Once Marisa had gotten Patchouli out of the mansion, they hopped on the human's broom and flew right back to the incident site. After Marisa made a quick side-stop for some food, at least. Once dinner had been acquired and the rat was satisfied with her cheese, the reclusive librarian got her first look at what had become of the Hakurei Shrine. The human hadn't been making it up, the Shrine really was gone. The divine aura that was supposed to repel youkai, weak and ineffective as it was, which normally permeated the area was completely absent. Instead the feeling here was... foreboding, almost hostile. This patch of trees did not want them here. It didn't stop Suika though, who was passed out against a tree. Marisa was quick to wake her up and send the oni on her way with an assurance that she had things covered.
Feeling weak on her feet after the flight here, Patchouli took a seat under a nearby cherry tree as she considered her options. "I see why you needed my assistance with this. The energy permeating this forest is certainly unlike anything in Gensokyo."
Marisa however wasn't so patient. "Yep, and I would really like to get started soon. The longer we take, the higher the chance that something bad could happen to Reimu."
"Reimu may be human, but she's also the Hakurei shrine maiden," Patchouli reminded her, "it's entirely possible she'll find the culprit herself and be back by morning." Of course, it was equally possible that whoever was responsible for this had already overpowered her. That was a worst-case scenario, but in a situation filled with unknowns, anything was possible. So it was time to gather some data.
Calling on her magic, she cast a simple spell to study the magical energies of this mini forest. At the surface level, there wasn't much to take from it that she couldn't have inferred from just looking at them. The trees were of a type not native to Earth, and they were infused with magic. The magic was strange and foreign, but at the same time she felt something familiar. That feeling... Could it be?. Unfortunately any attempts to view deeper inside were met with a fog of raw magical energy that seemed to push back against her probing. She didn't dare risk her anemia acting up by pushing more power into her search, but what did found out at least corroborated Marisa's findings.
The youkai magician allowed herself a smile. She had a baseline. She had a hypothesis. She could work with this. "Okay, if we're going to resolve this, we need to do it right. I need samples to take back to the library for testing."
"Testing?" Marisa inquired.
Patchouli nodded. "Yes. If we're to overcome this barrier, we need to understand it first. In situations like these, with no books to turn to for information, we turn to the tried and true method of learning: experimentation." She stood up, fighting the feeling in her head that wanted her to sit back down. "Unfortunately, I am in no shape to extract those samples today. We will have to wait until a good day to begin experimenting."
Marisa looked like she wanted to argue, but she just sighed. She was the one who asked for help anyway. "Fine. Is there anything more we can do while we're here?"
"Grab those branches there," she pointed to a few low-hanging branches on the nearest tree, then pointed at the tree above her, "and a couple branches from this tree. I have an idea for something I can try in the meantime."
Marisa nodded and grabbed a particularly large branch, putting her feet up against the tree to use as leverage to break it off. She was rewarded with a snap as the branch was torn off, but as she tossed the branch down to grab another that same growl as before was heard again. Having learned from earlier, she jumped back as a tree-wolf leapt out of the vandalized tree.
"Ha! Looks like I'm too smart for ya," the witch taunted, summoning an orb of light to her side. "Don't like it when I bust up your- oof!" A solid blow to her side knocked her to the ground again. A second wolf had pounced while she was distracted by the first, and a third was emerging from the trees as well.
In hindsight, she should've seen that coming. These creatures already proved they don't play by the rules. Marisa needed to shoot first, boast later. The orb at her side unleashed a barrage of stars, shattering the wolf who had blindsided her before it could further damage her clothes. The other two backed off, snarling as their would-be prey picked herself off the ground. Their eyes shifted from the human to the youkai a short distance away who had her back against a tree. The lead wolf howled, summoning a fourth wolf out of the trees. This one ran straight for Patchouli.
"Patch! Heads up!" Marisa called out. Patchouli's head turned to face the wolf charging her and her eyes widened. She just barely managed to float up to a branch above her, the wolf's claw ripping a ribbon off her dress. It didn't give up after the failed attack and clawed at the trunk, trying to reach the ill magician.
Marisa turned to fire at the more distant foe, but the two flanking wolves snapped at her legs, forcing her to jump back and redirect her focus back to the more immediate threat. She swore under her breath as she realized what they were doing. Still, her resolve hardened. No two-bit youkai was going to outsmart Marisa Kirisame! "Clever doggies, ain't ya? You haven't beaten me yet!" She boasted as she channeled her magic into a familiar spellcard.
"Love Sign 'Non-Directional Laser!'" Her cry seemed to echo through the air as she cast the spell. Multiple colorful orbs appeared and orbited around her, unleashing a dazzling barrage of lasers in all directions. Accompanying the lasers was a spinning stream of colorful stars, making for a breathtaking display of power and beauty.
Caught at point-blank range, the flanking wolves had no chance to dodge and were blown away. The wolf trying to attack Patchouli didn't fare much better. In a matter of seconds, the wolves were all reduced to ash and Marisa cancelled the spell. "And that's what you get when you mess with the best!" She turned back to her fellow magician. "Hey Patch, you holding up okay?"
Patchouli gave a simple thumbs up as she floated down from the tree, hovering just above the ground. "So those were the wolves," she spoke softly, placing a hand on her chest. "Those were youkai, for sure. But..."
"They aren't from our world?" Marisa guessed. She picked up her broom, taking the silence for a yes. "Come on, let's get outta here. Not much point in sticking around."
Patchouli nodded, joining the witch as she mounted her broom. "Yes, just please fly slower this time."
As the two left, both failed to notice the ghostly green spirits of the wolves float away into the forests of Gensokyo, darkening the grass in their path.
S.M.I.L.E. Report #4219
Filed by Former Special Agent Sweetie Drops
Classified - for Royal eyes onlyDear Princess Celestia,
I know the organization was disbanded, and this doesn't technically involve monsters, but I felt I needed to write this in the hopes that you allow me or an authorized agent to conduct a further investigation. This might just be a coincidence, but if it's connected to the incident that occurred on the Summer Sun Celebration, another attack on Ponyville may be imminent. The following report contains a detailed firsthoof account of my initial contact with VIP#364. I await your response.Your loyal subject,
Sweetie Drops
Princess Celestia read the letter she had just recieved, a smile gracing her muzzle. Sometimes it felt like S.M.I.L.E. had never been disbanded with how often she recieved reports over every little thing. She considered just sending a grateful but noncommittal reply, but the events of the last day went through her head and she hesitated. Maybe she should send somepony to check it out...
"Hey Princess!" She was stirred from her thoughts by the call of her faithful student and newly crowned princess, Twilight Sparkle. "There you are. I just wanted to thank you again for letting me participate in the celebration. My friends and I will be returning home soon."
Celestia leaned down to give the smaller alicorn a nuzzle. "Anytime, Twilight. Travel safe." She gave the report she recieved one more glance. Maybe she already had the perfect pony for the job. She was a Royal now, if only technically. "Actually, if you have a moment to spare, I have an assignment for you..."