazy?!"

"You are making a monster out of me. I'm not that desperate. And I didn't want her to be in the immediate vicinity of harm in any observable future to prevent exactly that thing!"

"So what, what do you plan to do with her?"

"We need to be sure that she is not going to use her ability anywhere, and to do this, I was forced to place her under a safety of a Ward program! She will be fine there."

"So you put her under my care to make her comfortable? It still puts the EX-class threat in one of the most densely populated cities in the whole world!"

"Then make sure she won’t get hurt! We do not need to give her a reason to use her ultimate power!"

"Fine. I'll watch over her closely."

"Excellent. Then I leave it to you."

"What about the cat?"

"Cat? What cat?"

"You know what cat. The one that is always with her."

"There is no cat."

"What? Do you think I'm blind?"

"Blind? No, just inattentive. Read her rating carefully."

Clark picked up the file from her desk, opened it, and began to read.

"Mover 4, Shaker 10, Brute 3, Master 5, Blaster 5, Thinker 2, Striker 2, Trump 8. Well, what's wrong with that?"

"Still not getting. She has a Master sub-rating."

"Master? Her? Why?"

"Have you read reports from FEMA's field operatives?"

"Yes."

"She said the cat helped her fight off the monsters. An enormously big cat. Which, obviously, can create a sufficiently powerful dome-shaped force field to withstand several powerful blows without collapsing. And any injuries on it disappeared shortly."

"So the cat somehow triggered like a Shaker and a Brute?"

"I already told you, there is no cat."

"But everyone can see it. You say we were mastered by her?"

"No, nothing like that. This cat is just her semi-autonomous projection."

"Huh? Why? But she said that the cat belongs to her friend Cadence."

"Look closer at the photo on page four."

Clark flipped through the pages in the file and finally found the mentioned photo, which depicted two little girls, one was redhead and the other was strawberry blonde, sitting next to each other.

"She was a cute child, that's for sure.."

"This photo was taken at the California Beacon of Hope orphanage, about a week before the fire, during which she disappeared. The redhead is obviously Sunset Shimmer, and next to her is a girl named Cadence, who, according to the caretakers' records in the file, was her best friend. And if you look closer at Cadence's hands, you will see."

"She is holding a big plush cat!" Exclaimed surprised Clark.

"With the same color as the cat that Sunset has with her."

"So, she was triggered in the fire and made a projection of the cat as her guardian, which looked like her friend's plush toy!"

"Exactly!"

"So why not find this Cadence and make them a reunion. It would help with Sunset’s depression."

"Unfortunately, this is no longer possible. Cadence, or Candice, as her new parents renamed her, was adopted three days before the fire and moved with them to Newfoundland. Where she lived until Leviathan arrived. She and her adoptive parents were listed among the victims of this disaster."

"Damn. So a cat is a subconscious connection with her childhood friend?"

"It's seem so."

"Great, just great. She is not just dangerous, she also delusional."

"Well, a preliminary psychiatric analysis states that she is stable enough not to be an active threat to others. Thus, she can be socialized and placed on the New York Wards team without any special precautions."

"I am going to agree now, but please remember that I was absolutely against her, in case something goes south."

"I will remember this, Clark. Now please leave, I have work to do."

"Of course. See you later. Door me."

Legend turned and left Rebecca's office through an ephemeral door hanging in the air, moving through the whole country in an instant.