//------------------------------//
// Fog’s Danger 
// Story: A Medicine Cat among Ponies 
// by Kitsulestia 
//------------------------------//

*Rainbow Dash’s POV*


After we beat Lady Tirek, we got an awesome new crystal castle that merged with the castle in Ponyville. Which is awesome!

But Twilight missed her original home.

Spike asks "You okay, Twi?"

Danyelle spoke "She misses the home she had moved into when she first came to Ponyville."

Spike spoke "Oh…"

Danyelle gasps "I just got an idea!"

Starlight asks "Is it just me or has Ponyville gotten a lot more foggier than it should be?"

“Definitely, and what’s weird is I can’t do anything about it.” I answered as Sunset put on the glasses Teddie gave her, only to look shocked.

Sunset spoke "Guys! Put on your glasses!"

I put my goggles on since Twilight had attached the exact same kind of magic that's on the glasses as the other alicorns and chakats do the same thing.

Danyelle was growling.

For some reason, the fog was gone like it never existed to me when I had my goggles on.

Danyelle growls "This ain't normal fog."

“Think it could be the fog from the mirror world and that it’s leaking into this world?” I wondered out loud before everyone looked at me. “It was just a guess!”

Twiliterasu howls loud, causing the fog to vanish completely.

But somehow, the fog instantly came back.

Twilight spoke "BUT HOW?!? Twiliterasu's howl is supposed to dispel anything!"

“There’s definitely something wrong here.” I said before my compact rang.

Danyelle and the other immortals followed suit since it had been a conference call.

“Better answer this one.” I noted as I answered it, seeing Emerald calling us.

Blizzardstar asks "What's up Emerald?"

Emerald spoke "Guys, Shokubutsu told us what happened. He really was a victim."

Twilight spoke "And to make matters worse, the area around the castle here in Ponyville is covered in fog and Twiliterasu's howl can't disperse it!"

Emerald spoke "Yeah, it’s happening in Ineighba too."

Leafstar spoke "All six Clans are sticking close together for safety reasons since I don't know what caused this."

Emerald spoke "Shokubutsu asked us to find the real culprit, so we agreed to do that. Seiko then figured it out. But since none of us have evidence, we’ll have to confront him and back the culprit into a corner."

Squirrelstar asks "But what if the culprit's not in Ineighba?"

Emerald spoke "He’s still in Ineighba and he thought we wouldn’t figure him out and just pin the blame on Shokubutsu."

Twilight spoke "I'm dispatching the speedsters once more but this time, Lionblaze along with Dovewing, Flutterfoot and Songleap are going with them and three dragons."

Emerald spoke "Good call."

Leafstar spoke "Yeah."

Twilight spoke "And of course, Cloud Spots and Micah will be going as well."

Emerald spoke "Nice."

Twilight spoke "Yeah and the speedsters already took off."

Just as Twi said, we were already on our way!

Lionblaze was on Nightclaw's back as the Night Fury followed after me with the Nadder and Zippleback.

“We should be there soon.” I said.

Lionblaze spoke "Thank StarClan!"

“I mean at the speed we’re going, it shouldn’t take long.” I agreed.

Flutterfoot spoke "But the Nadder and Zippleback aren't bred to be fast dragons though!"

Songleap spoke "Agreed.."

We weren’t far from Ineighba now.

Azure spoke "I'm glad our little ones are being looked after by the chakats."

“No doubt.” I agreed.

Azure spoke "But I still worry about them you know? They're so young..."

“Same here…” I added.

Danyelle spoke "Any first time parent would say that and..."

Danyelle threw up her recent lunch.

Danyelle spoke "Maybe I should've stayed behind..."

I ask "You okay Dany?"

Danyelle spoke "Ugh… Not sure."

Azure spoke "Seems like you've either got a sour stomach or you're pregnant."

Danyelle spoke "I just hope it’s the former."

I ask "But weren't you in heat back during that challenge?"

Danyelle’s face froze at that.

Danyelle spoke "Oh StarClan no..."

“Looks like we better land gently.” I noted.

Azure spoke "Yeah."

We soon landed in Ineighba, and gently too.

Danyelle spoke "I might not be of much help though."

“Yeah, maybe you should stay at Seiko’s house.” I advised.

Danyelle spoke "Right plus I can also protect Tenshi since I know she might get hurt and I'd rather not get an earful from her father."

“Or Seiko and Miran for that matter.” I added.

Danyelle spoke "Damn right and because of these bracelets, I can't use my full power."

Azure spoke "She's right Skittles, she'd only be in the way right now."

“Okay, but try to stay safe, alright?” I requested.

Danyelle spoke "If push comes to shove, I'll call in my OC-verse counterpart."

“Good call.” I noted.

Danyelle spoke "May StarClan light your path."

“Thanks.” I smiled in gratitude.

Water Splash crashes into a tree.

Water spoke "*incoherent words a child should never hear.*"

“Okay Water, calm down.” I said.

Water spoke "It's worse than I thought... Half of MeadowClan has gone missing! Thank StarClan that the immortals were untouched but several non-alicorns have disappeared. And I received word from Honeystar that all of ForestClan has vanished."

“What?!” I gasped before Gertrude, Therron, Flaring Blade, Lightning Edge, Umbra Chain, Gizem and Tyson showed up.

Fizzlepop shows up with Gilda in tow.

Gilda spoke "She's right Dash, Gingerheart's in a tizzy since Redheart's gone missing. And to make matters worse, Thunder Spark beat the tar out of Rocket Swirl once he found Serene missing."

“Must be the fog. Then we gotta hurry and meet up with Seiko and the others.” I urged.

Gilda whacks me on the head with a branch.

Gilda spoke "And you left Danyelle alone too! I heard from Lan that Danyelle was next on the capture list! And unless you want Vince on your tail, go back and get the yellow fuzzball!"

“What?!” I gasped in shock and horror!

Gilda spoke "It's mainly because of Danyelle's clairvoancy that puts her in danger."

“But she’s pregnant and she can’t come with us!” I pointed out.

Gilda spoke "For StarClan's sake Rainbow, do you WANT three angry tomcats on your tail? Danyelle can't fight back!"

“Okay okay!” I said before rushing off to Danyelle.

Danyelle asks "Dash? What’re you doing back here?"

I spoke "I got some sense beaten into me since I'd rather not have three angry tomcats on my tail if you went missing."

Danyelle asks "What’re you talking about?"

I spoke "Your younger brother told Gilda that you were next on the list because of your clairvoancy."

Danyelle gasps "What?!"

I spoke "Yeah and there is a 50-50 chance your kittens might have your powers though."

Danyelle spoke "Oh come on!"

My left ear twitches before I start growling.

“Let’s move. Now!” I urged.

Danyelle spoke "R-right!"

Danyelle took flight.

We soon met up with Seiko and the others, along with the rest of us that came to Ineighba.

Gilda spoke "We don't know what's causing the fog in Ponyville though."

Seiko spoke "Well, we’ll find out. Come on."

We walked towards… the hospital?

Cloud spoke "It's odd being back here..."

We entered the building, seeing that black-suited unicorn stallion officer we saw before again and again, known as Kuria Hidzume.

Kuria spoke "Huh? What are you guys doing here…? Hey, do you know where Kojima-san went? They told me he snuck out of his room again…"

Nurse mare spoke "I assure you, we’ve made it clear to him several times that he needs to stay put, but he keeps going off on his own…

The nurse walked off.

Kuria groans "Geez… With Shokubutsu finally relocated, I was looking forward to going home…"

Sunao spoke "So… he’s been relocated. I’ve been wondering… You seem to be in a terrible hurry to get him out of this hospital."

Kuria spoke "Huh? Oh, well, yeah. I mean, we can’t leave him here with Kojima-san, what Tenshi-chan went through and creatures going missing around… Didn’t you guys think so, too? Hey, what are you doing here, anyway? Tenshi-chan’s back at her home, isn’t she? Don’t you think you should leave before Kojima-san finds you? If he catches you, he’ll start pestering you again."

We then saw Kojima slowly show up.

Kojima spoke "Hidzume… Where’s Shokubutsu? There’s been a lot of noise today for some reason…"

Kuria spoke "K-Kojima-san! What’re you doing here?! Shokubutsu’s already been relocated. I was looking for you so I could tell you that."

Kojima spoke "You did what!? Who authorized that!? There’s still more I need to ask him about!"

Kuria spoke "G-Gimme a break, K-Kojima-san!"

Kojima spoke "That first murder has been bothering me… His motives are shaky, and his alibi is rock solid. We closed a lot of loopholes on the basis of his testimony, but that part’s still nagging at me…"

Kuria spoke "Is this more of your “detective’s intuition”? He’s already been relocated… It’s no use hassling me about it. And you guys should really get home, too. You could get kidnapped."

Kojima spoke "What’s gotten into you today…? It’s odd to see you taking work so seriously…"

Kuria spoke "C-C’mon, I’m always giving 110% when it comes to the job! You should get back to work too, Kojima-san. Your current assignment: Get better as soon as possible!"

Kojima asks "…… *Turns toward us* What are you all doing here?"

I spoke "Half of MeadowClan and all of ForestClan have gone missing."

Kojima gasps "What?!"

Kaze spoke "And we came to confirm something… with Hidzume-san."

Seiko asks "When did Junsei Riyu vanish?"

Kuria spoke "The time the announcer went missing…? I can’t say for sure offhoof… It’s not like I saw her or anything. It was months and months ago, too. My memory’s kinda hazy that far back…"

Miran asks "What about Kiko’s interrogation?"

Kuria spoke "Why wouldn’t I question her? She discovered the announcer’s body. But she didn’t know much about it, so I only talked with her once or twice."

Kiko however seemed uncomfortable with the stallion.

Kuria spoke "Was that all you wanted to ask? Well, I hope it helped."

Seiko and Miran ask "But what about the warning letter?"

Kuria asks "Warning letter?"

Sunao spoke "The one that was delivered to his house."

Kochuu asks "The police right now have it in custody, right?"

Kuria spoke "Uhh… I don’t really remember."

Kojima asks "Hey, whaddya mean you don’t remember? I gave it to you to take down to the crime lab for processing. You’re telling me you forgot!?"

Kuria asks "*Nervously* Ha… haha, I’m sorry… Your accident was right after that, and what with one thing and another, it sorta slipped my mind… B-Besides, that thing was just a prank, wasn’t it? Geez, what’re you asking me all this for!? For crying out loud, what’s this all supposed to be about!? Kojima-san, you really need to bogey back to your bed. That’s why your wounds aren’t healing. And you all need to go home right now! Do you have any idea what time it is!?"

That started making us suspicious.

Kuria spoke "I’m going back… I need to get to the station to report in."

Kuria tried to leave before Kaze, Kanji and Goryuu stopped him.

Sunao asks "Just one more thing, please. We know for certain now that the first murder and Kiko’s kidnapping weren’t Shokubutsu’s doing. Someone else was responsible. Hidzume-san… Do you have any idea who that might be?"

Kuria spoke "I-I have no idea what you’re talking about…"

Kanji spoke "‘Cause we think it mighta been you."

Goryuu spoke "That’s what this is supposed to be all about."

Kuria spoke "What!? Th-That’s ridiculous! We already know Shokubutsu’s the one who put them all in!"

…What?

“What did you just say…?” Emerald, Danyelle and I asked in shock.

Kojima spoke "Put them all in…? What’s this ‘putting them in’ business? Do you know something about the method behind the murder…? Don’t tell me that all that talk about mirrors and whatnot from before was…"

Now it all makes sense…

Sunao spoke "I see… Now I finally understand. To tell the truth, Hidzume-san, my brother and I have been fixated on something you once said. Before, we didn’t know why… Only that it sounded a wrong not to us. Do you recall when Kochuu and I read Shokubutsu’s diary at the scene of Kojima-san’s accident? At the time, I said, “Even the victims who survived and were never released to the public are written here.”

Kochuu asks "And then you said this, ‘Wow… Then that settles it.’ How does that basically prove it was Shokubutsu?"

Sunao asks "At the time, the police had no idea that there had been other attempted murders related to the case… You had no reason to say such a thing. After all, there are countless examples of creatures disappearing for a few days… Yet when I read the list of names, you raised no objection. Odd, that. What do you say to that, Detective Hidzume?"

Kuria spoke "I-I don’t know! I-I said I’m busy…!"

Kuria ran off.

Kanji spoke "*Running after Kuria* Wait, you son of a mare!"

We chased after Kuria too.

Kojima spoke "*Tries to follow us* Hidzume… *Trips* Ngh… Dammit… Hidzume!!"

We soon arrived in the room Shokubutsu used to stay in, but couldn’t find find Kuria.

Kaze spoke "What the…!? I swear he ran this way…"

Kiko spoke "I know he did too…"

Kanji growls "Dammit… Where the hell’d he go?"

Therron spoke "He couldn’t have gone far!"

Kojima soon showed up.

Kojima asks "Did you find him…?"

Seiko and Miran spoke "No."

Kojima spoke "I contacted security… Nobody’s seen Hidzume, and there’s no record of anyone leaving this area. So he must be still in this ward somewhere…"

Emerald spoke "He’s still here…? but we looked… We didn’t find him anywhere…"

Kojima groans "That bastard… Ungh…"

Danyelle's magic flares up, exposing anyone that was hiding behind an invisibility spell.

But no one appeared

Danyelle growls "Grr! He isn’t here!"

The nurse showed up. “Kojima-san! For heaven’s sake, what are we going to do with you…!?”

Kojima spoke "Sorry. I got carried away…"

The Nurse asks "Do you even want to get better!? If you keep this up, there could be lasting damages! Have you forgotten how much trouble it caused you last time!?"

Kojima spoke "You’re right… Sorry… *As the nurse escorted him away* You’ve got to find Hidzume. I need to square this away with him… Please."

Miran: Understood.

Seiko: We will."

The nurse and Kojima left as we looked at the mirror.

Shima asks "He hasn’t left this ward yet…? I don’t think he would, but could he have…?"

Emerald asks "Yeah, I think so. If he’s the killer, he can go through, right?"

Karei asks "You mean he went in through here?"

Kaze spoke "We searched every inch in the direction he ran off… And Danyelle disabled invisibility… There’s nowhere to hide. I don’t think we coulda missed him."

Sunao spoke "He was cornered… It’s highly probable that he escaped there. If he does indeed turn up on the other side, that should prove beyond a doubt that he is the true culprit."

Kanji asks "Damn, so I guess we were right… What do we do now?"

Miran spoke "Let’s go in."

Seiko spoke "No, let’s go tomorrow."

Karei spoke "Senpai’s right, I think it’s too dangerous to go in from here too. We’re not 100% positive he used this TM, and on top of that, we don’t know where it might lead. Let’s go in from Junes, like always. It’ll be fine. So long as we’re ready for him, we’ll crush that jerk in one strike."

We had to admit, Karei has a good point as it looked like we were in total agreement here.

Azure spoke "Some of us should wait outside the mirror to nab him as soon as he exits."

“You really okay with doing that?” I asked.

Danyelle spoke "The two toms and I can stay here with Fizzlepop and Gilda to grab Hidzume as soon as he comes out this mirror."

“Good call. ‘Cause I have a feeling that now that Hidzume’s in there, the kidnappings stopped.” I noted.

Micah spoke "Good luck guys."

Cloud spoke "And be careful."

Tyson spoke "Not a problem."

Danyelle spoke "Stay safe Skittles."

“Sure. Hehe, and somehow, I’m not even mad at that this time.” I laughed.

Azure spoke "It's because of your mane, I heard rumors that OC-verse Danyelle uses that nickname for her world's Rainbow all the time."

“Huh.” I noted before night fell and we went to sleep. I woke up next morning, smiling at Azure’s face with half-lidded eyes.

Azure was asleep on his back while his back left hoof twitches a bit.

I couldn’t help but giggle at that hunky blur of a husband.

Azure yips a bit in his sleep.

Hehe, boy, am I gonna surprise him when we get home.

Azure sleepspoke "Mmmm... Skittles..."

Boy, is he really gonna taste the rainbow when I’m through with him. “Alright, Azure. Wake up.”

Danyelle unfurls her wings as she woke up from her slumber.

Danyelle groans "That's the last time Lionblaze dares me to sleep upside down..."

Azure yawns "Morning... And why is the yellow fuzzball upside down?"

Danyelle spoke "Don't ask..."

Azure asks "Okay?"

“Come on, let’s get some grub and meet up with the others at Junes.” I said.

Danyelle spoke "I'm just gonna say this now, some foods might not agree with me."

“And that would be?” I asked.

Danyelle spoke "Not sure yet..."

Gertrude spoke "Well, I'm kinda hungry. So let's go."

Danyelle spoke "Yeah."

We got up and went to Junes, meeting up with Seiko and the others to have some breakfast when Teddie and Heifa told us something that totally caught us off guard. Even those two are persona users, they're also Shadows from the Mirror World.

Emerald gasps "Shadows...? You mean you're one of those things we've been fighting?"

Teddie spoke "Yup... just like the ones you all know about. Shadows are suppressed mortal thoughts given form... Everyone has them inside."

Kaze asks "Wait... You and Heifa say you're Shadows, but you didn't attack us. And you two kept telling us from the start that you both wanted to bring peace and quiet back to that world, right?"

Heifa spoke "But when all's said and done, Teddie and I are only normal Shadows. Without anything that makes us stand out."

Teddie spoke "We did everything we could until now to try and make my world peaceful... But instead, that weird fog started seeping out into this world too... I'm sorry... Heifa and I are really sorry. If either of us really were special, then maybe..."

Kaze spoke "It's no big deal."

Kiko spoke "Yeah, it's not a problem."

Kaze spoke "I mean, we weren't expecting much from you two in the first place. And about you two being Shadows, we pretty much figured out that you both were something like that anyway."

Heifa asks "Huh...?"

Teddie spoke "Wh-What're you saying!? Here Heifa and I are, pouring our hearts out to you, and you say you thought we were something like that anyways!? No normal creature would think such a pretty bear or a beautiful bovine could really be Shadows!"

Heifa suddenly froze at that with a blush as Danyelle and I laughed at the reaction.

Danyelle laughs "Oh my StarClan! Teddie's got it bad for Heifa!"

“And did you see Heifa there?” I asked before laughing some more.

Danyelle spoke "And since Cadence isn't here..."

Danyelle dropkicks Teddie, causing him to crash into Heifa thus causing the two to kiss.

The two disconnected in embarrassment while blushing.

Danyelle laughs "I got you good, you dipstick bear!"

Kanji asks "So what’s the problem with being Shadows?"

Sunao spoke "It’s true that you both may have been born that way. But you both now possess the power of Persona. A Shadow is suppressed power… Once controlled by the ego, it becomes a Persona… Doesn’t it follow, then, that you both must have developed an ego? Whether the ego masters its Shadow, or the Shadow awakens to its ego… The only difference I see is the order in which the process occurred."

Emerald spoke "Oh! So Teddie and Heifa are practically like us, then."

Teddie asks "W-We’re… the same as you guys…?"

Kaze asks "You both keep trying to figure out who you are, just like all of us here. Neither of you can do much on your own… You really aren’t that special… See? What’s the difference between you two and us?"

That really touched Teddie and Heifa before they held each other while crying.

Teddie spoke "*Voice breaking* Th-Tha… Thank you…"

Heifa spoke "*Voice breaking too* Meeting you guys… w-was the best thing that could happen to us…"

Danyelle was growling suddenly.

Kaze spoke "The rest of us were pretty much of a group of misfits to begin with too, right? You and Heifa fit right in, man."

Sunao asks "I beg your pardon? Who are you calling a misfit?"

Karei asks "Isn’t that just you, Senpai?"

Kaze spoke "Hey… That’s not something a detective would say… Or an idol, either!"

Kiko spoke "You may be a misfit, Kaze, but you’re my misfit."

Kaze spoke "*To Teddie and Heifa* Geez… Stop crying, will ya? Now’s not the time for that."

Seiko spoke "Well, let’s go."

Danyelle spoke "We have our own quirks and whatnot."

Miran spoke "Agreed."

Danyelle spoke "Yeah."

We went into the Mirror World as Danyelle, Micah and Cloud Spots stayed outside in case Hidzume tried to get out. As Teddie was in his bear suit and Heifa in her cow suit, Karei used Himiko, but couldn’t find Hidzume.

Teddie spoke "I’ll give it a try, but… If Karei-chan couldn’t find him, I really doubt someone with a dried-up nose like me will be much help… Hmm… Mmmmmm… I do smell Hidzume-baby in here, but the fog is completely covering up his scent…"

Karei asks "Teddie… You can’t do it either?"

Teddie spoke "Wh-When you look at me with those eyes… I get this feeling… I’ve gotta sniff him out no matter what…! This is my time to shine! Alright nose, don’t fail me now! Mm… Hrmmm… Ooh, I’m getting something! Raaaaaawr!"

Teddie suddenly had a fierce aura before it vanished.

Shima asks "Teddie…?"

Teddie suddenly wandered around.

Kaze spoke "Hey, quit wandering around! You better not flake out on us again."

Teddie spoke "Huh…? I sense it from… thisaway."

That surprised us.

Kanji asks "Is it Hidzume!?"

Teddie spoke "Ummmmmm… How do I put it… It’s kinda hazy, but at the same time, it feels like I’ve got a whopper on the line…"

Karei spoke "I don’t get it…"

“Me neither…” I agreed.

Teddie spoke "Veeery suspicious… This definitely smells. But that’s weird… If I remember right, that’s where Sensei, Miran, Kaze and Emerald came from when I met them for the first time…"

Kaze asks "When we first…? Where was that? Ohhhh… You mean that creepy-ass room where all the faces on the posters were cut out?"

Teddie spoke "Yep… there’s someone there!"

Karei spoke "Teddie! You really are amazing!"

Heifa: Watch it."

Teddie spoke "*Shy blush* I-It was just dumb luck… It’s because that’s where I first sense Sensei and the others… That’s why it kinda smelled over there…"

Emerald spoke "Ahh, I see. Wait… did you say it smelled…? Wasn’t that the room where Kaze had to go to the bathroom, and…"

Karei asks "Huh…? You’re saying… he peed himself there!?"

Shima spoke in disgust "E-Eww…! I don’t wanna hear it!"

Kaze spoke "Oh, you lie so bad! Dude, I did not piss my fur! Emerald! Quit spreading random rumors about stuff like that!"

Emerald spoke "Uhhh, well, it happened so long ago… My memory’s kinda fuzzy, you know…"

A loud roar splits the fog, causing it to dissipate. 

Spottedleaf spoke "Hey guys! I found him!"

Teddie spoke "Same here. Oookaaay guys, enough fuzziness! Follow me, the master of fuzzy logic! …Heehee."

Shima snickers "S-Snrk…"

Emerald spoke "Haha, I haven’t heard you crack up in a while, Shima. Though I really wonder sometimes about your sense of humor.”

We had a good laugh, feeling our spirits lifted as we then went off before finding ourselves at an apartment room.

A familiar voice growled, “That damn bitch… I noticed her first… and she just had to run off and have an affair…”

We saw Hidzume as he looked back at us with a different expression.

Hidzume spoke "Oh… it’s you guys. You’re very persistent…"

Seiko spoke "So, you’re the real killer."

Hidzume spoke "*Feigning ignorance with a smile* I don’t know what you’re talking about…"

Kaze snaps "You’re not lying your way out of this one, dammit! Just being here proves it! Answer us! You’re the one who threw Ms. Riyu into the TM, aren’t you!?"

Kiko spoke "Just give it to us straight!"

Hidzume laughs "Hehehe, it was an accident. She started struggling… What else was I supposed to do? *Expression becoming a sneer* I called her out to the lobby because I wanted to ask her something. And then she started getting hysterical on me… But since Danyelle isn’t here with that Dimensional Scream of hers, I’ll show you what happened."

OC-verse Danyelle threw a Chaos Spear past Hidzume's head.

OC-verse Danyelle spoke "I saw it all! And you LEAVE MY COUNTERPART OUT OF THIS!!!"


To be continued...