Sherbert - 4th of Solar Dusk, 25 AESherbert - 4th of Solar Dusk, 25 AE
Kazumi’s Clinic, Neighdo - Neighpone
I grew up in an ambulatory surgery center which was called a clinic because dad thought that sounded more friendly. But that still screwed with my perception of what a clinic was. I didn’t expect a clinic to be just like home, not after I learned the difference between types of healthcare facilities.
I expected clinics to be tiny, under funded places with not enough staff, held together by one badflank of a doctor who gave enough of a buck to make up for the lack of funds and personnel. The kind of pony who can reattach your severed leg with an overworked internal scream using only grit, determination, and the mountain of paperwork your injury created for him. At least, that’s what the average Equestrian clinic was like.
That’s what I had expected when Rojā said we were going to Kazumi’s Clinic. It wasn’t what we got.
The clinic was built inside a fairly large quonset hut. One easily large enough to use as the hanger for several small personal aircraft, though not big enough for a second floor. Despite being an old prefab military building, the exterior had been plastered and lacquered over to give it a smooth finish. Then the building had been painted a distinctive red and white with the international red cross on the flat side facing the street, the downstroke going right over the front door for convenience's sake.
You could easily see it through the trees thanks to the paint job, and it looked like the forest had been trimmed, warped, and grown to expose as much of the building as possible without making a true clearing. I suppose that was Uneigh groundskeeping at work.
The exterior exceptionally well cared for outside was matched by the inside. Short, white-painted vertical walls which were about one and a half ponies high had been built inside the half-a-cylinder shaped building to provide an area to hang things on the walls. Things like the dark hardwood panels which contrasted with the light softwood, possibly bamboo, floor. They also let the internal walls be built nice and square to one another.
There were lots of internal walls. The clinic had twenty five separate rooms for patients alone. Some equipped for overnight stays, some examination rooms, a chamber for arcane healing and data gathering, and even one freaking MRI room for tech based information gathering.
Kazumi’s Clinic was a mini-Ponyville General Hospital. Only with WAY more serious nurses. Some of whom had their own office, all of whom had a break room.
This clinic was easily the most efficiently used space I had ever been in. And I’d been in my Aunt Ayna’s laboratory. The laboratory of a highly functioning autistic changeling wizard who honestly has problems locating items if they were moved a mere half meter away from their ‘designated non-use resting position,’ was less optimized than this micro-hospital’s floorplan. Which somehow managed to squeeze in three full handicap accessible bathrooms without making any given room feel tiny.
It was enough for me to ask, “So, whose Kazumi?”
Rojā’s wings twitched slightly as I asked the question. I didn’t know him very well yet, but I could tell that I’d upset him.
“I’m sorry,” I said as quickly as I could while also stepping out of the way of a white uniformed pegasus mare carrying a stack of folders. “I don’t know a lot about Neighpone yet. I did try to learn everything I could but-”
Rojā nodded. “Yes, that’s true isn't it?” He said apologetically. “This is a legend everyone here knows, one of the ones which are foundational to modern Neighpone. It would be exceptionally rude to remain ignorant of this very real pony’s life and deeds. Kami-sama Kazumi Hattori is the Kami of Healing, Healers, Intimidation, and Tenacity.
“Five hundred years ago, the batpony mare, Kazumi-sama, was a ronin and a traveling healer who had been disowned by her family before finishing her training as a samauri, due to her being a dwarf. For a time, it was thought she was simply growing slowly, but when her family learned her growth had stopped entirely, she was exiled.
“She traveled all of Neighpone, using her talent as a healer to tend to any she could find, eventually becoming a monk and living off the kindness of the families she helped. As many traveling monks have done before, and still do to this day. Kazumi-sama’s apotheosis occurred when she saved the lives of three hundred ponies during the aftermath of a battle between two rival states. The losing Shogun ordered three hundred of her samurai to commit seppuku as their division had dishonored her by failing to hold a hill, leading to the army being routed.
“Like all good samurai, they complied. The Shogun refused to allow the samurai mercy, ordering their assistants not to behead them despite each one successfully disemboweling themselves without flinching. ‘Let those who ran like dogs die like dogs.’ Is a quote attributed to this particular Shogun.
“Kazumi-sama was present in the village the Shogun had rallied her army at, and was having none of that. She personally cleaned, stitched, and treated each of the slowly dying samurai's wounds as best she could. In the morning, the Shogun discovered her actions, and ordered Kazumi-sama to be executed. She killed twenty seven of the samurai sent to kill her with what was either an ironroot staff or a broken spear haft, history is hazy there.
“Meanwhile, the Shogun’s soldiers were ordered to reopen each of the three hundred’s wounds and ensure they bled out slowly as planned. They did. So Kazumi-sama treated each of them again, then marched her way up to the Shogun and cut out her left eye with a scalpel before the shogun could react and ordered her to ‘Stop putting holes in my patients!’
“Now, this may be hard for an Equestrian to believe, but the shogun took exception to being dishonored in such a manner, and let Kasumi-sama go, intending to kill her later personally. But first, she ordered her archers to shoot the three hundred samurai. They did.
“In retaliation, Kazumi-sama led the village’s peasants on a riot through the shogun’s camp, lighting it on fire. During which she left the raid in progress to treat the wounded samurai's puncture wounds. And did. Successfully, even though she had to rip her tail out hair by hair to replace her dwindling supply of thread.
“The smoke from the burning camp attracted the attention of the army which had defeated the Shogun a few days before, and they marched on the shogun’s position, charging in and slaughtering the force to the last. Their elite warriors happened upon the field Kazumi-sama was using as her hospice and attacked, intending to finish off the wounded.
“Once again, Kazumi-sama was having none of that. Despite being unarmed she successfully killed the Chūsa leading their platoon in hoof to hoof combat, despite the Chūsa being fully armed and armored. After which she stood atop his corpse and informed the rest of the attackers ‘I swear to the heavens, if you hurt my patients I will soul-punch you!’
“That didn’t go over with them very well, and so they attacked her and her patients. So she did. She soul-punched them. Hard. She killed another seven of them, each with single blows before the platoon’s moral disintegrated and they fled. Kazumi-sama then went back to the wounded she had initially been treating and started to tend to all of their new wounds. Impossibly, all three hundred were still alive at this point though many were minutes from death.
“They were told to ‘Wait patiently for your turn or I will slap you so hard it knocks your soul back into your bones, just so I can strangle you back into takamanohara!’ So they did. Because of the sheer butt-clenching terror this seventeen year old filly radiated from every little bit of her body-”
“Woah, wait, hold it!” I demanded stopping mid stride to hold up a hoof. “She was a little filly!?”
Rojā nodded. “Yes. In those days samurai began training from the age of six, and a mare was an adult at thirteen. Please do not interrupt again.
“Since Kazumi-sama had beaten the army’s elite warriors unarmed, seemingly was able to tell Dusk herself to back off, and had kept three hundred stallions alive through all of that, they refused to attack her, or even go near the field. The villagers meanwhile decided that Kazumi-sama was clearly a goddess for these same reasons, and began building a shrine. The soldiers, seeing this, agreed with the village’s conclusion and began to leave offerings of medical supplies.
“After this incident, which is very well documented with many eyewitness accounts, Kazumi-sama vanished in a flash of white light. Not one mage could tell what spell had transported her or even the kind of magic used. This solidified her divinity as far as all present were concerned.
“And from that day on, any clinic, hospital, or other house of healing which wishes for good luck has included her name in its name. That’s why we say the street along with the clinic’s name. There are thousands of Kazumi’s Clinics in this city alone.”
I paused for several long seconds. I honestly couldn’t believe that story. I understood that it was important to Neighponese culture, but… Really?
“When you say she was a dwarf-” I began, only for Rojā to cut me off.
“She stood no higher than your barrel. At her ear tips,” he insisted before nodding to a room on the righthoof side of the hallway. “This is the room. Come on.”
“May I make a messenger call first, please? It won't take long,” I asked, bowing low in the hopes that was the right thing to do.
Rojā raised an eyebrow, then nodded in realization. “Ah! Yes, I forgot, you’re under age in your homecontry. Yes, you should definitely inform your parents of the change in plans. I will wait to enter the room with you. Make your call back in the lobby. It would be rude of me to listen in on such a private affair,” he said with a polite bow.
I raised an eyebrow. “You’re a ninja,” I said flatly, giving Rojā my best deadpan stare.
“Shinobi,” Rojā corrected instantly. “Which is why you will never know if I listened in or not.”
I managed to only give him a fearful look for a single moment as I realized my privacy was completely gone for the rest of my training.
Rojā rolled his eyes. “Right, you’re a young mare. Forgot that means you’re still swimming in hormones. It’s been a while for me. The dojo works just like University. Just drape some piece of clothing over your door when you’re masturbaiting. That’s the signal. No one will spy on you when you need that kind of privacy,” Rojā informed, while giving me an odd ‘kind and honest’ look which seemed extremely sincere.
Well, that was mortifying. I gave Rojā a shaky, embarrassed, blushing bright red smile and stepped backwards. “I uh, I’m going to… Make that call now…” I mumbled as I turned and quickly trotted off to the cozy lobby.
Doing my best to forget that little offered slice of my life to cum- I mean come! I fished my messenger gem out of my saddelbag and gave it a light squeeze to activate it.
I would have used my watch to make the call, but some ponies just didn’t have one. Among them was a certain friend of dad’s, who could definitely shed some light on the Kazumi myth. And who could also let dad know about the change of plans and would totally seem like the person I normally called to get in touch with him.
I mean, she was my godmother. Literally.
Raising the now glowing gemstone to my lips I whispered, “Message Dusk: Hello, Dusk? It’s Sherbert. I know that dad’s probably busy, but can you let him know that he needs to call me when he can? It’s important. There’s been a minor change of plans, but it’s okay, I can still stay here and I’m still learning martial arts. I just had to find a different dojo. I’ll explain it in full later.
“Also, I have a question for you. Do you know a Kazumi Hattori?”
My gem blinked for ten seconds as I assumed Dusk was busy doing whatever she was doing and just not picking up her messenger. But then, the gem’s solid color returned, and Dusk’s slightly deep for a mare’s voice asked, “I-is she back?” With genuine fear.
I stared at the gem for a full six seconds.
Holy.
Bucking.
Crap!
“Seriously, if she’s like, around, and doing things, tell me. Now. Please,” Dusk begged worriedly.
“N-no. I just heard the legend and it didn't seem like something that really happ-”
“Oh, it happened! That filly scares the hell out of me,” Dusk said, definitely shuddering on the other end of the line. “She actually soul punched those stallions you know! She, a mere mortal, somehow punched a five dimensional construct and BROKE it off the lower three dimensional- Just, look, nevermind.
“If you see her, don’t get within five kilometers. That’s my policy, and it’s worked out pretty well so far.
“Uh, anyways. I’ll pass on your message and let you go. Sounds like you’re having an unexpectedly busy day today. Sorry about that. I uh… I’m going to go watch something fun. Like a comedy.”
My messenger's glow vanished as Dusk dismissed the call, leaving me standing and staring at the gemstone for several seconds.
I mean, sure I guess stranger stuff had happened. But, just seventeen? Really? And a dwarf on top of that?
I shook my head and turned back around to move back into the hallway, pushing the bamboo and string curtain out of the way as I returned to Rojā. As I rounded the corner and the black suited pony came into view, I narrowed my eyes, squinting at him to try and see if he had moved at all. I honestly couldn’t tell.
“Okay, sorry about that,” I said as I got back to within a few steps from him. “I didn’t want there to be any massive confusion later when I suddenly said I was going to another school.”
Rojā nodded. “I like how you’re honest. Will your father's secretary pass on the message?”
“So you did listen in,” I complained, giving him a hurt look.
“Trust is earned. Not granted automatically,” Rojā said while giving me a very sage look. “This is your first lesson, Sherbert. For the record, you have earned some of my trust. But tell me, I have heard that Lady Dusk chose to retire in Equestria. Is she really working as a secretary?”
I shook my head. “No. She doesn't work. She magics whatever she wants or needs into existence. But mostly just lives in an apartment in Ponyville enjoying old TV shows and games and having friends over for parties or whatever. Nopony complains though, I mean, she spent a stupidly huge number of years working without a vacation. What with being an immortal and all. Let her enjoy her retirement, right?
“Anyways, my dad was her first friend, which makes them besties forever, so she’ll tell him as soon as his workday’s done today.”
“I see,” Rojā hummed. “You mentioned your father owns a clinic on the walk over. I assume he has an actual secretary. Why not call them instead?”
“Dad used to have a secretary I trusted, but once Ember got over her agoraphobia, she left, and became my school’s principal. She’s great with foals and administration. I um, I don't trust dad’s current secretary… Her daughter hates me, and like, knew some stuff about me that she had to have gotten from her mom who has access to my medical records. So, yeah…”
Rojā nodded. “I understand. Have you told your father about this?” He asked curiously.
“I did. But she denied anything, so dad thinks that Ash must have seen me without my tail extensions a- Eep!” I squeaked, holding a hoof to my lips.
Rojā winked at me. “Tone of voice and facial expressions can be magic, can’t they? I’ll teach you how to make others open up like that later in your training. But for now, I need to know if you have any health problems other than tail-baldness.”
I shook my head rapidly. “No nono! I have a tail, it’s just… Kinda griffony. I’m otherwise totally healthy. But I know there’s no way that anypony’s ever seen me without the extensions on. I’m VERY careful about it… Please don’t tell anyone,” I begged, giving him a pleading look.
“Don’t worry. It’s not ply place to share personal secrets like that,” Rojā said with an understanding nod. “We have business to finish here. Come.”
Rojā stepped forward, opening the door with his left hoof. The moment the door started to swing inwards, a thunk of hoof-on-wood echoed through the hallway and the door stopped moving inwards.
“Password,” a soft spoken mare’s voice demanded.
“Open up or get punched,” Rojā said without pause, ears flicking back in annoyance.
I flinched, worrying some kind of disrespect founded kungfu battle would take off.
Nope. The door opened, and a pale ice blue colored unicorn mare gave Rojā the tiniest of friendly smiles. “Sorry,” she said with that same soft monotone. “She said they would be back for her.”
This had to be Master Cho. She scared the cap out of me. First off, she was dressed in a dark purple, near black gi, and had a pair of hoof blades attached to her forehooves. She wasn’t even hiding her weapons either. Her gi’s sleeves could have easily hid the compact weapons, but they were worn low enough to show. Similarly, her mane was cut short. If left long, it could have easily hid the spell-amp charm worn around the base of her horn.
On second glance, I noticed the retractable daggers she wore had two barrels mounted on either side of them too, and if I was remembering my gun calibers properly, they were chambered for Sixhundred Nitro cartridges.
Those bullets are big enough to use as a dildo, and yet the weapons looked a bit small on her legs.
She was a mono colored, ice blue ninja master with openly carried weapons, who spoke in an emotionally dead voice, and had an Amarezonian tribal mane and tail cut. She also had the extra tall, extra muscular, athletically lean build that came from being half horse.
I felt like it was not cowardly to be afraid of her.
“It’s alright,” Rojā dismissed, giving the mono-colored mare a nod in return. “Is that why you’re openly wearing your guns?”
“Yes. Who is the kid?” Cho asked, giving me a scary-hungry-predatory look.
“Knock it off, I took her on as a disciple. Xii burned her entry papers to piss me off and she has talent,” Rojā ordered, giving Cho a protective look. “She’s also an exchange student, who was supposed to be a live in student at his money pit.”
Cho’s look softened instantly. She reached up into her gi’s jacket, retrieving a small bag from an inner pocket.
I flinched, tail raising in alarm.
Cho opened the bag with her magic, surprisingly enough her aura was a hot pink color. More surprisingly she took a chocolate chip cookie out of the bag and held it out to me.
“That’s rough. Have a cookie,” Cho ordered.
Not offered. Not said. Ordered. With steely urgency and an implied ‘or else!’
“Thank you,” I squeaked, taking the cookie and quickly eating it in the hopes of not angering her any further.
“Is Nahrina awake?” Rojā asked casually as he trotted over to the room’s single bed.
“Kinda,” a mangled voice mumbled from the bed.
I blinked, the voice had the distinct buzzing tone of a changeling, but also had a wet sort of ‘sucking’ sound to-
“Oh my gosh they broke her thorax open!” I squeaked, recognising the symptoms thanks to my frequent visits to my Uncle’s house as a filly. “Do you have a lot of changelings here? Half my family lives in a Hive. I remember the first aid classes, we need to get something rigid to use as a patch for her exoskeleton and-”
“I know how to do my job!” An angry sounding mare snapped from the opposite side of the bed.
I blinked, ears swiveling as I searched the other side of the room for, well, whoever spoke. Because I couldn’t see anypony at all…
Cho laughed. Kinda. More like she exhaled the sound ‘heh’. “Rojā, you will like Nahrina’s doctor.”
Rojā reared up to peek over the other side of the bed, I took the moment to make sure that the poor bug was patched up right.
Yes. Yes she was. She had also had most of her exoskeleton cracked open. Everything but her rear left leg had splints, patches, and tightly wrapped bandages to hold everything together. I could even see what looked like plumbing calk being used to waterproof all of the cracks. The poor guy/girl had been hurt extremely bad!
But then again, hard things crack when hit with blunt force. And she was a changeling who had been jumped by martial artists. Sooo, yeah…
Upside, she was the first Sorcerer I’d ever seen. Of the two hives that lived in Equestria, Rubies never revealed their true forms due to a hive wide neuro-psychosis, and the Emeralds were not exactly genetically healthy and just couldn’t produce certain castes. Including Sorcerers.
She was tall, just a bit shorter than a Queen would be, and very thin, with a pronounced horn, and while her wings were mangled, they looked larger than normal. Thankfully, she didn’t have any holes in her legs. I always felt awful when I saw a changeling with them. Then again, everypony I knew did too.
Learning that Changelings digest their own body during the final stages of starvation, starting with the legs, will do that to you. So you know, despite being very badly hurt, Nahrina got to eat well.
I’d also never seen her hive before! A changeling’s colors weren't like a ponies, their eye and shell color told you what ‘family’ they were from. I always thought that was neat, besides, their ‘black’ exoskeletons have little patterns in them kinda like tattoos which are unique to each individual… Though um, apparently I was the only pony who could see them. I guess my eyes picked up a bit more of the UV spectrum than normal.
As I was trying to figure out what gemstone or mineral her ultra dark green red speckled shell and eyes resembled so I could try and guess her hive’s name, Rojā laughed.
“Yes. I know. Stop it,” the same angry voice demanded.
This time I heard where it came from. Slightly below the level of the bed.
I knelt down to look under it. A rather aggravated dwarf batpony mare, with a paint horse fur pattern consisting of a chocolate brown and a deep orange. She had long flowing purple hair, which matches her wing membranes, and a cutiemark which I thought was a satchel of herbs tied up with a needle and thread.
I’d seen a few dwarfs before, normally they were a bit oddly proportioned. Not her, she looked like she’d just stopped getting bigger at about thirteen or so, but developed an adult mare’s shape anyways. She was just itty bitty. Half my height.
My first instinct was to hug her and take her for a ponyback ride like a teadybear, but I was very certain that would be super rude.
“I mean no offense, Ma’am, the coincidence merely makes me smile,” Rojā apologised with a rather low bow. “Is there any chance your parents named you-”
“Kazumi. Yes. They did. I’m a brown, orange, and purple batpony dwarf with a healing talent. Can we drop this? Too much stress is bad for your friend. Especially given her species,” Kazumi snapped.
“It’s cool,” the changeling gurgled. “Your anger tastes okay. There’s love in it.”
“Quiet, you,” Kazumi grumbled, rustling her wings irritably.
Rojā chuckled and looked over at me. “It’s a good thing I explained the legend to you just now, otherwise this would all be lost on you. Isn't this just the best thing ever?”
I nodded. “Yeah, it’s kinda cool. But she’s not comfortable with being typecast from birth so… You know. Maybe not be a dick?” I suggested.
“Wait, that’s totally an Equestrian thing to say,” the changeling, I mean Nahrina said. “Is your new disciple an Equestrian, Master Rojā?”
“She is,” Rojā confirmed. “And Kazumi, I’m sorry for making you feel uncomfortable. But I’m certain you understand how amusing this is for someone who loves ancient history.”
“It’s cool just stop it,” Kazumi grumbled.
“Awesome!” Nahrina gurgled from her bed. “So, I’m sort of running dry here… And I’ve never fed enough to regenerate in my life. Equestrians are supposed to be just packed with love. Would it be okay if I actively drained just a bit from you? Please? Just enough to get my left heart beating again? I think it stopped.”
“It did. When it popped during your beating,” Kazumi informed casually.
“... Ow…” Everypony hissed in unison with a wince.
“You go ahead and take what you need,” I said, stepping closer to her bed. “Um, you do know how to stop before you hurt me right? I’ve had changelings feed on my ambient emotions before, but never actively…”
“Don’t worry, I’m a Bloodstone. We all learn active feeding safety right out of the chrysalis,” Nahrina said, attempting to smile, and instead splitting her jaw open along the existing crack.
Kazumi winced. “I knew I should have bound your mouth shut. Just kiss everyone so you can do your telepathy,” she grumbled, turning around to pick up a small bag of tools, and removing a stethoscope.
“That’s not how it works. For a non-changling to hear them they must have a close bond. Best friend, lovers, or siblings,” I corrected reflexively.
Nahrina nodded and gurgled something, unable to form words without a functioning lower lip.
I winced, barely managing to contain my breakfast. “Just do it before you die please!” I begged, ears laying flat.
“Wait,” Kazumi ordered just before I felt the stethoscope cold surface press into my barrel. “Okay go, and stop when I tell you to.”
Oh yeah, this could be deadly for ponies the first time they were fed on… And the second, and so on until they adapted to it… And I’d never- Crap!
Before I could think about backing out, Nahrina inhaled, my aura becoming faintly visible as she drained energy from me. I immediately grit my teeth at the ‘nails scraping skin’ feeling the active drain left across my entire body.
It wasn’t painful at the beginning, just really itchy and creepy, but with every second it grew worse and worse. Just before the sensation became painful, Kazumi snapped “STOP!”
To my surprise, Nahrina stopped instantly. “Sorry,” she croaked, her jaw having apparently healed with the influx of love and magic. “Everything hurts, I might not have been concentrating right. Is she okay?”
“Yeah,” Kazumi grunted gruffly. “Kid, don’t run for an hour or so, and eat an extra five hundred calories. Right, bug, I’m checking your hearts. Why did you fix your face with that energy instead of your heart, nerve damage, or any of the other vital organs, bakka?!”
“I’ve never regenerated before, cut me a break!” Nahrina grumbled before clearing her throat.
Not to speak, but to spit some green gunk out.
“Public schools should teach basic triage,” Kazumi grumbled as she flapped her wings to hover at the height of the bed and start performing a rather unusual looking physical.
I’d seen changebug physicals before. This one was… Different. Maybe a local version?
“Hey, so, thanks. A lot. Less things hurt now,” Nahrina said to me with a happy smile. “What’s your name?”
“Orange Sherbert, but you can call me Sherbert,” I introduced with a polite bow.
“Screw that, I’m calling you best friend. You’re tasty, super nutritious, and you’ve probably saved my life,” Nahrina snickered. “Call me Rina.”
I blinked in genuine shock.
I made a friend!? Oh, of course! I’d done something that I hadn’t tried before. I should have saved somepony’s life sooner!
“Nahrina,” Rojā said clearing his throat to interrupt politely. “While I am happy you are getting along well with my new disciple, I would like to know how you became injured in your native form. Did they force you to demorph?”
I tilted my head to the side. Morph? Huh, I mean, yeah that word worked too. I was used to it being referred to as ‘shift’.
“Cuz they beat me to a pulp as a earth pony stallion,” she groaned. “Okay, that piece is free floating, don’t push it inwards…”
“Yep. Already glueing it,” Kazumi acknowledged.
“I thought they were going to kill me,” Rina continued. “So I went to a form that could cast spells. I- I’m sorry. I know I promised not to fight with magic while learning but-”
“This was not sparring,” Master Cho interrupted. “You did not break your promise.”
“Cool. Oh, I lit six of them on fire before they did this to me… Check other hospitals. You’ll probably find them. Unless they can afford magical healing. Then they’d be out already. Except maybe the green pegasus stallion. He might be dead.”
“Orange Explosion?” Rojā asked with a wince.
“Yeah. Again, I thought I was going to die,” she said apologetically.
I looked between Rojā, CHo, and Rina for a few moments, a feeling of growing dread building in the back of my mind. “Um, shouldn’t this be a matter for the guard? Or the police? Whatever you call them here?”
Rojā shook his head. “No,” he said matter of factly.
“Honor duels between schools are tradition,” Cho added, still with the same tone.
“We look after our own, just like any other acadamy. In short, due to strong cultural backgrounds, the police turn a blind eye to conflicts between dojos so long as civilians are not getting involved. It’s good as it can give students real world training, but it’s bad because rather than use this for good, many Dojos like Master Xii’s bank fund, use them as an excuse to shake down others for protection money… Like Yakuza without the honor.”
I held up both my hooves, tail raised in alarm, eyes wide open. “Woah woah woah! I um, I don’t want any part of a street war! Is there any other-”
“All dojos in Neighpone work this way,” Cho said simply. “Our rivals are thugs, as are many others. You will be protected. Rina’s condition is my failure. This is rare.”
“H-how rare?” I asked, taking a step backwards.
“Rare enough,” Rojā grunted. “They normally go after us. But the real issue is that Xii knows I offered to train you. You’re a target for him. If you leave for another Dojo, they will follow you. Xii owns an academy in every major city in Neighpone, Sherbert.”
“Oh…” I said, ears falling. “So, no matter what…”
“Mhm. Congrats on making your first enemy simply through association. I’d apologize, but words will mean much less than my actual protection of you,” Rojā sighed. “Besides, once Rina is better, the two of you will have each other for immediate support. They are thugs, not warriors. I guarantee they only attacked her because she was out numbered twelve to one.”
“This is truth,” Cho agreed adamantly.
I blinked. “Wait, so she was attacked because she was alone? That’s it?” I asked incredulously.
“Yeah,” Rina groaned. “Also because I was carrying the week’s groceries in an ally. If I’d had a friend, they wouldn’t have attacked me. They never attack the older students when they are in pairs. It’s cowardly. Trust me, if you’d been there, they wouldn’t have done anything. Not without having way more guys.”
“And if they had, by the end of the third month with us, I expect between the two of you that escape would be easy,” Rojā said with a sly smile. “Or at least, you could make them retreat. Usually if the big one goes down the rest of them run.”
I took a deep breath to calm myself. It worked. A bit.
“Okay, so like, no matter where I train here, there’s basically legal street fights, I already have an enemy, and we’ll be safe in groups. Is that all completely correct?” I asked urgently, giving Rojā a pleading look.
He nodded. “Absolutely. And if you do get hurt like this, well… Cho?”
Cho didn’t smile. She simply nodded, her eyes seeming to harden in a literal sense as she narrowed them aggressively. “I will break them.”
I grit my teeth fearfully. “Okay… I’ll stay. But my parents can NOT know about this!” I said with a worried laugh.
“Very well. I’m glad you choose to stay,” Rojā agreed. “It shows great courage. But don’t worry, it sounds and looks much worse than it is due to her injuries. There is usually no more than one minor scuffle a week, and almost always with the three older students. You are first years. This is the fifteenth attack on students of your grade in fifty years. It’s… Underhooved. Even Xii has better standards.”
I let out my held breath. “Thank the sisters,” I sighed in relief.
“Hey, blondie,” Kazumi said as she turned around, still hovering mid air like an adorable angry doll. “Would you be willing to come in every day for the next six days to let her feed more?”
I frowned. “Well, yes. I would be. But is there a reason?”
“Yeah,” Kazumi said, giving me a deadpan stare that may as well have been a hundred foot high neon sign that read ‘You’re an idiot, aren’t you?’
I facehooved. “Is that how many more regenerations she’d need to be perfectly healthy?” I asked with a moan.
“Bingo, blondie,” Kazumi said with an extremely short lived almost loving smile. “It’s that or she sits here with a shattered exoskeleton for a month until she molts.”
“Oh… Oh yeah, if I don’t regenerate, I’ll miss the first month of school,” Nahrina squeaked. “I can’t do that! If I miss it, every clique will close off, and the social structure will become impenetrable!”
“That’s why you just hang out with outsiders like me,” Kazumi mumbled. “Cuz teenages and twenty somethings are abscessed assholes.”
I raised an eyebrow at the tiny mare. “You look like you’re in your thirties. What are you doing in a high school? Especially as a doctor. Like, you have a degree and… You have a degree right?”
Kasumi nodded. “I do, obviously. I work here, don’t I? But it’s honorary. I haven't gone to University or Medschool. Or uh, finished High School. I’m self taught to a point beyond the standard requirements of medical laws, so I got an honorary degree and a medical licence from the state.
“I’d like to get out of this profession though. Nevermind why! So I’m taking high school classes. Because that’s cheaper than getting a GED. Also less work.”
“And you also work full time as a doctor, so you have little free time,” I finished for her with an understanding nod.
Kasumi laughed, shaking her head back and forth for a bit longer than necessary. “I work part time. Look, blondie, you’re a foreigner. Did you look up how we do school here?” She asked.
I shook my head no.
She nodded. “Of course not. No exchange student I ever know of does. You won't have time for a full time job and school. Period. Be happy that training in martial arts will count as your club activity. All students are required to be in a club. Period,” she said matter of factly.
Rojā’s ears perked up. “Oh! Yes, don’t worry, you won't need to work. Infact, since you’re now a museum employee, you’ll be paid to train.”
Rina giggled in agreement. “That’s like, the main perk of training at Bat’s. You got super lucky. I had to ask every day for a year to be let in.”
Master Cho nodded. “I only agreed because she bribed me.”
Kazumi raised an eyebrow and turned around to look at the injured changeling. “Okay, I’ll bite How did you-”
“She gave me a cookie,” Cho answered in her scary-monotone.
“Yep! Master loves her cookies,” Rina giggled. “Ow… Okay, no more laughing today.”
Kasumi nodded, her purple mane flowing as she moved. “Yep. In fact, no more talking. I’m not going to even think about making you leave, Butch Deadlift,” she said to Master Cho with an ultra respectful smile and bow before turning towards Rojā and I with a harsh glare. “Everyone else, out. Now! It’s rest time.”
Cho smirked, the first facial expression I’d seen her make this entire time. “Wise choice,” she said, again without a hint of emotion.
Kazumi on the other hoof, was giving us a glare. A very very protective glare. The sort that should be coming from an Ursa Major after you nearly stepped between her and her cub.
Kazumi’s message was clear. We were interfering with her patient getting better. So she was going to kick our asses if we didn’t leave. More than that she COULD kick our asses. Easily.
Rojā and I quickly backed out of the room and closed the door.
“Whew,” Rojā exclaimed, shaking his head slowly. “For a pony who hated being typecast by society itself, she’s sure mastered the intimidating part of her roll!”
I nodded, my heart beating extra rapidly as I worked through the adrenal surge her glare had triggered. “You can say that again!” I gasped. “Think that’s why Master Cho didn’t punch her adorable face in for being called butch?”
Rojā shook his head. “No. Cho’s half Amarezonian. She grew up spending her summers with her mother there. To her, that was a complement bordering on flattery. And if she liked mares, I am certain she would have offered to take the little oni out to a dive bar for a fight. Not with her, but you know, with other people, after drinks. Standard romance for her mother’s culture and all that,” he answered with a nervous laugh. “I can’t believe she actually got to me… Let’s finish the day’s errands and then I can show you where you’ll be living for the next few years.”
I nodded eagerly. “Yeah, that sounds great! Let’s do it.”
Rojā gave me an odd look. “You’re still creeped out by her too, huh?”
“Yeah…” I admitted with a nod, blushing slightly.
“Don’t worry, there’s plenty of things to do to take your mind off it. We’ll start with going far far away from her,” Rojā decided as he began to fast-walk out of the clinic.
I had to admit, being told that students from other dojos jumping you randomly had me spooked. But as we walked around the district taking care of business, that feeling went away.
Sure, that happened. But there was crime in every city, right? Right. And this wasn’t some weird backwater town, this was a big city. With well lit streets, ponies everywhere, and of course, obvious places you shouldn’t go. Back alleys, short cuts between buildings. Small clearings in the tree-walls.
As we explored, I could see the places where an attack could happen, and where they couldn’t. Sure, I supposed that the area around the Flying Horse Gym was different since it was their ‘territory’, but I didn’t have to go near it. Safe places where everywhere, dangerous ones were not.
It really was safe as long as you knew what you were doing. I still wasn’t mentioning this to anyone though.
Fortunately, we made it through the rest of both of our errands quickly. Mostly because Rojā happened to use the bank I would be using and that saved us a lot of walking time. And train time.
Neighdo, being a metropolis, had a subway, and a monorail for helping you get around. Sure that was common in non-pony cities, but in a pony city? Nope! We can run for an hour at around forty kilometers an hour, or for pretty much as long as we like at fifteen. We don’t really need personal transport.
Unless you know, the city is HUGE and hard to navigate.
But that didn’t matter much right now, I was all set! I had my bank account set up, they issued me a credit stick on the spot and explained how to use it (Basically like a messenger gem, tap it to another one or a register and say how much to pay.). I even got a pink one!
I’d have to come back in a few weeks to get the direct deposit stuff set up but hey, whatever.
At least the stallion who set up my account was hot. I mean, I’d get to see him again!
But even better, I finally got to see just what Bat’s Academy was like.
“Here she is. She’s old, worn, but knows how to do her job better than anyone else,” Rojā said with a prideful smile as we rounded a street corner and the somewhat ‘remote’ dojo came into view.
Like Flying Horse, this dojo was a walled compound with the same sloped roof and pagoda-styled buildings. Unlike the Flying Horse, everything was old, worn, obviously maintained on a budget, but immaculately clean.
The lower parts of the walls were decorated with simple wooden paneling. The walls were painted an off white, or perhaps a bright white which had faded in the sun, and the roof tiles were made from blue painted clay.
We entered the grounds through a pair of huge, weathered iron bound oak gates. As in, the walls had a proper gatehouse, with an inner and an outer door. Like a fortress. I liked that, it made me feel at home.
The grounds themselves were minimal. Most of the space was filled up by the buildings, so rather than one big training yard made from concrete tiles, there were lots of smaller sand beds big enough for two to spar in, and one larger indoor arena visible through the open doorway of one of the dozen buildings.
Instead of an elaborate hedge garden, there were some trees, and some flower beds. Instead of fancy statues and decorations, there was nothing. I also liked that. It meant if I got thrown into a wall I wasn’t going to owe somepony a hundred thousand bits.
I had expected there to be more people than there were though. Rojā had immediately started up a tour. Showing me the five buildings which made up the museum (and spending an hour showing me the exhibits inside as well, which did include some pretty cool weapons, but he focused mostly on the history bits and even gave me homework…), taking me through the three training halls (one for people skills, one for stealth skills, and one for combat skills), then around the grounds, and finally to the living quarters.
I sort of developed this idea that I would be living in a tiny prison-like room, like you see in kung-fu movies when they show a monk’s bedroom.
Nope!
”And this is your room. Get settled, rest up. Dinner is at nine. Snacks are only available if you can sneak past the cook on duty that night, so eat your fill at dinner. I’ll wake you in the morning for your first day of training, it will be hard, and painful. We need to begin with flexibility and balance training.
“Many martial arts maneuvers require you to be able to transition between a bipedal and a quadrupedal stance fluidly. Your first few months will be basic fitness training and prep work. With simplistic martial maneuvers sprinkled in. I promise it will be fun as well as suck, and don’t worry, there will be time for you to keep your promise to help Nahrina.”
I shuddered. Ugh, yeah, the next few months would suck. But at least I had this awesome room!
It was a bit bigger than my room at home, and decorated in the same manner as the rest of the dojo. Super spartanly, but with those nice bamboo floors and the traditional architecture that had cool carved details everywhere.
Also I had a really big, super comfortable bed, with pink blankets and sheets (and matching pink curtains! Cuz Rojā called ahead and said I liked pink.), I also had a desk, a wardrobe (empty, but hey, I brought clothes for it), a chair for the desk, a little table with a little couch to go with it, a bookshelf, a pretty nice TV mounted to one wall, and while there wasn’t a computer on the desk, there WAS a data cable laying on the desk which plugged into the wall.
I’d asked about that. Apparently to get around the radio interference Neighponese technology uses wired communication to connect everything to powerful transceivers that can cut through the natural jamming. I’d have to buy a small wireless transceiver for my room to get a good signal for my watch, and I was totally buying a computer while I was here.
A pony culture with an internet! I’d only gotten to use the Emeralds net before. Would our memes be just as silly as changebug memes? If not I would have to start a silly-pointless-internet-thing war. Heh heh.
Also, I’d probably need to use it for school as well. I wonder how much they cost? Equestria had started importing computers for more tech based countries like, fifteen years ago, but since most people used delux mage gems instead, computers were expensive luxury items that-
My magegem flashed bright pink on my desk, then shone brightly, almost like a flashlight. An emergency call.
That would be mom and dad…
I ran over to my desk and picked up the gem. “Hey-”
“Why are you not answering calls on your watch!?” Mom demanded, her voice loud enough for the gem to spark slightly.
“Because wireless communications in this district don't work for more than like, a hundred yards. There’s some kind of natural interference thanks to a mineral deposit like, right below this part of the city. I’ll get short range a transceiver link thingie soon, then it will work here.
“But right now, my watch doesn't work for remote stuff. I had no idea you were calling because it has no service here. It can't ring, cuz it cant detect calls. Notice how I picked up the gem instantly?” I shot back, hoping to blunt her anger at presumably thinking I was ignoring her.
Mom was quiet for a second. “Alright. I believe you. I’m sorry. I’m just worried right now. Your father is too. He’s trying to get ahold of anypony at the dojo you were supposed to attend.
“What exactly happened. Don’t leave out a single detail,” Mom ordered in that scary angry mother voice.
I could tell she wasn’t angry at me, but still, that voice sends a shiver down any kid’s spine.
“I- I was going about the plan just as we had written it down,” I began, taking a deep breath as I knew this was going to be painful. “I’d gotten to the dojo and was heading inside when I ran into a middle aged stallion in a suit who offered to show me where the front desk was. He didn’t work there, but I said yes because he was polite and friendly, and also said that the front desk wasn’t in a logical place. And it’s good I did because it was NOT.
“Uh, so, his name is Rojā Sumisu. I thought he was an insurance agent, because he was in a suit and mumbled a few things about the student’s safety irritably. Turns out he was not. He’s actually a master at this Dojo. So I wound up showing up to my entrance interview with a master from a rival school, and while I don't think that would normally cause problems these two guys HATE each other. Like, I thought an actual fight was going to happen.
“Instead Master Xii just burned my application to make a statement to Master Rojā, and so, yeah. I can’t go there.”
Mom growled angrily, starting to say something but I cut her off as quickly as I could.
“BUT!” I shouted. “Rojā is a very nice stallion, and felt horrible that he drug me into their feud, and when he learned I’m an exchange student who was supposed to be living there, he offered to train me at his Dojo personally. I accepted.
“It’s called Kōmoriakademī, or bat’s Academy in Equish. It’s a nice place, but really old. It’s actually a living history museum too, so I get to train here in the actual traditional ways by people who know all of the history. Even better, I actually get PAID to train here! And there’s not many people who are allowed to do that so I kinda got lucky because Rojā’s family is actually descended from ancient Ninjas.
“And I get to live here too. It’s a bit far from school but hey, I like to run. The room I’ve been given is nice, big, I have my own TV, and while she is in the hospital at the moment because she got beat up, I met the other student in my class here, and she’s a really nice changeling. At least, I THINK she’s a she. Could be a he. Name’s feminine sounding but um, you know how Changelish is. So I even kind of have a friend! Isn’t that cool?”
Mom was quiet for several moments.
“How did she get beat up?” Mom asked worriedly.
I frowned, not wanting to lie, but also not wanting to be told to come back home… A half truth would do.
“She went down the wrong ally and was attacked by a bunch of thugs,” I answered with a sigh. “It’s okay mom, Rojā showed me the places to avoid on a map today.”
All true. Just no mention of the dojo wars…
“I feel like you’re leaving something out,” Mom admitted instantly. “But… You do sound like you’re in good hooves. Your father and I will be calling the Academy and checking it out. But… Good job. You handled a bad situation like an adult. I’m proud of you.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks mom… I um, I got to go. I have training in the morning, and I have a sneaking suspicion that Rojā meant ‘dawn’ by ‘early’.”
“I understand,” Mom said happily, well, happily-ish. “We’ll call you again in a few days and let you know if we want you to come home or not, okay?”
“Please… Let me do this. It’s not dangerous, and honestly I think I’m at a better school now,” I begged, my ears falling flat as I stared desperately at the gem, wishing I owned a deluxe one that also could send video.
The puppy-eyes always worked on mom.
“We probably will, sweetie. We just need to double check and be certain you're safe, know where you are, and change emergency plans. That’s all,” Mom promised. “Good luck with training, we love you. Dad will call later, okay?”
“Okay,” I agreed, smiling in relief. “Love you too. Bye!”
I tapped the gem to hang up, then trotted over to the bed and flopped down on it. I immediately let out a moan which sounded way too sexual for the simple act of laying on a bed. And yet, it was totally deserved. I’d NEVER felt a more comfy bed in my life!
When I left, I was buying this bed. Period.
This was nice. And I figured that the bed being super comfy, and probably enchanted to impart more comfort than physically possible, would offset sore muscles and other training strain when trying to sleep.
Yeah. Yeah I did find a better school! I’d made a friend too. There’d been a bump in the road, but I came out on the right side of it. Mom and dad would find nothing to object to here, I was getting PAYED to live here, they probably wouldn’t need to support me while I was here, and it was a legit museum, I’d had the tour interrupted by like six different groups of tourists looking around at things too. Everything here was on the up and up.
I stretched out, resting my hooves behind my head as I smiled.
The next few years we're going to be nice!