The Watchmen’s Sunset
Chapter One - Where the Buck am I?
Sunset studied the portal before her. It gave off every single sign of being another portal into Equestria. Twilight, well not Princess Twilight, had even come alone to ensure that the Portal looked stable. She watched as Twilight pulled out a device that looked similar to the magic detecter she had used in the Friendship Games. Twilight noticed Sunset studying the device and rubbed the back of her head.
“It’s not the same thing. I went back over the original magic detecter, found what was gathering magic, and made sure that it could function without them. It was a little time consuming, but I’d say it was worth it.”
Sunset nodded, “So, what does it say?”
Twilight looked back at her device, “It’s reading similar magical traces as before, but something’s off. It’s almost as if there’s a slight fluxation in it. I can’t explain it, but it could be more dangerous than a normal portal.”
Sunset nodded. A normal portal to Equestria was dangerous enough. Granted, it wasn’t like anypony over there would hurt anybody, but then there was the fact that it could land in the middle of the Everfree, and that place was dangerous enough. After all, somebody that happened to end up in the middle of the Everfree had a good chance of never making it back out again. Or at least they had a good chance if there wasn’t already somepony there to help them. In truth, if Twilight’s device could suck up magic now would be the right time for it to do it. She could simply suck up all of the magic in this portal, close it, and they wouldn’t have to worry anymore.
“What do you think?” Twilight asked.
Sunset sighed, “We need to figure out the duration it stays open, and maybe consider a way of blocking it. Maybe a large rock or something would work.”
Twilight looked at her, “A rock?”
Sunset nodded, “Look, I know it’s not a perfect plan, but it’s not like I can come up with a powerful spell on this side and close it. Plus I don’t know where it will dump me on the other side. I could end up in a fairly dangerous place, and I don’t want that to happen either. So the best idea is to block it.”
Twilight rubbed her chin, “What about overloading it?”
Sunset studied her for a moment, “What?”
She grinned, “Think about it. If magic works on a fairly steady basis then it is reasonable to consider that it could, potentially, be overloaded like a circuit. It would mean pumping more magic into it until it caused the portal to short out, sortof.”
Sunset thought about it for a moment, it made sense, or at least it did to her. She picked up her journal and quickly wrote to Princess Twilight. After a moment Princess Twilight confirmed her double’s theory in that overloading a portal would close it, but they would need to be several feet away from it. Because there was a chance, however slim, that it could have a whirlpool effect and pull whatever was close to it into the portal and to the otherside.
It seemed like the idea was mostly sound. Sunset began working on the idea to overload it with magic, and as she considered it the easiest way to do it would be to direct magic toward it. She didn’t have telepathy like Twilight, and her ability to read minds would do little on this side of things. But there was her ability to pony up while wearing her geode. It wasn’t perfect, by any means, but she could pony up, and then attempt to direct the magic from her transformation into the portal. They had done it before, against the sirens, again at Camp Everfree, and of course during the Friendship Games when she fought Midnight Sparkle.
Closing her eyes, focusing, and feeling the power of the geode, she felt her transformation begin, and soon she was filled with Equestrian magic. She kept her eyes closed, instead she reached out with her magic, feeling the magic of the portal, and she began to feed magic into it. She could feel the magic swell, and from what she remembered on the various theories that Starswirled had written about, back in Equestria, the portal would start to close, and she would have several minutes to get away. She held her journal, and slowly she opened her eyes. What she saw wasn’t a closing portal, but a growing vortex. She let out a shrek of panic and felt the magic of the portal pulling her. She turned around, trying to run, and instead something reached from inside the portal, a tendril of magic, and pulled her toward it.
“Twilight! Help me!”
Twilight tried to grab her with her telekinesis, but it was no good. She couldn’t hold on to her. She watched as Sunset was pulled into the portal and then she watched as it closed in on itself. Sunset felt herself stretching to impossible lengths, and soon her speed was well past what she had imagined anybody, other than Rainbow Dash, could travel. In an instant she shot through the portal and hit the brick wall behind her
Slowly, carefully, Sunset rose to her feet. She was human, which was certainly a good sign. There was nothing wrong with being a pony, but if she was human it meant that whatever had happened most likely was a very localized event.
It also meant that she was, hopefully, still in her world. She looked around to see a dark alley, the sound of drops of water falling could be heard, and then she heard running foot steps. She looked toward the direction to see a youngish looking man wearing a man bun on his head, a black leather jacket with one sleeve cut shorter than the other, a pair of blue jeans that had a single red belt looped through it, and a pair of black nikes. He slammed into her, knocking her into brick wall. She tried to recover but before she could clear her head his hands ripped open her shirt.
"Move and I'll slit your throat, just relax, let this happen, and we both walk away. I get to join the Knot-tops, and you get a good dickin' for free."
She tried to move only to feel a punch to the stomach.
"Warned you bitch," he seethed.
No sooner had he said that then he stopped. She looked toward the direction he was looking in to see another man. His face looked like an inkblot test, he was wearing a trench coat, a pair of slacks, leather gloves, and he seemed to be moving fast.
She felt the man wrenched from her, and to her surprise the new man pinned him down. She watched as he beat him, the sound of breaking bones the chorus for the night. She wanted to feel sick, and she turned to see the man.
"Disoriented, not drugs, uncertain hair style, slight difference in skin tone, suggests interdimensional traveler."
She shook her head, "Where am I?"
She couldn't tell if he was watching her or not.
"New York, and the city has began her evening chorus."
He left her, but only after another costumed individual arrived. This one looked somewhat like an owl. She explained what happened, and of course she asked how the other one...
"Rorschach, his name is Rorschach," The owl looking one said.
"Okay, how did Rorschach know that I'm not from here?"
The Owl looked at her, "For one, you didn't know who he was, and two, you stand out a little,” he rubbed his chin a moment, “If you want to come with me I have a friend that might be able to help."
She followed him into a floating owl shaped ship. He then took off, offering her a new shirt, some coffee, and she began to explain what had happened, where she was from, and even explaining that she had traveled from universe to universe before.
"That's... Jon said it was possible, but to be honest I've never been sure," he said as they landed near a building, "but if anyone knows how you might get back home it's going to be Jon."
Walking into the building with him she noticed other costume individuals, and then instantly a bright flash of light erupted. She squinted, trying to protect her eyes, and she looked to see a glowing blue man standing next to a sharply dressed woman.
"See, I told you that you wouldn't be the only one dressed up."
The woman giggles, and gently slaps his arms, "Jon you're awful."
"Everyone, please, let's get this meeting in order."
She watched as the presenter explained how the individual teams were making some headway with the gang violence, but it was falling short. But it was when one of them got up, walked toward the map, and held out a lighter.
"Watchmen, it's a joke. It was a Joke before, it's a joke now."
“Is it a joke to want to save the world?” the one running the meeting shook his head, "It doesn't take a genius to see the world is in trouble."
The one standing with the lighter opened it, lit it, and held it to map, "Nope, but it takes a room full of morons to think they're small enough to handle them. someone escapes from prison and you get your panties in a bunch, and in truth the bombs could drop any day. Nothing matters, and that's the joke."
The one that had saved her practically growled, "Justice matters."
The one who lit the map on fire, which she noticed he wearing badges with smiling faces on them, laughed, "Justice? Justice is coming to all of us no matter what the fuck we do."
She watched as he left, and soon the meeting seemed to dissolve into people just talking to one another.
"Who was that?"
Night Owl, who had finally gotten around to introducing himself, sighed, "That was the Comedian. He's been like that for as long as I can remember."
He walked with her over to the glowing blue man, "Jon.."
Jon turned, "Hello Sunset Shimmer."
She stood in awe at him, "H...Hi."
He smiled, "I know what you're going to ask, but you are going to be disappointed."
She watched as he held out his hand, and seemingly from nothing a glass formed. A moment later it was filled with water, and he handed it to her.
"What I have done before you would be called magic, because most would not understand how it was done."
He smiled, "But it was simply my taking the molecules that already existed in the air, changing them, and forming the glass and water from them."
His smile then faded, "But what brought you here was magic, true magic, something I would not have believed in, ever, until I witnessed your arrival, saw into your future, and have seen what you are capable of, but there is two beings I know of who do contain true magic."
"Who?" she asked.
He looked past her, "The first is attempting to rob a bank. His name is Moloch. He does contain energy that is not definable by any standard, yet I believe he only realizes how to actively access only a small portion of it at any one time."
She nodded, "The other?"
He smiled, "Has just died. She was just murdered in her sleep. A burglar broke into her house, He believed it to be empty, he wasn't wearing a mask, he slit her throat, took her valuables, and now is currently running for his life."
"W...Wait she's dead?!"
He looked at her, "Yes, but her books, her journals, are still there. Perhaps they would help you."
She looked astonished at him. He was easily as powerful as Princess Celestia, but he seemed so disconnected from those around him.
Leaving Sunset felt disappointed, which of course meant that Jon had been right. She followed Nite Owl into his ship, and before long the two of them flew straight into the river, which nearly caused her to scream. Instead she watched as the ship moved effortlessly through the water and into what looked like an abandoned subway tunnel.
Soon the ship stopped inside of a room, and once it did the door opened to reveal a huge area that was full of various tools, suits, and power cables. She followed him as he neared the small set of stairs.
"Look, based on what both Rorschach and Jon have said I'm sure you don't have anywhere to go. I've got a pretty big place, and in the meantime you're welcome to stay here. Maybe we can find out how to get you home."
Walking into the house the first thing Sunset noticed was that it certainly would rival anything Filthy Rich had. She walked toward the couch, took a seat, and sighed. She tried to think of what happened. She had been trying to figure a way of keeping the random portals to Equestria from just popping up. The last one was perhaps the strangest, and Twilight had been right that it was in flux. This explained why it was in flux. It was shifting, obviously connecting to a different universe than Equestria. She had thought that she had the mechanics right, after all both she, Twilight, and Princess Twilight, had went over the spell before she used it. Of course calling it a spell was a stretch. She had the journal with her....
Her eyes widened, the journal! It could have came with her, if it did then it would be in that alleyway! She could write Princess Twilight, maybe they could discover what happened together!
She got up, and walked toward one of the doors she had seen up here, and realized she didn't know which one lead outside. Actually, other than Auto Mayhem 3 she didn't even really know the layout of New York. While she was fairly sure that Popstar Games was fairly accurate in building the layout of Justice City she wasn’t sure if the layout from the game would actually be similar enough to this New York. Instead she found herself with a slight delimma. She could leave, if she found the door out, and maybe never find the alley she landed in, or she could wait for her host to get up stairs. In the end she resided herself to asking her host. A moment later a man wearing glasses, and an older business suit came out from the door that had led downstairs.
"Wow, you look different."
He smiled, "Daniel Dreiberg, pleased to make your acquaintance."
She nodded, "Umm, do you think that you could get me back to the alley I came through?"
He looked at her, "Why?"
Sunset stood up, the shirt he had given her was a little big, and currently it was hanging off of a shoulder. She tried to move it only to find it showing far too much cleavage, and in the end the best option was to let it hang off of the shoulder. It was better than showing off everything she had. She then looked at him.
“When I came through I had a journal,” she said and she noticed that he seemed to have a confused look on his face, “I understand what you’re thinking, but the journal allows me to contact a friend. She has a matching one on her side, and I’m thinking that maybe together we can figure out what might be going on.”
He nodded, “Okay, that makes sense. Yeah, I’m pretty sure I know the area where you landed, and it shouldn’t be that difficult to get there.”
It took precious little time to isolate the general area Sunset appeared in. As fate would have it, luckily, it seemed that she appeared near Hollis Mason's garage. Since he frequented Hollis' place he invited Sunset to go with him. Together they walked outside and he called for a taxi. The cabbie, someone that often took Daniel to go to Hollis' home, gave a nod.
"Mr Dreiberg, not for nothing, but your friend looks a little young."
She sighed, "I'm old enough."
He shrugged his shoulders, "Not my place to judge, so back to the shop?"
Daniel nodded, "Yeah."
The cabbie shook his head, "Man, I'd figure that you'd use someone else. He's had your car for two or three months now right?"
Daniel shrugged, "It's fine."
The cabbie shrugged and pulled up, "Here we are, that will be three fifty."
Daniel paid him, and once he left he looked toward the alley, "Ready to check it out?"
She nodded.
Moving into the alley Sunset felt a building dread. It simply surrounded the place, almost as if the alley itself were alive. She heard sounds around them, shuffling feet, a lone cry of anguish, and not much else.
She looked around, and she saw the familiar sight of the graffiti on the wall she had almost bounced off of. Checking around she didn't see the book.
"Was it around here?"
She nodded, and then they heard a short bark of laughter. Turning around Daniel saw six members of the Top Knots holding a large brown book.
"Figure one of you must have dropped this. If the girl is willing to work for it, we'll give it back."
Dan frowned, adjusting his glasses while he assessed the gang members. "And why should she do that?" he asked.
Confusion spread amongst the trio of boys, none of them could have been older than eighteen, as they made an attempt to answer. They stumbled through a number of explanations, discordant in their overlay of noise. Neither Dan nor Sunset were able to understand much in the cacophony. The authority that Dan spoke with had them thrown. Eventually, one of them spoke up.
"We ain't got explain anything to you assholes," he answered indignantly, "girl wants this book? She works for us, and we got more than a couple of ideas of what we could put her to work doing."
"Not what I what I asked," Dan replied, "now, I would rather not cause anyone any grief, but if you boys don't return that book to my friend here, well, I can't guarantee that any of you will be walking out of this alley under your power."
"Is that so?!" The obvious leader growled, "What do you think you can do, old man?!"
The rest of them seemed to converge on him in what could very loosely be considered combat positions. It was fairly evident that they lacked any real training, and instead they had come to depend on greater numbers, and the strength of youth, as their ace in the hole.
"Well, don't say I didn't warn you," Dan said.
The first rushed toward him, trying to dive in an attempt to knock him from his feet. Years of being on the streets fighting with criminals that ranged from novices, like these boys, and actual masters of fighting had taught Daniel a thing or two about how to read his opponents. He side stepped the would be attack, slammed his left food down across the back of his head, and drove him face first into the pavement. The others began to converge on them, and Daniel almost smiled at the obviousness of their attacks. It was almost as if they were calling them out to him as they attempted to hit him, or take Sunset.
Daniel left with little more than a torn sleeve, more from his attacks than any from them, and he left them with six broken arms, three broken legs, at least one fractured spine, two broken jaws, one broken hip, and well over forty lost teeth. Sunset watched all of this in awe. She’d seen some of the girls taking self defense classes, but Daniel seemed to move with a fluid like grace that was well beyond quite a bit of what she had seen back home.
Looking around she noticed the book lying beside one of the boys and she bent down to it. Inspecting, she told Dan, "It didn't seem to take any damage. Although, I don't want to imagine what they were writing in it when we came across them…"
The book vibrated, much to Dan's surprise, and when Sunset opened it, she too shared Dan's surprise. Written in Princess Twilight's elegant script, were these words: "SUNSET, WOULD YOU KINDLY EXPLAIN WHY THESE ANATOMICALLY INCORRECT GENITALIA WERE DRAWN INTO OUR JOURNAL?!"
Sunset wrote her apologies, and then she began to fill Princess Twilight in on what had happened. Twilight wrote back after a few minutes, and Sunset was both relieved and stressed.
The journal was officially keeping the link between this universe and Equestria, but not back to the world she had been in. Luckily the other journals Twilight had saw fit to give to the other girls did keep the universes tethered together.
But it left her with needing to arrange a portal. While Twilight could do it from her side it would be a one way only.
"You mind filling me in?" Dan asked, "I'm feeling a little left out of the loop."
"Oh, yes, sorry," Sunset began, "uh, this journal that I have, it's- I guess, linked, to my home dimension. There's another one just like in the possession of Princess Twilight Sparkle; she and I speak regularly through these journals. Honestly, it feels lot like when I was under Princess Celestia's tutledge, just far more informal."
"So it could be possible for you to use that journal of yours to return to your home?" Dan asked.
"I guess I could," Sunset answered, "the only problem is that, well, I haven't been back home in more than three years. I made my home in a- I guess alternate or parallel dimension, where all of my friends, and authority figures, have doppelgangers. So, it's kinda like home but it’s not really.
Daniel nodded, “I get it, but I have a feeling that it’s going to take more than just finding the book, right?”
She nodded, “Yeah, I need to find a way to use the magic inside of it to help open a portal.”
