Natie woke up in the same fashion she had since the dismantling of the D.U.P. Her alarm on her phone woke her up at six A.M. on the dot. Her routine would be simple after this. Brush her teeth, use the restroom, get dressed, make a quick cup of instant coffee, gather up anything she needed from her work desk she’d need for the day, and then head out into the city of Memphis. However, this was not the case this morning. Her bed was far softer and larger than the second-hand mattress she bought months ago. Not to mention, there was a distinct lack of city ambience that came from living within the Memphis city limits.

The electric conduit sat up, adrenaline flooding her system at having awoken in unfamiliar territory. Nothing about her surroundings seemed familiar, which led to her almost charging out the nearest window or door in an escape attempt. Luckily, before her years of training could kick into overdrive, Natie remembered the day before. The crackle of electricity faded from her arms as she finally calmed down and took in the now familiar suite she slept within last night.

“This is going to take some getting used to,” she sighed as she untangled herself from the thick covers.

Even as her mind steadily became more aware, the knowledge of the previous day still felt almost too hard to believe to have happened. The lavishly decorated suite around her helped reinforce the reality of the situation though. The electric conduit stretched and felt her joints let out satisfying pops. Next up was to use restroom and shower. As she went about her usual morning customs, Natie’s thoughts returned to the previous day.

--o0o--

Sam’s requests were met with equal parts amusement and cringe. Natie was at least glad it hadn’t been anything more ridiculous, but she, as well as her fellow human conduits, wondered about this ‘thaumium wire’ he mentioned. The ponies appeared unconcerned, and Celestia’s horn lit with a golden sheen, more of this ‘magic’ the newer humans tried to get used to. A chime rang accompanying the light flare in Celestia’s magic, and the servant ponies that brought the appetizers came back through the wall façade at the end of the dining hall.

While they cleared the half eaten trays from the table, Princess Celestia put in a request, “If you’d be so kind, will you bring the spool of wire we prepared for our esteemed guest, Samuel?”

The pony said nothing, only bowing deeply to show his acknowledgement.

“What’s thaumium wire?” Isabelle asked as the servant ponies left.

“Oh boy, here we go,” Sam whispered while wearing a bemused smile.

The other three humans wondered what was so funny just as Twilight gasped in excitement.

“‘Thaumium’,” Twilight began to recite what might have been a textbook definition of said material, “and by extension, thaumium wire is a revolutionary, industrial product that is helping to modernize our society. Before the discovery and production of thaumium, any non-unicorn powered piece of technology required naturally occurring gems that were saturated with magical energies. To give a simple analogue, these gems were like batteries: harnessable chunks of energy, but finite.

“The production of thaumium solved this problem in that it can transfer natural pools of magical energy from one point to another, like a channel. As for its makeup, it’s actually a magic-infused zargon alloy that is both easily manufactured and has over dozens of practical applications. Though one particular use that is unique to Sam is that he can use it as foci to create spell matrices to generate magical phenomena!”

The purple, walking encyclopedia went on and on about how thaumium was used in their society. To Natie, Lu, and Isabelle, it sounded like electrical cables and power lines for a city power grid, but with magical energies, though much of the explanation was lost on them between ‘regulating flux variables’ and ‘tuning to natural leylines’. However, the part about Sam using this wire made it almost sound like he could use magic the same way these ponies could. Completely unbelievable to be sure, but then the three unicorn servants returned, bringing silver, covered platters as well as a hefty spool of wire out with their magic.

“Oh, yeah, come to papa!” Sam stretched out his grasp toward the floating spool first.

The unicorn carrying the wire faltered slightly under the predatory gaze of the human over him and spool. It took every ounce of his self-control not to scream in terror as the human snatched the spool out of the air, causing a small feedback from the touch to his magic. The trio gave each other a look and decided that it’d be best to place the platters down as quickly as possible and excuse themselves back to the kitchen.

“Sam... um... is that wire really that special?” Isabelle asked.

Sam sprouted a devious grin in response, “Oh, just you wait and see what I can do with this. You’re all gonna freak!”

Sam touched the wire, feeling the energy humming within it. He pulled his hand back, and with it, the wire followed. The material came to his beckoning and began to unravel from the spool and be absorbed by the wire conduit. Like reuniting with an old friend, Sam felt invigorated by the power settling within him once again. There was something different though. Nothing bad, but it was almost like this thaumium wire was more alive and responsive than the last time he had this power.

“Now, Human,” Aegis Flare warned, “This supply of thaumium is to help you with instructing the new conduits, and not to be misused, unlike last time. Understood?”

Sam waved one hand toward the pegasus while staring at his other, which was already entangled with strands of thaumium wire, “Yeah, yeah. Hey, guys! Check out what I can do!”

The other humans watched as Sam weaved the new wire into strange patterns and shapes. He seemed so excited to show off his unique abilities. He honestly couldn’t decide what trick he should show them first. It soon became apparent to the wire conduit however that in his time away from Equestria, he had forgotten much of his magical studies. That didn’t stop him for long as he did recall a few of the most basic spells he had learned, and then settled on one that he deemed the most impressive.

Sam had a few false starts at the beginning. The faulty patterns he created at first burning out like filaments. Though, after several tries, his basic ‘Telekinesis’ pattern flashed momentarily, and he laughed in triumph. Before anyone could ask what he was doing, the wire conduit pointed the pattern in his hand toward the covered platter in front of him. The pattern glowed, and the same golden aura shrouded the cover on the platter.

The other humans watched in shock and awe as Sam lifted his hand upward, followed immediately by the platter’s cover. The scent of a delectable bowl of clam chowder wafted from the uncovered platter, but all eyes were still on the now floating cover that was suspended in mid air in front of Sam’s hand and glowing wire pattern.

Sam sniffed curiously and then eye’d the dish in front of him hungrily, “Oh, man! This looks delicious!”

The other humans exploded into chatter and questions over what they just saw. Sam only taunted them further by laying the cover down on the table beside his dish and letting go of it from his magical grasp as nonchalantly as possible. Picking up his spoon, the wire conduit was about to dig in when he felt a chill run down his spine.

“Sam,” Natie called out in a dangerous tone...

...one that Sam knew all too well. His body tensed, and a nervous expression overcame his face. He looked over to his side to see a familiar, and oh so dreaded, scowl bearing down on him.

Natie narrowed her gaze on the wire conduit, “What did he mean by ‘last time’?”

More color began to drain from Sam’s face, which worried the ponies over this exchange. Natie rose from her seat, as did Sam to back away from the electric conduit who stalked toward him.

“During his last stay in Equestria,” Aegis Flare explained, “he was involved in a number of ‘pranks’ and misconduct that sometimes hindered the royal guards’ normal routines. There were also a few incidents where he had directly disobeyed my direct orders, even if some of them were with good intentions.”

‘Not helping, Cappy!’ Sam thought nervously.

Twilight tried to come to Sam’s aid, “He may have been a little obtrusive, but he still always tried his best to help others. ...well, there were his many times of disregarding instructions, especially about leaving the castle without an escort.”

‘Sparks, you traitor!’ Sam screamed mentally.

Crackling, blue lightning brought Sam’s attention back to scowling electric conduit looming over him.

Sam put his hands up in front of him defensively as he tried to explain, “Wait, it’s not what you think! You gotta admit, being trapped in another world can really throw you off, ya know? Plus, when I first arrived, I was half dead from the RFI bomb! I was completely out of it for a couple days!”

“...And the rest of the time here?” Natie asked dangerously.

Sam gulped, wondering if he’d have a better chance of escape in unfamiliar territory for Natie, “Um… pass?”

Sam’s world was turned upside-down. Well, more like, he was thrown over Natie’s shoulder in an electrically charged throw onto the marble floor were he remained dazed for the moment. Twilight gasped and galloped to Sam’s side to check on him. Isabelle got up from her seat as well and made sure Sam was okay, although she knew he more than likely was. Lu busted out laughing, while the ponies looked on in alarm.

Natie apologized, but explained about Sam’s mischievous tendencies, to which the ponies agreed were quite accurate. However, they asked if her treatment was necessary. Natie replied that it more often than not fell to her to keep the wire conduit in line, and that sometimes included giving him a little more physical reminder of his limits.

When Sam was asked if he was alright, he replied with a slight groan, “I’m good! ...ow. Just gonna, you know, stay down here for a minute.”

--o0o--

*knock, knock, knock*

Natie was just finishing getting dressed when the knock at the door came.

Beyond the portal, one of the royal guards called out, “Excuse me, Miss Natie? Are you awake?”

Natie buttoned up her blouse as she replied, “Yes. I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Not to worry, ma’am. The princesses wished to extend invitations to you and your companions for breakfast this morning.”

“Thank you. We’ll be there. I’ll be out in another minute to get the others.”

Gathering up her meager belongings, the electric conduit walked up and opened the door, only to be greeted by a duo of ponies in golden armor and armed with spears. She only tensed up for a moment, her training still not allowing her to be completely used to the situation.

*Bang, Bang* “Hey, dumbass! If your pony pals are gonna wake me up early, you don’t get to sleep in either!”

Natie breathed a deep sigh through her nose upon that exclamation. She then strode past the ponies to confront the one who was causing the commotion. Just two doors down, Lu was still banging away at another suite’s door. Isabelle was behind him, trying to calm him down while also trying to suppress a couple yawns. The pony guards behind them looked unsure of how to handle the situation and hung back, as not to incur the easily irritable human’s ire. Seeing Natie’s approach out of his peripheral, the concrete conduit stopped banging and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Lu, what’s the problem?” Natie asked, although still feeling too uncaffeinated to not sound irritated herself.

Jerking his thumb over in the door’s direction, he replied, “If that asshole wants his little ponies waking me up so early and think he can sleep in, he can kiss my ass!”

“Lu, calm down. I’ll take care of this.”

Natie was about to knock on the door herself, when the thing unlocked and opened on its own. Right on the other side stood the wire conduit himself, fully dressed and looking very much awake.

“Give me a break, Lu,” Sam yawned before exiting out into the hall, “I was in the middle of getting ready. I’m sorry you couldn’t get your precious beauty sleep, especially with how much you need it.”

“What did you say?!”

“Come on, guys. Isn’t it a bit too early for this?” Isabelle tried to quell the tension from rising further, “Please don’t start fighting here in the castle.”

Lu’s growling leer was matched by Sam’s cocky smirk, and the ponies watched as what might be a fight was about to break out. Natie put a stop to it, putting herself between the two and pushing them both back to arm’s length.

“It is way too early for this shit. Both of you cut it out. Right now,” Natie commanded.

The two male conduits backed off, knowing what kind of outcome would await if they tried to push it further. Tensions relaxed, and the ponies were glad that they did not have to get caught up in the mix. One of them found it to be the opportune moment to restate that the princesses were waiting for them in the dining hall with breakfast.

The promise of a hearty meal, and possibly some much needed caffeine, helped to reorganize the four humans’ priorities, and they were soon being led to said dining hall. Along the way, Natie noticed the halls were occupied by more ponies than the day before. Some wore maid uniforms and were busying themselves with cleaning. Others wore rich garments, which she could only suspect perhaps meant they were other residents of the castle and possibly royalty or nobility. However, they all got the same expression when they saw the alien creatures known as ‘humans’ striding past them. It was a fair mix of surprise, wonderment, and a touch of apprehension. The little, colorful equines began to whisper amongst themselves, and the humans knew it was very much about them.

Luckily, the hushed conversations seemed to be mostly expressions of curiosity as the guards and their human charges reached the dining hall once more and allowed them entry. Inside, Celestia, Luna, and Twilight Sparkle were patiently waiting with cups of tea or coffee held aloft in their magic as they conversed.

As the humans entered, Celestia set her cup down and smiled, “Ah, welcome! I hope you all had a restful slumber. Forgive me for saying, but as we had only expected one human to be called here, we had to rush the rest of your accommodations to be prepared. So, please, if there is anything that is not to your liking, let us know, and we will see what we can do to better accommodate you.”

“Oh, no, please,” Isabelle spoke up first, “The room was great! I’ve actually never lived or slept in a castle before. It’s like something out of a mythical story book!”

Celestia tittered at the youngest conduit’s gushing.

Lu shrugged, “Eh, the bed was nice at least.”

“We’re glad you’re all happy,” Twilight said, “If you’d like, we already have breakfast ready and waiting.”

The four conduits gave their appreciation and sat down in front of the covered platters laid out on the table for them. Sam gave a quizzical glance around the dining hall.

“Hey, where’s Cappy?”

Celestia answered this time, “He has a few engagements that he must attend to this morning. Not to worry though. We’ll be meeting him, along with the other conduits, after breakfast for introductions. So, please, enjoy your meals. I hear the kitchen staff are eager to know if our human guests, both new and old, find their meals noteworthy to their exotic palettes.”

“Sounds good,” Sam replied, “Welp, no reason not to dig in!”

Celestia, being as hospitable as always, used her magic to remove the covers from everyone’s platters. All revealed to be expertly crafted plates of french toast with a dollop of butter and drizzled with strawberry syrup and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Sam hummed in delight and had to stop himself from drooling over the meal. The other conduits were just as impressed, and couldn’t wait to dig in.

Small talk was shared as they ate, mostly more questions from the newest humans about Equestria and this world they were now on. Twilight gave academic, almost textbook like, answers to help them understand. The princesses couldn’t help but let their curiosity get the better of them as well, and asked what their world was like ever since Sam left.

The four humans worked to sum up their trials and tribulations over the last three months. From their constant battles with the D.U.P., to their discovery of Bertrand’s plan for them to be sold off as conduit weapons for the highest bidders. Then, there was their final battle against Bertrand himself and his elite operative unit. They had won and exposed all the D.U.P. dirty, rotten secrets. The ponies were equally impressed by their accomplishments and sullen over the hardships they were forced to face.

“Yeah, we even got to work with those other conduits across the country in Washington,” Sam pointed out toward the end.

Lu grunted, “They were alright. That chick, Fetch, was pretty hot though. Too bad she hangs out with a guy nicknamed ‘Banner Man’. Seriously, how lame is that?”

“Oh, come on, Lu. They were all great, including Delsin and Eugene,” Isabelle reasoned, “Not to mention there was the one in California that got us all in contact with Zeke and the ‘Conduit Rights’ organization.”

Lu laughed, “Oh yeah! He had an even stupider name! What was it again, ‘Ice Fairy’ or some crap?”

“Shawn, Shawn Kingston. Also known as the ‘Snow Angel’,” Natie corrected, with another sip of her coffee, “If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have been able to spread the D.U.P.’s secrets as fast as we did to sway the public.”

“Whatever. Still a stupid name.”

“As stupid as being called ‘Slab’?” Sam smirked.

Lu glared at the wire conduit, a look that dared Sam to say one more thing, so he could have a reason to knock his block off once and for all. Luna was pleasantly amused by the lively bunch that were Sam’s friends, and just as glad to know that he had such companions that have been by his side to support him all this time.

Luckily, the two butting heads had to postpone their usual spat with a guard entering the dining hall to speak with the princess of the sun. The guard whispered to Princess Celestia, to which she nodded in understanding.

“It seems that Administrator Aegis Flare and the other conduits are ready to meet with you four,” Princess Celestia informed, “If you’ll all follow me, I shall escort you to them immediately.”

The four human conduits agreed and got up from their seats to join the solar princess.

“I’m sorry that I’ll be unable to join you as well,” Luna bowed her head, “but I must retire for the day to resume my duties this evening. It was good to see you once again, Samuel. As with the rest of you, I hope I will get to spend time in your company later.”

“Have a good night, Loony,” Sam bid to her.

He earned an elbow in the side from Natie.

“Good night, Samuel,” Luna chortled, “I’ll see you this evening, sister, and you, Twilight.”

They all left the dining hall, the princess of the moon parting in a different direction from where they were being led. Natie and Isabelle conversed with Celestia more to learn more about Equestria. Sam and Twilight were busy catching up some more about their lives and what they’ve been up to, while Lu just followed along and kept to himself until he was needed.

Sam recognized the direction they were headed, and his suspicion was confirmed as they were led out onto the royal guard’s training field. There were a few guards milling about, maintaining equipment and cleaning, but in the center of the sparring ring was one grumpy looking pegasus in his new olive-colored overcoat and armored vest. Beside him were three individuals that the humans could only assume were the newly activated conduits that they were told about. And just like they were told, not all of them were ponies.

The first was a navy blue stallion earth pony. His mane and tail were a darker shade of blue and made him stand out less than most of his fellow, more colorful brethren of his species, even more so with his sapphire-blue eyes that matched the rest of his color scheme. The only part that varied from this pattern was his cutie mark, depicting a simple tan vase with a minimalist hoof print pattern on it. Before noticing the oncoming group of humans and princesses, he was casting curious glances out along the field and the guard ponies doing their work.

The next was a unicorn mare with a beige colored coat, and a deep violet shade for her curly mane and tail. Her cutie mark was a roll of camera film, with some of the film being stretched out like a ribbon. She tried not to seem too out of place, but her shifting from hoof to hoof revealed her slight nervousness.

Finally, there was a creature that Sam had only encountered in the heat of battle. A griffon. Though unlike Aras, this one looked less falcon like, and more sparrow like for his front half. His plumage and wings were a collection of grayish-browns with eye rings of rust brown that extended back from his eyes a few inches around his head. His feline half looked more similar to Aras’, but instead of being a washout amber color, this griffon’s fur was the color of mahogany. The most striking difference, however, was his demeanor. He seemed anxious, and stared mostly toward the ground, like he was trying to avoid eye contact. One foreclaw was folded over and constantly brushing up and down the other in an attempt to help calm his perceived anxiety.

Aegis Flare turned first to greet the oncomers with a bow, “Your Highnesses, Humans. Everything is prepared for the training.”

The two ponies and griffon quickly bowed themselves, the latter more clumsily and frantically than the others.

Celestia nodded, “Thank you, Administrator. Please rise, all of you.”

The ponies and griffon did as told and were now looking to the alien beings on two legs before them. There was a mixture of awe and nervousness they all showed to being in their presence. They’d been told that creatures from another world would be coming to help train them in their abilities that they came into possession of. Although, seeing them in the flesh was unlike anything they thought they’d be like.

The same went for the humans from another world. The reality of being on another world, being asked to help teach alien strangers from said world, and finally meeting the ones they were meant to teach left them all a little stunned.

“I’d like to introduce you all to the experts who you were told about that are here to help you today,” Celestia began to speak, “I know that this is all very unusual, and the day that you all discovered your abilities was quite a shock, but these four young humans have graciously agreed their time to offer us their knowledge and tutelage in the matters related to conduits. You see, they, too, are conduits themselves and have far more experience in the use of their abilities and how to properly train with them than we could hope to provide you with.”

The Equestrian residents looked even more stunned by this, and all stared at the humans with even more awe. The humans all gave affirmative waves to convey their understanding. The ponies and griffons made glances between themselves nervously, not really sure how to respond in this situation.

Twilight spoke up next, “Hello. I know I’ve spoken with you all before, and I won’t take up too much time, so you can all fully introduce yourselves. Like Princess Celestia has already said, this is all very strange and new. However, I used to know one of these humans you see before you, and we even became friends. He’s told me all about his fellow conduits before you, and I can guarantee that you couldn’t be in more capable hoo- er... excuse me... hands.

“I know you all must be pretty eager to meet each other after so long. So, would anyone like to go first?”

Author's Note

And now we finally get to meet the Equestrian conduits, but wait! Not all of them are ponies! What kind of powers will they wield? I bet you're all dying to find out. Well, then, you'll all have to wait until later. Mwuhahaha! Ok, I'm not that evil, but it'll be roughly a week before the next chapter. See y'all then!

Many thanks to the proud editor Regreme for all his help as always. May Valhalla welcome him with a warrior's greeting when the world ends.

Also, I snuck a little nod to another inFamous crossover fic here on FimFiction, written by FrostTheWolf. I used to help edit a couple of chapters from his crossover when I was first starting out. My love for inFamous and My Little Pony was fully inspired by then. So, I just wanted to pay a little tribute. Hey, Frosty! Here's to you!