Conduits in Equestria: The Four Aces

Memphis, Tennessee. A thriving city known for its central trade locale, mouthwatering barbeque, and most recently, home to 4 powerful and unique conduits. ‘What is a conduit?’, one might ask… to which can be simply answered with, ‘a being with an extraordinary ability to absorb, control, and manipulate a certain element or material’.

Once upon a time, conduits were seen as a menace to society. Labeled as monsters and ‘bio-terrorists’ just for having abilities that most did not. Many had been persecuted, lynched, imprisoned, and scorned over the course of seven years. However, through the actions of a few, tenacious souls, conduits were beginning to be viewed under a different light.

First, there was Delsin Rowe. An Akomish tribe member, and a delinquent. His tribe in Washington were beset by the head of the Department of Unified Protection, Director Brooke Augustine. The reason? A group of conduits escaped detainment near his homeland, where he was both gifted and cursed with his own conduit abilities. Director Augustine laid siege to his tribe’s people in pursuit of the escapees, and in doing so, left Delsin with the responsibility to mend said tribe in the only way he could think how.

Over the course of a few weeks, and with the help of his newly awakened abilities, Delsin blazed a trail through Seattle, Washington. Tearing down the D.U.P. occupation, and even making friends with the conduit escapees, Abigail, Eugene, and Hank. Well, after leeching their powers, of course. Along the way, he also cut through to the heart of the Seattle drug trade, tearing that down too, and drove many of the gangsters, crime lords, and plenty of petty criminals, like the Akurans, out of town. These acts did not go unnoticed by the public, and with that, the public’s opinion of the ‘bio-terrorist menace’ had changed.

Of course, they weren’t the only group of conduits making a name for themselves. Halfway across the country, in the city of Memphis, Tennessee, a group of conduits known as ‘The Four Aces’ had also been hard at work with their own struggles. Having evaded capture after escaping the D.U.P.’s grasp as well, they at first thought to hide and run from their pursuers. When they became trapped within the city as it went into a D.U.P. quarantine, they decided that their only option was to fight their way out.

Their fight with the D.U.P. forces had eventually brought about something unexpected. As the conduits, Nataline, Samuel, Lu, and Isabelle fought, they discovered something about themselves that certain individuals tried desperately to keep secret. Their skills in their abilities were vast and adaptable, which would bring about the obvious question, ‘How did a group of ‘bio-terrorists’ become so strong since they had been imprisoned for years?’.

The Four Aces uncovered the answer to this question in time. It turned out that Michael Bertrand, Director Augustine’s second-in-command, had been secretly training some of the imprisoned conduits in Curdun Cay behind the director’s back. Bertrand’s plan was to sell off these weaponized conduits to the highest bidders on the black market. Understandably, the members of The Four Aces were shocked upon discovering this, and the fact that they, too, were meant to become these conduit bio-weapons.

It didn’t take long for these unlikely heroes to decide on what they should do with this information, and they soon made it their mission to put a stop to said plan and expose Bertrand, and the D.U.P., for their atrocities. The fight was hard, but in the end, they did it. Bertrand was defeated and criminalized. The city of Memphis no longer saw the conduits as evil or a menace, and the Four Aces were revered for their efforts.

Three months have passed since Augustine, Bertrand, and the D.U.P. have been exposed and dismantled. Conduits that had been wrongfully imprisoned within Curdun Cay were adopted into a growing number of conduit rights activist programs that would help them reintegrate into society. Society in the United States were slowly, but surely, changing their views on the conduit population as a whole for the better.

As it was, this left the members of the Four Aces with a lot more free time to do what they will with what their newfound freedom allowed. One such member, Samuel Reed, the wire conduit, was walking among the general populace like it was any other day. Occasionally, he’d get flagged down by a random passerby to take a selfie with them or to simply say hi and gush over him. Other than that, his jaunt northward through the city was uneventful.

It wasn’t long before he happened upon his destination, a fair bit away from the hustle and bustle of the inner city. An old, abandoned warehouse right next to Sandpit Lake. The place looked just as decrepit and rundown as the day he and his friends left it. A smile graced his lips as he remembered all the fond memories he had of the place. It was his and the rest of the Four Aces’ refuge while they fought against the D.U.P., after all.

Sam walked up to the main entrance on the side of the building, ignoring the ‘No Trespassing’ sign hung over it. The steel door creaked loudly from years of disuse, and a stream of light from the doorway spilled in to illuminate the first few feet inside. Like riding a bike, he walked in and took a few steps to the left to flip the main lever up on the breaker box without even looking. Flipping each breaker within the box brought more and more of the overhead lights on and brought further illumination into the dusty place.

Even after so long, the place hadn’t changed at all. Just a typical manufacturer’s warehouse, once used for fabricating and storing car parts. Only a few of the outdated machinery remained, too heavy to be moved and left to be forgotten and collect dust and rust. A raised coordinator’s office overlooked the entire floor from across the warehouse, while a mezzanine was built up on the right hand side as a sort of break area.

Although bare of the previous owner’s utilities, more recent additions made the wire conduit sigh with nostalgia. A set of couches sat in front of a thirty-two inch, LCD tv close to the coordinator’s office. A couple of hand made training dummies made out of concrete sat with plenty of burn marks and shards of concrete or wire strands penetrating them in the open central area of the warehouse.

The mezzanine had a few shredded up and vandalized D.U.P. banners and concrete barriers surrounding its edges. Evidence of a particular someone’s living space made up there. Although he couldn’t see from where he stood, Sam knew someone had taken the time to convert the coordinator’s office into another living space behind the hung up curtains blocking its windows.

High up in the rafters, a wooden platform was suspended mid air by a set of wire cables between the support beams. Hidden from few, the platform housed the wire conduit’s old living space and sleeping area back when he and the rest of the Four Aces lived in this ramshackled place.

This made Sam smile with the familiar sight, as it was the whole reason he was back at the Four Aces’ hideout. He was just about to head up to his old space, when he heard someone enter the warehouse through the rusty, squeaky door.

“Oh! Hey, Natie!” Sam called out to the electric conduit, “Whatcha doing here?”

The stoic female, although surprised at first, closed the door behind her. Sam took in her appearance as she did. No longer clad in her usual, sometimes ill fitting, second-hand clothes they all could scrounge from local thrift shops and donation centers. She now wore a more business casual outfit, complete with light grey slacks, teal blouse with her sleeves rolled up and over a grey blazer. Her dirty-blonde hair had been cropped short to just about shoulder length. Unlike how she used to have just left it long enough to tie back into a one long ponytail.

“I could ask you the same, Sam. How have you been doing?” Natie happily replied to her fellow conduit’s question.

At this, Sam smirked.

Putting on a mock pout and slumping shoulders, he over-exaggeratedly replied, “Oh my god! Who knew having a normal life would be so exhausting! Taking classes to get a GED, having a proper home/apartment to sleep in, having a part time job. It’s all so demanding! Oh, Natie! Call the D.U.P. and send me back to Curdun Cay! It’s all too much for me!”

Natie rolled her eyes at Sam’s usual over-dramatism.

Sam chuckled at her reaction before answering more thoughtfully, “Seriously though, that GED is a pain. I’m basically cramming four years of school into less than one. It sucks. Thought I’d take a break from studying and was gonna watch a movie, but realized I left a few of my favorites here at the old place. Came to pick them up.”

Natie understood, and even swept her gaze over the familiar scenery with a sense of nostalgia.

“Anyways,” Sam called out, gaining the electric conduit’s attention, “What are you up to? Last I saw, you and the Memphis council were really picking up on that conduit support program in Midtown.” Sam’s eyes drifted down to Natie’s hand, and the unknown object that occupied it. “Hey, whatcha got there?”

“Yeah, the council has been dragging their feet on that proposal. ‘Not enough in the budget’. Luckily, we recently got a few charity donations to help kickstart the program a bit sooner,” Natie answered while reaching under her arm for the file binder she had with her, and that Sam had pointed out, “And this is one of the program’s proposals that the donations are helping to fund.”

It seemed right to Sam that Natie was helping to head one of Memphis’ lead conduit rights groups like she was. She always fit well into the leader role, no matter how unsure she used to seem about it. As Natie dug into the binder, Sam came closer to get a closer look out of curiosity. He only caught a glimpse of some of the official looking documents before Natie snatched a colorful looking brochure out and snapped the binder closed. Natie held out the brochure, and Sam took it to inspect for himself.

In big, bold lettering, Sam easily read the cover out loud, “Conduit Citizens; Understanding who we are. Training and counseling sessions available for all applicants.”

Underneath the title was a picture of two hands engaged in a handshake, with one of them surrounded in a sort-of ethereal aura. Opening the brochure to read more, a satisfied grin grew on Sam’s face.

“Wow, Natie! This is awesome!” Sam praised his friend, “I knew you’d find a way to help more conduits out, and this is perfect!”

Not one to show much bashfulness, Natie scratched her cheek while looking off to the side, “It wasn’t just my idea. My friends in the activist group all pitched in to really pitch this to the council. Plus, this isn’t just for conduits. Family, friends, or even anyone who just wishes to learn more are welcome. This program is about giving conduits and non-conduits a middle ground to come together and support each other. Whether they be newly activated conduits needing help in understanding and controlling their abilities, or are those looking to learn about conduits in our society in general.”

“Huh, good pitch,” Sam said, handing the brochure back to Natie, “So, why are you back here? Forgot something you miss, too?”

Natie shook her head, “Actually, the activist group has been looking for a place to set up the new program. Somewhere large, affordable, and sturdy enough to instruct newly activated conduits as they learn to use their powers.”

“Ah, I see,” Sam understood his friend’s meaning whilst looking around their old hideout, “I definitely see what mean. This place is perfect. I’m almost gonna miss this place...and the cockroaches, and the terrible A/C, and the constant threat of the D.U.P. discovering this place, and the cockroaches. Oh, and did I mention the-”

His continued rant earned him a pointed glare from the electric conduit. He shut up, but not without a devious chuckle. Natie just sighed at his antics just as the main entrance door opened once more. Their simultaneous looks of curiosity eyed the pair of familiar newcomers as they entered.

“-doesn’t matter,” one of the familiar beings said, as if in the middle of a conversation, “Nobody else’s gonna want it. Besides, what are they gonna do, kick me out? I’d like to see any of them try.”

The soft spoken girl beside him entered the warehouse behind the asian man and shut the door politely, “Please, Lu. I just don’t think it’s safe for you to live here. I mean, yes, we did, but we didn’t have any other choice. Wouldn’t it be better to live somewhere more, um… liveable?”

Lu Yao Feng and Isabelle Wilmott, the final two members of the infamous ‘Four Aces’, and friends to the two other conduits already in the warehouse.

Sam had noticed that the asian man had been working out more. He was certainly a bit broader than the last time they met. A simple pair of jeans and white, tucked-in t-shirt formed his outfit for the day. It also seemed that Lu had let his hair grow out enough in the back to be tied into a rat’s tail. Last the wire conduit had heard, Lu had been hopping from job to job. A lot of construction based jobs, at that. Hours of concrete work for normal workers only took him minutes, which his various supervisors never took for granted.

Isabelle had been taking to wearing sundresses and the like, to compliment her fair complexion. Her golden-brown hair cascaded past her shoulder blades, having letting it grow out. Much like Sam, she had gone back to finish out her high school education. They even occasionally met up to hang out and study, together with a few other students that they had made friends with.

Upon noticing that they were not the only ones in the old hideout, Lu and Isabelle greeted their long time companions.

“Natie, Sam!” Isabelle excitedly ran up to them, “It’s so good to see you!”

They each took turns accepting the younger girl’s hugs before they turned to the less enthused asian.

“Oh, good. Everyone else is here,” Lu noted sarcastically while crossing his arms.

Sam smirked, “Ah~, someone wasn’t expecting a family reunion. Come on, Lu! Get in here! It wouldn’t be the same without our grumpy uncle!”

“Fuck off, you weirdo,” Lu growled.

Natie cleared her throat, turning to address the latest newcomers, “Not that I’m not glad to see you two, but what are you doing here?”

Lu grunted, but remained silent. This left Isabelle to explain their situation.

“Um, well. Me and Lu just sort of bumped into each other, and I wanted to catch up a bit,” Isabelle explained, “He mentioned coming back here, and since we were still catching up, we decided to visit the hideout together.”

Natie listened intently, nodding in understanding. Isabelle’s usual cheer turned into a frown as she talked some more, “I actually ended up asking Lu why he wanted to come back here after a while, and well- Natie, can you talk him out of trying to live here again?”

“What the fuck, Isabelle?!” Lu shouted.

Sam and Natie looked surprised by Lu’s outburst, but more importantly, by his plans. They all took to arguing. Natie explaining how she and the conduit rights group needed the space for their program. Isabelle tried to convince Lu again about how much easier it was living in a clean, safe apartment, and that Natie’s proposal would be a better use of the old place. Lu stood his ground, and claimed that no one else had thought to use the hideout before him. Sam cut in to snappily reply that he had arrived first, therefore, he had the sacred right of ‘dibs’ to decide what should be done.

While all that was going on, a shift in the air occurred. It was subtle at first, so none of the conduits noticed it at first. It wasn’t until Isabelle shivered and blew a small ball of fire into her hands that everyone else noticed the chill in the air.

“Anyone remember if there was a draft in this place?” Sam asked nobody in particular over the increasingly shifting air currents.

“Some of the windows are busted,” Natie noted, but her posture grew tense, “But this isn’t natural.”

“Sam, below you!” Isabelle shouted while pointing.

Tracing her pointed finger, everyone turned to Sam, or more specifically, the ground beneath his feet. Everyone stared, awestruck as motes of light appeared on the ground and then began expanding to surround the wire conduit in a bubble of intricate patterns.

“Sam, get out of there!” Natie shouted toward the stunned wire conduit.

However, unlike his friends, Sam wasn’t entirely afraid of what was going on. The swirling patterns that surrounded him were actually quite familiar to him. He had seen these types of patterns before, a long time ago, but his memory of them had not faded.

“A spell matrix”, Sam whispered to himself with a nostalgic smile on his face.

He suddenly felt something latch onto his arm, snapping him out of his fascinated trance. Turning to see who it was, he found Natie below him trying to pull him toward her. It was also at this point that he noticed that he had started floating within the spell bubble. Within seconds, Natie’s efforts became moot, as she too began to float due to some unseen force in the bubble she had stepped into.

“You idiots!” Lu shouted, “Isabelle, help me get them out of there!”

Isabelle could only nod and complied. Only, as soon as they stepped into the bubble, gravity became null and void, and they too became trapped and suspended within.

“This is your fault, dumbass!” Lu pointed an accusatory finger at Sam, all while trying to resist the unseen force in vain.

The wire conduit rolled his eyes, “You decided to just try and drag us out without thinking, and look where you ended up.”

“Sam, now is not the time!” Natie shouted over their bickering, “What is going on? Can you get us out?”

“I wouldn’t worry too much. This isn’t anything bad. At least, I’m like, ninety percent sure this is okay,” Sam reassured through the light around them that steadily grew brighter.

“What the fuck do you mean?!” Natie cried out in panic, desperately looking for a way to save her friends from whatever attack this may be.

Before Sam could answer, the spell matrix they floated within became blindingly bright. The four conduits let out surprised yelps as the force of gravity began to reassert itself. Only, instead of falling to the ground they knew to be only a few feet below them, they kept on falling into what they could only describe as a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes.

The fall turned turbulent, and Sam became queasy from the assault on his senses. The motions became so violent that he was starting to lose focus on his fellow conduits’ desperate cries. Before he knew it, his mind was growing foggy, and the edges of his vision were turning black.

The last thing he remembered before the void swallowed him was the image of his conduit friends fighting, and losing as badly as he was, against the sea of force thrusting them through an unknown plane of existence, and his thoughts about maybe being wrong about this being as safe as he promised.