Soon enough, Rom, Rainbow Dash, IF and Fluttershy came to a large castle made entirely of crystal.
"This is impressive-looking," IF said.
"It is, isn't it?" Rainbow Dash responded. "This is Twi's castle."
Her castle? Maiko asked. She lives in a castle?
"Well, yeah," Rainbow Dash said. "She's a princess. Of course she'd live in a castle."
"Wow...!" Rom said in amazement. "A real princess..."
"You never mentioned anything about this Twilight being a princess," IF said, crossing her arms.
"Yeah, I guess I forgot to bring that up until just now, huh?" Rainbow Dash answered, embarrassed. "Oops."
IF sighed. "What you just said really reminds me of Neptune," she said.
"You called, Iffy?" came a voice from behind.
"Dammit..." IF said under her breath as the four turned around.
Behind them was a girl with messy, shoulder-length, pale purple hair, and vivid violet eyes. She had purple shoes, a white hoodie-dress and striped stockings that were white and pale blue. Her hoodie's cuffs, hem and hood were purple, and it had large, round pockets, as well as drawstrings that looked like USB cords, and a large 'N' emblem as the zipper tag. She also had two large clips in her hair that looked like the directional pads on a video game controller.
"It's Miss Neptune...!" Rom said.
"Thaaaaat's right!" Neptune said, her voice cheerful and carefree. "It's me, the protag of protags, Neptune! I'm here to nep whatever you may need to give a good nepping!"
"Um..." Rainbow Dash said, confused. "What is she talking about?"
"Nep is random," IF said. "Just accept that you're going to get a lot of migraines with her around. Also, be prepared for a lot of meta talk from her."
"You can't stop me from being me," Neptune said. "Plus, your party isn't even anywhere near full yet! With me, you'll be one step closer to full-party-perfection!"
"Miss Neptune will help us..." Rom said.
"Exactly!" Neptune said. "The little munchkin knows the know, so let me show the show!"
"I doubt I can say anything to change your mind anyway..." IF said, already rubbing her temple.
Neptune has j-
"Nah, I don't think so."
Suddenly, Neptune was flipped, suspended in the air upside-down. "Wh-Whaaaaaa!?" Neptune exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock. Then, a young women stepped out from behind Neptune, a large grin on her face.
The woman had black hair with several white streaks, and then one red streak at the front. She had two small, white horns on her head, and red eyes. She wore a white dress, the skirt of which was made up of black and red interlocking arrows, and a blue ribbon around her waist, which was tied into an upside-down bow on her back. She was wearing strange, wooden-block sandal-like footwear with blue straps, and brass bangles on her wrists.
"Who are you?" IF asked, her eyes narrowed.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" the woman answered, her tone snarky.
Seija Kijin, Maiko suddenly said. The woman frowned, her eyes narrowing.
"None of you are supposed to know who I am," she said, slightly irritated.
"We don't," Rainbow Dash answered. Seija's eyes narrowed further.
"Then who-?"
Me, Maiko cut her off. Don't bother looking for me, I'm not physically here.
Seija was silent for a few moments, before her eyes suddenly widened. "Ah, so you're the one that hag was talking about," Seija said, her grin returning. "Well, alright then. I came here to be a nuisance, so I can easily accomplish that by fighting you really quick."
"What makes you think we'd fight you?" IF asked.
Seija gave a big toothy grin. "Because. If you don't defeat me here, who knows what I'll do to your precious Neptune?"
IF's eyes widened as Neptune squeaked in fright. "C'mon Iffy," Neptune pleaded. "You wouldn't feed me to the sharks, wouldja?"
"Dammit..." IF said. "Fine. Have it your way."
"Excellent," Seija responded. "See? Plenty of harm done. Now to waste your time as much as possible with this fight."
IF's tutorial on SP and Skills
You do know that you have more than just your basic attack, right? You can also use Skills, which can do a lot of things, such as deal even more damage than your basic attack could, deal elemental damage to exploit an enemy's elemental weaknesses, heal status conditions from allies, inflict status conditions on enemies, buff your stats, heal your allies' HP, and a lot more. They're really useful, but be careful, as using one costs SP, and if you don't have enough SP, you can't use certain Skills. Dealing damage will slowly restore your SP, but damage dealt by Skills, EXE Drive Skills and status conditions doesn't count. Also, on the topic of EXE Drive, damage dealt by Skills won't fill the EXE Drive Gauge as quickly as basic attacks would. Lastly, SP isn't restored between battles, so be really mindful of how frequently you use Skills. Anyway, remember to use your Skills effectively to get the upper hand in battle!
End of Tutorial
Rom, Rainbow Dash and IF stood together, facing Seija, who was standing in front of the suspended Neptune. Rom's staff materialized, and she gripped it, determined to save Neptune, and IF produced a pair of Katars, dagger-like blades that are wielded like claws, from within her sleeves.
Rom
HP: 14600/14600 | SP: 8960/8960
--------------------Seija
-------------------------Rainbow Dash
HP: 8990/8990 | SP: 6350/6350
--------------------IF
HP: 19410/19410 | SP: 4520/4520
--------------------Rainbow Dash attacks Seija!
Rainbow Dash lunged forward, slashing with her dagger, catching Seija off guard. The attack connected successfully, leaving a cut on Seija's arm.
224 damage!IF used Demonic Inferno on Seija! Seija is weak to the Fire element!
IF swept her arms in front of her dramatically as she called out "Demonic Inferno!" just as dramatically. A series of blasts pelted Seija, ending with a column of flame engulfing her for a few moments, leaving her hair and clothes singed.
431 damage!
433 damage!
427 damage!
425 damage!
429 damage!Rom used Ice Coffin on Seija! Seija is resistant to the Ice element...
Rom twirled her staff before taking it in both hands and slamming the butt end to the ground, announcing "Ice Coffin...!". A spire of ice then froze around Seija, before shattering, dealing a total of two hits.
398 damage!
390 damage!Seija was already looking somewhat worn out from the intense attacks that had been used against her.
Seija attacks Rainbow Dash!
Seija then retaliated with a volley of strange, glowing, red and blue objects that then began to fly at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash, however, was quick on her feet, and avoided the objects.
The attack was avoided!
Rom
HP: 14600/14600 | SP: 8528/8960
--------------------Seija
-------------------------Rainbow Dash
HP: 8990/8990 | SP: 6350/6350
--------------------IF
HP: 19410/19410 | SP: 4160/4520
--------------------Rainbow Dash attacks Seija!
Rainbow Dash lunged for Seija again, and even though Seija had been anticipating the attack this time, Rainbow Dash had predicted her attempt to dodge, still successfully landing her attack, leaving a second cut next to the first on Seija's arm.
229 damage!IF used Demonic Inferno on Seija! Seija is weak to the Fire element!
IF once again used her Demonic Inferno Skill, not yet having any reason to conserve her SP. Seija was singed once again by the blasts, however this time, she managed to quickly sidestep away from the flaming column.
427 damage!
429 damage!
430 damage!
433 damage!
The attack was avoided...Rom used Ice Coffin on Seija! Seija is resistant to the Ice element...
Rom also had no reason to conserve SP yet, so she called out her Ice Coffin Skill a second time. Seija attempted to dodge the forming ice spire, but was unsuccessful due to the ice spire forming not only quicker, but also larger than last time. The ice spire then shattered like normal, dealing the second hit.
Critical Hit! 1181 damage!
396 damage!Seija was looking exhausted already, hunched over slightly, her hair glistening with sweat. However, she then grinned as she made her attack.
Seija used Reversal on Rom!
Seija grabbed the wounds on her arm, gripping them for several seconds before she lifted her hand, revealing a large ball of energy which she then flung at Rom. Maiko realized that Seija was trying to use her low HP to her advantage, and tried to warn Rom, but was too late. The ball of energy hit Rom, hard.
5386 damage!Rom was flung backwards, landing on the ground a good few feet back.
Rom
HP: 9214/14600 | SP: 8096/8960
--------------------Seija
-------------------------Rainbow Dash
HP: 8990/8990 | SP: 6350/6350
--------------------IF
HP: 19410/19410 | SP: 3800/4520
--------------------
Rainbow Dash ran over to Rom, making sure she was okay. She helped Rom up, and Rom thanked her, saying she was alright. The two then returned in time for IF's next attack.IF used Demonic Inferno on Seija! Seija is weak to the Fire element!
Seija tried to avoid the smaller blasts, but due to their random and scattered pattern, she was unsuccessful.
429 damage!
432 damage!
430 damage!
427 damage!
She also attempted to avoid the column of flames like she did last time, but the column erupted forth much larger, and with more force, catching her within it despite her effort to sidestep.
Critical Hit! 1277 damage!
Seija was defeated!
Rom
HP: 9214/14600 | SP: 8096/8960
--------------------Seija
-------------------------Rainbow Dash
HP: 8990/8990 | SP: 6350/6350
--------------------IF
HP: 19410/19410 | SP: 3440/4520
--------------------Victory!
Seija wobbled slightly on her feet, struggling to keep her eyes open. Her hair was singed, full of soot, and soaking wet from a combination of melted ice and sweat. Her clothing was also singed, covered in soot and damp. She then shook her head and glared at the three that had beaten her as she gripped the two bleeding cuts on her arm.
"I guess I was too overconfident," she admitted. "This time. But next time I'll be sure to kick your asses." With that warning, she surprised them by floating up into the air and then flying away.
Once Seija was out of sight, Neptune was released from whatever Seija had done to her, falling to the ground, still upside-down. IF rushed over to her to see if she was okay, but Neptune got up quickly, seemingly perfectly fine, and rushed past IF to Rom. "Hey hey hey, are you okay?" she asked Rom, her voice worried. "That was quite the hit you took back there. It sent you flying and everything. No scratches, bruises, need medical attention, CPR, operation-?"
"She's going to be okay," IF interrupted Neptune. "She definitely doesn't need an operation."
"Ah, alright," Neptune said, returning to her cheery self. "Just making the rounds, cause if little Rommie Rotten were to get hurt, I definitely wouldn't be caught in the same room with the Big Bad Blanc when she found out, ya know?"
"True..." IF said.
"Anyway, now the protag of protags, Neptune, can join your party to nep everything that needs a good nepping," Neptune said.
Neptune has join-
"What's with all the commotion out here!?"
"Oh, come on!" Neptune said.
Everyone turned to see another young woman standing in the doorway of the castle. She had long, dark purple hair with a pink streak and a brighter purple streak, as well as eyes that were a vivid violet, just like Neptune's, though possibly a little darker. She was wearing a long, regal-looking, purple winter coat, and dark purple winter boots. On her head she wore a golden tiara with a violet gem at the front that was in the shape of a six-pointed star.
"Ah, Twi!" Rainbow Dash said. "Sorry 'bout that, but someone really weird was being really nasty, and we had to fight 'em and chase 'em off."
"I'll... ask for more detail later," Twilight said. She then looked at Rom, IF and Neptune. "But who are you three? I don't recognize you."
"My name is Rom..." Rom said quietly. Twilight grinned a little at Rom's shy response.
"You sound a lot like Fluttershy," she said, looking over at Fluttershy, who blushed and looked away.
"I'm IF," IF said, "a gust of beautiful wind that blows through the vast world!" Twilight's grin widened a little at this.
"And you sound kind of like Rainbow Dash," she commented, turning to look at Rainbow Dash.
"D-Does not!" Rainbow Dash stuttered, blushing a little.
"D-Do not!" IF stuttered, blushing a little.
The two fell silent before both of their blushes deepened and they looked away from each other, mumbling.
"And I'm the protag of protags, the biggest nep to ever nep, overall awesome gal, Neptune!!!" Neptune then said, striking a pose. Twilight fell silent, her grin replaced by a frown.
"And you remind me of Pinkie Pie..." Twilight said after several moments. "Except more migraine-inducing," she added after a moment, rubbing her temple.
"She tends to do that to people," IF commented. Neptune finally just fell silent, pouting in defeat.
My name is Maiko Hayakawa, Maiko then chimed in, earning a startled jump from Twilight. I've somehow gotten stuffed into Rom's head, and we came to see you about how that would end up happening.
Twilight was silent for a moment, before she put her one hand on her chin, her elbow resting in her other hand, as she thought out loud. "A person being put into another person's head..." she said to herself. "Interesting..." She then looked at the group. "Could you all come in please?" she asked. "I wish to run a few tests. Don't worry, they're completely painless, and should have no adverse effects. They'll help us to understand how Maiko got inside Rom's head, and they'll also offer up a bunch of other information that I wish to study in detail."
"Oh boy, Twi's in analyze mode," Rainbow Dash said. "I think you should just go with it," she continued. "It'll be difficult to talk your way out of this."
"Alright," IF said. "I guess it'll be fine, since they shouldn't hurt Rom." She then turned to Neptune and tugged on her sleeve as everyone followed Twilight inside. "C'mon Nep, we're going inside."
"Mmmm..." was all Neptune said in response, still wearing a dejected expression as she followed IF inside after the others.
Neptune has joined!
End of Chapter 3