Koto was looking in a mirror. Her reflection had shown her with oceanic blue wings and a sky-blue horn. She even had a little ocean-blue tiara on her head. On her chest she wore regal armor, with a gem reminiscent of her boomerang. She stepped outside and looked skywards. The sun was just rising and already the sky gave its usual first half of it's two-fold brilliance. Except it was fantastic. No other words could describe the beauty she saw.
She started to feel the ground shift.
"No!" Koto cried, completely caught off-guard.
The balcony slipped under her hooves, and she fell at a terrific speed. Her wings were useless, as was her horn.
Clouds passed by her falling form, and she flailed about.
She was...human again?
It was dark. She could not see. Her left arm ceased moving, as it was crushed under a pile of rubble. Defiantly, she moved a small bit of rubble off of the pile she was already underneath. She saw her friends, unconscious, unmoving. But she also saw the two professors and Mimi, as well as the strange cat-eared fairy girl. They took care of the castle-hybrid long enough for it to revert to the two separate beings that merged to form it. But then, they were sent flying.
In her direction.
"NOOOOOO!!!" Koto shrieked as she tossed the covers off her. She was once again an earth pony. She huffed and wheezed, as reality came back to slap her upside the head. Her hangover had returned. Now she remembered why it was a very bad idea to get drunk. She shook her head, pounding against it with her hooves. What the damned hell did she do last night after getting drunk?! But the sake was much too tempting! She had a vague memory of....hitting on Rekka? But what happened after that?
"It's better not to remember," she murmured to herself.
Wait! She saw Mimi, the cat-eared girl and the professors too?! Then, if she saw Misaki here, then that meant...!
She tiptoed out of the room and quietly closed the door. What would they think of this?
"Looks like Rekka was....somewhat right, I guess..." She sighed, shaking her head a bit.
She heard footsteps from the ground floor. Her ears suddenly perked.
Reluctantly, she tiptoed downstairs. What she saw nearly caused her to jump out of her pelt.
There were three unconscious ponies arranged in an orb pattern. Among them, only one was a stallion. He was a light grey with a black mane and tail. He wore glasses, a lab coat, and his device. His cutie mark was reminiscent of his weapon, which was an overgrown toy car for some reason.
The second one, a mare, was a peachy color with a brown mane tied back. She wore a lab coat and a device too. Her cutie mark was a white teacup with a green clover on it.
The third, a filly, was a light orange with a purple mane. Her cutie mark was a mix between a never-melting ice cream cone and a baseball bat. In short, a purple-and-green club of sorts.
Wait, where was the cat-eared fairy girl?! Koto's eyes darted left, then right. On the couch sat a white filly with a raven-cut black mane and red-pink eyes. Her ears were still pink and her pixie wings were now organic and fully functional.
"Hi, Koto! I missed you!" She beamed with a big grin.
"I missed you too, Miki!" Koto replied with a smile. She was glad they were okay.
Miki began fluttering around here and there, exploring the vast Boutique. She was the really, really playful type who had suddenly popped up from nowhere and she was never seen without a smile.
"Say, are the others here too?" Miki asked. Koto nodded.
The stallion shifted, then groaned.
"01! You're up!" Miki and Koto shouted in unison. Yes, he insisted he be called 01 for some unknown reason. He was a somewhat lunatic professor, but he had his good intentions (and on some occasions, suspicions).
"Koto.... is it me...or are you.....here as well?" 01 said, his voice hinting serious pain.
"Yes, I am here too. So are the others," Koto beamed with a smile of her own.
01 groaned, then stood up, albeit wobbly. "Really?" He asked, groaning in pain. Koto nodded.
"That hybrid......dammit, now I see why you and the others failed to defeat it," 01 groaned, scrunching one eye closed.
The peachy-colored mare began stirring. Moans of pain escaped her lips.
"Mikarya!" Koto said.
"Koto......?" Mikarya replied, trying to open her eyes. She was a motherly figure who would not take any form of tomfoolery should it involve something stupid or life-risking.
"Yes, it's me. Everyone is here as well!" Koto answered, her tail shifting between her legs.
"I feel strange...." Mikarya said, moving until she was standing up with a horrible limp.
"I will give you the explanation once Mimi's awake," Koto stated, ears flat.
----
"So, this is what happened and...." 01 said, his voice hinting grief and disappointment.
"Yes," Koto said, her head hanging low.
"At least we're not being openly mocked this time, young lady!" Mikarya said in a stern, motherly tone. "You know damn well you shouldn't get drunk like that!!"
Mimi and Miki were in the other room. They were told to stay out of this.
Koto's ears folded back again. There was no point arguing.
"But alas, I am unable to do anything. The Quartet is here, and they need to be dealt with before more damage is done." Mikarya said, softly.
01 hugged Koto, who was now sobbing heavily.
Mikarya went upstairs and found everyone else awake. Rekka, Tenmei, Yuuki, and Nagare were huddled in a corner. They overheard the lecture and feared the worst of punishments. Yet the punishments never came.