The One Who Leads The Way

by TundraStanza

Boost

"Hey! Are you in there?"

Céri slowly stood up. He tried looking around. Everything seemed to be an empty abyss. Well, everything except for the clawed man with a hat, a red-striped sweater, and rotting fle- What the hell?

"Yaaaah!" Céri shuffled several paces backward, only to find that his distance from the creature wasn't increasing.

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before." The other entity waved his clawed hand dismissively. "Seriously, can't you guys ever find more original things to do than scream in fear, call me a monster, and beg me not to kill you? Because I only accidentally slashed one of the other cos-players and it wasn't even lethal."

Céri blinked a couple times. "Wait... so you're not going to rip me up with a chainsaw and then drag my corpse around until you see your next victim?"

"Wrong horror series, bud." The burned creature crossed his arms. "Besides, that guy's more partial to his machete."

"O...kay... so, uh... What are you doing here?" He took a cautious step forward.

"Well, my abilities granted after meeting the strange salesman include wandering through other people's dreams. To a limited effect, this can also cross universes and dimensions. That condition is that it must be someone else that got sucked into a version of Pony Land."

"Pony Land?" Céri tilted his head. "You mean... there's more than just the one pony that looks kind of like Nurse Joy?"

"You got bound to Nurse Redheart?" asked the burned man. "Well, at least it's not the worst thing in the world. You could have been trapped with Season 1 Diamond Tiara."

"What do you mean I could have been stuck with a crown?"

The claw waved dismissively. "Never mind, man. So, like I was saying. There's a ton of us that got conned by a shady merchant who gave us either an object or a source of power, but the catch was getting transported to another universe. Some of us have already made contact with each other, and we think that'll be the key to saving realities, or at least getting those of us who want to back home."

"Why wouldn't people want to go back home?"

A claw and burned hand reached to either side in a shrug. "They think they've found their soulmate in their Pony Land or something. I don't really get it either. Anyway, what's your gimmick? You don't look like any fictional character I've seen before."

"Uh..." Céri shuffled through his pockets and procured the Vanguard deck. "I can call Cardfight units to life for brief periods of time."

"Oh, so you're one of those background anime duelists." The other guy chuckled. "No wonder you still look relatively normal."

"Background... Hey!" Céri's brow furrowed.

"Ah, almost forgot." The fleshy hand extended palm-side up. "I'm Freddy Kreuger. It's kind of a rule for us misfits to exchange calling cards, in case something comes up. Just say, 'Elm Street,' if you need me."

Céri looked at Kreuger's extended hand. Resting on the burned flesh was a mini-version of his clawed limb. Slowly, Céri reached down and picked it up. He turned it around a couple times before pocketing it.

"Okay, so... how do I make a calling card?"

"Well, it should be relatively easy here in your dream," insisted Kreuger. "Just imagine the form you want it to take and then give it a passphrase. Then, I can try to distribute it to as many others that have been displaced as possible."

Céri put his deck away before holding up a hand and concentrating. A glimmer of light flashed and gave him grasp of a blank, white card. He cleared his throat.

"Céri Dylanson: Card fighter, specifically in the TCG 'Vanguard'. The passphrase is 'Stand up, my avatar.' " The card stopped glowing. "Is that okay?"

"Meh, good enough for me." Kreuger shrugged as he moved the card into his possession. "When Loki tried explaining it to me, he was kind of vague in regards to the specific details."

At this point, Céri and Kreuger found themselves literally drifting apart.

"Good luck, pal. Expect to hear several new calls within the next week or so. Oh, and try to wait a while before calling me. I'll probably be busy with other matters."

---

Céri bolted upright. He took a few gasping breaths before managing to calm down somewhat. He looked around and found himself sitting on a bed in a plain, clean room. He reached up his hand to his face, noticing the texture of cloth over a few areas. Bandages, perhaps? Well, given the fact that he had been cut by Blaster Dark's sword, that wasn't too surprising.

It was about this time that he realized that his fist was clenched around something. When he uncurled his fingers, he gasped at the sight of the mini-claw. It looked exactly like the one he saw in his dream. He tried closing his fist and opening it again. It looked like it vanished, yet he could tell that it was... there somehow.

"Elm Street, huh?" he muttered.

"Try to wait a while before calling me. I'll probably be busy with other matters."

He sighed, turning over to face the left of his bed. Though, a sudden pinching prevented him from rolling any further. A slow look down his arm led to the sight of a needle. It was attached to a very thin tube leading all the way back to a pack of an IV pack hanging on a tall metal stand.

"Geez, how long was I out?"

A glance to the right side of his bed led to seeing a night stand. It was complete with a lamp, a weird-looking paperweight, and two Cardfight Vanguard decks. He could see Shamsiel and Blaster Dark on top of them respectively. He swore that the trouble that the Shadow Paladin had put him through was-

The door creaked open, cutting Céri's train of thought short. A cart with a plate was slowly wheeled in, followed by Redheart pushing it. When she laid her eyes upon him, she opened them wide for a bit. She shook her head and let an awkward cough to the side before wheeling the cart all the way to the left side of him.

"How are you feeling, Céri?" she asked with a calmness that lightly veiled some hint of worry.

"A bit scratched up, but alright," he answered. It's still hard to believe that you're real. Oh, well. One step at a time.

"That's good, considering you were out for the last twenty-two hours."

"Twenty-two hours?!" Céri gripped his bed sheet tightly with both hands. "When? I mean, how?"

Redheart carefully positioned the plate and tray onto the bed. "The shock from a cutting weapon would ruin anypony's day, followed by such an immense magical output." She glanced at him directly. "Speaking of which, where did you find the magic to summon three familiars in a single day?"

"Technically they're called 'Units'." He said, grabbing one of his decks with his right hand and then flipping through its cards. "As for how I summoned them, your guess is as good as mine. Usually, something like this would only be possible with extremely advanced technology or certain types of power you don't want to mess with. But... I don't think this is the same power as was prominent in the manga."

"Well... okay." Redheart nodded once and smiled gently. "I trust that you'll put that power to good use."

"Wait, you trust me?" he asked, setting the Angel Feather clan back on the stand. "Just like that?"

"Just like that." She idly pointed toward the tray. "Now, I imagine that you're hungry after being around for two days, and I haven't seen you eat anything."

Céri looked down, ran his right hand down the ribs against his skin and realized the nurse had a point. In less than two seconds, he had the small fork in hand and was scarfing down the multi-colored, gelatinous crud on the plate. He didn't even notice Redheart pulling out the IV needle and placing a small bandage on his arm. He did, however, perk up when she procured a glass of water and hoofed it over to him. It wasn't a five-star meal, but it was satisfying for the time being.

"You should be okay taking the bandages off your face in about a week," Redheart added. "But there will likely be some light scar tissue when all's said and done."

"Figures." Céri muttered, idly fiddling with the green hospital garment. "By the way, what happened to my clothes?"

"They've been cleaned and dried," she said as she trotted to the other side of the bed. "We'll get them for you as soon as you're ready to walk out of here."

He wondered what she was looking at, and followed the path of her gaze to the Shadow Paladin deck. He looked back at her. Her expression was that of a rather annoyed woman. He shivered, remembering that same kind of gaze that his mother used to hold against him when something wasn't right. Though, his trigger soon switched to confusion when he saw her pick up the Blaster Dark card with just her hoof.

Wha-... How is she doing that? There's nothing on that limb for her to grab!

Redheart, however, was oblivious to the young man's confusion regarding scientific impossibilities. She squinted at the dark, armored man in the picture. She then promptly lifted her other front hoof and performed a motion almost identical to a backhand against the card. Blaster Dark ended up smacking right back on top of his clan's deck. Before the young man could fathom that the pony was somehow standing on her hind legs while not falling, she was suddenly back on all fours.

"What the heck did I just watch?" asked Céri.

"Hmm?" The nurse's expression softened as she looked back at her patient. "Oh, sorry about that. I guess I still had a bit of a grudge against that guy."

"Oh... right... the backhand." Céri remembered his first encounter with the live Unit. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I held an ice pack against my cheek for a bit and that helped a lot."

"That's good." He sighed and shook his head. "That was something crazy yesterday."

"I know," she agreed. "That was the second monster attack this week. Usually we can get by at least two and a half weeks without seeing major destruction to the town."

Céri's eyes went wide. "Your town gets attacked by monsters almost every three weeks?!"

"Oh, no." Redheart smiled reassuringly. "Those usually only come by every two months or so. Normally, the mess comes in the form of somepony's shenanigans inside a house or from a large, outdoor event."

He could have been speechless if his mouth hadn't kept moving. "How can you say that kind of thing with a straight face?"

"Well, you tend to get used to that after a year or so of living in the same town." She said, while putting the empty tray back onto the cart. "Now, I've got a few other patients I need to check on before this evening. After that, I'll be back with your clothes. So in the meantime, please try to relax."

With that said, she was already wheeling the cart out of the room. The door swung shut behind her. Céri was left alone with his current understanding of the surreal world he had been tossed into. His head fell back against the pillow and he stared at the ceiling for an indeterminate time.

---

He saw a few other ponies of different colors as he was escorted down the hall. They ranged from being bed-ridden patients to a few nurses and doctors. There was even one that uncannily resembled Dr. House. Céri instinctively shivered in his hospital gown.

Finally, the nurse that he had apparently formed a bond with led him to a room with several hangers. His clothes were among them. He'd sat in his fair share of doctor's backrooms where he was required to strip one or more articles of clothing in order to examine specific body areas. So, he wasn't as freaked out as one might expect him to be as this nurse watched him change outfits.

"Where do you live?" asked Redheart.

He gave his home city name. From her confused expression and her failed attempt to pronounce it correctly, it helped add evidence to the 'other world' theory that his dream's visitor had explained. Come to think of it, he had even brushed his hand against a tiny glove with claws when rummaging through his pants pockets. Though, trying to explain the circumstances he shared with this "Freddy Kreuger" person proved to be difficult.

"So... Karugula has the same powers as Princess Luna?" she asked.

"I don't know who that is." Céri shrugged before putting on his jacket. "I'm new around here. Basically, my understanding of this world is equivalent to someone who has been living under a rock."

"Oh. Well, Princess Luna returned to power roughly seventy-five moons ago. She's Princess Celestia's younger sister and they share responsibility over Equestria."

" 'Equestria', huh? That sounds a lot better than 'Pony Land'," muttered Céri. "Hold on, they're both princesses? Then, who's the queen?"

Redheart's confused expression was starting to become familiar. "Does there need to be a queen?"

"It just seems like it would get really confusing if there's more than one ruler with the same title, especially to foreign nations."

"Hmm." She held a hoof just under her mouth. "I guess there was some confusion with the last dragon ambassador that visited, but I'm pretty sure they said she was okay with our system upon her departure."

"Wait... dragon ambassadors are real?"

"Yes, though I'm not an expert on their current politics. You'd probably find more information in Princess Twilight's castle library. I heard that they updated some of their shelves due to some missing manuscripts during the last dragon migration."

Céri was starting to feel like he had a headache. "Celestia... Luna... Twilight... How many princesses can one land have?"

"Well, four if you count Princess Cadance of the Crystal Empire branch in the middle of the Arctic North."

He pinched his nose and groaned. "So out of all four of those candidates, none of them are allowed to choose a title of higher standing, or at least a different title with roughly the same level of authority? Like 'Queen' or 'Empress' or 'Duchess'?"

"Maretonia has the exclusive rights to 'Duchess'." Redheart trotted over and dumped some other pony's clothes into the washer. "And as for the other two titles, Empress Nightmare Moon threatened to cover the world in an everlasting night and Queen Chrysalis nearly sucked all of the love out of Canterlot in the middle of a wedding reception."

...

"If those things are commonplace in Equestria, I don't feel safe as long as I'm here." He shook his head. "I really hope the other displaced people and creatures can work together to find out how to get us all home soon."

After starting the washer, Redheart trotted over and gently touched the man's hand. "You'll be fine, Céri."

He looked down at her gentle, aged blue eyes. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because the ponies I know won't let bad things happen without fixing them back up." She nodded confidently. "Besides, from what I've seen, you've got quite a few options for calling familiars- sorry, Units."

He pulled out his deck and fanned out the various Angel Feather Units. "I guess that's true."

Redheart pulled her hoof back and scratched her neck. "Speaking of which, do you think you could... call the one that shielded us from that lightning strike? I want to thank her."

"Uh... sure, but maybe we should move this outside. I didn't really get a grasp of how big these Units are."

---

Soon, the nurse and the young man were standing outside. He slid the cards around in his hand. He was muttering something along the lines of "Sentinel" over and over as his eyes skimmed through the card descriptions.

"Ah, here we go." He pulled out the Grade 1 Unit with a golden bar around its shield value. "Adamantine Celestial, Aniel. Call!"

As he held the card up, it emitted the Vanguard circle symbol. A moment later, the cute little angel with blue feathers and a clipboard was floating in the air. She hummed in confusion, looking around and not seeing any other Units anywhere. She then looked at her Vanguard summoner.

"Excuse me," called Redheart, momentarily gaining the angel in nurse's garments attention. "I... just wanted to thank you properly for saving us yesterday, so... Thank you."

Aniel smiled and held her clipboard close. She closed her eyes and gave a bow with her upper body. She waved with her free hand, then promptly vanished in a stream of particles.

"I don't think she looks any bigger than you," commented Redheart.

"Well, when we start considering the giant dragons like those we saw in the Shadow Paladin clan," said Céri while straightening his cards back into the deck, "it's better to err on the side of caution."

"Yeah, I'd rather you didn't call one of those indoors." She chuckled.

"Speaking of indoors, my situation kind of makes me homeless by default," he commented sheepishly. "Would it be alright if I stayed at your place for a bit longer, at least until I can figure something else out?"

"Not a problem. I've got to get back to my shift soon, but I think walking you home should be within accepted practices."

He smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

---

Author's Note:

That's why it's Hypersonic, Gohan.
...
In an unrelated note, I'm not going to bother putting hyperlinks to all of the cards' pictures. This story would probably stand stronger if I could describe everything as needed instead of expecting all of you to go elsewhere.