"...If we have an angel in our pocket like this guy, it's hard to imagine losing ."
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Sunset Shimmer licked the insides of her dry mouth, keeping her eyes trained on the group of people in front of her. To describe the current air between them all as “awkward” would be the worst understatement possible.

Almost all of her friends shift under their respective company’s gaze, Applejack already a leg and a half between Fluttershy and Macgrath. He wasn’t necessarily glaring at them, but the calculating look within his sharp blue eyes was enough for Sunset to know the wheels were turning in his head. Like a hunter carefully observing a group of animals with their hackles raised, waiting to see who would take the first move.

Honestly, she wasn’t quite sure what else she’d expected. Every encounter between the group thus far had been nothing other than tense and stressful. Mercifully, the man cleared his throat and walked out of the shadows he’d been relaxing in, apparently deciding it was up to him to officially start this.

“Nice to see you all are still in one piece. Looks like you’re better at hiding than I thought.”

The conduit smirks.

“You must be used to escaping from your messes.”

She feels a response bubbling up to the surface, along with the heat rising to her cheeks. Before she or any of the others can retort though, Rainbow beats them to the punch, meeting Cole with an equally cocky grin.

“Just like you must be used to cleaning up messes. That already makes us perfect for each other.”

A collective wince was shared by the remaining six teens, having to hold back any potential disapproving glares towards their resident athlete in turn for watching the conduit’s reaction. Sunset sucked in a breath so deep it hurt.

Cole blinks at the response, lips thinning slightly as he keeps his eyes trained on RD.

He shakes his head, a pacified laugh echoing out as he steps forward. Ignoring the way a few of them once again tense at his actions, Cole leans over the backrest of his chair and dropping most of the piercing edge in his gaze.

“Very funny. Now, like I told your friends earlier this morning…”

Sunset, Fluttershy, and Pinkie shift again as he nods to their direction whilst continuing talking to the last.

“... We all seriously got off at the wrong foot what with that school catastrophe. Let’s try this again. I’m Cole.”

Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle respond with their respective names, each blunt and hesitant. Something Sunset doesn’t blame them for, although a flicker of pride burns brightly inside witnessing the clear steps being made towards progress, of which she was determined to keep for the duration of this meeting.

This whole encounter was up to her after all, she needed to get this right. Every decision, every question and answer were crucial. Even if most of them didn’t realize it yet

“Well Mr. Macgrath, if you don’t mind, I was wondering if we could continue where we left off regarding where you’re from. If you’re okay with it, that is?”

Seeing how he’s awaiting wordlessly; she takes the sign to go ahead and pulls out a small notepad from her jacket’s pocket.

“Okay, just to reiterate, you’re from a place called Earth?”

When he nods Sunset peers down at her paper. Step-by-step process, simple.

“Can you describe it for us? You said you’ve been trying to get people to remember certain cities, maybe you can explain those places further?”

“What, is something like this a regular thing for you?”

The grip on her notebook tightens. “No. Mainly our experience with inter-dimensional travel has just been from here to-”

“Equestria, the fantasy land version, I know.” He answers for her with a shrug. “Honestly, Earth isn’t far off from this place structural-wise. Usually normal everyday human activity for the most part. Canterlot here reminds me of a smaller Empire City, with an equally…”

He pauses to think over his answer.

“… well, a bad reputation we’ll call it. Lots of violence and gangs, similar to your town’s terrorist infestation. New Marais too. Otherwise, mostly same civilization and technology.”

How interesting. Sunset jots a few things down on her papers; Now she knows why it took him a while to figure it all out, if their worlds were so easily parallel. Rainbow’s voice breaks from the sidelines.

“And you took them all on by yourself?”

Looking at the athlete, he makes a noise with his tongue.

“More or less. I had help as much as I was alone.”

His answer causes Dash to nearly squeal, her expression not unlike her last trip to the latest Daring Do convention. Sunset almost wishes she had the same level of her friend’s delight in this situation to even out the less emphasized feelings currently crawling underneath her skin.

“This is so freaking cool! We’re actually teaming up with a superhero from another world!”

Ah right, the very revelation that had the other girls briefly questioning Sunset’s sanity not two hours ago; including Princess Twilight’s for that matter, considering she was the one who’d suggested the idea in the first place. It had been a long, strenuous talk until finally she’d somehow convinced the rest of them what she was saying was actually very possible.

The only reason Princess Twilight herself couldn’t arrive in person was because of something else that surprisingly taken up her schedule at the moment. In a way, it was probably for the best after witnessing the alicorn hold herself back from bouncing off the walls of her castle with thoughts on what questions Sunset could provide in her place.

Inevitably, the other girls found themselves, somewhat regrettably, swallowing the facts Sunset had held bare before them. She hardly wanted to accept the conclusion herself for a little while, but what else was there she could do?

Equestria was vast, every day they earned new discoveries about magic and its variety of uses. Only a short time ago, the lands both the princess and her pony friends ventured to during the Storm King’s raid had been completely undiscovered by Pony-kind. Crazy was the base definition of Sunset’s homeland. Even the existence of this human world wasn’t too far-fetched considering all the similarities both neighboring realms withheld.

However, travel from world in the outer cosmos had been easy to laugh off originally. Like something you’d see from a cheesy movie or fantasy story.

And yet here they all were again, wool pulled from their eyes as if the universe found it hilarious to further add more irrational craziness onto their over piled plates.

“Yes. About that” Rarity bowed, nerves taking enough of a step back for her mouth to work again. “Another world now? I consider myself an open-minded lady considering all I’ve witnessed; however, you’ll have to forgive me for being a tad skeptical. Even with dear Sunset’s vouch, it sounds to me as though there isn’t quite enough proof aside from your word alone.”

Cole scoffs with a roll of his eyes.

“Yeah, I know. But if you’re looking for me to do something that’ll somehow magically change your mind, that’s not going to happen.”

Rarity shakes her head again, looking sheepish.

“Quite right. I suppose I should have corrected my wording: We’ve established our worlds similar. However, perhaps you could provide us with some unique aspects about your home which might jog our imagination. It may still simply be words, but… what is it you believe makes us so different?”

It was a fairly obvious, yet admirable question. One which required some thought.

“Okay, not repeating any city names, I’d say some of the more prominent differences I’ve seen are the year dates. Last I checked it was the middle of summer in 2011, but now I’m hearing it’s what, the year three thousand?”

“Two thousand, forty-nine” Sunset corrected with a cough, avoiding his dry look.

“Exactly. That, and I’m not trying to be offensive here, but people didn’t naturally sport every color on the visual spectrum where I’m from.”

Those were honest answers. Maybe no further proof aside from his physical appearance, however it’s quite clear how limited their options were. Rarity seemed satisfied, though tilted her head in curiosity as she trailed a finger subconsciously through her violet locks.

“Speaking of such, I do applaud your choice in attire. Simplistic as it is, it fits surprisingly well with your… array of specialties. Although if you’d like, I have a few additional options for you to consider.”

… He doesn’t know how best to respond to that; therefore, he decides against the decision altogether, observing Sunset instead as it’s his turn to ask a question.

“You mentioned earlier you’ve all faced threats before. People who had powers like you. Did theirs come from little rocks too?” She peers at her geode before responding.

“Not necessarily.” Memories and past faces flash through Sunset’s vision, enough to give her fond and not-so fond nostalgia. “Well, I mean yes and no. Generally, they obtained their magic through ancient Equestrian relics lost to this world. Whilst a select few had their magic born with them, though overall, mainly the former over the latter.”

“Born with?”

“The world of Equestria is full of natural magic, most of which we- I mean the inhabitants are born with.” She bites her tongue. There’s no reason for him to know about her identity, not yet. “It’s more spell work honestly. Telekinesis, teleportation, all of it tamed with skill and useful for everyday life. However, there are always certain limits to an inhabitant’s capabilities; think of it like loading a water gun. Too much and the user can be overwhelmed by the raw energy.”

“And that’s where the artifacts come in handy.” Cole places a thumb under his chin.

“For a conduit, from all I’ve experienced, it’s almost never too much for the person to control after a certain amount of time, at least when their capabilities are naturally given rather than forced. It’s never a magic trick or spell, just superhuman genes waiting to be coaxed out.”

“It has to be more than that!” She shakes her head. “I remember how well you handled the cyclops; you must be at least familiar with monsters. Don’t tell me where you’re from a genetic can turn someone into-”

“A conduit’s abilities aren’t limited until they’ve been activated.” Cole interrupts her. “It’s obviously not always pretty, but I’ve seen damn near everything. Again, no spells or artifacts, only what limits and experience a conduit has with their abilities.”

She’s writing down his explanation word-for-word, tongue sticking out from habit. Limitless possibilities stored within genetics? If the rogue Equestrian magic had been hard for her to understand in this world, understanding this was a whole new breed.

RD appears as though she can’t hold herself back any longer, pushing herself up to him with that same excitement never leaving her features.

“Alright first off, I just wanna say fighting alongside you was beyond awesome! You handled that guy like a pro with your prod-thingy!” Dash grins. “You gotta tell us what else you’ve faced. Monster? Demons? Supervillains?!”

Their company freezes for another moment as he contemplates his answer. His expression becoming more vulnerable and hesitant to answer.

“Yeah, I’ve seen things like your monster friend before. Plenty of things which could rip people to shreds within the blink of an eye. That’s why they usually should to be dealt with as quick as possible, no fooling around; Monster or human.”

Rainbow’s expression wavered slightly, once again taken off guard by his rather blunt direction of action. Sidestepping Applejack, Fluttershy looks Cole in the eye with a poised, albeit nervous tone.

“But not all of them might be evil. There’s always a chance they might not know what they’re doing, and they need help.”

“Is that going to minimize the damage they do first?” The courier counters, furrowing his brow. Her eyes and facial expression spoke volumes of what he assumed was experience regarding redeeming lost souls. However, wasting time in battle with comforting words would only result in higher stakes for the people around them.

“You don’t always have to end your enemy to win a fight, but to save lives you need to be prepared for any option available.”

Fluttershy meditates on his answer, though obviously still troubled by. Behind her, Applejack places a hand on the younger’s shoulder as a sign of comfort, whilst Dash continues the conversation in the caregiver’s place.

“It was you, wasn’t it? the Changler attack in Canterlot center, you were the one that stopped it!”

Sunset blinks, a large part of her wanting to kick herself for never connecting the dots. She’d been so preoccupied by their whole magic problem that she’d barely paid mind to the literal terrorist attack only a few miles of she and her friends. She narrows her eyes and folds her arms, news broadcasts she’d originally only paid a side-eyed glance to reminding her of one very notable detail.

“Then why did the police label you as a threat? Surely, they must’ve seen all the good you’ve done.”

Cole weaves around his chair to rest onto the seat, resting his chin on his knuckles. “Lemme answer that question with a question: Why haven’t you shown the mass public your magic?”

He had a great point there. Fear. Paranoia was a everyone’s weakness in times of great desperation, only few outside of CHS walls were trusted enough knew about their powers. Seeing how this man had managed to wipe out a squad of extremists with electricity leaking from his fingertips, as well as the added bonus of undoubtedly holding no ID or knowledge about this place considering he was from a different world entirely? Now it could be fair to assume some miscommunications were held at the time.

“That’s such crap though!” RD’s voice raises. “This town should be holding you over their shoulders! Throw you a party or something, not try and toss you into a jail cell.”

The courier holds back further laughter despite the athlete’s sour expression and waves her off with a snort, unenthusiastic conformity lacing his words.

“You get used to it. Doesn’t make it any fun I mean, but you take the good with the bad. You protect the ones you care about, and suffer the consequences of any mistakes you make along the way.”

Fluttershy fiddles with her dress as she re-enters the discussion, clearly unhappy with every response he’s given thus far.

“That still doesn’t justify labeling you as a monster.”

Casually shrugging the title off once again, Cole chooses instead to do a once-over of their pendants, and switches topics.

“You’ve mentioned experiencing your own fair share of trouble, and apparently handled it well enough. But you also make it sound as though this magic of yours isn’t really under control. You seriously just have random objects filled with energy sprawled randomly allover your country?”

The red-haired girl bites her lip as his words sink in. Try the planet as a whole. Portals randomly lying about to who-knows-how-far on this planet’s surface, artifacts she’d read in museums as a filly found in a rando’s thrift store. Frankly she tries not to think about the looming potential of her recent newspapers raving about a foreign government overseas gaining ground with her world’s magic.

“We… we don’t know. Most of the time we’re caught off guard, and barely manage to clutch in a win by the end of it.” It’s surprising the amount of information that flows through her mouth. “The magic in this world is not the same as Equestria’s. For some reason, it’s all, I don’t know, out of balance. It’s unpredictable and confusing, like its mere existence here overwhelms the environment.”

Cole reflects on her distressful explanation in peaked curiosity. Clearly not everything was under their control, they were just kids after all. Shouldn’t there be someone helping them? If this magic kept getting booted off into this world, wouldn’t the inhabitants be a little interested?

“And the people from Equestria? Where do they fit into all this chaos?”

He notices a subtle change in her body language, stiffened and defensive; as if she was unsure how much she wanted to tell him. Whatever justification she’s concocted still leaves him suspicious.

“They help.” Sunset stresses. “But they’re just as confused as we are. That and there can be, um, complications with the more that arrive in this world.”

Bullshit. He holds his tongue and lets her finish her speech. There was something else going on between the other world’s inhabitants and their role in cleaning up this mess, but he’d give her the benefit of the doubt and not pick at the answer for now.

Still, if these kids were truly on their own in containing this magic from potential threats, then he had to hand it to them for staying alive for this long. It was easy to lose your sanity in situations where ever sense of the word normal is butchered, or place your sense of self into question.

“Sounds like you need all the help you can get.” Cole hums.

Something freezes within Sunset’s chest, mentally tearing his sentence to pieces then placing them back together bit-by-bit. A response said so casually, yet the weight of potential was undeniable. A flip that was switched inside her brain, slapping her upside the skull for an idea in she’d been glazing over in plain sight.

“You don’t mean you’re going to…”

He raises his hands to stop her. “Right now, kid, I can count on my hand the number of ideas I have for getting back home. Much less anything that won’t most definitely get me into another big fight I may not come out of.”

The man groans as he rubs his temple, averting their separate gazes and grumpily fixing a stare at the floor.

“At this point, I’ll take anything that’ll give me some form of hope.”

They all fall silent for a while, most unsure what else to do or say out of sympathy. Sunset fidgets with her notepad, tapping it anxiously with her pen, and traveling her eyes towards the backpack hanging on her shoulders. Inside she can feel the weightiness of Princess Twilight’s book, a constant reminder of their talk just an hour before.

Breaking her streak of long silence ever since her introduction, Applejack speaks up with a newly relaxed, yet simplistically formal tone.

“Well, ah myself ain’t got much to say, other than thank you for saving my friends here.” Applejack places her hands on her hips looking the conduit in the eyes calmly. Even grabbing the tip of her hat and dipping it.

“And our school for that matter. Ah’m just glad it’s over and done with is all.”

Pinkie Pie all but jumps onto his chair arm, trying to further the praise.

“Yeah! We really needed it. That sure was a doozy, especially once that meanie had the upper hand until you arrived. I’d say I’m surprised that our school is still standing, but at this point I think it’ll be more of a challenge to see who manages to do CHS in!”

She giggles like the event was merely an afterthought and not just yesterday, poking her cheek and eyeing him in sheepish regard.

“By the way, you technically didn’t say no the first time, so can we pretty please throw you a welcome-to-our-world-as-well-as-totally-saving-our-butts-from-being-dinner party?”

It made him uneasy, seeing how unaffected or nonchalant most of these teens were holding their status as this town’s protectors. That wasn’t to say they surely didn’t doubt themselves behind closed doors, but if one big animal the size of Bertrand’s Devourers was too much for them to handle together, then they were less in tune with their “powers” than he’d originally thought. Especially if only two to three took this seriously.

Raising a brow at the teen laying on the arm beside him, the prime conduit leans away from her until he’s at a comfortable distance.

“Then let’s try to keep it that way. And to make it clear this time kid, no.”

Observing Pinkie, Sunset couldn’t help a miniature smile that graced her lips. Although a major part of her felt sympathy for the man, it was a telltale sign he was tolerating them for this long to not leave or cause them any harm that almost everything the news told them was false.

But where did that leave them in this scenario? Rainbow Dash had nearly been hospitalized, countless injured or worse. She knew the next few days at school would be nonstop expressed doubts and constant reminders of their failure to keep things under control as promised, it was hard enough to make the rest of the CHS body swear not to film or expose their secrets to the outside world. Situations like yesterday were what any common sensed individual would describe as “the tipping point.”

Macgrath didn’t need to spell it for Sunset to understand where he was going with these questions. As experienced as they all were, they were still a far cry from being in their depth in the long run.

Sounds like you need all the help you can get. The sentence has been repeating through her mind ever since the words left his mouth, formulating something akin to a plan which made her sick to her stomach, yet equally delighted for the potential results.

Cole was definitely proficient, with him by their sides the risks of any more casualties would lessen, heck maybe with him by their side they could have a better chance at finding artifacts before another unwitting soul comes across it!

And perhaps, if convinced, maybe he could help them with their magic itself. Sure, he wasn’t familiar with it, but as someone who had more time under his belt opposed to their year of back-and-forth uncertainty.

“Why did you save us?”

Everyone simultaneously looks in the speaker’s direction. With her hands clasped together by her waist, Twilight doesn’t pay any mind to the crowd she’s drawn, rather uncharacteristically staring at Macgrath with an unreadable fixed expression behind her glasses. Noting the shared confusion, she chooses to elaborate.

“At the soccer field, when you set fire to the oil tank. You had the monster weakened, right where you wanted him, yet chose to stay behind for our sakes, despite the fact you knew leaving it alone would give it time to escape. Why prioritize us over a bigger threat?”

Sunset blinked once, then twice. What was Twilight getting at? The others were likewise caught off guard by the enquiry, maybe even offended. Although in a way her question made sense; Did he save them only because he saw they had magic, because they just needed someone to help, or was there really another reason behind it all?

Cole manages to respond relatively quickly, his gruff tone softening as he meets Twilight with a sudden look of empathy and acknowledgement.

“Yeah, I had plenty of time to take him down and finish what he started. But I made a promise to someone I cared very much about, and that was to protect people’s lives no matter the cost. Was it the right decision? I don’t know, but I can’t say I would’ve chosen differently if we rewound the clock.”

A mixture of emotions falls over the crowd, many showcasing awe, mounting respect, and gratitude. Twilight’s features change, not soft nor hard, but it’s clear the answer satisfies a hint of her curiosity before returning to silence. She doesn’t pay mind to any lingering eyes, and Sunset considers probing the younger about it later, though decides against the idea. Readying her pen back down to her notebook, Sunset hums.

“If I recall, you say you’ve only been here for a month, and that you didn’t arrive here by choice. Do you remember what might have happened to bring you to this world?”

Cole isn’t keen on replying right away, shifting himself in his seat and taking a breath. She sees his fingers tap the available arm of his chair. A nervous tick?

“It was during a nasty fight. I think I got myself wiped out, and woke up in the forest outside of town. Nothing that contained magic I can guarantee that much. Why?”

“Well, if you didn’t fall through a portal or actively try to cross dimensions… There must’ve been something that brought you here, we need to find that out.” She answers for him.

He’s quiet for a second.

“As I said, I arrived here after I was injured during a fight. Am I seriously the only special-case you’ve had?”

There had been a scenario with one of Princess Twilight’s friends, the Equestrian version of Fluttershy, where she had also gone missing in the aftermath of a battle against a particularly horrible enemy. Two months had Princess Twilight spent searching, knowing her friend was still alive, just far, far out of reach from them.

Only for the Pegasus to reappear at her castle’s doorstep, changed in many ways.

Equestria was connected to more places than one, yet unlike how both her home world and this one could be travelled between by a mere step through a portal, the others… were unorthodox. They were few and far between, with little to no telling how or why they were even connected in the first place. Only that these worlds existed, period.

Sunset knew more than anything he wanted to return home, her chest aching with empathy. She too knew that feeling well, once upon a time; the desire to find a place to belong. However, the sheer lack of knowledge and ability her people obtained for his circumstance specifically was overwhelmingly low. There was no known spell to ponykind which could transcend someone out into uncharted locations within the vastness of space, let alone the specific world they came from. You might as well punch your own ticket.

She remembered the sting from a pair of wings ripping through the muscles of her backside, and the fear in everyone’s eyes as they gazed up at her newly horrific demonic form. Only to experience that exact same feeling of helplessness as three furious sirens circled her group, eyes and teeth gleaming. Twilight’s painful cry before her own transformation into Midnight Sparkle wasn't so easily forgotten either, nor was the memory of being surrounded by Gloriosa’s suffocating vines. Her own found family once unable to recall a sliver of her redemption all thanks to a dumb magic rock in the palms of a suffering, misguided outcast.

Now the scorching heat from CHS’ burning lawn, coupled by screams of innocents and crazed monsters would echo through her dreams for the following few months. More reminders of her failure added to the growing list.

In short, Sunset was done playing this game by her contender’s rules.

Considering how well he’d reacted to learning the truth about his new fate to start, maybe the truth wasn’t the best option. Or at least, the full truth.

“Well, not exactly. You see, we just might have the means to get you back to your world, but our friends in Equestria need to do some digging. It’s the least we can do, after everything you’ve done for us so far.”

The conduit seemed enlightened by this revelation, his stoic composure relaxing as the barest hints of relief allows itself to show. He is starting to take the bait, so she uses this time to introduce their share; give him room to understand this as a transaction.

“In the meantime, I was hoping you could help us with our own situation as well. Because you’re right. We do need all the help we can get.”

Walking up to the small table in front of his chair, Sunset unzips her bag and pulls out a newspaper and plants it flat on the surface. As Cole leans over to inspect, Sunset folds her arms and backs up whilst growling.

“Five innocent people killed, more than twenty injured. And we only knew about that monster after you stopped him from terrorizing the city and he made his way to CHS. Were it not for you, more lives would’ve been taken and we would’ve still been participating in that stupid sports event.”

She glances out at the lit buildings beyond their roof, imagining all the people inside each floor continuing their daily lives as best they can with the threat of danger lurking around every corner. Knowing the ceiling over your head won’t be enough to save you from whatever her home world might drag here without warning or explanation.

The only things this town had as its current saviors until now were seven young girls who barely held sway over their own powers. It was high time for a change.

“With you by our side, we’d be able to lessen that count. If you help us find these Equestrian artifacts, teach us how we can better defend our own home, we could stop these situations faster than ever before!”

Cole stays silent, bouncing his gaze from the newspaper, to her, then to the rest of them. After a minute he stands and makes his way to her, hands on his hips whilst looking down at the teenager.

“Are you asking me to teach you how to fight, or how to use your magic instead? I don’t know the lengths your powers go; I may not be the first, or even third option.”

She shrugs whilst pursing her lips. “Yeah, but we obviously don’t really have time to go back and forth with Equestria, waiting in line to find a mentor and leaving this world vulnerable. If we leave at any amount of time, then who else is going to keep this city safe once you’re gone?”

Macgrath is complacent with her answer, raising a brow as he thinks to himself. He hums thoughtfully.

“Alright, so what I’m hearing is this: I teach you how to handle yourselves better, and in return your sources find me a portal back to Earth?”

“On the money.” She grins despite the taste of filth growing in her throat. “Although in fairness, we wouldn’t just leave you alone here regardless of your answer. Can’t just hold you captive here, can we?”

The longer her words stew, the more Cole actually finds himself convinced. It sounds absolutely horrific, essentially gearing up teenagers for war, so in return he can go home. At the same time however, this kid had openly admitted to them struggling to maintain balance long before his arrival. If John was still alive, Cole needed to be ready for his return. Hell, at this point who knew what Earth was experiencing after he’d activated RFI.

To be brutally honest for a minute, as much as Cole held no qualms aiding the people of this world, like it or not he did not belong here. Conduit genetics and literal magic were two separate entities from what he’d come to grasp, and despite perhaps through sheer luck alone they were capable of coinciding, (His returning psychic vision after healing Fluttershy in mind), Cole had a feeling some natural order must be currently glaring down at him indignantly.

At the same time, if he was going to be stuck here for longer than he'd pleased, might as well put himself to use right?

“You’d have a hard time doing so regardless.” He smirks before approaching Sunset with an open palm. “You’ve got yourself a deal kid.”

He doesn’t miss the rest of the surrounding teen’s equal representations of surprise for Sunset’s decision on their part, although nobody calls her out on it either, especially after a victorious fist bump followed by a muttered “Awesome!” from a certain individual in suite. The speckled girl, Twilight, side-eyes Sunset with a strange intensity, one the latter is completely oblivious to.

“You won’t regret this. I promise, we’ll do everything we can. When do we start?” Sunset nods enthusiastically as he releases her hand to pocket his.

“As soon as possible. I need to see what you can do, your skills, your individual powers, get an overall sense of what I’m working with here.”

“Tomorrow’s Sunday. We’re free then, right girls?”

As she looks towards the others with different unspoken opinions hidden beneath their conflicted features, Sunset hopes they’ll understand the big picture she’s trying to specify here. Yes, it was completely unfair for her to place them all on the spot straight out of left field like this, however weariness and self-assuredness aside they needed this. Needed someone to train them where she’d failed so spectacularly.

No more extended waits searching for an enemy’s weakness, or stumbling blindly to solve a magical power problem. They would learn to be prepared so nobody else could get hurt. Some respond with subtle nods, others with more enthusiasm. Rainbow Dash raises her hand high with an excited grin.

“There’s an old warehouse me and a couple of my old friends used to explore when we were kids on the far-left side of town. It’s next to the railway, and though I haven’t been there in a while I’m sure it’ll be perfect for training.”

Meeting a bunch of kids in a ruined building for training? No matter how you sounded it, nearly everything within that statement was wrong in one way or another. Too bad Cole had a hard time remembering anywhere else in this town that was a better substitute. Applejack looked like she had something to say, yet kept her mouth shut.

The conduit closes his eyes, rubbing a hand over his face.

“Listen, all of you, I’m not exactly a pro teacher, and what you’re asking me to train you for? It’s not all just about having flashy powers; it’s about making tough choices and living with the consequences. The work I get myself involved with is different kinds of dangerous, not just monsters, but people too. As I said, it’s not always necessary to end your opponent’s life to save the day, but there will be a point where you have to decide which would benefit those you care about.”

“Besides, sticking with me is a certified way of crumpling your futures into paste. Your city considers me a terrorist. Any of you get caught by my side and you’re done, no more college, no nothing. You want to be a vigilante? You need to know it’s not nearly as fun as your comic books before committing.”

Now that he’s successfully scared the shit out of them, the conduit awaits their decision as they collectively turn towards each other for individual answers.

“There’s nothing wrong with walking away from this. No shame or judgement.”

When he speaks again, it’s soft, an attempt to get them to understand this was a choice. Sunset knows she’s not the only one who feels more offended than thankful. A choice? No, nobody here was given much choice after what she did. What she brought to this world in her selfish quest for ambition. Equastrian magic was forcing its way into the natural balance, a force which trampled innocents underfoot during its mindless expansion.

So many within Canterlot had been affected already. What’s to say about the places beyond their borders? She knew her girls, knew they wouldn’t stand for anyone, regardless of position, to take advantage of others using her world’s “gifts”. And she’d be damned to charge headlong into a confrontation she knew would end in their deaths because they weren’t ready.

“We don’t want to be caught off guard anymore.” Sunset stares at the older man with unshakable resolve, one the others share with her. “We want to be ready, even if that means working hard for it. Whatever it takes to keep our families safe.”

Macgrath’s expression of newfound admiration sends a flurry of joy that puts a bit of her conflicted mind at ease.

“Meet me at this warehouse of yours tomorrow at nine in the morning. Until then, I want you all to go home and think about this. Rest, if you can. I know I need it myself.”

When she reaches the end of the ladder and joins her group in the alleyway, it doesn’t take a genius to recognize the silent demand for an answer. Despite wordlessly agreeing with her official deal with Macgrath, there was still the overarching fact that she’d spoken for six different people without asking for their approval. And right on the spot too.

Facing them like they much deserved, Sunset rubs her arm in an attempt to soothe her nerves and find the ability to speak. Thank Celestia most of them aren’t immediately addressing her with suppressed anger now they’re out of earshot. Just silently waiting with patience she doesn’t feel she’s earned.

“I know what you’re thinking, but please hear me out.” She loathes how rushed her words sound first. “Every time we’ve been fortunate to win and save the day, but there’s always a chance there will be something we normally wouldn’t be cut out for. Not without his help.”

Sunset chews her lip. “However, I truly am sorry I made it seem like none of you had any say in it. You still do, I should’ve confided with you all first.”

“That would have been helpful, yes” Twilight huffs, her tone not raising, but certainly not getting any less firm. “But you’re obviously committed to this plan, so I doubt backing down from this now is going to happen. What I’m curious about is whether or not you were planning this deal behind our backs beforehand.”

Sunset shakes her head profusely, eyes widening and subconsciously stepping forwards.

“No! No, not at all! Look, after everything that’s happened over the past few weeks, we all agreed progress needed to happen, and even then, despite our efforts we still barely made it out alive last night. He made a suggestion that we could use the extra pair of hands, and I figured we’d take advantage of our best option available.”

“We only had one day to train!” Twilight protests. “Besides, what makes you think anything this guy says is true? You said it yourself, Equestria doesn’t have much knowledge regarding places outside of our two worlds. I can’t be the only one here who’s considered the possibility that he’s lying about who he is, and just wants to use training as a front to potentially take our powers!?”

“Now, now, let’s all take a quick breath.” Rarity weaves into the conversation before anything can get too heated. “Although a cautious eye or two certainly wouldn’t be too overzealous of an action, I have to admit the odds are simply not in our favor here regarding our current state of affairs, Twilight. Considering our position, would it not benefit us to work alongside someone who has more experience in battle?”

Twilight gapes at the fashionista before rubbing her temples to ease her nagging anxiety.

“Is it true then?” Applejack interjects, incredulously raising a brow towards Sunset. “Can your people in Equestria actually find a way to take him back home?”

The latter takes a gander at her notepad and pockets it.

“It’s going to take time. I’m not sure how long exactly, as I said this type of situation is less frequent than a blue moon. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. From what I’ve heard, Equestrian magic has been evolving more and more since I left, we’ll be sure to do our best. In the meantime, we’ve got to use what little time is left to be ready for another worse-case scenario.”

AJ isn’t as sold by Sunset’s words, and the latter has to remember she’s trying to convince someone who’s specialized in catching every conceivable gap in a statement without the need for magic. Around her, Sunset feels each girl’s atmosphere rife with uncertainty in spite of their resolved faces.

RD breaks the minute-long silence, shrugging with a guilty frown. ““Okay, yeah, Sunset should’ve thought before acting. And yeah, totally pot calling kettle here. But that’s the perfect example. Sure, he doesn’t hold back on much and can be a bit of an uptight jerk, but the guy isn’t a villain.”

“How do you know?” Twilight pressures Dash with a low growl in her throat. To Rainbow Dash’s credit, she doesn’t flinch at the demand, instead straighten herself with a barely contained wince.

“Because I was…well I… He’d placed himself in harms way for me more than once out there. I wasn’t the easiest partner, but Cole made sure I was safe regardless. That has to count for something!”

Watching Rainbow curb her ego in favor of Cole’s favor, a feat not so easily given, Sunset uses this rare occurrence to her advantage.

“He was also right about another thing…” She begins. “… This is still a choice for you, not a demand. I’m not asking you to trust him, to put yourselves in further danger for aligning with him. But I do want you to know that I believe having someone like him on our side, at least for now, could provide safer results. He stopped The Changler’s army, and helped us stop the cyclops. If anyone doesn’t want to come tomorrow, there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s your decision, and I will keep in touch once I get to the warehouse.”

It's unfair. So unbelievably unfair for her to say any of this and Sunset knew it. she wants what’s best for them, just as much as they do for her. Was there ever a problem one dealt with that the others never immediately jump in to help with?

Sunset bites her lip and stomachs her remorse. Nobody said the road to progress was easy, nor ever without doubt. From the expressions on their collective faces, she knew instantly words were not needed to deduce the group’s shared decision.

______________

Watching the group of seven vacate, Cole groans in either exhaustion or frustration, he doesn’t have the heart to care for overthinking as he struts towards a little cooler hidden from the sun. Pulling out a drink, he grabs and unfurls his city map alongside the newspapers Shimmer left behind.

Tracing the sketches along the paper until finding the railroad, oddly enough the outside perimeter of the warehouse they’d suggested was there. But was it really outside of public eyes? He didn’t need those kids’ powers exposed through the internet the very same day.

Christ, everything about this plan was… well he was pretty sure the lovely list of following adjectives would be so long he’d get bored barely halfway through. Was this the best way of making sure those kids were safe from getting themselves into trouble? Probably not. Were they safe on their own without any real guidance regarding their powers and the attention it’d bring regardless? Also no.

He was stuck. Both groups required the other if they wished to survive long enough, worse yet was how shaky their alliance already presented itself. Withholding information sounded like suicide to an outsider perspective.

However, there was much Cole honestly wasn’t sure he had the guts to tell them. Did they need to know the device he’d used was designed with lethal intentions? Neither the First Sons nor Dr. Wolfe had shown any acknowledgment of worlds beyond Earth that mirrored sentient life, no matter how advanced their technology was compared to the rest of the government.

Surely it wasn’t the RFI that sent him here, perhaps a rift made by whatever higher power governed this place. What held him back from giving them the straightforward answer was that fact alone. Damn, that actually sounded stupid when actually thinking about it.

Then again, he noticed many of them were equally hesitant in grating certain information, especially about the other Equestria. Aside from countless negative stories in his name, and only an hours’ worth of working alongside him, he still didn’t blame them for being scared.

How sure could one be that all of them would arrive tomorrow?

The case of such a possibility earns him a fresh idea. If travel between one Equestria to another was so common, then CHS had to be their point of communal travel. Breaking inside was a tempting thought, though probably a tactic saved for another time, preferably after he’s made dealt with any potential cameras and waited out leftover faculty.

Cole hums as the last of his beer cools his throat. Perhaps something around the school’s exterior could provide him with helpful information.

Unknown location.

Another yelp echoes out as the captive feels another rib crack, his assailant dragging the bat back in preparation for another swing. The shackles holding him tight like a puppet on a string have all but numbed the feeling in his wrists, many attempts at escaping proving futile.

“I’m telling you the truth!” He spits a wad of blood onto the filthy tile, trying to muster the strength to breathe. “We have no idea where that thing came from. No scans, or warning. It must’ve come out of the ground, I don’t know!”

The soldier readies another swing when his superior halts the action with a commanding wave of his hand. Merciful, if not taunting.

“A monkey the size of a building doesn’t just pop into a town square without some sort of warning. Canterlot isn’t some frontier town in the middle of nowhere with no security or guard watch. Surely you’re not telling me this thing popped out of thin air are you?”

Their captive shakes his head repeatedly, desperate to avoid another blow. Pharynx sneers.

“Then what did your superiors tell you?”

Coughing, the agent grits his teeth and glares.

“Nothing! They said they were covering it up using you as a front, that’s it!”

How quaint. The terrorist rolls his eyes.

“Well then, I’m sure you people have plenty of drones and cameras peaking about the city. Considering you haven’t been putting them to any good use as of late, surely you wouldn’t mind helping us tour through your camera feed?”

The injured man huffs and hangs his head low, mind scrambling for an answer which might appease his captors.

“Y-you want access to the city control centers? Even if you manage to pull it off, it’ll only give you more attention- AGH!”

With a mere snap of his fingers, the lieutenant has his all-too-eager subordinate cut the response short. Although not hard enough to break anything this time, it serves more as a warning.

“The only attention you should be concerned about is our interest in you. It’s the only thing keeping you alive after all.”

His captive looks into cold, teal eyes, and Pharynx resists another roll of his eyes when hesitation returns. Instead, he turns his gaze to the soldier on the right and smirks.

“Get creative, just don’t break anything that’s important. We need him to still walk and talk after all.”

Closing the door to muffle sounds of agony and grunts, Pharynx strolls down the corridor of the long-abandoned office building. Barely paying mind to either the working, or lazing men scrambling to pretend they’re doing so upon his mere presence, he instead settles for rubbing the headache growing through his skull.

Their new ground of operations was well fortified and hidden, miles outside of the city in a town quickly lost to their power. Most of the heavy trucks and artillery were scattered throughout their various other camps encircled around Canterlot’s valley, thus the loss of the Crystal Camp’s vehicles, including their newly stolen tank, was a great annoyance at best. It would be foolhardy to show their whole deck for one simple failed scare tactic.

He can already feel the air grow thick when climbing the stairs to the second floor, rapidly switching to suffocating as Pharynx nears the double doors of his superior. Several soldiers straighten and synchronize in allowing him entry. Their faces show it all.

Ah, so this is going to be one of those days.

In replacement of an audible sigh, the Changler takes a sharp exhale through his nose before entering. The noise of stock footage echoes in his ear, and the smell of metallic copper fills his nose whilst walking deeper into the chamber. What had once been a conference room now lay gutted and refilled to the brim with boxes of shells and guns. Steadily he follows the source of light from the projector until taking in her appearance.

Sitting comfortably in a chair, her eyes never leave the screen displayed, gaze normally sharp enough to make the bravest man bury his head in the sand, now were filled to the brim with more intrigue than the lieutenant had seen in years. Their projector continues rolling footage Pharynx would’ve expected from a cheesy kid’s flick, not an actual event caught by city news just yesterday. How the government hadn’t been quick enough to shut down the channel from publishing this was beyond him, although if only it further served as a reminder to their incompetence.

He knows better than to address her when she’s like this, rather standing ramrod straight at two arm’s length to the sideline until he’s rightfully earned her attention. More screams from the camera roll until a bright blue light makes his eyes squint, an animal roaring out in agony overlapping with anything remotely human.

“Fascinating, isn’t he lieutenant?”

Although her gaze does not fall on him, Pharynx feels the great weight of her attention fall upon his shoulders much like every other interaction. As if granted permission, he looks at the film alongside her, taking in every detail down to the last grain.

Fascinating yes, but also quite amateurish. Giant monsters weren’t an everyday occurrence, Macgrath’s technique wasn’t as stellar as those made him out to be. The man was impulsive, lived for the thrill of the fight, and was not trained in militaristic fashion both from early reports and what the soldier was currently watching. However, light-show not taken into account, the vigilante at least had the brains to quickly pinpoint the creature’s weaknesses other than its sole eye, keeping it from causing greater civilian casualties all the while.

“He’s efficient for an amateur.” Pharynx hums.

A husky chuckle escapes her throat as his leader leans her chin onto clenched knuckles, lazily smiling.

“On the contrary, he seems well adjusted to such a bizarre situation. Watch his form more closely, the way he switches his tactics. What else do you see?”

Without hesitation he peers back at the film, trying to pinpoint what had caught her interest. Attempting to trap the creature underneath concrete, effectively climbing across its fur to attack more visceral areas. Slowly the realization dawns and he sucks in a breath.

“He’s fought more like these before.”

Another hum, this time of approval, she sits up and reaches for the projector. Fingers skimming the top, the footage begins speeding up to skip a half-hour long fight until she reaches whatever timestamp she’s wishing to show him. By the end of the fight, when it appears Macgrath is winning, Pharynx thinks he’s seeing things when a blackish aura appears to suddenly fog over the monster’s fur coat.

In a matter of seconds, Cole is sent flying as the cyclops all but races in an odd direction neither towards the forest nor into deeper city sanctions. Why would it head for the suburbs?

Of course, his unverbalized question is answered when she skips forward again and reveals none other than Canterlot City Highschool surrounded by a sea of fire on its lawn. Miraculously the building only received a few scrapes as firefighters worked tirelessly to get the heat under control. Leaving the video paused on the final frame, Chrysalis keeps her smug expression as she finally turns to her lieutenant.

“So the creature was after the children this whole time?” Pharynx mutters as his leader brushes by him to inspect a nearby pinned map of Canterlot.

“Exactly. It knew the exact location of the children, who were on the opposite side of town. Yet was completely caught off guard by Canterlot’s resident hero. Intriguing isn’t it?”

All the more to handle him before anything else could progress.

He growls. “So if he followed that thing to CHS, then they must’ve met. If they haven’t already.”

“Precisely.” Using a black marker she begins tracing lines from the city square, to CHS, then to Scorpan Park. “The creature made its way from the suburbs to the forest on the edge of town. No further recordings of the fight were taken, just video evidence of the aftermath with no bodies found, and I know it wasn’t just Macgrath who took care of the beast.”

“Commander, if I may…” He grits his teeth. “… We’re already walking a thin line in keeping the government out of our business, and the agent we’ve caught has just revealed we are being held responsible for this attack. The longer we stay observing those seven from the sidelines, the more chances they’ll be granted outside protection. Especially if Macgrath is involved with them, and we still don’t know where he even came from.”

Chrysalis waves a finger over her shoulder, tutting whilst steadily walking alongside the array of posters and maps aligning the wall. A swift tug and she yanks a picture of Macgrath to inspect closely.

Ever since his first appearance in taking out their assault, Chrysalis had been completely invested in the mysterious newcomer. Cole’s abilities were off the charts, and hadn’t been anything close to what the group of girls at CHS possessed. The latter were children, perfectly capable of handling themselves sure, but vastly unprepared for the attention they’d sprung upon themselves.

Cole Macgrath on the other hand chewed through their numbers with enough ferocity to match a military squadron. If he was protecting their targets, they needed to step up their game quickly.

“Wherever those girls go, Macgrath won’t be too far behind now.” She speaks, eerily calm while placing the photo onto another table. “He’s not one of them, therefore you are correct in this regard lieutenant. We must deal with this quick and effectively. I want more eyes on the children; follow where they go, so they can lead us to him.”

He nods stiffly. “Understood. And the children themselves?”

“The order remains the same. Keep your distance and do not engage under any circumstance. They will play their part soon enough.”

He raises his hand with a firm salute before turning a heel and making his way out.

“Lieutenant Pharynx.”

Ten steps towards the exit and he stops to turn back to face her. In his rookie days, he might’ve jumped upon seeing she’s somehow made it this close to him without knowing, warm breath grazing his face. Unlike his pure teal eyes, his commander bores her viper-like pupils into his soul, honey sweet expression hiding the starving mantis behind thin glass.

“Tell me, how is your dear little brother?”

“Just fine ma’am.”

She cocks her head to a point it almost seems unnatural. “I hear he’s climbed our ranks rather quickly. He’s quite the shining engineer, I must say. I believe it suites him better than being a common front soldier, always making certain our equipment is in top shape.”

He resists the urge to swallow bile.

“Thank you ma’am. It is under your command he’s risen to show his talent.”

Whether she veiws his comment as a compliment or simple fact is uncertain, continuing to silently hum yet again as she observes him. She hadn’t changed much during the years, age appearing to not have an effect on her presence. Mossy hair flowing down her shoulders akin to a river stream matching well with her dark skin tone. A finger traces the skin below his crimson colored hair, barely enticing a shiver.

“Do send him my regards won’t you? I’m afraid I have much to attend to.”

He doesn’t feel himself nod, only knowing he’s done so by the pleased expression she gives.

“Good, dismissed.”

Feet pulling him away from the teeth and claws, Pharynx manages to leave the maw in one piece. It’s only when her eyes no longer fall upon his shoulders, does he hasten his steps.

Author's Note