//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 - Friends or Enemies // Story: Fragmented Harmony // by Mares-a-Mares //------------------------------// The two Magical Girl girls held hands as they exited the TV room. The place outside looked just as empty as before they fought the Witch, and just as clean, too. Fluttershy blinked as she spotted a single source of light in another area. It was a small room with an empty desk and torn up paperwork scattered on the floor. Along with the papers, it seemed that there were several glass bottles littering the floor as Rainbow Dash walked further in to investigate. Before entering in, she turned back towards her timid friend. “…We should probably change back, Flutters. I don’t know what’s in here. It could be a human, or something else weird.” The rainbow warrior placed her hand over her Soul Gem, her magenta eyes locked on her friend’s blue ones. Fluttershy nodded slowly as she let go of her friend’s hand and placed it against her own Soul Gem, a pink butterfly shaped gem. Not wasting any time, the room was filled with rainbow and pink lights, swirling around the two girls until they were out of sight, the aura dancing about the room, creating sparks in the air with its magical touch. This only lasted for a moment until the two girls were released from their magical barriers and their Soul Gems took on its natural form, landing safely in the palm of their hands. Kyuubey watched the two Magical Girls with its empty smile. “With you both as Magical Girls, battles against Witches will be much easier than if Rainbow Dash fought alone.” It stated. Rainbow Dash frowned as she formed her Soul Gem into a ball of light, surrounding her hand until it wrapped around her middle left finger; the light forming into a ring. She’d counter that statement another time. They had something more important to focus on right now. With a soft smile, Fluttershy held her Soul Gem out to do the same, fascinated by the light from her own magic wrapping around her finger. Looking at her palm, she blinked as she noticed a light-pink jewel with a little bit of corruption embedded into the metal ring around her finger. Frowning slightly at the corruption, Fluttershy gave her fillyhood friend’s back a light tap. “…We should probably use the Grief Seed from the…clown-snake Witch…” Rainbow Dash blinked before looking at her own Soul Gem. “Ugh…” It was a little over halfway corrupted. “Gotta watch how I fight next time…that was crazy!” She threw her hands to her sides for emphasis, and then held her Soul Gem up for Fluttershy to see. “We’ll just…have to be more careful.” Fluttershy nodded and supplied a grin as she held her Soul Gem in front of her friend’s. Rainbow Dash reached into her magenta skirt pocket and pulled out the Grief Seed from that clown-snake. Holding it closer to the two Soul Gems, she saw the corruption from each of their Soul Gems get absorbed by the Grief Seed in her hand, filling it until it halted with an eerie hiss; black menacing aura radiating from it in great multitudes. Fluttershy gasped. “…Does this mean we can’t…use it anymore?” Kyuubey hopped onto Rainbow Dash’s shoulder, peering over. “Indeed. If you force any more corruption into it, the Witch would surely hatch anew. Let me have it.” Rainbow Dash blinked before tossing it over her shoulder. “Here, knock yourself out. Don’t know what you’d do with it, though…” She muttered as she felt Kyuubey’s weight leave her shoulder. Kyuubey ran towards where the Grief Seed had landed, and with a small adorable-like raise of its head, flipped the Grief Seed over itself until a mark much like a teardrop opened up, allowing the Grief Seed to fall inside. As soon as it did, the mark shut one more, and a pink glow radiated from the creature’s back. Fluttershy was stunned at the sight. “Um…did you just…eat it? Can you…do that?” Rainbow Dash blinked before she turned around. “Huh? What’d you mean by ‘eat it’, Flutters?” Looking over, she saw Kyuubey there sitting innocently, no Grief Seed around to be found. “…Cubes, where’d you put the thing? I thought I gave it to you!” She exclaimed. If it got misplaced…! Kyuubey gave a soft sigh as it closed its eyes. “I am merely performing one of my many duties. When a Grief Seed is filled, you must give it to me. Then it will no longer be a threat to you.” The rainbow haired girl blinked. “…So…you…ate it?” Of all the things to do to the thing, he ATE it? Fluttershy gulped silently. ‘I hope QB doesn’t get a stomach ache…’ The creature opened its pink eyes and stared at the two bewildered girls. Why did it matter if it ate it or not? It was simply performing its assigned duties as a contractor. “Indeed. If ever you fill up a Grief Seed, do not hesitate to give it to me. This will ensure that the Witch will not hatch again, and it would no longer be your problem.” …Less responsibility to deal with? Rainbow was cool with that! Grinning, she faced Fluttershy, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Well, if Cubes’ got it covered, less for us to do, right?” Usually she’d be willing to pull extra weight, but this whole Witch thing was a different story completely. Fluttershy nodded with a smile. “…Thank you, QB. You…you’ve really helped us out.” With this, she wouldn’t ever have to face that horrible nightmare again…A sense of relief filled the timid girl, and her smile grew more confident. Taking her hand off of her friend’s shoulder, Rainbow Dash gave a deep sigh. “…So, were we gonna check out that room over there?” Fluttershy snapped back into her senses. “O-Oh, um…yes, of course.” She held out a hand shyly for her friend to take, which her friend took with confidence. Rainbow led the two towards the entrance of the small room, slipping through the already opened door. While the room was scattered in paperwork, a human sat with his hands over his face; his office chair facing the wall over to the right of the room. Blinking for a moment, Rainbow Dash let go her friend’s hand and slowly approached the human. The human muttered inaudibly as it sat. Scratch that, this human was a guy. The guy spoke in foreign tongues, his mouth moving in a constant and fluid manner as he clutched his head in what looked like extreme frustration. Rainbow Dash opened her mouth for a moment, but no words would escape her tongue. Honestly, she hadn’t run into this situation before. Always there’d be some way she knew what was going on…but this was a challenging case for the young mare. “U-Um…” She squeaked out, the sound quickly dying in her throat. It made enough noise to catch the foreigner’s attention, because he suddenly looked up, his despair-filled brown eyes meeting her uneasy magenta. The man shouted at the girl in foreign tongues, his voice sounding exasperated as he banged his fists against the paper-filled desk, standing up as a form of intimidation. Fluttershy squeaked and hid just outside the room, peeking back into it just enough to make sure her friend was alright. Clearly this guy didn’t want to be disturbed… Rainbow Dash winced as she took the brunt of the foreign man’s frustrations. W-What was he saying? Why was he yelling at her? What the hay was this guy’s problem? Kyuubey blinked before hopping onto Rainbow Dash’s shoulder. “…This man is showing signs of aggression. According to what he has been screaming, he used to own this facility. However, unwise decisions and betrayal of employees caused him to become bankrupt, without money.” Rainbow Dash blinked as she watched the creature. …Why isn’t this guy freaking out about you? I cannot be seen by those without potential. As far as this man knows, there is nothing on your shoulder. So…this guy is screaming at me, because he lost his company thing? That does seem to be the case. He is venting his frustrations, and displaying an aggressive nature. Sheesh, if I could talk to the guy, I’d try to give him a pep talk or something… Giving a sigh, Rainbow Dash waited a moment until the man had slowed down in his venting. Since words wouldn’t do any good, she moved closer to the guy and did the only thing she could think of at that moment… …She pat the guy on the back softly. Of course, this action probably could probably get her in trouble…but that wasn’t what was on her mind at the time. The man stopped in his tracks and slowly stared at the girl in complete silence, his despaired eyes wide in shock. Well, it shut the guy up, at least… Rainbow Dash squeaked as she felt strong arms wrap around her in a tight hug as her face was buried in the man’s shirt. What, what…!? Her eyes darted as she tried to make sense of what was going on, until she heard quiet sobbing close by. Was the guy…crying? Well, this was an awkward situation if she’d ever been in one. Finding nothing else to do, she gave a deep sigh; slowly patting the guy’s back as a form of comfort. It was strange, comforting something you couldn’t understand…but she took it anyway. After the strange comfort she gave the man, he slowly let her go; the despair slowly dissipating from his eyes. The man said something along the line of…Arigatou? What the hay did that mean? The man seemed troubled by her confused expression. Then, for a moment, the man stood in silence. He faced Rainbow again, this time with a friendlier face. “…You speak English?” The man spoke this time with a strange accent, as if the words were foreign to him, but to Rainbow it sounded like the guy had just spoken Equestrian. Rainbow Dash’s mouth dropped. “Y-You…you…can speak English?” The man laughed for a moment at her face as he nodded repeatedly. “Yes. I learned it when I was in school. It was a requirement.” The man gave a deep sigh. “…I’m…sorry, for the way that I was acting.” Rainbow shook her head as she motioned her friend to come closer. It seemed safe, after all. “Naw, it’s cool. You were just having a hard time. No biggie, just…it’s not the end of the world, right?” She supplied a grin. The man blinked for a moment before allowing his mouth to crease up into a small smile. “…No, no…I suppose it isn’t. Thank you for…for being there.” The man’s face looked up towards the doorway, where Fluttershy slowly stepped in. “…Your friend is very lucky.” Fluttershy gave a small smile as she faced her friend. “…Yes.” Rainbow Dash blinked. “Y-Yeah, um…I guess…” She shrugged for a moment before taking her friend’s hand. “Anyways, we gotta get going. Don’t give up yet, alright?” Fluttershy nodded as she allowed herself to be led back towards the doorway with her friend. The man nodded, his eyes lit up anew with hope. “…I won’t.” The two walked out of the room holding hands, feeling a little better than when they first came to this world. It had its ups and downs…but at least there were nice people around who could help them in a bind. Like Cubes, for example…Rainbow may have not liked the dang creature…but at least it was really helpful in understanding things around here. And that guy was really helpful too; letting them know they could at least find someone they could speak to and understand. …Things seemed to be finally looking up. Footsteps echoed through the empty room in the facility in the direction of the entrance they took to get inside. Hearing it, Rainbow quickly halted; Fluttershy in tow. She looked around until her eyes caught sight of a figure, masked by the shadows. The rainbow haired girl’s eyes narrowed. “…Stay close, Flutters.” She whispered as she faced the approaching figure. “…Who’s there?! Show yourself!” The figure continued to walk towards the two until Rainbow could see it was a girl with long dark-grey hair, wearing a cream-colored…blouse with a red ribbon. Her legs were completely covered in black; wearing brown shoes. Her eyes were royal blue, set in an apathetic expression. Kyuubey dug its claws deeper into Rainbow’s shoulder, giving a better grip. “…That’s…” The creature started. Fluttershy blinked as she watched Kyuubey. “…Um…what’s wrong, QB…?” She whispered softly. Somehow things seemed to grow more…tense. Rainbow Dash frowned as she stepped closer, making sure her friend was behind her. “…Who the hay are you and what do you want?” She clenched her teeth in an unwelcoming manner. The girl blinked for a small moment before she raised her right hand to flip her hair back, her royal blue eyes piercing into Rainbow’s magenta’s. Without another moment, the girl opened her mouth, her leveled monotone voice filled with foreign tongues. It sounded like she was asking questions…but… The rainbow Magical Girl winced. Great, another foreigner… “…Uhh…sorry…I don’t speak Japanese.” The girl blinked for what felt like an eternity. “…I…see.” Her dialect changed completely, the monotone voice slightly wavering. Seemed this girl wasn’t the best at speaking English. “…Who…are you?” Rainbow Dash gave a sigh of relief. “Phew, finally something I can understand. I’m Rainbow Dash. And this is my friend, Fluttershy.” She gestured behind her, the timid girl slowly waving. The girl’s eyes darted uncomfortably for a moment. “…I…see. I am…Homura Akemi.” Her dialect switched back once she said her name. Rainbow Dash blinked for a moment. “…Ho…mu…ra…?” The way the girl said it sounded weird on her tongue… “…Got a nickname or…something?” The rainbow Magical Girl grinned sheepishly. The girl frowned. “…Homura means ‘Flame’. You…you may call me that.” Fluttershy slowly stepped forward. “Um…nice to…meet you, Miss…Flame.” Rainbow Dash nodded in acknowledgement. “Okay, then…Flame. So…why the hay did you approach us anyway, Flame?” Homura gave an inward sigh. “…I…want to recruit you. F-fight together…” Usually her approaches gave drastically different results…but this was just…embarrassing. The rainbow Magical Girl blinked. “…You wanna…recruit me and Flutters? Okay…?” Fluttershy gave a small smile. “…I don’t mind if we work together. Are you…a Magical Girl, too?” Homura held up her left hand, revealing her Soul Gem in its ring form. “…Yes. I am a Mahou Shoujo.” Rainbow Dash scratched her head as she tilted it to the side. “Ma…mah…um, what..?” What the hay did she just say? “…It is the Japanese term for ‘Magical Girl’.” The apathetic girl gave yet another inward sigh. “…I want you to fight with me. There is a…big Witch. …Can’t fight it…alone.” Her royal blue eyes looked away to the sides, anywhere but in Rainbow’s general direction. Perhaps she should’ve reminded herself to add ‘practice English’ on the list of things to do… Fluttershy gasped. “…A…big Witch?” The girl merely nodded. She didn’t trust herself to sound professional anymore. Rainbow nodded. “Sure, we’ll help you kick this Witch’s flank.” She put both arms up behind her head in a casual position. Homura frowned. “…’Flank’? I…do not…understand.” Why did the rainbow Magical Girl have to be a foreigner…? She understood English by ear…but speaking it… Kyuubey blinked at the spectacle from Rainbow’s shoulder. “…If there is an issue with language barriers, would it not be easier to speak through the mind? It is multilingual, and highly recommended for this situation.” Homura felt like slapping herself. Of course the mind would be multilingual! Taking a deep breath inwardly, she linked her eyes onto Rainbow’s; this time with far more confidence. …Can you understand me now? Rainbow winced. She could. Somehow Flame seemed to have a whole different air about her this time…was she really okay? Her voice sounded…cold. Kinda...intimidating, actually… …Yeah. I…I can understand you. …You seem to lack confidence, it seems. …So, ‘big Witch’. You need our help, right? …I can give further details later. Right now is not the best time. However, I would like to leave you with a warning. A…warning…? Excuse me? Huh? The girl's lips tightened into a frown as her eyes narrowed. …Don’t trust Kyuubey so much. It holds no real emotion. Rainbow‘s face turned into a scowl as she faced the now-weird Flame. Wait, what? You got a problem with Cubes? …Cubes? Yeah, a…nickname I thought up. Nicknames lead to attachments. It doesn’t deserve one. …What the hay did Cubes do to get you angry? Homura turned away, no longer facing the two. …That’s none of your business. Rainbow’s eyes narrowed into a glare. …If you wanted me to trust you, you just pulled the wrong move. I don’t like secrets. Homura bit her lip, still facing away from the group. …You remind me too much of another stubborn fool. …And insulting me isn’t going to get me on your side, either. You’re doing good here, Flame. …I prefer to be known as ‘Homura’. Fine, ‘Home Run’! Do you want us to help you or not? ‘Cause this is seriously coming off to a bad start. ...I see. What about your friend? Fluttershy, wasn’t it? Fluttershy winced. She hoped to stay out of the conversation…but… Oh, um…if…if Rainbow’s willing to…I don’t mind… Oh, I’m willing. I’m just not sure if I can trust the team. You tell us about there being a big Witch, but you tell nothing about it. You tell us steer clear of Cubes, but you don’t tell us why you don’t trust it. If you want help, you gotta put your two bits in. …I see. You won’t fight, unless I explain things? …If it’s dangerous, I’ll fight it. …But I gotta know what it is. …As I said before, I can explain things later. Tomorrow, if you insist. Well, then I insist. Where to? …We can rendezvous here. I’ll show you the way. 5 pm sharp. Fluttershy gulped as she watched the two other Magical Girls cautiously. Um…can we do that, Rainbow? …How can we make it sharp? Homura’s eyebrows rose. …Eh? Me and Flutters judge the time by the skies…we don’t exactly have a clock. …Hmm. Interesting…hobby you have. Do you have anywhere you’re staying? U-Um… The rainbow haired girl gave a sheepish grin as her eyes looked to the side, refusing to make contact. Uhh…not…really…? Heh…? Homura face-palmed. These two were homeless? …You’re coming with me. Rainbow Dash blinked as her mouth dropped. Wait, what? This girl was going to take them somewhere? That seems suspicious…but it’d at least give her friend a safe enough place to sleep…and it’d be better than nothing at this point… …I still don’t trust you…but at least Fluttershy would be able to get some shut-eye. Where to? …Follow me. I will show you and your friend the way. Homura glared towards the creature on Rainbow’s shoulder. …That thing is not invited. Rainbow Dash glanced towards Kyuubey. Sheesh, if she only knew what was eating at the crazy girl to make her hate Cubes that much! Giving a deep sigh, her rose eyes met the creature’s pink eyes. “…We’re…gonna be going, Cubes. Sorry, but you can’t tag along.” She informed it. Kyuubey hopped off of the rainbow Magical Girl’s shoulder. “…That is alright. I have business with my other Magical Girls to tend to, anyway. It has been a pleasure spending time with you two." Fluttershy simply nodded. “…I’m so sorry you can’t come with, QB. I don’t know why she has a problem with you…” Kyuubey nodded. “It is fine. Do take care, Fluttershy.” Homura raised an eyebrow at the spectacle before her. …We cannot keep communicating through the mind like this. Some things I prefer Kyuubey doesn’t hear. You two will have to learn the Japanese language, or forever be mute...Your choice. Fluttershy's eyes widened while Rainbow Dash bared her teeth at the girl. U-Um…mute? Not cool. Doesn’t it take a while to learn a whole language? What a pain! Homura watched as Kyuubey left into the shadows before facing the two foreign Magical Girls. …We’ll have to figure something out. This language barrier is frustratingly annoying to deal with. Anyway, shall we be going? Rainbow Dash looked over towards her fillyhood friend. “…Let’s get going, Flutters.” Fluttershy nodded as she started walking towards her. “…Okay.” She mumbled softly. She wasn’t sure what this new Magical Girl’s true motives were…but they really had no other options in front of them, and they just couldn’t stay on the streets without sleep. Come to think of it…she hadn’t gotten any sleep since she had that nightmare that started it all…Was it a premonition? Is that why she had it? She never saw herself as psychic… That was Pinkie’s job…wasn’t it? …In fact, was following this Magical Girl okay? Fluttershy gave an inward sigh as she slipped her hand into her friend’s, putting them both at an even pace behind the stranger known as…Homura Akemi as she led them down another path. She wasn’t so sure about her methods…and she showed hate and resentment for QB… ...Why? Did QB do something wrong? Rainbow Dash frowned as she spied on the stranger with a watchful eye. She wasn’t sure what the hay this girl wanted…but she knew it’d be trouble. Was agreeing to fight a big Witch with her a good idea? Then again, she never knew when they could be easily backstabbed by this girl… …For Fluttershy’s sake, she might have to come up with a back up…just in case this ‘Home Run’ plans to screw them both over in the end. If that really is gonna be the case…then this Homura Akemi was going to pay for messing with the wrong pegasi…! …All they had was each other now, after all.