Boundary Point

Twilight woke up as she could smell the stench of drool emanating from the side of her mouth. Slowly rousing herself, she lifted her front leg and wiped off her mouth. Shaking her head, she plopped herself up, and Twilight saw that she was covered by a blanket. Folding the blanket the best she could, she left it atop her sleeping spot as Twilight slipped down, taking the boutique stairs. Her ears suddenly shot right, strange sounds of breaking and yelling could be heard. At the bottom of the staircase, Twilight could see Rarity staring out the window with her ears at attention. And next to her was a saddlebag that looked like it could reach from her shoulders, all the way to the end of her rump.

“That looks like one of the saddlebags our troops would carry only…” Twilight looked out the same window as Rarity, there were ponies running down the street. “A lot more baggage room…” Twilight said as she parked aside Rarity. Looking at the window, she took a step back as she saw rioters on the street. At the far end, one mare bucked in the door to a standalone shop, while at the other end, two unicorns were making away with as much jewelry as they could wrap around themselves and levitate. “Rarity, what’s going o-”

“I spent months making those dreadful bags. I hated every second of it, but not because I was making the bags. But because the war made me make those bags,” Rarity remained staring out the window.

“Rarity, what’s going on?” Twilight said uneasily.

Rarity just stood, staring. Her blue mane jiggled a little, and every few moments, her tail would swish. “Not a parade, that’s for sure.”

Twilight looked on as a giant Earth Pony mare bucked a post office box, busting it open and sending letters and small packages flying, “Wait, is that why you were up last night?”

Rarity nodded, “I tried to find you yesterday when I was convinced something like this might happen. It was just rumors. First time, I brushed it off as something said in the heat of the moment. Then a friend of a patron repeated it. Word for word almost.”

Twilight turned to Rarity, “What time is it?”

“About 9,” Rarity said, turning to Twilight. “Do you still plan on going?”

Twilight’s ears folded back as she nodded, “If I don’t, I might lose him for good. Even if he doesn’t show up at first, it’s the only place I know he might be at.”

Rarity nodded, “I can make sure that you make it a block or two from here, but after that I have to come back and hold down the fort. If I don’t, and those hooligans will burn the place down, it’s not just me that suffers. My employees and patrons will suffer too.”

“I understand,” Twilight turned and walked towards her saddlebag. She lowered her head and crawled beneath its hard arch before pushing past it and standing up. Suddenly, she could feel a firm tightness wrap around her stomach as the strap connecting the bottom of the two arcs contracted. “Whoa–”

“A little piece of inscription work from one of my suppliers. That should keep you going until you get that dreadful ring off your horn,” Rarity said, still looking outside.

“Rarity, this is fo-”

“Twilight,” Rarity snapped her head to her friend, “Do not presume you can lecture me on this matter. Until you can get that awful ring off your horn, you need every advantage you can get.”

“But Celestia,” Twilight started.

“Twilight,” Rarity finally turned her body in full towards her friend. “Maybe as a lower royal that has lived a pampered life in Canterlot, you have the luxury of saying no to such help. But a common mare like myself?” Rarity leered at Twilight with her ears dipped, “Ever since you’ve arrived, you’ve needed my help. I still help pay your rent and will be taking it on until I can move all your books out. I helped get you that job at the bookstore. Not only that, but I have been patient and understanding with you. So, I will absolutely not tolerate such a sanctimonious attitude, especially from you.” Rarity lifted her head high, “Especially from a mare personally banished by Celestia herself. Do I make myself clear?”

Twilight took a step back and lowered her head, “Rarity…”

“Rarity what?” the white unicorn raised an eye.

“I just don’t want to see you hurt or worse, if that kind of magic,” Twilight started to say, turning her head towards the saddlebag she wore.

“I won’t, and neither will you. Humans have a good grasp of that kind of magic,” Rarity said, then let out a laugh. “Maybe that’s why you resonate with that human in particular, to compliment you on the parts of magic you’re too afraid to use.”

Twilight groaned when Rarity spoke up.

“If you are so worried about the prefabricated inscription I used, leave it. I would rather give my hours of hard work to somepony who can appreciate it than one like you who will call my work cursed and ditch it as soon as I was out of sight,” Rarity frowned.

Twilight nodded and stepped forward. She could feel her hips rubbing against the soft, smooth outer layer of the saddlebag, covering her stars. The strap around her belly felt like it tightened and loosened itself with each step she took. It weighed almost as much as it did before Rarity’s modifications, but her shoulders could feel the pressure of the extension that was attached pushing down.

“So you won’t ditch it?”

Twilight shook her head.

“Thank you,” Rarity said, closing her eyes and giving a nod. “I know it’s difficult, but I promise you, all it does is ensure that it’s always just tight enough to make sure it won’t fall or slip off. It won’t explode, and it won’t summon demons.”

Twilight turned to the window once again to see more mares and now some griffins and dragons were running about as well, “What happened?”

“The referendum,” Rarity said as she started opening up Twilight’s pockets and double-checking them. “As far as I can tell, the pro-kingdom supporters are claiming that they were being refused entry, though there are shouts on the street it was the other way around,” Rarity said, closing the pockets. “I put some extra bits in your left front most pocket. If something bad happens, I’ve sewn some extra bits between the skirt and the anti-chafing layer. Though, if it comes down to that, the saddlebag will ride you raw, so you’ll need to do something to prevent that or, let’s hope it doesn’t come to this, you’ll just have to abandon it. Or if you get your magic back by then, you can come up with some sort of fix yourself.”

Twilight nodded, “Thank you so much Rarity. I couldn’t have made it in this city without you.” Twilight approached Rarity and gave her a hug with her left leg.

“It’s no problem darling, let’s get you on the road, and I promise you that the moment this vandalism dies down, I’m going to get your books and they’ll be safe with me.”

Rarity looked out the window one more time, a small human ran by and threw a rock at the display of a vacation planner. It sailed straight through, hitting the cardboard cutout of a mare levitating a drink, winking with the words, ‘This vacation was to die for!’.

“Your Eques,” Rarity said. “You think he’ll have any difficulty getting to the train station? A human-stallion by himself, he is likely to wander off or get distracted by the chaos.”

Twilight let out a grunt and rolled her eyes, “He was able to avoid me for three days in a row, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was sleeping through all this racket.”

The crash of glass rang out across the room as a tree limb on fire thrust forth from the window into the depths of the hotel room, jolting Xavier up in a scream, “The fuck?”

It sat there on the wooden floor, slowly billowing smoke as Xavier rolled over on the other side of the bed, and quickly pushed himself up.

“The fuck?” Jade’s voice dully rang out from the restroom. “What in Tartarus happened?”

Xavier kept his distance from the long burning branch as more and more smoke and fire engulfed the room. Xavier coughed up for a moment before glancing at the window, and glancing back at the mare behind him.

“Get me out of here now!” The Crystal pony pounded on the barrier.

“Fuck, fuck…” Xavier exclaimed as he looked between the window that had been shattered and the pony trapped in the bathroom behind him. The fire kept raging in front of him and soon spread to other parts of the room, catching the curtains on fire as well. The human clenched his fists for a moment before relaxing, finally muttering out loud, “A little help, please…”

But nothing happened. The fire kept raging and the smoke kept billowing.

“A little help? What are you doing? Break this inscription now!” The Crystal pony slammed her hooves against the magical wall behind him.

“Look, I’m sorry for what happened at the university, so please… A little help?”

“What do you think I’m trying to—”

“Oh, fuck you!” Xavier screamed as red flashed in his eyes. “I hope Scootaloo lets you rot! You indignant fuck! This is why I never ask for your fucking help! Either you completely ignore me, or you go fucking overboard! I ask for your help, instead of keeping two ponies away from me, you call in a dust storm that almost sweeps me away! I ask for your help, and you let Thunderclaw die! I ask for your help, and instead you get so pissy at me wearing a parachute that you fucking try to mangle me and toss me into that forsaken pit! I wish I never danced at that temple! Letting the Zebra keep hitting their heads trying to figure out how to talk to you while you watch the world pass on by! Some fucking aspect you are! Even Celestia, even after everything she’s done, was right to suppress information on you and your cohort! At least Beheianir understands that they might have to give out a gentle helping hand every on-”

Suddenly, everything flew out the window. Xavier fell on his ass as smoke was being sucked out and the fire whipped violently as it began to go out part by part. Xavier grabbed the door frame with one arm and covered his face with his other arm as more of the room flew out. Jade was pulled, only for the barrier to catch her. Turning, she saw the human grabbing onto the door frame with both arms. A flash of yellow glinted across his wide green eyes as they stared at the Crystal Pony. The alarm clock hit the side of the window, letting out a ring as it flew out the window. Then it was followed by the drapes, the pillows, all sucked up through the window. Then, as soon as it started, the wind died down.

Xavier suddenly fell to the ground, and let out a sharp grunt. Picking himself up, he wobbled as he fell back down and heaved, laying on the floor unmoving, “T~thank you.”

Xavier picked himself back up and approached the large tree limb. It still had some leaves on it, but the end was ripped, twisted off. Bending over, he placed his fingers across three deep, fresh pits.

Xavier stood up and said, “Drago-” when a loud bang emanated from the shattered window. A giant thrust of wind striked the human, slamming him against the wall of the hotel as he let out a shriek, then another yelp as gravity took over and he rag dolled against the counter, then the floor.

“What in the Aurora Lights was…” Jade uttered as Xavier pushed himself up and looked at the window. He stayed motionless as the ripped window curtains danced gently. He breathed in and out. In. And out, as he watched the torn fabric flutter. Slowly, the curtains began to relax. The rabid rocking to and fro slowly simmered. The ravaged feathering of the curtains then let gravity take hold. A pendulum motion formed. Back half a second. Forward less than half a second. Finally, everything froze.

The human twisted his head back to the floor and slowly forced himself up. Standing on two legs once again, he patted himself down, then touched the back of his head and checked his gloved hand. Shaking his head, he grabbed the once burned tree limb and moved it all the way towards the window. Approaching his bag, he picked it up off the ground and off the wooden leg it caught onto in the windstorm and looked around the area before putting it back down. He grabbed the wrapped, long package that had hooked itself on the doorknob and laid it against his bag. Turning to the window, he crept towards it, maneuvering around the branch as the sounds of screaming and hoof steps slowly reverberated through the room. Outside there was a cavalcade of ponies of all kinds, running crisscross across the street as various debris flew about. Small groups pooled together and worked either to destroy something or stand back as one or two ponies were ravaging property.

He saw three dragons, a huge one flanked by two smaller ones, ripping the limbs off a tree and lighting it on fire. The large one pulled his arm back as he threw another inflamed spear at the hotel.

“Shit.”

“Well… Let me out! I’ll get you to safety, then we can worry about everything else.” Jade shouted from the bathroom.

Xavier turned to Jade and then turned back to the window. He began to pace, as the fingers on his gloved hands started flicking up and down. His eyes looked left and, then right, then left again before turning back to Jade for a moment, and approached his backpack. Digging, he pulled out the small, stubby knife from earlier. Twisting his head, he gazed at Jade. His right eye was nearly devoid of color. There was only white and black when he turned and faced her, the knife extending from his hand.

“Xavier…” Jade glanced up at him.

The human slowly walked towards the barrier, his face still. Both eyes wide open. He stood facing Jade, staring at the emerald green pony as rage slowly crept through her face.

“You try, and I promise you, you will wish-”

Xavier fell, kneeling to the ground as he scraped the floor with his knife. Sparks flew as he quickly scratched line after line of the inscription. The ambit connecting the words sparked as he flailed about. Red and green shimmered across the magic veil when Xavier stopped and stood up.

“Thank you, fucking finally,” Jade exhaled. She took a step forward and crimson light stopped her, “Um, excuse me, that didn’t take it the fuck down!”

“I know,” Xavier said as he walked back to his bag, depositing the knife. Strapping it and the covered object on, he turned to the mare. “I’ve sabotaged the timing mechanism. Three minutes Jade, three minutes is all I can spare. The moment it falls, take the stairs down and just leave. I will not be in the building,” Xavier walked over to the bed and, bending with his knees, lifted it up sideways and rolled it over to the shattered window, laying it against the square hole.

“Why? Just let me out, dammit!”

“I don’t want to see you dead, but at the same time, I’ve got business to attend to. After the barrier breaks down, I’d recommend heading back to the consulate. Though, if the rioters are pro-kingdom…” Xavier turned to Jade, “You’re a smart pony, you’ll figure it out.”

“Xavier!” Jade screeched, “You do this, and you’ll be deported!”

“Oh zip it.” Xavier rolled his eyes. “You think vague threats of deportation concern me?” Xavier walked out the door, “Frankly, given all that’s happened the last 24 hours, I’d welcome it. But unfortunately for the both of us, I have an obligation to see through. I will not let the others suffer as I have, soooo toodles.” Xavier waved goodbye to the Crystal pony as he walked out the door and into the hotel hallway.

Twilight and Rarity raced down the street as smoke rose from several sightlines. The sound of the crowd working together at destroying reverberated across the block, and the scent of ash hung in the air. The two ran past four dragons that were dragging out carpets from a dealer, while a group of Pegasi smashed open windows on high-rises and dragged out valuables. Down at the opposite end of the street, three unicorns were working together to rip the bricks from a building, having little luck.

“It was going to happen eventually,” Rarity said as she followed Twilight down another alley. “While most of the city was for the secession, my wealthier clients weren’t. And the plans they talked about during fitting sessions? I honestly thought it was just idle conversation.”

Twilight turned to Rarity as they ran, “I don’t understand, did they actually do something?”

“Maybe,” Rarity said as she leapt over a passed out Griffin. “But I didn’t think it would happen at first. But then I heard it again, this time from the other side.”

“Wait, so you heard it from both sides?” Twilight shot back.

Rarity nodded, “You have to understand, some are afraid of returning to Canterlot. They built their wealth off of its absence. While others, while not destitute, lost a lot. Both sides want to make sure they come out on top.”

“But I thought the city wants to stay seceded, I think. Any tax revenue they gain doesn’t have to be sent back to Canterlot,” Twilight said.

“Right, most of the politicians are fine with the current status quo, but again, there are powerful ponies who found themselves on the wrong side of the border when the referendum passed.”

“I think Peppermint might have been one of them. Sometimes I hear her talking to our more wealthy patrons, but she’s more worried about profits than returning to the kingdom,” Twilight said, turning the corner. Suddenly, Twilight felt a tug on her tail as she suddenly scooted backwards and back into the alley. “What th-”

“Shhh…” Rarity said as she lowered her profile and motioned towards the mare that was off center in the middle of the thoroughfare. Rarity whispered to Twilight, “What’s that?”

Twilight angled her face and tilted her head. She could see a unicorn whose horn broached her mane and a small red orb hovering above her. It churned with fire, a low rumbling hum emanated forth as its light shone brighter than even the sun above. Then both Twilight and Rarity could see that the orb was growing larger and larger as the low hum gradually erupted into a roar.

“It’s a scorched-earth spell, if I had to give a guess, she plans on charging that thing up as much as she can and running, it will spit fireballs in every direction without her having to be there.” Twilight turned to Rarity, “She plans on burning the entire neighborhood down.”

“There has to be something we can do, I know at least a fourth of the shop owners on the street alone! They’ll be ruined,” Rarity said as she lifted her front legs up and down anxiously. “I don’t suppose you learned any kind of counter spells that could stop it, right?”

“Ignoring the ring on my horn? I would have to figure out the exact spell she’s using, and use the exact counter spell to negate it. But no one studies counter spells because if you make the wrong call and cast the incorrect counter spell, it makes things worse.” Twilight kept staring at the mare as the orb continue to grow.

“Can I just throw something at her horn?” Rarity asked as she lifted a discarded glass bottle.

“Only if you want to accidentally kill her, she’s too deep into the spell, stopping her now might make it just go pop,” Twilight shook her head. Looking around, her eyes widened.

“Rarity, do you see that store with the long cloth covering overhead?” Twilight turned to her friend.

“You mean the awning?”

“Yes, while the spell is still small, if we can cover it with something, when it goes pop, most of the heat and fire will be contained within the cloth.”

Rarity nodded as she thrust herself onto the street, deftly ripping the cloth roofs from their hooks with her magic. The long thick fabric flew over to the growing fire orb and from beneath, was quickly wrapped up and topped off with an elegant knot.

“What the-” the unicorn mare under the spell gusted out when suddenly a loud bang filled the street and the enclosed spell suddenly expanded like a balloon, then contracted as the textile erupted into flame. Breaking from her position, the unicorn ran before the molten textiles could pour on top of her.

“Who the Tartarus-” the mare looked around, only for a garbage can to catch her on the left. She quickly turned to see Rarity with a wooden outdoor table for two floating in midair and primed for release. “Okay, okay, lets dan-” the mare was interrupted for a final time as Twilight’s rear hooves bucked into her skull. The mare caught some airtime before returning down to the earth, knocked out.

“You know, you’ve always had a strong buck for a unicorn,” Rarity said, turning to Twilight.

“Quickly, let’s hide her before we continue,” Twilight said as she walked over to the unicorn she just kicked.

“Just a curiosity, is there anything we can do to make sure she can’t cast a spell? At least until the riot is over,” Rarity asked as she hovered the mare behind some bushes.

“Not unless you can give her this black ring of mine,” Twilight rolled her eyes. “The only other option is amputation or cracking her horn, but…”

“Of course, I wouldn’t do that to another unicorn,” Rarity nodded. “It’s just that we can’t be sure she won’t do something before then. You’ll be gone, and I’ll be holding down the fort, so to say.”

“Maybe if you see any police on the way back, you can let them know,” Twilight looked around, still watching the vandalism. She turned to Rarity with a frown, “I’m so sorry to have to leave you like this.”

“Darling, I know that if our positions were switched, you would do the same for me. Take some advice from a mare who has dealt with a few humans here and there. Where they come from, anything that walks on four legs are seen as ether pets, livestock, or beasts, so you are going to have something of an uphill battle. They may have canines, but they can subsist well off bread and vegetables. Finally, they’re not as predatory as rumors have you believe. They don’t need to hunt every fullmoon, and if two or more of them interact, they don’t fall into a bloodlust.”

“Thanks Rarity,” Twilight nodded and gave her friend a hug. “The moment I find somewhere safe, I’ll send you a letter.”

“Good, now get out of here before the city gets worse.”

Twilight gave her friend another hug and a head nod before turning and running down the street and towards the train station.

The doors to the small bank swung open as Xavier walked past the polished oak and green leather furniture. Several ponies at their desks glanced up at him only to glance down back at the work they were trying to do. Most of them were Crystal ponies, however the odd unicorn here and there also did work, while two earth ponies guarded the safe. Winding through a chain-link queue, Xavier arrived at the only teller that was currently not enraptured in gossip.

“Right, I need to make a transfer from my accounts to an account at the Manehatten University credit union,” Xavier said as he looked behind him and tapped his fingers repeatedly on the oak counter in front of the Golden Crystal pony.

“Okay, fill this out please,” the teller glanced up at him as the human kept an eye behind him. Xavier took the slip and quickly filled it out, sliding it back over to the mare in front of him.

“All right,” the teller quickly folded the paper and slid down a slot on the counter. “Anything else?”

“Yes, I need to make a withdrawal,” Xavier’s fingers tapped faster as he flashed a plastic smile.

“Is everything okay, Sir?” the teller raised her eyes as she slid another piece of paper over.

“Yes, yes, everything is great!” Xavier shot a strain smile towards the teller as he filled out the piece of paper. Sliding it back over to the mare, she lifted an eye as she skimmed it.

“That’s quite a bit to carry,” the teller shuffled beneath the counter as a yellow light shone from a bulb right next to her, then she slipped the paper into another slot. She pulled out several stacks of paper bits and counted, pulling from each stack and placing it into a new stack.

“10, 20, 30…”

Xavier’s fingers tapped faster and faster as he looked behind him. The mare looked up and stopped.

“Is everything okay, sir?”

“Sorry,” Xavier glanced to his left. “I’ve got to get this money to purchase some,” Xavier looked up for a second, “Flank uh, uh…”

“Flank paint?” the teller said, as another mare pulled to the site of her, her yellow face sharp and green mane tied up in a tight bun.

“Yes, that’s the one! Yeah, if I don’t get this to my uh,” Xavier shook his head. “Wife, she’s going to impale me…”

The teller froze as the second mare raised an eye. The two looked at each other before slow turning their gaze at Xavier, “Wife huh? Which brand Sir?” the second mare asked as she raised an eyebrow.

“Ha ha ha, you know…paintatento or whatever.” Xavier glanced back as his eyes widened. The front windows of the bank suddenly shattered as a park bench rolled forward, and two unicorns charged in behind it.

Xavier quickly glanced back behind him, where the other two employees were still staring at the chaos. Lunging forward, he grabbed as many bits as he could claw and dashed forth out the front door.

“What the-” the teller shouted.

“Guar-!” the other mare screamed before more ponies poured in.

Paper bits flew out from Xavier as he finally started stuffing what he could into his pockets. Glancing behind, he could see two members of the bank giving chase after him. Grabbing a handful of cash in one pocket he had, he turned and chunked it at the ponies. They immediately stopped and tried to get what bits they could as Xavier rounded the corner and disappeared from the main street.

The human hid behind a dumpster for a moment as he caught his breath. The stench of mildew and fake cheese serenaded the air as Xavier began patting himself down. Pulling the money he stole from his pockets, he quickly ordered it into four large rolls and a small one. Then he stuffed one in his left pocket, two deep into his backpack. Taking the last large one, he divided it into two and folded the two. Taking off his shoes one at a time, he stuffed the billfolds in and laced up. Finally, he took his bandana off and took the small one, unrolled it and placed it between the cloth’s folds. Placing the wrapping around his head, a black and purple bruise still gracing it, he quickly tied it, both tails now dangling once again behind him.

Taking a moment to breathe in and out once more, he ran down the alley way to the other end, glancing down the new street. More chaos. He saw two earth ponies both jumping into a shattered storefront window, while a Griffin flew out another store window with jewelry enveloping them. He even saw two humans, a woman and man, rushing out of a liquor store with several bottles in hand.

Peering even further down the street, he could see a general storefront sign with ponies running in and out. Double-checking to make sure his shoes were tied, Xavier pulled out an elastic piece of cloth from his backpack and quickly wrapped his mouth and nose beneath it. Securing his backpack and covered goods, the human sprinted down the street, avoiding oncoming denizens of Equus. Taking a sharp left, he jumped through the doorway and took a quick look at the dark store.

Several ponies were zooming back and forth. Picking an aisle and running, he soon came across the few meager traveling supplies the store even had. A glass case was smashed, revealing, among other goods, two black flasks with a cartoon hoof and a sparkle. Swiping the two bottles of lacquer, he stuffed them in his backpack before running and stumbling for a moment. In front of him were rows and rows of baby unicorn bindings. A giant cartoon sign showed a herd of earth ponies exhausted from trying to keep a baby unicorn under control, with the panel next to it showing the binding on its horn, with the baby suckling a bottle of milk as the herd looked on with smiles. Xavier pulled his bag off his back and started stuffing what he could. His bag hit near maximum size, despite him trying to stuff more in. Grimacing, he swung the bag on his back and tightened it, leaving the bindings he could not throw in there on the floor. He ran deeper into the store when his face met the floor, having accidentally tripped over an earth pony who was carrying rock candy in her mouth.

Xavier stumbled up as the mare made a glancing buck, missing the human entirely and smashing a display full of dandelions. Yellow flowers flew into the air and into a Pegasus who was carrying coats on her spine. Startled, she crashed, and hit the ground with a loud bang as Xavier caught his balance and ran deeper into the store.

Then the familiar color of pink rose around him. Looking around the makeup section, there were several mares grabbing what they could and running. Two mares, however, were in a tug of war: one had her teeth on a basket while the other who was blue coated and silver maned was pulling it with her magic. In the middle, however, Xavier could see it: a sleeve of Pentimento.

Xavier picked up two vials of eyeshadow and took 3 deep breaths and ran at the pair. Throwing the vials at both, he hit both. The earth pony looked around with her eyes confused as the Unicorn let go, launching the goods in the basket in the air. Xavier caught the Pentimento and ran as the Earth Pony frantically tried to pick up what fell on the ground. Tucking it in between his arms like a football, Xavier’s legs slammed on the ground as he pushed himself forward, out the store and back on the cobblestone walkways.

Four earth mares were working together to take down a gazebo, several Pegasi in the sky trying to get a gang of griffins grounded by constantly zooming above their heads. A single unicorn was rushing out of the music shop with three small instrument cases. Then at the very end of the street, he saw two dragons with many stacks of newspapers. They quickly crumbled one, lit it on fire, and tossed it into a building. Xavier shook his head as he looked around, trying to gain his bearings. Before long, he could see the same green buildings that led to the train station and immediately turned towards them, only to feel a tug on his left shoe. Falling, Xavier let go of the flank paint as he forced his front two limbs to protect his head. He tumbled for two entire rolls before pushing himself back up and seeing the perpetrator being the blue coated and silver maned unicorn whom he threw eyeshadow at earlier.

“You think your kind can just waltz into our world and just ruin everything?” The mare said as a look of disgust covered her face. Her horn glowed a faint blue as she lifted the flowerpot next to her and shot it at Xavier. The human covered his face with his bound arms and took the hit, stumbling a few steps back as he let out a hiss.

“Hey, hey, hey, I’m just looking to get out of the city. So if you just let me go, you’ll never see me again,” Xavier shot a smile at the unicorn who kept her focus on the human in front of her. Suddenly, her horn glowed again as she shot another flowerpot at Xavier. Striding to his left, Xavier suddenly closed the distance between him and the unicorn while she had a garbage can held aloft in the air. His right arm shot out, his thumb tightly held in the fist of his hand, and fired it, slamming it against the mare’s horn.

The garbage can fell as the mare screamed and took three steps back, falling on her hind legs. She lowered her head and hissed. Pivoting on his heel, Xavier scooped up the Pentimento and once again took off, rushing down the primary thoroughfare as the sun kept rising in the sky, shining down on the city erupt with flame.