“Why Demencia, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were asking me out on a date.” Shimmer said with a grin. “But… I will happily accept. Mostly because you seem like you’d be really fun to hang out with. Where did you wanna eat?”
“Hmm, maybe a nice Italian restaurant or a pizzeria where the little band can play music while we share spaghetti and meat balls!” she teased.
Shimmer let out a snort as she laughed. “Mmm, I don’t think I’d mind that, as long as it leads to a kiss.~” she countered right back with a smirk.
Sunset popped her back as her bare feet softly patted the hardwood floor. The dim lighting of the apartment illuminated the place with a soft orange glow, but thankfully it wasn’t bright enough to produce a glare in the window. She approached the square glass pane and peered out. The night seemed to be like any other: the street lamps were dimly shining, the stars were brightly twinkling, the streets were empty and the town was still.
However, the misty, pale fog was just beginning to creep in, splitting down the streets like mischievous tendrils and covering the ground in a soft white glow. It breathed its way in, pulsing and throbbing like it was alive. As it thickened, lamp after lamp was enveloped in its haze, their lights dimming to but a dull flicker. The town soon seemed much darker than before, and Sunset could hardly see what lay across the street.
The fog continued to roll in lazily, but that wasn’t all. There was something else, something solid in the haze. She squinted and pressed her nose to the glass, but all she could see was a shadow. And as the low cloud thickened, she saw even less than that. Two or three distant lamps flickered occasionally, but other than that there was no movement…
Or was there…
She squinted and bit her lip. Far away, almost completely blurred by the smog, a person was slowly sauntering away. She could make out no details, and just as soon as she had seen it, the figure was gone in the haze.
Slowly, she turned from the window with a shrug. Whoever it was, was lost in the mist. “Not my concern,” she muttered.
“Nah, just a demon. But don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy it.~”
“Indubitably, like that detective guy says. That’s why I think we should do more than dance. What are you doing this Friday? We should catch a movie or something. Maybe dinner after.”
“Why Demencia, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were asking me out on a date.” Shimmer said with a grin. “But… I will happily accept. Mostly because you seem like you’d be really fun to hang out with. Where did you wanna eat?”
Sunset’s bike was running low on gas. She figured she could make it to at least Portland before she had to fill up, but that was no longer the case. She didn’t even know why she was going to Oregon in the first place. She just felt… Compelled to go. Like something was calling her to do it.
She shook the thoughts looks from her head and slowed down, taking a look at her surroundings, which judging by the looks of it, was just a lot of forest and trees. But suddenly… She saw something. A small sign that read “Mystery Shack: 5 miles”.
She smiled to herself. That sign meant there was a probably a tourist trap ahead and where there was a tourist trap… There was a town, and where there’s a town… There’s a gas station. Perfect!
After a few minutes, she came upon a…. Well, it certainly didn’t look like a shack to her. It looked more like a rundown building. Hell, even a letter was missing off of sign. But that didn’t matter. Pulling up, she unzipped her short leather jacket and let wind finally breath on her skin. She sighed in relief as she stretched her legs and walked along the gravel on the ground. It crunched under her feet as she made her way to the screen door.
Gently pushing it open, she looked around the small… gift shop? Huh. Alright then. She looked around the small gift shop and took notice of the person working the counter.
“Um, excuse me.” She asked, “I was wondering if you could tell me what town I’m in?”
“The… Sanctum Sanctorum? Wait, The Sanctum Sanctorum?” Sunset said flabbergasted. “I… I thought that was a myth… On my world of Equestria, we had fictional stories and legends about mystical places and things like that, but it was always passed off as fake… Kamar-Taj was one of them, and I never really looked into it’s actuality.” Sunset said, gazing around the lobby. “But this place is incredible…”
It was not unusual to hear that in other universes, other realms, other dimensions, individuals had heard of him and the Sanctum Sanctorum. It was not something that was unheard of, as Sorcerer Supreme of this universe, it could be assumed that he was known throughout many of the neighboring worlds. Whether they be within this realm of thought or not. “Well now you know it’s truth… just not in Equestria I suppose. It exists here, on Earth, in this universe.” A pause before he continued. “As Sorcerer Supreme I’ve seen many universes and worlds, my powers of the mystic arts provides me safe travel through both time and space… Do you still think I won’t believe you?”
“What if I told you I was born a small, yellow unicorn who’s mother could raise the sun and who’s aunt could raise the moon on our home world?” Shimmer said with a small grin. Usually, that’s what would cause people to make for the door with an excuse. “I was literally a small pony, probably going up to about my knee.”
Stephen loathed his birthday… It was the one day of the year where he couldn’t hide behind a mask and pretend things were okay. It was the one day of the year where things just never went according to plan. It was the one day of the year where everything seemed to go wrong.
This year was proving to be no exception.
His attempts to make a small cake for himself, as is tradition, were botched with his shaking hands… Just like the year before. With the interior of the cake now firmly setting itself in the trash, he resigned to clean up his mess and eat the sweet chocolate frosting instead. Sitting at a table, spoon in one hand, phone in the other, the normal garb he wore replaced with a soft sweater that Christine gave to him ages ago– casual clothing.
He wondered if anyone even realized the situation at hand, if they knew that his birthday was today– one year older, one year closer to his inevitable death, knowing full well that his time was limited. A lesson he witnessed with the Ancient One, she who taught him everything he knew about the mystic arts and more. She gave him more than he could bargain for. As he thought about the prospect, his intake of sweetened chocolate sugars increased, a large spoonful disappearing without a trace into his mouth.
The sounds of the sanctum door opening almost completely slipped past him. By the time his mind had registered the entirety of the situation, it was already too late. The individual in question had already come into his location. They stood there, staring at him, only resulting in a sigh from the Sorcerer Supreme.
“Greetings, welcome to my personal hell, my name is Doctor Stephen Strange and I’m the damned one in this cell today. May I ask which torture this is? Personal embarrassment or ridicule via useless human vocals.“
Sunset wasn’t sure what to expect when she had walked into The Sanctum this morning, but the one thing she definitely didn’t expect was seeing Doctor Strange sitting at the table… Eating frosting from a spoon. Once the initial surprise had warn off, she finally found it in herself to answer his question.
“Um… Neither Doctor. Just a… Wave of curiosity. Are… Are you alright?”
“Are you sure it isn’t just a meat eater? I mean, don’t you have to be alive to still have your soul?” Shimmer asked curiously.
“I- I dunno! The book said it can take souls by eating the flesh of its victims! … S-Something like that!”
“Maybe the, uh, book got the biology wrong! Or right! I dunno! Maybe it can eat both! But just–”
Crunch.
“Oh my gosh, he’s.. eating the bones… that’s…”
“SO COOL…”
“Fuck yeah, that is!” Shimmer said excitedly. “Look at that thing go! That little dude has to have a huge bite force!” She suddenly gave Savannah a blank, almost disapproving gaze.
TheWanderingSunset2 