Boundary Point

The pivot was sharp and painful at the ball of his foot. But even without that, the warm sensation building up in him fervently gripped his stomach hard as the desire to spew his guts through the entrance gushed forward. Swallowing hard, Xavier kicked the exit to the library open and took two steps before falling down the stone stairs. Gagging for a second, Xavier rolled down the steps and landed in front of the library’s huge cement slab of a walkway, groaning as everywhere ached.

Twilight looked across the atrium and saw the one who responded was already out the door. Bucking at her seat, her notes scattered on the floor as Applejack returned from her tiny self-imposed exile.

“Gerald, I think you and I need to–” the earth pony said, only a meter or two away from the table as Twilight thrust forward and landed atop the marble floor with a strange grace.

Gerald held his hands up in the air as if he was being arrested, and turned to Applejack only to say, “I just asked her to sing!”

Twilight was already out of the café and nearly halfway across the atrium when Applejack’s eyes finally lit up, “My lasso!”

Gerald shook his head as he quickly grabbed the rope on the table and tossed it to Applejack like he was playing ring toss in a carnival, nearly hitting Applejack in the face. Applejack dodged it and quickly jumped through and pull the tight end by her tail. Letting the rest of the rope fall around her neck, a quick snap of the tail tightened it around the rest of her body and she took off after Twilight.

Xavier picked himself off the concrete and felt the wind rushing towards the student bookstore, only to keel over and vomit.

“Jesus fucking chri-“ another wave of nausea spewed forth as the clicking sounds of galloping hooves echoed across the yard. Taking the hint, Gerald ignored the mess on his beard and shirt and made his way past to the building across the walkway in front of the library, and through the glass doors ahead of him. Taking an immediate right, he entered into the student center and twisted himself into another aviary of books. The student textbook store was soaked in bleach white emanating from the walls as shelves aged with sun tan yellow lined the aisles. The scent of fresh paint nearly forced Xavier to pull over a second time, but he could feel the inner rush of his flight or fight system push back. For now, the sounds of a pursuing pony were stopped, as he was fairly sure that she was still outside.

Rushing past the snacks counter, he saw the door leading to the rear of the store with an employee’s only sign hanging by a chain in red welcoming him to violate the only rule written on it. Smashing through it, the door swung with a giant bang as three ponies who were working suddenly turned and watched as the human ran past them and through the inventory bay. A small half a meter drop surprised Xavier, losing his balance and rolling onto the worn cement beneath him. His arms thrust him back up as his feet lost friction for a second, forcing him to kick in the air before another attempt finally gripped the ground and he continued to run out of the loading bay and to the street ahead.

Twilight looked at the bookstore and blinked as she tried to figure out where the human had gone, narrowing her eyes, she scanned for a second before a voice behind her cried, “Is this what I think it is?”

Applejack pulled up beside Twilight as she finally heard a bang, shifting her gaze, she could see the aftereffects of a door slammed open, as the sign that said employees only was jiggling violently left and right. “Yes,” she finally answered before letting her rear hooves thrust her forward as her front legs extended at odd angles to prepare the running cycle.

“Shit,” Applejack muttered as she followed Twilight past the aisles of books and into the verboten section of the store. Three mares were looking at each other when they pivoted their heads in surprise yet again at the two new ponies in the back.

“Hey! This area is off-limits to–” one of them cried, but the pair simply ignored them as they ran toward the sound of a being hitting the ground. Running past the industrial shelves and untempered concrete, the two mares finally emerged outside the loading bay for the bookstore to see the human still very much beyond their reach, suddenly taking a turn right and disappearing.

“That’s him?” Applejack cried as she galloped next to Twilight.

“Yes.”

“Wait, you really got a human?!” screamed Applejack.

“Not now!” Twilight cried as her rear hooves pushed harder

“Ignoring the fact that it’s a human, why haven’t you just stopped him with your magic?” Applejack nearly screamed as the pair turned the corner.

“I’m trying not to scare him,” Twilight answered as she forced herself to go faster.

The two saw the human run past a statue of a unicorn who had made excessive donations to the school and into another building. Giving chase, Twilight and Applejack approached the building, only for Twilight to slam into a red crystal mare with blond mane and binoculars for a cutie mark who emerged from behind the statue.

"Oof," the crystal pony uttered, her head waving about.

Twilight also shook her head, and pulled herself up. "Sorry!" Twilight cried as she continued the chase, catching up with Applejack who was trying to keep herself between Twilight and the Human.

“He run like the wind the first time?” Applejack said as the two ran past the statue.

“Yes,” Twilight answered as she nearly ripped the door open with her magic and entered, only for another door and staircase to greet them. Both ponies looked up at the sounds of galloping body parts hitting against the stairs, and without a word, both of them began making their way up top. The sound of hooves against stone echoed through the tower as both ponies could hear the slam of another door being opened and shut.

“Right above us!” Twilight exclaimed as she pushed herself harder, even cutting Applejack off at the turn of the staircase.

“Damn it Twilight!” Applejack howled as the two finally reached the floor and moved swiftly through the door that had just been slammed closed. They could see the running figure of a bipedal beast at the far end of the hall as they entered. Then he entered into another door and disappeared behind it. Both mares felt the heat from the carpet beneath them as their hooves hit the floor padding. Applejack turned and saw Twilight’s horn start to glow as the sound of a pop crackled through the building, ending with a tiny smoke streak emanating from that same horn, like a tiny, blown out birthday cake candle.

“Rut, I forgot,” Twilight shook her head as her legs kept carrying her.

“Forget what?” Applejack cried.

“I was trying to teleport.”

The mares finally approached the door and quickly opened it only to find another staircase, but this time with only one direction to go: down. The two let gravity assist them as they continued, only for the sound of another door slam at the bottom of the building to ring out.

“We can’t be doing this! If it’s just us chasing him, he’s going to keep putting obstacles between us until he can get away!” Applejack choked out as the two finally hit the next floor.

“What can we do then?” Twilight turned to her friend briefly before returning to the world ahead of her.

“We’ve got to herd him. We’ve got to figure out some way to get him someplace where I can lasso him,” Applejack answered as her hooves at the ground with a crack. Both ponies finally reaching the bottom floor as Twilight twisted the door to the outside open with a flick of her head. Across a grassy knoll was the human, still running, still fleeing.

“He’s afraid! Whoever he is, he has no idea what’s going on,” Twilight countered. “Being cornered is just going to make things worse!”

“And what do you suggest? You lose him and fail your oath before it’s even begun?” Applejack said as she stepped on the grass.

Twilight shook her head as she could feel the air burn her lungs. Her hindquarters were on fire, and a deep part of her mind resonated with three words: fail your oath, “When I first came to Manehatten, Rarity encouraged me to come here on the weekends to help me adjust, right now he’s headed towards the history building. There’s only one exit in that one, and it’s in the rear.”

“So I’ll break off and head round back.”

“Exactly. I’ll go in and make sure he doesn’t try to leave through the way he came. The moment you lasso him, you need to calm him down!” Twilight snapped towards Applejack, “Since he’s human, he probably has no idea about Heartsong, so he’s panicking and afraid. And if we can’t calm him down, he’s just going to hurt himself!”

Suddenly, a gust of wind stopped everyone. Both Applejack and Twilight braced themselves, lowering their frames to the ground instinctually. Prying her eyes open, she could see the human was also stopped by the sudden gale that enveloped everyone. Dust and small debris flung and hit the two ponies, as Twilight slowly pushed forward with her hind legs and got parallel to Applejack. Focusing, her horn glowed and a translucent violet shield apparated. The two ponies could hear a voice ahead of them scream something furiously.

Then, as quickly as it came, the storm of wind suddenly died. Both ponies lunged forward for a moment, stunned. Applejack turned to Twilight and asked, “What in Tarnation?”

Twilight shook her head and dropped the shield. Looking ahead, she saw the human pick himself up off the ground and continue along his way. Her legs suddenly kicked in before her mind did and she gave chase, her hooves landing on the soft green grass with her friend right behind her.

The two continued at him until they saw him go into the History Building of his own volition, the door slamming shut. Both mares looked at each other, Twilight gave a nod as Applejack broke off and headed towards the rear of the building. She then ran to the main entrance, her magic pulling the door open, then closing it behind her with a bang.

The sound of the rapid running of scared prey echoed throughout the building as she stopped for a moment and looked around. She saw a student newspaper stand, constructed of thin wire. It was just enough to hold today’s papers up so that anypony could get one with ease. Twilight’s horn glowed yet again as she magically yanked the metal frame away from its charge. The air filled with the chaos of the day’s news, announcing the upcoming referendum as Twilight bit her lip and focused. Her horn glowed purple as she used her powers to warp and bend the metallic structure into several thick wires of metal, and quickly used it to tie the entrance door shut. Turning towards the greater building, she swallowed and thought, I really hope you don’t hold what I’m about to do against me.

Xavier heard the screeching bending of metal far behind him as once again the sensation of warmth resonated deep within him, only this time he steeled himself as the adrenaline pumping for him refused to stop for anything. The zigzagging of halls here reminded him of a labyrinth, if not for the signs above pointing towards different sections of the building. Cutting into a dark empty lecture hall, he threw himself behind a row of seats and froze, breathing in and out as he was able to finally catch his breath. In and out. In. And out. Finally, his heart responded to his lack of movement and itself teetered off.

I’ve got two on me now, one is a unicorn, but I couldn’t get a good look at the other one. Whatever the other one was, it didn’t fly, so it can’t be a Pegasus. Assume the worst and assume another unicorn. This means that unless I want to go down the route of deepest resistance, running is my only choice. They’re not good magic users, otherwise they would have done something by now. This means that at best, they can probably only lift up maybe 20 kg. Together that’s 40. So that means that they’re probably going to have to work together to pin me, and will have to hold me down via vital points. Xavier could still hear the breath leaving his lips, his arms shot up while he lay on the floor, covering his mouth to try and muffle the heavy breathing. They seem to have lost me now, this is my only chance to slip out. They’ll probably be guarding the entrance and exit, if I can find a window to slip out of…

Xavier’s inner monologue froze as he heard the soft clatter of hoofsteps echoing out the hallway. His eyes widening, he slowly pushed himself off the ground and poked his head above the rows of seats, discovering that there was another exit at the top of the lecture hall. Slowly lowering himself, he began to carefully crawl toward the subtle staircase that bifurcated the room.

Twilight kept her head down and her ears up. Taking a few steps, she froze and closed her eyes, focusing all of her attention towards her ears, hoping to pick up something, anything. But when no sound was picked up, she once again started clattering forward.

Maybe he already went out the exit? In that case, perhaps Applejack already got him? But if this is his first time here, he’s probably lost and confused. If Applejack’s got him, she can explain the situation to him. So I need to quickly scour the building. Twilight gulped, she remembered she had only been here once before and only knew of the entrance and exit due to having been lost here and a kindly secretary stallion having showed her the map on the first floor. Suddenly, her right ear picked up something: scratching. She slowly turned her head and saw a dark lecture hall, with several rows of high rising seats thrusting upward from the small opening of the room she could see from the door. Changing the position of her head several times, her ears rotating and folding, she finally confirmed that, whatever that sound was, it was indeed coming from the lecture hall.

Treading as softly as she could, Twilight entered the room. Closing her eyes, she called forth magic from the earliest years of her youth, the first piece of magic she learned on her own, and a soft, iridescent light gestated forward. Soon, like a lantern, it shone throughout her immediate area and she could finally see the color of the chairs and desks that populated the room: green. To her left, she could see a presentation table and the blackboard behind it, still with the six notable ages of Equus, with Pax Celestia above the final one, with a question mark right next to it. Twilight grunted as she quickly read its various arguments against the term ‘Pax’.

The 5 Unequal Treaties
Dissolution of the Griffin Clans
Colonization of the Badlands
Militarization of the Pegasi
The Suppression of the Diamond Dogs (still ongoing)
Anti-Human propaganda and Diplomacy Stance (recent and still ongoing)

Twilight sneered as she approached the board. Lifting up a piece of chalk, she edited the arguments and wrote:

The 5 Unequal Treaties
Dissolution Unification of the Griffin Clans
Colonization Taming of the Badlands
Militarization Conciliation of the Pegasi
The Suppression Protecting Innocent Ponies from the Diamond Dogs (still ongoing)
Anti-Human propaganda and Diplomacy Stance (recent and still ongoing)

Twilight raised her eye at the last one and tilted her head, then gave it a shake. She uttered, “Gereld is proof,” as she lifted the eraser with her magic and made the last statement on the board disappear. Shaking herself off from the dust that had accumulated on her coat because of her work, she turned and slowly trod up the stairs leading to the top of the auditorium. Each row she examined, one by one, in case her charge had concealed themselves behind a line of seats.

Soon three, then ten rows. She nearly reached the top as she heard a whistling sound above her head. Her ears folded, and she ducked before hearing the crashing of papers at the bottom of the auditorium. Instinctually, she shook herself off and ran towards the crash. Nearly stumbling down the stairs, she reached the bottom floor and slowly approached whatever had flown above her head. Narrowing her eyes, she discovered what had made the sound: a notebook with poorly drawn sketches of what she could only assume was the professor who taught in here looking like the caricature of a buffoon. Suddenly, the sound of a latch being unhitched emanated from the top of the dark auditorium as light spilled forth and she caught a glimpse of something running out the door.

Xavier’s heart rushed again as he charged out the door and into the hall. Signs advertising the faculty offices hung from the doors down the passageway, and at the end was the stairwell leading down. Noticing the smooth railing, he jumped and tried to land on it, only for him to bounce off and land on the stairs, his ass taking a perpendicular hit to the bone. The sound of rushing hooves echoed as he pushed off the steps and used the angle of the stairs to get back on his 2 feet quickly. Making an immediate turn and going down, he could see the entrance and rushed three steps before the sight of cruel twisted metal jamming the door shut made itself known.

Without thinking, he ran the other way, as opposed to the way he had just taken minutes ago. Soon he was forced to take another left and right as he felt like he was circumnavigating the building. The sounds of the unicorn rushing him pushed him forward as he saw a door with a window to the outside. Grunting, he kicked the door open and tumbled down the stone stairway. Picking himself up and stumbling, he could hear the crunching of a scant few leaves beneath him as he ran past the tree and saw something tan eclipse his vision for only a second. Running, he only got a 10 second head start when suddenly, with the sound of the tang of a rope being pulled taut, his legs rushed forward as his body fell behind. The back of his head slamming against the ground, he let out a cry as he tried to move his left arm, only to discover it was pinned against the rope. His right one was free and assisted him in pushing himself back up when he saw several meters away that he was fettered by a tan earth pony wearing a cowboy hat, and clinching a rope in her mouth.

Twilight emerged from the history building as the image of Applejack having caught the human with her lasso made her heart sink. Still heaving from the trickery the human performed, she cantered towards Applejack as the Element of Honesty was trying to slowly reel the human in. The man was struggling hard, almost looking panicked when suddenly he lifted his head and looked up, away from the two, as if trying to talk to someone behind him. However, despite the distance, Twilight could swear she saw a flash of yellow in the human’s eyes. He turned to scream something, almost begging for help from something behind him, although he was only shouting to a grassy knoll and empty patch of air.

“Applejack, there’s something not right about–” Twilight froze as her mane suddenly flew back. Turning to look at the human again, a strong gale pushed both ponies back. The trees shook violently as Twilight again, lowered her frame and tried to glance up, but the tiny grits of sand and dust hitting her eyelids were too much. The howling of the wind was enough to force her ear’s to fold back. She took a step back when the sound of a thwack and sudden pain hit her side. Casting the shield spell again, she turned and saw that it was Applejack’s rope that had hit her, with her still holding on as the dust enveloped her. Moments passed as she kept her focus on the spell when the wind finally died down. The end of the rope finally touched the ground again, and it was just as what the most academic part of her whispered to her beforehand: The human was gone.

“So you were eating a bag of chips when he mumbled something, and then was chased out the library by a purple unicorn and a tan earth pony?” Jade closed her eyes as she stopped walking in Prof. Quill’s office, her teeth visible as she gritted them, “And you didn’t think to follow them?”

“Jade,” the professor sat in one of his office’s chairs away from the desk, “What did you expect me to do? Chase after them like a mad pony? I’ve seen what my son can do with magic, at best, I would’ve been an obstacle to fling in the air.”

“I expected you to keep the human safe,” she replied.

“No, you only said to make sure he stayed on campus. You said nothing about trying to retrieve him from Kingdom agents, though I doubt they were even that,” Quill gazed lackadaisically at his interrogator.

“I should’ve known better than to leave him with the stallion,” Jade muttered as she paced and turned the couch. “If it were a mare, she would’ve done everything in her power to ensure his safety.”

“That’s not fair!” Quill glowered. “You’re asking me to go against unicorn magic, the chase was over for me before it even began.”

“And now it’s very possible he is in the clutches of the Kingdom. Explain to me how you’re going to justify that when an inevitable hearing is called,” Jade spat out.

“I’ll tell you what I’ll do,“ Quill straightened his back and looked Jade in the eyes. “I’ll tell them exactly what I told you. Then if they ask why I did nothing, I’ll tell them of the time I got to personally watch a subjugated unicorn pluck the wings from a Griffin in front of my eyes.”

Jade’s ears sharply folded away and she took a half step back. Grunting, she turned away from Prof. Quill, biting her lower lip. She approached the door and swiveled her head back around, glaring at the professor. “You best hope for both of our sakes that the Kingdom hasn’t detained him and I find him,” she said as she pushed open the door and left.

As soon as the door clicked closed, Quill straightened his neck, frowned, exhaled, and then suddenly slumped. Picking himself up from the chair, he meandered to the back of the desk and got behind it, laying his head on the mahogany finish that adorned the writing station. In front of him, he noticed a letter that was folded, but not shut. Picking himself back up, he bent it open and began to read.