化け物, 第3章
“MOVE!” the orderlies shouted as the pushed the shrouded gurney from the emergency room to the infectious disease room. The chances of the patient carrying a pathogen that would warrant it was nearly impossible, but instead she was placed there for her own safety and privacy. Even though humans were far more advanced scientifically and technologically above their fellow sapient species, there were limits to human knowledge and the patient being brought in quickly brought the realization of how sharp those limits were.
The doctor, a sober-faced foreigner who by the symbol on his labcoat was clearly on loan from another hospital, looked at the couple. “Mr. and Mrs. Ueda, I presume? I apologize, I was informed you speak English.”
“We do,” Goro said, still completely unable to comprehend what his wife said to him. “What’s wrong with my little girl?”
“Mr. Ueda, my name is Dr. Ken Thompson. I’m here on loan to Sanseki Hospital to teach some of the interns some of the latest medical techniques from North America. It is, quite honestly, coincidental that I’ve worked with Dr. William Hilton, the founder of equiniatric medicine. I’ve learned some of it, but I’m not exactly his protégé. So please, understand what I am about to tell you is not set in stone.”
Seeing the Uedas, Yuka, Riho and Junko raced over to the Uedas, only to be stopped by the doctor. “So sorry,” he said in broken Japanese. “Family only.”
“Doctor, these are my daughter’s best friends,” Kyoko said. “I do not mind them knowing.”
“Very well then,” Thompson continued, as Goro began to translate his words. “The fact is, we have reason to believe that whatever is happening to her is magical in nature. We ran a battery of tests on her and per her previous medical scans, she’s reading the same. By all means, she’s a perfectly healthy…uh…mare? Filly? Yearling? Do ponies have a term for adolescence?”
“I don’t know,” Kyoko said, her eyes starting to burn from tears again.
“But even though she scans as quite healthy, even I know that what your daughter is right now is something I don’t know. Please, forgive me but…that’s not a pony. I don’t know what that is. And that’s why I believe the problem might be magical in origin.”
As Goro quickly translated, Kyoko asked, “What's happening to my daughter?”
“I don’t know, ma’am. Only that she’s healthy by what her scans say and that she doesn’t look normal. We’ll keep looking into it, I assure you. I’ll send Dr. Hilton a note and see if he can recommend an equiniatric specialist somewhere on the west coast of the US that can fly here. You might even get lucky and get his protégé herself, though I think Dr. McAllister is a bit busy training others.”
A nurse came up to him. “Doctor, we have Ueda set and sedated. She should be stabilized, but….”
“But?”
The nurse looked nervous, as if something was wrong. “Her heart rate. It’s fluctuating weirdly. Her heart, according to the scan is perfectly fine, but her heart rate…it’s jumping all over the place.”
“Give her 200mg of Cardioscipin and I want a round-the-clock watch on her.”
“Yes sir.”
Thompson looked at the five assembled and asked, “We wouldn’t normally do this, considering the rules for the Isolation Lab, but…would you care to see her?”
A few minutes later, the five were gazing at Tsubasa from behind thick transparent aluminum. Kyoko could only look at her daughter briefly before crying. The three girls wept openly, holding each other, while Goro tried to be the pillar of strength for them all and he wasn’t sure how much more he could hold on himself.
Laying on a single bed in the room, hooked up to a battery of medical monitors and sedated via a mask over her mouth feeding an anesthetic to her, was Tsubasa. But she no longer looked like herself: her face and ears remained the same, but that was about it. Her body was now a deep gray, the doctors explained, because her coat had suddenly disappeared, leaving her as hairless as a human with the natural gray skin of an equinoid. She’d developed the full shoulders of a human and her chest had swelled in the manner all teenage girls wished it would – but not natural on ponies. Her waist, previously uniform, was now more of the rough hourglass that humans had, as well as the larger hips. Her legs flared out underneath to larger than normal size, as if her legs had been restructured for plantigrade motion. Her forehooves had split, becoming hands. Her wings had shrunk to a near-vestigial size, as if they were slowly disappearing.
Though they were keeping her asleep, the pain was enough that tears were streaming from her face. That hurt Goro and Kyoko most of all: their little girl was in pain, suffering something they could not protect her from, and all they could do was to stand here and watch her slip from them.
Goro punched the window, ignoring the sharp jag of pain he got from doing so. “What kind of parent am I if I can’t protect my little girl?” he snarled, the tears finally pouring from his face. “I’m a failure as a father.”
Kyoko hugged her husband. “Don’t say that! You’ve always been there for her when she needed you, anata! We’ll still be here for her. Just like we were when we adopted her. You remember that.”
The unicorn looked over the desk at the Japanese couple in front of him. “Mr. and Mrs. Ueda, while I commend you for your offer to adopt a pony, I’m afraid we must decline your request.”
Goro shifted nervously from one leg to the other on the chair, not only because he was discomfited at the answer, but…these chairs weren’t designed for humans in the least. Kyoko looked at him, equally distraught. “Mr. Rubberstamp, may I ask why?”
Rubberstamp looked at his fellow members of the Equestria Board of Adoptions; none of them looked as though they wanted to speak up. He coughed into a forehoof, and then finally said, “Mr. Ueda, quite frankly, there have been some concerns about ponies being raised by humans. Granted, there is only one historical example, but given her background and your species we feel that—” There was a knock at the door behind the Board and a secretary, a mule, came in, whispering something to him.
Goro looked at his wife in confusion, then back at the unicorn.
“Excuse us just a moment. Our employer is present.” Looking at the rest of the Board, the five ponies marched out of the room.
“Anata,” Kyoko asked, “are we—” She was suddenly cut off by a roaring voice screaming “AND YOU WILL NOT DO THAT AGAIN TO ANOTHER POOR FOAL BECAUSE YOU ALL WANT TO BE MEANIES, GOT THAT?”
Goro and Kyoko looked at each other, then back at the door. Finally, another pony, a pegasus mare, walked through the door. She had a soft yellow coat and a pink mane, and the smile on her face was beatific. Sitting in the main chair, she introduced herself as Fluttershy, Duchess Andalusia, Knight Elemental of Kindness, and the Minister of Health and Family Services. “But you can just call me Fluttershy,” she said with a smile. She looked at the paper. “Now, Mr. and Mrs. Ueda, I’ve looked at your record myself. And I understand that you wish to adopt a little filly named Featherwishes?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Goro said, hopeful. There was something far less bureaucratic and far kinder about this mare than the others, and that was a good sign, hopefully.
“I understand you were just turned down by my Board. Well, I do have final decision authority, and, looking at your records, I can’t see any reason why I shouldn’t approve this adoption – and I can’t see any reason why they didn’t. But you don’t have to worry about that.” Fluttershy’s smile was wide as she said, “Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Ueda. You’re parents now. I will inform the Royal Manehattan Foal Care Center to begin working with you to transfer custody as soon as possible.”
At that point, Goro and Kyoko hugged each other in delight, thanking Fluttershy and holding each other. After nearly twenty years of miscarriages, failed human adoptions and other problems, they finally had a child, one they would love forever….
Goro slumped to the floor. He’d given everything for his little bird and he would give more. He would give everything, including his life, if he could. But he couldn’t protect her from this, couldn’t stop what was happening to her. At his side he could barely hear his wife over the rushing of his own tears. He dimly remembered the saying, No parent should ever outlive their child.
“Ojisan, Obasan,” Yuka said, approaching the pair. She looked back at Riho and Junko and they both nodded. “I think there’s something you should know.”
Goro looked at the object and wanted to break it in half, to destroy it if it would save his little girl – but doing so might make it worse, might destroy her in the process. So instead he let it sit on the shelf where it rested, a blight on the room.
Kyoko, on the other hand, was livid. “Girls! What did I tell you about looking out for one another?”
Riho adjusted her glasses. “Obasan, you have to understand – we only wanted the best for Tsu-chan! We know now we should have stopped her from using it, but we made a mistake.”
Yuka couldn’t stop crying. “No, Riho, it’s my fault. I’ve known Tsubasa since the first day we met in elementary. I should’ve looked out for her.” Yuka collapsed onto the floor, looking up at the stone, the cause of all this pain. “She wanted so much to be with Ryuji-san, but he didn’t want her. So she tried to be something else. And now it’s killing her. And all because I wasn’t brave enough to speak up.”
Goro looked at three girls and said, “You did the right thing in the end, though. And I’m glad that my daughter has such loyal friends as you. Who knows what would’ve happened if she didn’t.” He picked up the case and looked at the evil thing within. “We’ll go to the Equestriani Embassy and seek help tomorrow. They’ll know what to do, I’m sure of it.”
“We’re so sorry,” Junko said. “If any of us can do anything to help her, we will.” Yuka put her arms around her friends; the trio would stick with Tsubasa until the end.
The orderly, a college student, readied to clean the Isolation Lab. His orders were simple: he was to clean, only to do that and never touch the patient on the bed. She was under special protection and at no circumstances was he to approach within ten feet of her.
The reality was somewhat different, as he came into the room to find the patient and an unidentified male, all hot and bothered and looking very much as though they were in foreplay. The girl, a strange thing that looked like some sort of morbid cross between a human and an umajin, moved away from the guy as he was kissing her bare chest. “One moment, my love.” The patient got off the bed, her paramour standing there with a blank, glassy look on his face.
“It’s rude to stare,” she told him as she walked towards him. The intern tried to move, but found he was stuck in place. He tried to scream, tried to flag the attention of those watching on the close-circuit cameras – surely those hentai must have seen all this! – anyone. She walked right up to him and said, “Don’t you know it’s rude to walk in on a couple sharing love?” He looked at her with fear and disgust. Whatever this thing was, it wasn’t human – or umajin or whatever.
The creature traced a finger down his neck. “As fun as it would be to let you watch, a girl deserves her privacy, right?” He was able to nod slightly. She brought that finger to rest on his neck and he flinched. “You’re afraid I’m going to hurt you, aren’t you?” He nodded. “Well, that would be rude of me. Besides, I want my Daisuke to know I’m gentle and would never hurt anyone.” With a flicker of motion, she grabbed his neck with her hand and twisted; with a quick snap the man’s neck broke, and he died instantly – and painlessly – just as she promised.
Subaru looked at the corpse of the intern and figured a mess would ruin the mood, so she tapped the wall. The wall disappeared, opening up into outer space. With a push, she sent the body out, floating amongst the cosmos. If the body somehow managed to last, the American probe to Venus might notice the cadaver sometime next month. With that done – and a quick look at the morning star itself – Subaru waved her hand and the wall reappeared as quickly as it had vanished.
Walking back to Ryuji, she hopped back on the bed and looked at him. “Daisuke, do you love me?”
“Yes,” he said, his stare still blank.
“But I’m not human anymore,” she reminded him.
“But you are you, my Subaru,” he said, his voice devoid of feeling.
“Well, my love,” she said, kissing him. “Here’s the plan: in five days, I will have full control of this body and that stupid little pegasus will be dead. Then I’ll transform this body into whatever you want, and you can continue to love me as we conquer this world together, okay?” To her happiness, he responded by holding her close and kissing her. She wondered if the hospital bed would be strong enough to withstand the rigors of their night, or if she should teleport them to a love hotel.
Or maybe I should just plan for our wedding, she thought, a soft smile coming to her gray lips. Yes, she was a monster, she knew that – but she was a monster in love with one who loved her…shouldn’t she at least have a little bit of happiness in her life?
She snapped her fingers and the room went dark; a second snap produced several candles. Perfect mood lighting for a romantic evening together.
Somewhere and nowhere, what was left of Tsubasa continued to scream in terror.
As Goro and Kyoko approached the Equestriani Embassy, it was a madhouse. Dozens of police officers were in front of the station, and personnel were decorating the building with black bunting, a sign that someone had died. What had happened?
As they approached the building, a police officer stepped up to them. “I’m sorry, but the embassy is closed.”
“Closed? What happened?”
“I don’t have the authorization to tell you why. All I can say is that you’ll have to watch the news. It’ll be on NHK soon enough.”
Goro and Kyoko looked on in shock. Just within the embassy’s perimeter, members of the Royal Equestriani Army were standing there, heavily armed and weapons at the ready. The facility was turning into a fortress and there was no chance of getting in.
“Mr. and Mrs. Ueda?” They turned to their sides and found a white pegasus with a powder blue mane standing there. He was dressed in a sweater and jeans, as if he’d just arrived.
“Hello, Mr. Sprinter.” Cirrus Sprinter, their contact at the embassy. Per the adoption rules, for the first five years of Tsubasa’s life with her adoptive parents, the Uedas were required to meet with their adoptive contact to ensure Tsubasa was being well cared for. Though they spoke to him a lot less now that the period was done, he still came by the café from time to time. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. It was my day off and I got a call from my supervisor and I was told to come in for something important – I wasn’t expecting the compound to be locked down like we were expecting Moonfall again. What’re you doing here?”
Kyoko broke into tears suddenly and leaned on her husband’s arm; Goro looked at him and said, “Tsubasa is very ill. Normally we wouldn’t be seeking the embassy’s assistance on this, but…the doctor believes that it may be magical in nature. And furthermore, her friends have confirmed that she’s been toying with something called a ‘genderstone.’” He unwrapped the package, showing the case and the stone.
“Well, I’m by no means an expert on magic, but…c’mon in. I’ll escort you in. I’ll get you in touch with one of our Guild staffers. Now, bear in mind I may have to attend a quick meeting first, but I hope you don’t mind waiting in my office, do you?”
Goro grinned. “Not at all, Mr. Sprinter. We’re very concerned about our daughter and would appreciate any help you can get.”
“I’m afraid we can’t help you.” The unicorn mare sitting across from them looked at the trio with discomfort. “I’m sorry.”
Cirrus Sprinter was shocked. “Blue, c’mon! We gotta help the girl!”
Blueberry Taffy looked at Cirrus, then at the Uedas and then back to him. “Cirrus, we literally can’t! Trust me, I sympathize with the Uedas, I do – but this….” She pointed at the stone in the case, continuing. “This is above my paygrade. I don’t know if it’s a Genderstone or not – I can’t tell what it is! You need a Guild-trained unicorn for that, and I’m not a Guild member! All I’ve got is level two training skills.”
“Then get a Guildie in here!” he shouted. “What about Cookie Cream? Or Hollyoak?”
“They’re not here, remember?” she looked at him, her eyes filling with sorrow. “None of them are.”
“Damn, you’re right.” Cirrus suddenly looked apologetic. “Sorry, Blue.”
“I know how you feel, Cirrus. I understand.”
Kyoko looked at both umajin and asked, “Why aren’t they here? Can’t the embassy have some sent?”
“I’m afraid I’m not authorized to explain, Mrs. Ueda,” Blueberry said. “Normally we have about five or six Guild members assigned to the embassy, but they were all recalled back to Equestria for an emergency. That means that any unicorn left here on Human-Earth isn’t strong enough to have the training for higher-level skills. Even our guards from the Army aren’t trained any higher than level six, which is simple police and military spells.”
“Can’t the ambassador call them?” Kyoko begged. “Please! We just want to save our little girl! Please!”
There was a knock on the door, and in walked another pegasus, a mare. Her hair was done up in a bun, a manestyle too restrained for her naturally neon-green and hot-pink colors. She sat down in the chair next to them, and the look in her eyes was one of exhaustion. “Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Ueda. I would have been here sooner, but I just got out of a teleconference with his highness Prince Plothol – excuse me, Blueblood. He’s the acting head of state until one of our princesses returns to Equestria. The fact is, I cannot recall the Guild: a huge emergency has occurred for us and we may be at war soon.”
“Who are you?” Goro asked.
“Apologies – I must be really tired to have not introduced myself. My name is Blossomforth and I’m the Crown’s Ambassador to Japan. I wield a considerable amount of authority, so please understand that when I say I cannot authorize the use of Guild members, I regretfully cannot do so. But I understand the predicament regarding your situation and, quite frankly, you deserve an answer as to why. If his highness the prince would have his way, I couldn’t even tell you that, so I’m glad he wasn’t that forward thinking. Also, please understand that what I’m about to tell you is confidential; it will be released to the press shortly but until we do so, it’s in confidence.
“The fact is, last night, there was an attempt in Singapore on the lives of our three princesses. We know that her majesty Princess Celestia wasn’t harmed, but we also know that one of the members of the Royal Family may have been killed in the attack. Since we don’t have an embassy there, we’re getting all our information second-hand from the British embassy, who runs an interest section for us. As a result, Prince Blueblood has issued a royal edict recalling every one of the Guild members back to Equestria and the only ones who can countermand it are her majesty, crown princess Princess Luna or our foreign minister and princess royal, Princess Cadance. While I believe it is overkill, I don’t have the authority to countermand it.
“We don’t know when we’ll be able to get our Guild members back. And even if we get them tomorrow, I would still need permission from both the Archmagus of the Guild and your government. And if the situation is dire enough for your daughter, we might not have enough time.” She turned to Cirrus. “Cirrus, get a hold of the Draconian and Zebrababwean embassies and ask if they have any high-level spellcasters familiar with pony magic.”
The afternoon was spent with a delicious but anxious lunch. The embassy’s chef was spot on and Kyoko and Goro enjoyed a wonderful lunch of dandelion ramen. Blossomforth, Cirrus and Blueberry attempted to chat about other things and help take the Uedas’ minds off the wait, but they knew that was impossible. As for the Uedas themselves, both Goro and Kyoko couldn’t relax, not while their daughter was in trouble.
Finally, as they were heading to Blossomforth’s office, her deputy, Pokey Pierce, came up to her. “I have Colonel Snarl from the Draconian embassy and Miss Pamoja from the Zebrababwean one. Both just arrived and are waiting in your office.”
“Thank you,” she told him. As the group walked in, they noted a black drake with orange cresting, standing there in a Draconian Defense Force uniform, and a zebra mare in traditional Zebrababwean formal wear. Blossomforth wasted no time in introducing everyone and they sat down.
“Have you been briefed on the situation?” Blossomforth asked.
“Indeed we have, Ambassador,” Snarl responded. “But I’m at a loss to wonder how the girl could have acquired such an object.”
“I too have much been wondering so,” Pamoja replied, “But there’s still more we need to know. Dear sir, do you have the device, so Snarl and I may analyze?”
Goro removed the covering of the glass, grateful that the other magic users were able to assist. Snarl picked it up and took it in his claws, inspecting it. After a few minutes, he handed it over to Pamoja, who also looked it over intensely.
“Well, I can tell you this much: it’s not of pony make,” Snarl said. “Spell-holding minerals require a certain matrix lattice in order to bind to the magic. For example, carbon isn’t very suited to hold magic, so diamonds are almost never used in lapidimancy. Likewise, some minerals are best for spell amplification, which is why granite and marble are usually used for spellstone bases. But this…this isn’t either of them. I’m not sure what this is, but if I had to take a guess, this is cinnabar.”
“Cinnabar?”
“A mercury-based mineral. Furthermore, the spars sticking out of it: that’s clearly obsidian, which is just as useless as diamond for holding spells. If someone set a spell in this, it’s not any of the standard Alter-Earth magic systems. I’ve studied many, so I’m absolutely sure of that. But it might be alchemical in origin. Miss Pamoja?”
“Not alchemical, of that I’m clear,” she said, setting the stone back in the case. “I’m vexed to what I’m holding here. Alchemy is a fluid art; no stones are used, in whole or part. If quicksilver’s used, liquid would be the form – solids like cinnabar aren’t the norm.”
Cirrus asked, “So neither of you know what this is?”
“I’m sure I could get someone from the Dominion here,” Snarl said, “but I’d need that kind of authorization and that takes time. I’ll request Ambassador Jag get someone but if this girl needs urgent attention now, I’m not sure help would arrive in time.”
“I’ll ask my superior what he can do; he’ll try to move the Earth for you,” Pamoja said. “But Mr. and Mrs. Ueda I fear the answer you seek is not quite clear. My nation will offer all the help we can give, but I fear it may not help your daughter to live.”
Goro and Kyoko looked at the two others in shock. The last door to help their daughter had been shut on her face.
“Visiting hours aren’t until nine in the morning,” the nurse told the crying schoolgirl. “Besides, it’s ten in the evening on a school night. Shouldn’t you be home?”
“Look…my best friend is in the Isolation Lab and dying. I may never see her again,” Yuka said, tears flowing. “I want to see Tsu-chan!” She’d heard an hour ago from Tsubasa’s parents the hopelessness of the situation and she raced over to the hospital immediately. She had to see Tsubasa again, because it might be the last. “I just wanna see Tsu-chan,” she sobbed.
“Well…usually I don’t do this, but…okay, you can go back there. If the janitor sees you, though, he’ll probably kick you out and I never said you could go back there, understood?”
The teen wiped her eyes. “Yes ma’am. Thank you,” she said, bowing deeply, then running in.
“Kids these days,” the nurse replied, looking at the clock. She then turned to another nurse. “Hey, has anyone seen Matsuda? I haven’t seen that idiot since last night.”
The other nurse shook her head. “Knowing him, he’s either late for work again because he slept in or sitting in a corner somewhere, playing videogames. Don’t worry, he’ll turn up sooner or later.”
Following the signs and the instructions on going through the first airlock, Yuka then walked over to the observation room. And what she saw burned into her eyeballs. There, on the gurney, was Tsubasa and…Ryuji Daisuke? And they were…they were…. Yuka turned away in shock and disgust – her friend would never do anything like that, much less so out in the open and especially not when she was sick!
And then realization hit her. That’s not…that’s not Tsubasa.
“You’re right. I’m not.” The voice behind her suddenly made a line of ice rush through Yuka’s veins. She turned around to see the thing in Tsubasa’s cursed body standing there, brazen, unclothed and covered in sweat and…other things… from…. Yuka turned again, freaking out.
The thing sighed. “You humans are such prudes.” There was a flash of light and the thing was dressed in a normal t-shirt and jeans. “I’m dressed now.”
“You’re not Tsu-chan,” Yuka said.
“You said that earlier and I’ll say it again, you’re right. I’m not,” the thing said, leaning forward and grinning. “I’d tell you who I am, but you wouldn’t believe it. You can just call me Subaru instead.”
“Give her back!” Yuka demanded.
Subaru laughed. “What, and lose this body? Oh, no – I’ve been waiting thousands of years for this. And your friend was stupid enough to do this. Trust me, she’s getting exactly what she deserves. Tell me: did she tell you she stole what she thought was a Genderstone? Because she wanted my Daisuke there. Greed, theft and lust…oh, and shame, too. Did you know that? She always harbored a secret shame that because she didn’t have human-sized breasts and hands and feet – hell, because she wasn’t human – that nobody really liked her. Clearly a basketcase.”
Yuka refused to believe any of that; she trusted her friend. So instead, she asked, “What are you doing to him?”
“Nothing that he didn’t want. Cute girlfriend with a hard body and a need to…well, you know. And I’m just the girl.”
“But you’re doing it in Tsu-chan’s body! She would never do that!”
Subaru rolled her eyes; Yuka noted that one was still Tsubasa’s pony-sized one, while the other had slowly shrunk to more of a human’s one. “A shame. Women’s bodies are meant to be used. Ah, but there’s that morality thing you have hangups with. I know it’s not in Shinto and you don’t figure for a Christia…ah, you must be Buddhist. Yup, they’re just as prudish. Oh well.”
“Give her back! Give us back Tsubasa!”
“Look – truthfully, I should really kill you. And I’ve already did that to the last person who intruded on mine and Daisuke’s private time. But…this was that idiot’s body and you are her best friend, so I do owe her that much. So here’s the deal: in five days, this body will be mine and your friend will be dead and then Daisuke and I will be out of your hair. But if you tell anyone about what’s going on, I will hunt you down and…well, let’s just say you already know what I did to The Demons, so I’ll get really creative with you.” Subaru grinned, then took Yuka’s hand in her own. “You know, it’s a shame we didn’t meet before. I think we could have been really good friends in Heiankyo…they still call it that, right?”
Heiankyo? Yuka thought, recalling the name from her history class.
“Well, I’ve still got time to spend with my love there and we’re going to just…well, you’re a grown girl, I’m sure you can figure it out. But I’ll tell you what: once I decide on a final form for this body, I’ll invite you to the wedding. I promise.”
“Wedding?” Yuka sputtered. “You can’t!”
“I assure you, I can. Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s only so much nighttime in the evening and I’m a girl with needs. So…ja ne!” With that, she snapped her fingers again and Yuka vanished. Another blink of light and Subaru’s body was unclothed once more as she phased through the observation window to approach Ryuji.
“There, problem gone and we can get back to what we were doing – namely, each other.”
Despite his blank expression, Ryuji asked, “You didn’t hurt her, did you?”
Subaru’s brows went up in surprise; she hadn’t expected that. “Uh, no. I was just…repaying a favor. Why?”
“Good.” He smiled slightly. “You’re not a monster, Subaru.”
She looked at him uncomfortably. Not only was he not reacting like someone in thrall, but he…no…it doesn’t make sense. “But I am, Daisuke. I am.”
“No,” he said, dully. “You’re my girl.” He then bent down and kissed her, as passionately as he did the first time they met. And for the first time in ages, a question arose in the mind of Subaru: Why?
Completely soaked, and shivering from the nighttime air, Yuka pulled herself from the school swimming pool. She could have been sent anywhere, she realized, but the monster – Subaru – had kept to her word. But now…Yuka was a bearer of a bigger secret, one she knew she couldn’t keep this time.
Even if Subaru kills me…oh, no! I have to save Tsubasa…but how? How?
“Yuka?” She turned and there was Yoshida, carrying his telescope. “What are you doing in the pool?”
“Hiroshi!” Yuka practically glomped him, blubbering and sobbing and jabbering incomprehensibly.
“Yuka! Calm down!” he said, pushing her away from him and taking off his jacket to cover her. “What’s wrong?”
Several minutes went by as she explained everything, occasionally drinking from a thermos of hot chocolate he’d brought with him. He listened intently before saying, “To be honest, unless she specifically cast a geas on you, she can’t do that. But I can’t believe…Tsubasa….”
“I don’t know what to do anymore, Hiroshi! She’s gonna die and that monster Subaru’s gonna have her body and we have no idea how powerful she is! And there’s no one who can stop her!”
“Calm down. Let me ask some of my friends,” he said, pulling out his laptop.
“Your friends?”
“Yeah. Remember that weird occultist hobby that you thought I have? The one that was going to get me in trouble someday? Well, maybe…just maybe…we can get some help.” And the moment he opened his Chromebook, he went to the International Occultists Chatpage.
YOU ARE NOW ON CHANNEL “Magic Assistance”
14 members online, 4 guests. Moderator present: [=Angryburdz=][Batsu!Guy]: I need help.
[MagicMan]: Sorry, man – we’re not a dating service XD
[Hoofdini]: Dude, seriously, get a new joke, Magic.
[JohnDee123]: No, kidding, Hoof – he’s been doing that since he joined.
[Flamelfan]: So what’s up, Batsu?
[Batsu!Guy]: My girlfriend got in trouble and I’ve got no one else to turn to.
“Your girlfriend?” Yuka asked. She didn’t know much English, but she knew that phrase.
Yoshida blushed. “Uh, it’s easier to personalize if I tell them that rather than just a generic friend?”
Yuka looked at him, then said, “You’re a coward, you know that?”
“Whatever.” He then started typing a long explanation while Yuka explained. Once that was done, he read it off for confirmation and she nodded, and then pressed ENTER.
[Hoofdini]: I see. Where do you live, Batsu?
[AbeNoSemei]: Tokyo, if I remember correctly.
[Batsu!Guy]: That’s right.
[LaVoisin]: And you’re not kidding about any of this, are you?
[Batsu!Guy]: No! The Equestiani, Draconian and Zebrababwean embassies said they couldn’t help. Here’s myphone number 090-1234-5678 if you want to call me for proof. She’s gonna die if I don’t get her help!
[MagicMan]: Man, sorry about the joke earlier, if you’re serious.
[Batsu!Guy]: I am!
[Hoofdini]: I can help. I just started a two-week vacation from my job and I’ve always wanted an excuse to visitJapan. It’s six in the morning here and I’ll have to check to see when I can get a plane out. But I’ll
come, if you can get me a place to stay.
[JohnDee123]: Hoof, he said he needs a pony Guild person.
[Hoofdini]: JD, I am Guild trained. I never joined the Guild for personal reasons, but my magic levels have beenverified. Level 43D. By the way, the Guild Archmagus herself is a Level 50 – only a few in history have
ever gotten that high. Anything above that, well, you’re probably sporting a horn AND wings. For
comparison, the average Guild mage is probably about Level 27.
[=Angryburdz=]: Fuck. You oughta be mod here, Hoof XD
[Hoofdini]: XD Hold on, gotta get on the Lollercoaster for that one. Anyway, Batsu, there’s a flight from here toLAX then to Tokyo. Braniff International Flight 7308. I can be there tomorrow afternoon. But I need
your personal word this isn’t a lie.
[Batsu!Guy]: It’s not. There’s my phone if you want to call.
[Hoofdini]: Then that’s good enough for me. I’ll PM you as soon as the flight’s in the air and I’ll see youtomorrow.
[Rohonc_Codex]: Best of luck, guys!
He closed the laptop. “Well, help’s on the way.”
“Who is that?”
“Oh, Hoof? Dunno, really, other than that he’s a pony that lives in the US, somewhere on the West Coast. But he’s really friendly, really smart and kicks my ass at Magic Battle Blasters on a regular basis – he knows all the tricks on Illusa, even the Secret Ultraspell move.”
“Well, let’s get going and tell Tsubasa’s parents. We have to let them know we got help!” She hugged him. “Thank you, Hiroshi.”
He smiled. “Well, let’s get you out of those wet clothing, okay? You’re pressing really close.”
She looked at him, miffed, but for once didn’t chew him out. “Okay, I’ll let you have that hentai comment just this once.”
The assistant collapsed on the floor, spent. He looked up at Kappabashi, pleading.
“You’re right – you can’t go on. I’m sorry you had to do this. You’re right.”
He looked at her again.
“I’ll talk to her parents. I hope it’s not too late,” the old woman said, worried. “First thing in the morning.” She looked out the window at the nighttime sky and the hugely gigantic moon. It was a deep shade of orange now and turning redder by the day. “Five days left. And if we don’t stop her….” The old woman shook her head and went back in. She didn’t want to think of the alternative.
Blossomforth was furious. “Your highness, we need a Guild staffer here! There’s a pony’s life at stake!”
Over the phone, Blueblood laughed. “Miss Blossomforth, the only reason I’m bothering with this call is because you’re one of our diplomatic staff and my cousin Cadance is still on Human-Earth. But let me explain something: while I am in charge, I am in charge. And I say the Guild staff needs to be here to protect Equestria.”
“To protect you,” she hissed. “Because you’re such a terrified coward.”
“What was that, Miss Blossomforth?”
“Nothing, your highness,” she muttered.
“Good. Now unless you have anything else for the Crown, I have a luncheon I have to attend. Good Day.” The line disconnected and Blossomforth had to fight the urge to slam the phone down on the cradle. She instead, buried her face in her hooves, frustrated that with all the authority and power that she had as an ambassador, she couldn’t save a pony who needed her when that power was needed most.
At Narita the next day, the group stood there – the Uedas, Yuka, Riho, Junko, and Yoshida – waiting. Yoshida held up a sign that said HOOFDINI.
“Isn’t it ‘Houdini’?” Riho asked.
“No, the name’s a play on it,” Yoshida replied. “Since Hoofdini says he’s a magic user, maybe he just liked the play on words.”
“Well, here comes the people from the flight,” Yuka said, hoping against hope that the help would really come and that this wasn’t just a cruel lie. Dozens of people boiled out of Gate 21B, a collection of foreigners and Japanese natives, all human. Finally, a unicorn could be seen, walking upright, headed towards them – and he never would have expected what he saw: “Hoofdini” was a mare, with a light blue coat, pale blue and white mane and her eyes hidden behind sunglasses. She wore a leather jacket, a sports jersey – at least he recalled somewhere that the Dodgers were a baseball team – jeans and sneakers. She was towing a suitcase, and walked with an air of confidence.
Hoofdini stopped in front of the group, looking at the sign. “You must be Batsu,” she said in English. She set the bag down and offered a hoof. “You really weren’t kidding, were you?”
He shook his head, then took the hoof and shook. “Not at all. Thank you for coming. My real name’s Yoshida Hiroshi,” he replied in her language.
Goro bowed deeply as did his wife and everyone in the group. Passersby wondered who the unicorn was, or wondered how severe the situation was for that group that it required such a deep bow.
“Please, get up. You don’t need to do that for me,” she said. To their surprise, it was Japanese.
“You speak Japanese?” Kyoko asked.
Hoofdini grinned. “Magical amplification spell. Speed-read through a Rosetta Stone program while I was in flight. Admittedly, I could have just used a simple translation spell, but those don’t always get the nuances, and I’ve learned from experience that shortcuts aren’t always worth it.”
“Thank you again,” Kyoko said, her eyes watering. “You’re our only hope.”
She removed her glasses and grinned, revealing beautiful amethyst-purple eyes. “Thank Batsu here. I promised him I would. And the Great and Powerful Trixie always keeps her promises.”
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And as we all shall see, Hoofini will cure Tsubasa of possession by performing the greatest demonstration of dressage ever witnessed by human and pony eyes.
Ooh, Trixie is here. This is going to be fun.
The old woman and assistant are taking their sweet time letting the problem stew.
Things are getting deep.
GTAP Trixie, to the rescuuuuue! Honestly, tossing her in the story as 'Hoofdini' is both perfectly fitting and absolutely hilarious. Well done!
And now, a Trixie eyebrow:
I hope she makes it through
Suddenly, a Great and Powerful Trixie. What?
As soon as you mentioned a wizard who chose not to join the guild, I figured it had to be Trixie.
And seriously, Shinzakura, why in the world would anyone pull the Braniff name out of retirement for an airline? Does the world really need a fourth bankrupt Braniff?
1918187
Curious as to why you thought it was her. Also, with my fondness for retro branding, someone noticed and requested Braniff Assume for story purposes they never went under.
Well, the possession theory is confirmed, and it appears to be Earth native too. What is eating poor Tsu-chan from the inside is still unclear.
I wondered how much grief the Ueda's got from Equestrian authorities for the adoption, given it came on the heels of the 'Lost Foal' case. Fluttershy uses the Royal Canterlot Voice on bigoted bureaucrats.
It is Super Effective! 
And I really, really, really want to see someone call in all those Karmic IOUs Prince
Plothole, er Blueblood is signing.1918262 Ponies as a whole seem able to get along. Trixie is one of the few ponies shown to be defiantly independent. And I've always seen her as being quite powerful, even if she'll never beat Twilight Sparkle.
Another random alternate history element prior to the joining of the two worlds? There are so many to keep track of!
1918187
I think it was because I asked.
I'm a bit of an airline enthusiast, and when he made TWA, Western, and presumably Pan Am exist, I thanked him for it, and bribed him with a Flutteryay to make make good ol' BI exist once more.
(And now he gets three, for being awesome)
Holy crap, I thought the security boost due to somepony's death was for the current AAG cliffhanger. Nearly broke down and wept when Blossomforth said she'd tell them what happened. That plus Blueblood being in power after we found out he's a Neo Nazi... That wouldn't end well. And then it wasn't.
AAAH! I don't know why this irritates me, but... NO ONE IS FRIGGIN UNIVERSALLY BAD!!!
(Well, except maybe NMM and Chrysalis and gang, but even then that could change). Everyone, even the most psychotic SOB's in this story have at least some semblance of good in them or a change of heart. (Oh, and Blueblood, but he needs to get hit by a bus, and soon.)
Again, if anything this should make me happy and give me a good sense of the overarching moral of forgiveness in AAG -and there's a part of me that it does- but it just... irks me. Huh.
Aaaaaaaand TRIXIE. Rather ironically to my above rant, Trixie's apparent redemption story to come doesn't grind my gears in the least. In fact, it made me pretty happy that she appeared in this. And I'm usually not a big Trixie fan at all. Double huh.
Some Japanese demon (Im guessing 9 tailed fox?) posseses Tsubasa turning her into an anthro, got a five day time limit before its too late to save her, and now their only hope has arrivedand just in time for the final battle!
Kick some demon ass Trixie!
She would most likely need the help of the old lady though.
Hmmm I'm very interested as to how the clash between Japanese Spiritual Magic fairs against Equestrian Magic.
This is gonna be good!
But this begs the question, is Wanyudo Trixie's arch nemesis?
And fuck you Blueblood, I haven't forgotten what you did to smear Shining's good name!
1918262
This is how the airline industry should be, with all the legacy carriers gracing the skies long after their centennial.
Maybe, for the purposes of the story, you can have it so that the 1978 Airline Deregulation Act never occurred, allowing old carriers like Braniff, TWA, Pan Am, and others (including 1971 startup Southwest), to exist without going bankrupt.
(Hopefully PSA () will also make it into the story. If it does, and someone/pony/griffon/dragon notices that the airplanes have a smile painted on them like this:upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/Pacific_Southwest_Airlines_L-1011_N10114_1.jpg/800px-Pacific_Southwest_Airlines_L-1011_N10114_1.jpg
You will receive: INFINITE FLUTTERYAYS!!!!!!
Hey, didn't I just mention her
This whole getup really does suit Trixie, she likely went to the guild awhile and upon the Earth / Alter Earth meeting, abandoned her guild role to become a showmare of sorts again. Therefore moving to LA and becoming an evil Dodgers fan.
Well the twists keep coming. This Sabaru certainly has the overall feel of Nightmare Moon, and the portrayal and timeline do somewhat synch...
But again it is insinuated that Nightmare has been actively working for years after possessing someone important in Equestria.
(My money is on the real Minty)
1918478 1918443 This I agree with, although how truly evil this anthro-demon of lunar lust is remains to be seen... although the random acts of fatal consequence certainly don't help win any sympathy.
But I suppose having second best unicorn in two worlds doesn't hurt. Especially since the number one best is slowly dying in quarantine.
I look forward to seeing what happens.
Shinzakura is certainly thorough with the world building / alternate timeline tie ins.
1918582
Actually, she's on the Vegas Strip. Pretty sure that was mentioned in a previous part, can't remember when though.
1918865
But isn't LAX out of LA.
Trixe magic level is 47D? She's gotten very powerful over the years...
1919789
No, she didn't start from LAX. As "Hoofdini" states in the online chat:
She caught a layover at LAX.
1920142 aah, thank you. LV does make sense too
Oh. I thought Hoofdini was going to be Snips or Snails. I should have known they were going to be Trixie.
This is getting really intense. Whatever the hell Subaru is, it had better not kill Tsubasa, I like her.
Just got to say that I was honestly surprised by the Trixie reveal, and incredibly delighted.
Awww, shit! It's 'bout to get all Great and Powerful up in dis hizzy!
I though it was Minnuette at first XD
A few minutes later, the five were gazing at Tsubasa from behind thick transparent aluminum.
Transparent aluminum...this far in the future, they sure have some interesting metallurgical stuff going on.