[@MorphinBrony 4U] Canterlot, USA. A humble abode of a small city that sits within the Rocky Mountains, surrounded by precious scenery and a lively atmosphere. Previously, it had experienced a sudden surge within the crime-rate that ended in the literally explosive confrontation and destruction of the former syndicate, the Pink Cloud. Over a week had passed, and since then, the boys and girls of Canterlot High School would come back to celebrate after a relaxing weekend. However, a terror was about to emerge that would jeopardize more then just the academic education....
----- "Wow, I didn't know you were such a closet nerd, Dash." Circuit Breaker was almost in awe at what surrounded him, partly out of jealousy, partly out of admiration, and partly out of surprise. Rainbow Dash's bedroom was, predictably, lined with posters of professional athletes and sports cars, and covered in sports and military memorabilia. However, tucked away in the corner was a gaming computer that many e-sport players would give up their live savings just to own, with more games than anyone would reasonably know what to do with. On the shelves were various fiction books; running the gamut from the Daring Do and Harry Potter novels, to A Song of Ice and Fire and Star Wars novels, all the way to Advanced Dungeons and Dragons and Warhammer 40,000 guidebooks. "Eh, it's nothing to really be ashamed of, I know," said Rainbow Dash meekly. Rainbow Dash looked outside her bedroom window, her yellow 1988 Chevrolet Camaro parked on the streets below. "It's definitely been an eventful past five months, hasn't it?" said Circuit with a slight chuckle.
"Ah! Careful...." Crimson Lionheart was leaning over the edge of his sofa, having some of his injuries attended to. In the room was Pinkamena Diane Pie, otherwise known as Pinkie Pie, reapplying a bandage around his stomach and arms. Fortunate enough to survive such a monsterous incident that had happened last week, it was now recovering from something that should have killed him many times over. He was lucky to even walk again, much less like a normal person, after having his legs crushed by falling rock. He wasn't even close to 100%. He was perhaps close to 60%, if he was lucky. Pinkie Pie was especially careful in reapplying the bandages, and a single band-aid. "Sorry Crim! I couldn't really avoid that part" Pinkie apologised. "Now....this might sting a little. Stay still and think happy thoughts." "What do yo-OW OW OW!!!" Crimson winced as a bandage was wrapped around a very nasty wound on the side of his ribs. Pinkie was trying to be as successful as possible, and even if she wasn't a doctor, she knew enough medical information to help Crim. Even if all she knew was very basic medical knowledge. Another woman came around the corner with a tray of drinks, dressed in a lime green sweater. Her bright yellow hair waving with every step. "Lemonade?" Winter asked with a happy smile.
"Yes, thanks," said Crimson as he took a glass. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie got a text message. It was from Sunset Shimmer, a friend of hers. Her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, Crim, I hate to leave at a time like this," said Pinkie, with a concerned look on her face, "but Sunset just texted me, and it's super-duper important that I go see her right now!" "Are you sure, mate?" asked Crim, also worried. "Absolutely positive," said Pinkie. "I'll see you tomorrow!" And she left out the door. "Wow, she was in a hurry, huh?" said Winter, "Here, let me finish what she started, sweetie." "Thanks, Mum." ---- Suddenly, Rainbow Dash got a text from Sunset at around the same time. "Oh, dear," she whispered. "Listen, Circuit, I'll be right back. I have to go see Sunset, and it's really important. Be sure to look after Tank while I'm gone," she added, pointing to her pet turtle. "Okay, gotta go." And she was out the door. I wonder what that was all about, though Circuit.
Pinkie Pie sped towards where Sunset Shimmer had gathered as fast as she possibly could. During the past five months, she was lucky enough to have attained her drivers licence and received one of her family's older cars that they never sold. That car happened to be a 1996 Honda Civic. And with Crim being relatively close by to the school, it was really a five minute trip to where Sunset had asked her to gather up. The other girls seemed to have made it to the statue of the schooo, despite it being a weekend. But from view, Pinkie seen somebody familiar talking to the rest of the girls. "TWILIGHT!!!" Pinkie cried out. "IS THAT YOU?"
The purple girl jumped, as she was startled by Pinkie's yelling. "Yes, Pinkie," Twilight sighed. "It's me." Rainbow Dash pulled up not too long after. "Hey Twi, it's been a while," she said. Rainbow Dash knew, however, that if Twilight was here, something was seriousky wrong. "What's the problem?"
"Well...." Twilight frowned before shaking her head. "Something terrible has come up across the Portal. Equestria has seen the largest epidemic of the Phoenicopterus Esculentus, which is the scientific term of something really nasty that's been happening in the Badlands. There was a huge population growth of this species which hadn't been seen in centuries, which is fortunate considering how isolated the natural environmental habitat and the resilence of a pony's mind can be ag-" "Um...Twilight?" Sunset Shimmer patted the humanoid princesses shoulder. "English?" Twilight didn't understand what the word meant, although she kinda figured that she had gone overboard. "Oh! Sorry!" Twilight said before clearing her throat. "Basically, Equestria has a native animal which well...for a simpler term, are just called Mind Worms. These are brain parasites that are roughly the size of a Terran Caterpillar although slightly wider in width. They infect a pony and almost mimic their movements, mannerisms, absorb their memories and do all sorts of terrible things. It would be as if you are under total mind-control from these worms. Fortunately for Equestria, they have a very isolated habitat that is far away from society, and a relatively high immune rating of about 1 out of 12 ponies per the population." Sunset kept following through with her. "Do you think that Mind Worms have slipped through the portal into the real world?" Twilight nodded. "Exactly, although I fear that the results that such an exotic species could have onto the planet. Earth has much higher population then Equestria does, and these parasites could be vastly more effective then I'd imagine to be onto a human body. The worm would reproduce inside the human brain, then its offspring would travel to infect another host." Pinkie Pie gasped. "They are like Zombies!" "Well....actually yes, Pinkie Pie." Twilight raised an eyebrow. "But instead of eating brains, they control you like a puppet. The victims are 100% aware of their actions by the puppets and are powerless to stop it themselves. They don't kill other pon- people, but...this is very serious. Forcefully removing these worms would result in total organ failure from the brain downward, which would result in instant death. Should these worms reproduce and expand like a virus, then they would be virtually unstoppable." Rainbow scratched her head. "Perhaps we should tell Circuit and Crimson abo-" "We can't!" Sunset Shimmer suddenly stammered. "If those two find out about the prospect of magic being real in the human world. Who knows what could happen! I mean, the incidents relating to Canterlot High and "Strange Activities" already has the human government looking at us sharply." Twilight looked confused. "Wait.....who are these two?"
"Oh..." stammered Sunset, "Right, I forgot. They're two new students at Canterlot High. One of them, Circuit Breaker, moved here from southern California. The other, Crimson Lionheart, moved here from Australia." "Got it," said Twilight, thankful that she had picked up some basic knowledge of Earth's geography during her previous visits. "In any case, Rainbow Dash, I agree with Sunset. We can't tell them what's going on." "Besides, ah reckon they'll probably figure it out themselves," said Applejack. "Can't hide this stuff forever, y'know." "I see your point, Applejack, but nevertheless, we have to act fast. Any mis-steps could mean disaster." "So, um," said Fluttershy, "How do we remove these... things?" "A very good question, Fluttershy," said Twilight. "The only way to safely remove these creatures is through magical means. This cuts off their food supply and symbiotic connections to the host. Removing them manually, however, does not sever this bond, and since the worm dies without a host, the victim will also die." Rarity cringed slightly. "Sounds disgusting." Twilight simply sighed and said, "More than you know."
"But..." Applejack thought for a moment. "Now that I think about it, should a pandemic or whatnot ensure, how would we even be able to tell the infected apart from the normal uninfected? Yet alone, be able to remove them. Twilight and Sunset here are the only ones experienced enough in magic for anything like that to be possible." Twilight thought. "Well...I suppose it's unorthodox....but I'm afraid that in order to stop this, all of you girls must learn how to become familiar with the prospect of magic." All of them gasped, especially Pinkie Pie, who had suddenly become giddy at the thought of using magic like a sorcerer. "But...we can't have the others knowing. It's for the good of the Earth, especially those two boys..." Twilight explained. "Like ah' said. They'll figure it out eventually, those two are clever cookies." Applejack told Twilight. "Especially with...." "Oh no....did the two of them have prior contact with magic in this world?" Twilight's eyes went wide in panic. All the girls nodded, while Rainbow put a hand on Twilight's shoulder. "Relax Twilight, everything is gonna be fine....
"No, no it's not," said Twilight in a panic. "This world wasn't meant to even have magic! And that's not even getting started on the consequences of others knowing about this! I've read about what people did to those who they thought had magic early in American history. I can't imagine what'd happen to people who actually do!"
"Twilight." Sunset went over and looked her in the eyes, reaching her arm over and gripping her hand to console her "I know things haven't got bad yet, but I promise you that everything is going to be okay." "But...what if the Mind Worms infect you? Or...if the humans find out about the ma-" Twilight panicked. "I can't lo- "You won't lose us Twilight. I promise." Sunset smiled. "I absolutely promise." Twilight looked away sadly, but she was able to have a smile on her face nonetheless. "Thank's Sunset..."
----- "How'd it go?" asked Circuit as Rainbow Dash walked in. "It went okay," replied Rainbow Dash, "Sunset just needed help with a few things, that's all." Rainbow Dash looked at the clock on her desk. "Wow, it's getting late," said Rainbow Dash. "Yeah, I better head home," replied Circuit. "Thanks for having me!" "No problem." Spoiler: Music for scene The two hugged each other for a brief moment. "Hey, Dash," said Circuit, "do you think that there was a reason for me moving here? As in, was I meant to...?" "Bit silly to ask that, isn't it?" replied Rainbow Dash with a smile, "I'd say it's a happy coincidence, nothing more." "But it feels like there's more to it than that..." continued Circuit, blushing slightly. "It doesn't matter why you're here, Circuit," said Rainbow Dash, pulling Circuit in closer, "To be honest, I'm almost happy we met the way we did." "...really?" said Circuit, blushing even more and smiling awkwardly. "I didn't make the best first impression, after a--" Rainbow Dash cut him off, simply shushing him. "Dude, it's fine. I'm over it." Circuit sighed. "I have a confession to make. Dash... I... I love you." Circuit was met with a kiss on the lips from Rainbow Dash in response. He was almost surprised about how quickly she kissed him, but he quickly returned the favor. "I love you too, Circuit," replied Rainbow Dash as they ended their kiss. "Perhaps we could be more than... y'know... just friends?" "Dude, you just read my mind. You're on." Circuit walked out the door and left, but not before bidding his now-girlfriend farewell. ----- Circuit's new car, a dark red 1983 Maserati Biturbo, was a step up from his previous vehicle, if only in the sense that it was manufactured by a prestigious Italian sports car manufacturer, as opposed to being a rebadged Korean car. That was where the improvements ended, however, as it was still an unreliable heap of scrap metal. Almost literally, in fact; Rugburn, though still understandably recovering from his recent kidnapping, was still in good enough shape to buy the car from a scrapyard for a mere $50. It did require another $2,000 and some ducktape just to get it into operable condition, but it was worth every penny to Circuit, because he felt embarrassed about Rainbow Dash having to drive him everywhere, even if it was in a Camaro. Circuit started the car and pulled out from the opposite curb from Rainbow Dash's house, hoping he'd still make it home without his car falling to bits.
----- Monday. 8:39am Canterlot High School. After the weekend was over, cars started to park into the large parking lot that Canterlot High almost had a reputation for, and the busses are starting to pull into the front of the school. For the younger students, a Kiss and Drop scenario was just as common as some of the more senior couples holding hands. Where, speaking of which...Rainbow Dash and Circuit Breaker had just gotten together finally, to the joy of their friends. Crimson Lionheart was driving his way to school, feeling confident enough to drive around despite the injuries that should have easily killed anyone else. His legs, which was one of the worst injuries he had sustained, ironically healed the fastest. His torso was still incredibly sore, which made the tough student quite fragile for the time being. Thankfully, he was bandaged and patched up thanks to Pinkie Pie and his mother Winter. Just as his 1985 Chrysler Laser Turbo had pulled into the carpark, he'd actually seen all of his friends standing right next to the giant statue from a distance. Although it was really just a short distance away, they all seemed to have been talking to some new girl. A girl with vibrant violet hair. Some....geeky girl that reminded him of Circuit. If he was to have to have a total gender-swap... "What in the goddamn...." Crimson muttered under his breath before hopping out of his car and throwing his bag around his back.
As Circuit pulled up into the parking lot, he too noticed the strange, purple-haired girl with the other girls. Supposing that this was some new student like he himself once was, he simply shrugged and went out to greet them. "Hey girls," he said, a bit nervous. "Oh, hey Circuit," replied Rainbow Dash, "This is Twilight Sparkle, and she's going to be attending this school for a few months," she added, gesturing towards the new girl. "Twilight... this is my boyfriend, Circuit Breaker." "Uh, hi..." said Twilight, smiling somewhat awkwardly. She held out a hand, which Circuit took, and gave a nice, firm shake. "Wow, you have a firm grip!" she said. "Kinda hard to believe, really," replied Circuit. "So, where are you from?" "Canada," replied Twilight nervously. "Well, you definitely sound like you are," replied Circuit. "So, do you know your way around the school already, or..." "Well, you see, Circuit, I used to live here in Canterlot for a while, before moving back to Canada," replied Twilight, "so no thanks on the tour." "I see," said Circuit, shrugging slightly.
Crimson yawned as he approached the rest of his friends, walking towards them as the new girl looked inquisitive. He couldn't help it for some reason, but as he went to approach the girls, they all seemed a little....strange. "G'day girls." Crimson greeted them, still dozy from the early morning. "Oh howdy Crim" Applejack told him. "Me n' the girls just introduced Circuit to a friend of ours. This is Twilight Sparkle, and she's going to be attending this school for a few months." "She's Canadian" Pinkie told him. "Another foreigner." Twilight shuffled her feet and awkwardly went to reach Crim's hand, but the boy only gripped her softly. "Sorry Twilight. I just got out the hospital..." Crimson sheepishly chuckled. "Broken ribs and all..." "Well....I'm glad that you are alright." Twilight tried to smile. Crimson smiled back and shrugged. "Could be worse..."
Crimson looked at the time on his phone and sighed before he had to walk off as well. "Damn. She's right, I better get going as well. Catch ya later guys!" Soon, Circuit quickly followed with Crim, both sharing the same class together this morning. Twilight took a breath of relief. Her secret was safe....for now
"Hey Circuit," said Crim, "something seems off about this Twilight girl... like she's hiding something." Circuit rolled his eyes. "Now really, what could a high-school girl possibly have to hide?" asked Circuit. Crim nodded. "I guess you're right, mate." But this didn't satiate Crimson's curiosity. Quite the opposite, in fact.
After their lesson, Crimson's curiosity towards the new girl started to deepen. He'd been having some thoughts about what had happened earlier in the morning, and it made him think about something that seemed off about her. If she was Canadian, she sounded like one. Although, something else was off about her. Which reminded him about something else. A week ago...he'd survived getting Swiss cheesed by the Pink Cloud, and came out unscathed. What was with that? Was it fate? Divine Intervention? Or perhaps something else... He wondered if the girls knew...and that was the first thing he was gonna ask them during lunch.
----- "Oh, hey Crimmy, what's up?" asked Pinkie Pie excitedly as Crimson approached the table. "Eh, not much," he replied. "Just wanted to talk about what happened a week ago." Oh dear, thought Rarity, is he catching on?
