Mokuba felt cold. His chest hurt beyond all belief, and he felt like something was drilling at his head.
What was that? Why did he suddenly feel...awful? He was fine, they were fine! Why then...why did he collapse? And why did he suddenly feel...possessed? Like something took over him? He didn’t know. He couldn’t know! He shouldn’t know! Why then? Why was this happening to him? So many questions he wanted answered...but, why did he have a feeling…
That it would be a LONG time before he got the answer.
“Is he ok?” Nyx asked, seeing Twilight walk out of Mokuba’s room. She smiled softly, nodding.
“So far yes. However, there might be a change, so Starlight’s watching over him. He should be fine, for now,” she nuzzled her daughter’s cheek, drawing a smile from the smaller alicorn.
“So...did you find out how he got here?” Nyx whispered, trotting after her mother as she began to walk away. Twilight shook her head.
“Not yet. It’s so strange. A human suddenly in our world, no explanation. We can’t figure out a proper reason until we get Mr. Kaiba’s side of the story. Which, in the condition he’s in, that might be...awhile,” her ears drooped, an exhausted look on her face. Nyx frowned.
“Twilight, can I talk to you for a minute?” Sunset had emerged from the nearby room, which was the spell room. Twilight looked up, nodding. She gave a Nyx another nuzzle before entering the spell room, Sunset shutting the door behind her.
“What is it?” Twilight asked, watching her trot across the room and levitate a few books and papers around her.
“Well, I’ve visited the site where Mr. Kaiba crashed and picked up some of the residue. It looks like he came in some kinda...pod. Look here,” she picked up a small, green shard, floating it over to Twilight. The mare looked at it, noticing the smooth side of it, and the ragged front.
“It looks like it was some kinda...shell. You can almost tell,” she rubbed the smooth end with her hoof, twitching at its silkiness. Sunset nodded.
“Yeah, it’s interesting. There are bigger pieces at the site, but I decided on just bringing the smaller ones. You know, to make life easier,” Sunset gave a lopsided grin, placing the shard on the table. Twilight sighed.
“It looks like something from the changelings. But Chrysalis hasn’t done anything to harm us since we made the pact with her kingdom about five years ago. Think it might have something do with her kingdom?” Twilight theorized, rubbing her chin with her hoof.
Five years prior, Twilight had traveled to the changeling kingdom after the incident with Thorax, the changeling explaining in full detail on how his kingdom was dying. She went there to establish peace, not that Chrysalis had much of a choice. It was do or die for her kingdom. But it proved to help BOTH sides of the spectrum when the peace pact was made, even giving Chrysalis a chance to apologize in full to her brother Shining Armor and his wife, Princess Cadence. It took Shining a full two years to move past it, Cadence being a bit more buoyant. Flurry Heart was too young to remember.
“Yes. We might need to bring it up, however. They might not be responsible, but this might’ve come from their kingdom,” Sunset suggested, pulling out a scroll, ink, and pen. Twilight nodded, letting Sunset write her letter the the changeling queen while she went to browse the various books they had.
“I’ll send the shard with the letter, ask her if can identify it,” Sunset placed the shard in a small bottle, rolling the letter around it.
“I’m off to find Spike. Think there’s something here you can find?” she asked, stopping at the door to speak over her shoulder. Twilight nodded.
“Yep.” she smiled, pulling out a book and opening it. Sunset nodded, opening the door and walking out.
Only to be greeted by the vary dragon she was looking for.
“OH! Hi Sunset! Is Twilight in there? Something just happened!” Spike looked over her, trying to peer into the room. Spike had grown a whole three feet longer in the past five years, small wings out his back. Sunset nodded.
“Yes, she is. What happened?” she asked, placing a hoof on Spike’s chest to calm him down. He shifted nervously.
“It’s the human, he woke up,” he whispered, as if they were in a public area and need to remain quiet. Sunset gasped.
“Already!? Here, send this to Queen Chrysalis real quick and get Twilight!” she shoved the paper and bottle into his arms and raced away, using her wings to give her a boost.
“That’s what I was doing!” Spike called, only for Sunset to disappear around the corner. She raced towards the room, seeing a small crowd of their friends at the door.
“Hey Sunset! Where’s Twi?” Rainbow hovered above her. Sunset moved past her.
“On her way, please let me through,” she gently moved around the other mares, entering the room. She saw Starlight at the end of bed, a panicked expression on her face.
Sunset turned and looked at Mokuba. Nyx currently had her forelegs wrapped around his shoulders, trying to calm him down. He was sitting upright, new wrappings, pants, and a few smaller bandages on his arms. His shoulders were shaking violently, showing signs that he was crying.
Starlight turned to her.
“Woke with a start. Started screaming about something. His family I guess. Then, he just started bawling. I think it’s dawned on him that he’s in another world entirely, nowhere NEAR his world. Do you think he might come from your’s?” Starlight asked, watching Sunset approach.
“No. His aura is different from that of the aura of the human world I stayed in. It might be an alternate dimension. We won’t be able to tell if he doesn't calm down. But I see he needs this,” she cast a sympathetic look upon the small human, watching his body quake in sobs.
Nyx looked up at Sunset, smiling weakly.
“He’s muttering. Something about…’Ni-sama’. I don’t know what that means so…” Nyx rubbed Mokuba’s head, fluffing her wings and wrapping them onto his shoulders.
“Ni-sama. That’s the Japonies word for…’big brother’ I think. Ni for oni, as in brother. And ‘sama’ as in high respect. At least, to my knowledge…” Starlight pondered for a moment. Sunset perked.
“So...he comes from his world’s version of Neighpon?” she asked. Starlight nodded, Nyx tilted her head in confusion.
“Isn’t it...Japon?” she asked. Sunset chuckled.
“Not exactly. That’s what us english speaking ponies address it has. Technically, the word ‘japon’ comes from the Haynese translation of Neighpon, or, Jappon. It’s actually Neighpon, if we want to get technical,” Starlight explained, Nyx nodded in understandment.
Mokuba flinched, hiccuping gently.
“Why...why am I here? Ni-sama...please….help me….” he began whispering between his breaths, drawing a look from Nyx.
“He’s doing it again, that mumbling,” Nyx whispered, looking down at him. Sunset and Starlight exchanged looks.
In their heads, the same was running laps in their brains.
Why WAS he here?