//------------------------------// // Akt I, Szene I -auf der Insel - // Story: Puella Magi Pony Magica // by Planetarian //------------------------------// Akt I, Szene I, Der Tragödie erster Teil Mephistopheles: No, Lord! I find, as always, it couldn’t be worse. I’m so involved with Man’s wretched ways, I’ve even stopped plaguing them, myself, these days. Faust I, Prologue, Prologue in Heaven In Li's apartment, bedroom Lǐ Tóngshān was pondering to herself as she read about the eyewitness reports that were circulating around the Internet over the state of the barrier. One or two brave souls had claimed that they were not affected by the barrier at all, and that human buildings were starting to make it into the bubble, but they were just that, anecdotal reports. The thing that bothered her was that she was feeling something after Sekai-chan had logged off, but it was a rather brief episode. She was not dismissing it only because of the fact that the existence of Equestria had given the girl reason enough to not treat magic as mere fairy tales. The reason for the girl's fixation on the state of the barrier stemmed from her conversation with Sekai. She did recall having mused to Sekai that the ponies would lose a leg to stand on if everything human can go through the barrier without trouble. The freshman had this glimmer of hope. The girl hoped that co-existence was possible. It will be troublesome, but it would be far preferable than how things stand at the moment. Lǐ Tóngshān: The footing's just not equal. Humans cannot venture and peer into the magical land of ponies as human beings. Everything that has been said about the land of ponies came from the horses' mouth. Whereas the ponies were able to come and go as they please, and humans would have no avenue to present themselves as they were to the ponies. Misunderstandings and bigotry went hand-in-hand. This was depressing. The entire island's farcical tale revolved about the claim. Whether it'd be the aboriginals, the Japanese, the Portuguese, Koxinga, the Qīng Manchu immigrants or the ones that had migrated in 1949 The girl decided to not let this historical melancholy get in her way. There was a symposium over the Taipei World Trade Center about the economic ramifications of the Conversion Bureau in Taiwan. Much of the topic would have delved into how ECFA (trade agreement between PRC and Taiwan) may fall apart as cross-strait legal guarantees to the corporate entities might become null and void overnight. Only members of TAITRA (Taiwanese Trade Association) would have been invited. Lǐ Tóngshān knew that her father would've gone, and frankly, she would've too... but she wasn't a member. That left the girl without much to do but to try and get a hold of Sekai so can she can explain herself better about what her cryptic messages were really about. \---/ Li was admitted into the Taiwan Normal University (which was admittedly confusing for the non-Kanji speaking people to comprehend.) She really should've attend more classes, but the freshman didn't have her heart set to coursework. Confound those ponies, for they make me think of humans. The girl forcibly turned her mind back to political daydreaming. It was clear that the guarantee of legal due process, consul and jurisdictional sovereignty had been the underpinning of cross-strait trading. If these were to vanish, than Taiwan would be in a dire strait economically speaking. The girl was not ignorant of the fact that the Taiwanese were among the first to heavily invest in China. Mainland China by then had accounted for a good half of Taiwanese trades. Given that the island had no natural resource to speak of, any sort of trade disruption could prove fatal to the well-being of the islanders. The girl's mind revolved around how that the Chinese will use their clout to seriously hamper and discourage others from trading with Taiwan if the island would ever open up a Conversion Bureau. China had the ability to sway ASEAN+4 and APEC nations to this course, and they did have the naval might to press those points home. Taiwan can't feed on the Philippines, India and Japan. Those wouldn't have been enough. Besides, it would be questionable for the Taiwanese in power to have that sort of political acumen. What bargaining chip did the island really possess, come to think of it? Lǐ Tóngshān was feeling quite uncomfortable about all of this. She turned her air conditioner to around 25c. It was May, and the air's humid and hot. That was typical Taiwan. The girl continued as she pulled a chair over to jot down her thoughts. She shared these opinions with Sekai usually. Language wasn't an issue, for Lǐ Tóngshān was a Japanese speaker. "Being at the mercy of the makers and movers of history yet again, huh..." Equestria would have had no interest to hold Formosa. There was no benefit in having this island when it lacked natural resources. Moreover, Equestria was not interested in using this island to contain China. Unlike the United States or Japan, Equestria had no such need to extend itself and secure its interests through maritime force projection. The barrier would do everything in time, and there was nothing that humanity could do about it. Equestria was involved with empire building, and the girl knew that the route to the Middle Kingdom would not jump off from Taiwan. This act of political expediency really was a litmus test for the entirety of the Pacific rim. Princess Celestia the Genghis Khan would run over us. What's the use of shooting the messenger? The issue had to return to the "what then?" Just as Lǐ Tóngshān sulked in her chair, she caught sight of sekaisugiru_2. Video conferencing mode was on. "Sakai-chan..." "Sugi-nee, how are you?" Sekai was in a rather fancy dress. It looked like it was ripped from some JRPG. "You... really have taken this magical girl thing seriously, haven't you. How much did that dress cost you? 30000 Yen?" "What's with that ridiculously serious figure. And I'd not buy this unless if's around 25000, but that's beside the point!" "Here! Take a look at this fluffy white fellow!" Lǐ Tóngshān was presented with the figure of a cat-like beast that wasn't a cat. Its two orb-like red eyes pierced directly at her from across the East China Sea. "This would be Kyubey that you were talking about, right?" Lǐ Tóngshān's ability to suspend disbelief wasn't bad. She grew through the chuunibyou (中二病, second year syndrome.) phase during her middle school years where she would allow her mental fascinations run wild. The ponies came afterwards and it was then that the girl had to admit to herself that she'd better be careful of what she'd wish for when it comes to magic and fantasy. The creature didn't pay the freshman any heed. It did gaze at the video camera for a second or two. "Yep." Sekai confirmed. 「李彤杉氏? 」 (Is this Lǐ Tóngshān?) The creature asked in Japanese pronunciation. Lǐ Tóngshān acknowledged the question before Sekai did.「そうよ、だが...」 (That's right... although...) 「妳聽得見?」(You actually heard?) The being looked somewhat puzzled as its head sharply turned toward the camera. 「這...等等, 日本人是不懂中文的. 為什麼你會刻意用中文跟我對話? 」 (Eh... hold on, Japanese don't understand Mandarin. Why would you speak to me in Mandarin on purpose?) Lǐ Tóngshān was rather immediate in response, although slightly agitated. A rather level-headed response was uttered.「それは適切であろう？」 (Isn't that more appropriate?) "What is it? I thought you two were just greeting each other." Sekai interrupted. "Sekai-chan. I was asking Kyubey here as to why he would automatically switch to Mandarin when he spoke to me. Did you notice any difference whatsoever?" The older girl raised. "No. I didn't think that he was speaking in Mandarin." Sekai remarked. 「心靈會話嗎? 」 (Telepathy?) 「そういう訳でもないけど」(Not exactly.) "I guess whatever language doesn't matter to you. That's good." The freshman had left the matter at that. There's more important things to ask. "Should I really be seeing you, Kyubey?" "No. It is inexplicable as to why you can see me. I did not intend for this." "Sekai-chan... does this have something to do with what you did yesterday?" Lǐ Tóngshān knew enough of the usual tropes to think that Kyubey wouldn't pop up in front of her... his dealings were with Sekai. "Well, I made a wish that we can make it through the barrier just fine." The cityscape of Mitakihara was visible from the girl's vantage point. Lǐ Tóngshān was there when she spent some time in Ibaraki Prefecture following the great earthquake and tsunami... The freshman found her mind wondering off again. She had to rein it in. "You... what... " "I used my wish to save humanity! If that barrier can't kill us, then we'll be fine, wouldn't we?" The freshman's brain was nearing meltdown. It looked as if that the tide of events have swept her off her feet. \---/ The girl returned to the discussion after having fetched herself a Popsicle. Her brain was overheating on her. "So... you have been granting miracles for human beings here and there, and in exchange they would become 魔法少女 (magical girls), the embodiment of hope and would have to fight 魔女(witches), which are the embodiment of despair." "Correct, and I can give you the same offer, Li Tongshan." "I can see why you'd offer it to Sekai-chan... but I digress." "Why haven't you gone into the magical land of ponies and whatnot? They'd be far better equipped to deal with magical things than us humans." "It wasn't possible for me to pass the barrier, but now it is." "Well, I am kind of old for this... I take that it'd be younger kids that would actually believe you in the first place..." "That is correct. My success rate does diminish as the age cohort gets older." That doesn't give me any relief... The Taiwanese girl had to think about how this one event may impact the entire game across the board, but this was not the time to do that. The strange being that was Kyubey was the thing to look at. "Kyubey, what is that gem-like thing that Sekai-chan had shown me?" The little creature's long, fox-like tail waved about. "That thing is the soul gem." The sound of it doesn't give me any encouragement whatsoever about what it is. "Soul gem in the literal sense?" Sekai was a bit taken aback. "What..." Kyubey was a little bewildered. "Human bodies are rather frail, don't you think?" This pretty much left Lǐ Tóngshān in a seriously worried state. "That would have meant that those witches are nothing to sneer at, and you are waging a private war on them..." Kyubey was undeterred. "The witches spread despair and malcontent. They prey on human beings. They had to be stopped. These girls are given the means to fight them. This had worked before and it continues to work." Sekai looked resigned to what she had signed up to. "It's worthwhile. I wouldn't mind fighting the witches if humanity can survive contact with Equestria. Who knows, maybe the ponies can do something against these witches... it makes sense to fight magic with magic." I don't really know what to say about this. The freshman chose to abandon the train of thought. "Sekai-chan, what are you going to do then? Fight witches just as Kyubey had mentioned?" Sekai nodded. "I will keep to my end of the bargain, Sugi-nee. I will fight the witches." She vowed with determination. \---/ Lǐ Tóngshān did appreciate Kyubey's frankness. The situation before her however would give her no rest. If the human world had been plagued by the blight of witches that the magical girls had to fight in the dark, then it would only mean that Sekai's not in some isolated incident at all. Moreover, Kyubey couldn't reach Equestria, just as it were with humans. The situation had changed however. "You are thinking if the witches may reach Equestria, aren't you, Lǐ Tóngshān?" Kyubey... The snow white beast that stood no larger than a cat appeared before the freshman. This was a magical creature, so its unannounced presence didn't really surprise the girl. "I was... I am." Without further ado, a barrage of questions followed. The first salvo fired by the Taiwanese. "Have you actually tried before?" "Disintegration upon contact." The being was quite cheerful in noting this gruesome way to go. "So this whole thing's that important to you..." "More important than you know." The freshman composed her thoughts as she sat down on a computer and began typing down what came to her mind. "All right. If human and you can make it through, then there's a chance that witches will make it through." "I don't know of any witch that operate beyond the barriers. I will make my way beyond the barrier and see if I too, will be able to cross it." Kyubey had this to say. "You can simply wish that the witches will not survive contact with the barrier." The little cat-like beast replied in a chipper tune. "You said that human beings don't normally perceive witches. I wonder if that has changed." No reply on this question. "You think that you'll be contracting ponies and whatnot?" "I do want to explore such potentials." "And that I was not supposed to see you." The freshman purposely changed course. "You were not on my short-list as candidates. I am not sure why is it that you can see and hear me even now." "So you do selectively approach candidates." "Yes." The creature scampered a bit around the confines of Li's apartment. "Did you teleport here or..." "No." "I don't follow..." Li posed. is he projecting himself? The freshman walked to Kyubey as she attempted to pet it. Her hand felt the sensation of soft fur as the strange beast's head wobbled a little. "Not projection. Physically here. And you're in Mitakihara as well... wow. So it's what? Many bodies to use?" Li continued unabated. "Yes." No wonder he can run himself to the bubble of death. "People usually don't ask this much about me." Kyubey was completely neutral in tone. "Normally it is a straightforward exchange." "Well, what do you think of ponies?" Lǐ Tóngshān had this to ask. "Sentient ponies, griffins, zebras, deers and various forms of livestock are worth investigating. I am highly interested with their habitat and what potential they exist in emotional response." The freshman paused on emotional response. "That emotional response is valuable to you then..." "Yes. Magical girls are fueled by emotions. It is the major prerequisite in allowing miracles to manifest." Kyubey was artificially cheerful without fail. "So you want to sign contracts with them..." The girl looked at the little white Questing Beast before her. "Yes. It would be best if such acts were possible." "Well.. guess you're already sending copies of yourself through just as we're talking away! How's that going for you?" Li immediately made the assumption that Kyubey would have gone ahead at the earliest possible moment with the kind of 'business potential' that he may have on Equus. Kyubey's answer tugged the freshman's heartstrings. "Successful entry to Equus. Conditions nominal." "Wow... if he could make it, then everything really has changed," thought Li aloud.