Chapter 1: Daughter of Gensokyo
Voices. As I slowly begin to come to, that's the first thing I hear, if hazy. The voices slowly come into focus as I come closer to consciousness.
“...can't jus' leave her lyin' there on th' ground.”
“Yeah, but… where should we even bring her?”
Both voices sound female, and one has a heavy southern accent, but… who are they talking about? I finally register the bright sunlight through my eyelids, and I crack my eyes open, shielding them with my arm as I sit up with a groan.
“Wait, she's waking up!”
With my eyes adjusted to the light, I look over to where the two voices were coming from… and am not very surprised that the two don't appear human. They stand upright on two legs, and have hands, but their bodies are completely covered with hair, they have manes that go down their back, as well as tails, they have hooves instead of feet and small snouts on their faces. I also notice that they don't seem much taller than 4 feet. I'm… not sure what creature to define them as.
One of them has orange hair, with a darker orange mane, and wears a brown cowboy hat with a Red Apple pin, a red plaid short-sleeved button-up shirt and overalls, admittedly looking a lot like a farmer.
The other has sky-blue hair and a rainbow-coloured mane. She's wearing a sky-blue graphic tee with a picture of a lightning bolt on the front, as well as some cutoff jeans that end halfway down her shins. The orange one speaks up.
“Hey there Pardner, you awrite?” she says in her thick accent.
“Um… yeah, I guess…” I say, somewhat confused as I look around, not recognizing my surroundings.
“Well then, if you're not hurt, I'll be on my way!” the blue one says, turning around, giving me a clear view of the two slits on the back of her shirt, where two wings protrude out.
Just as she goes to take off, the orange one grabs her tail. “Woooaaah, Nelly,” the orange one says, pulling the other one down in a comedic fashion, “Ah wasn't th' only one ta find her here on th' ground, you did too, so Ah'm not about ta go an' let you dump yer responsibilities on somepony else,” she scolded. Pony? Are these supposed to be ponies? They don't look like any ponies I've seen, but I get over it quickly and accept that these are ponies.
Since I don't recognize where I am, I decide to ask the two ponies. I go to speak, but I realize that the two had started bickering while I was lost in thought. I decide to just interject.
“Ahem, excuse me?” I start, the two ponies jumping slightly, then realizing I'm still here. Their cheeks go red slightly from embarrassment. “I don't recognize this place. Where in Gensokyo is this?”
The two ponies give me a funny look, before the blue one speaks up. “What the hell is a 'gensoh-kee-oh'?”
Now I give the pony a funny look as I answer, “It's not a thing, it's a place. I was born in Gensokyo, and I live there. It's not supposed to be possible to leave, so I have to still be in Gensokyo, right?”
“Well, I've never heard of it,” the blue pony responds, “Are you sure you're OK?”
“Of course she is,” the orange pony snaps, “If she said she's awright, then she's awright.” The orange pony turns to me, “Sahrry 'bout mah friend Rainbow Dash's rudeness, she can be a mite thick-skulled at times. Mah name's Applejack, pleasure ta meet'cha,” the pony named Applejack says to me.
“Oh! Uh-” I start before getting cut off by the pony Applejack called Rainbow Dash. “Who are you calling 'thick-skulled'!?”
“You.”
“Well how about I use this 'thick skull' of mine and give you a good headbutt right in your-”
“Can you please stop bickering for more than one second and let me finish!?” I say, now getting very irritated by their bickering. There are a few moments of stunned silence before the two look away, their cheeks burning with embarrassment while they mutter apologies. I exhale heavily, calming myself down before I continue.
“My name is Alexandria Kijin, and I'm half-human/half-Yokai,” I begin.
“Question,” Rainbow Dash interrupts me, “what's a 'yolk-eye'? Is it a part of an egg?”
“It's not 'yolk-eye,' it's 'Yokai,' and no, it's not part of an egg. A Yokai is a type of creature that most people believe isn't real.”
“You mean like the Boogieman?”
“Ummm… sure.”
At this point, I'm getting a little tired of trying to get through to Rainbow Dash, so I give up on explaining myself and ask what I have on my mind, “could I maybe talk to someone who knows a lot about magic?”
The word 'magic' seems to get their attention. “If you're looking for someone who knows about magic,” Rainbow Dash says, “then Twi's definitely the pony you wanna see.”
Applejack nods as the two begin walking, prompting me to follow, “fer once, Ah agree. Twahlaht lives in th' jahnt castle just outsahd'a town, and is always researchin' magic. If she can't answer yer questions 'bout magic, then very few ponies in all of Equestria can.”
I make a mental note that I'm in a place called 'Equestria,' before thinking that this 'Twilight' sounds a lot like a certain, purple-clothed magician back in Gensokyo who lives in a library and has so far spent her entire life reading the books there. Her last name - 'Knowledge' - definitely isn't for show.
My thoughts are interrupted by a loud gasp - which I swear is intentionally made to sound as obnoxious as possible - and then a new pony is standing in front of me.
She has pink hair, with a fluffy magenta mane. She's wearing a yellow long-sleeved shirt under a blue t-shirt, a magenta skirt with a picture of some party balloons on the hip and a yellow belt. Where did she come from? I didn't even hear her make a sound as she approached. I decide it's not worth worrying about, and instead focus on trying to survive the hyperactive bombardment I'm receiving.
“IdontrecognizeyoubutIrecognizeeveryponyinPonyvillesosinceIdontrecognizeyouyoumustbenewaroundheremeaningyoudonthaveanyfriendsyetsoIllbeyourfriendandIlovepartiesweshouldtotallyhaveawelcometoPonyvillepartylatermynamesPinkiePiewhatsyourname?”
My mind is reeling as I try to sort through the whirlwind of speech I just fell victim to. Thankfully, Applejack speaks up, and essentially 'translates' for me.
“This is Pinkie Pie. Pinkie, this is Alixandreeuh Kee-jean. She's not used ta Ponyville, and still a little lost, so please trah not ta confuse her.”
“Oooooohhhhhh, oki-doki-loki sorry. So your name's Alexandria Kijin? Wow, what a cute doll!” she says referring to Shanghai, the doll in my pocket. “It looks so life-like! It's almost as if it could come to life tonight! Anyway, I hope we can be the best of friends!”
With that, Pinkie Pie skips away. Her analogy about Shanghai's appearance went way over my head, but secretly, I'm impressed that she was able to pronounce my family name perfectly, especially since the only time she'd heard it was from Applejack, whose thick accent had ruined the pronunciation. I'm wondering how she did it when Rainbow Dash speaks up.
“First rule of Pinkie Pie: don't question anything she does. Ever.”
Confused, I nod slowly. As I look around at the town, called 'Ponyville,' I keep having this nagging feeling at the back of my mind, which gets stronger whenever someone mentions friends. Is there something I'm forgetting?
My thoughts are interrupted once again as a distinctive, crystalline building whose appearance is reminiscent of a tree comes into view. Rainbow Dash smirks at my awed expression.
“That's Twilight's castle.”
I shake my head to regain my composure. “O-Oh, I see,” I stammer, as I feel my cheeks warm up slightly.
Once we get to the front door, I stop so the two ponies can knock, but to my surprise, Applejack just walks right in. “Princess Twahlaht!” she calls loudly, while I wonder if manners are more lax in Equestria than in Gensokyo, remembering a certain vampire who would not hesitate to give you a painful lesson for being rude in her mansion - which earned her the nickname 'Scarlet Devil'.
“One moment Applejack!” comes the reply from another room, “Spike will be there shortly!”
After a few seconds, someone enters the room. I take a good look at them. They're short, about 2 feet tall, walks upright, covered in purple scales and a pale green underbelly. They have a row of green dorsal scales down their back and a tail that has an arrowhead-shaped tip. They're wearing a dark green t-shirt with a purple hoodie over it, and jeans. They look just like…
“A DRAGON!?” I exclaim, as the realization hits me like a truck. I quickly get down on one knee and bow my head, apologizing profusely, “Please forgive my rudeness! I hadn't the slightest idea!”
The dragon is oddly taken by surprise, while Rainbow Dash speaks to me in a confused voice, “Um… it's just Spike. You don't ha-”
I give Rainbow Dash a sharp look as I interrupt her, “It's not 'just' anything! It's a dragon, the single most divine creature of them all!”
Applejack speaks up, “Is this some kinda religious thing?”
I blink in confusion before responding, “religious? You don't consider dragons divine in Equestria?”
“Not anywhere near as much as you seem to,” Rainbow Dash answers with a raised eyebrow.
“O-Oh…” I slowly stand back up, my cheeks burning in embarrassment.
“DID I SAY YOU CAN STAND!?” Spike snaps at me, and I yelp getting back down on one knee.
“Don' toy with this poor girl's beliefs! It ain't funny!” Applejack scolds Spike in my defense.
“Sorry…” Spike mumbles as I warily stand back up, “Anyway what did you want?”
I gather my courage and answer the question as casually as I can, “Um… I was hoping to speak with an expert on magic…”
“In that case, you'll have to speak with Twilight herself,” Spike answers cheerfully. He then turns around and leads us down a few hallways until we enter a room with rows of large bookshelves, which remind me of the Scarlet Devil Mansion's own library.
At the end of the room is a pony that seems about a foot taller than the others, though still six or seven inches shorter than me. Their back is turned to me, so I can only make out the violet hair, dark purple mane and tail with violet streaks, as well as their outfit. Said outfit consists of a silver tiara with a six-pointed star jewel on it, a seemingly silk pale pink t-shirt with frills on the cuffs and hem, and a brick coloured skirt. Judging by the tiara, this must be Princess Twilight.
Spike calls out to her casually, “Twilight, someone's here to ask you something about magic. I've already brought them to speak with you.”
Princess Twilight turns around… and the first thing I notice is the single horn in the middle of her forehead. My first thought at this sight is 'Oni'. Oni aren't inherently evil, and are in fact often very nice, but if you get on the wrong side of them when they're angry, you won't even live long enough to regret your life choices. Knowing this, I decide to just go with things, but also avoid making Princess Twilight angry at all costs.
“I don't think I recognize you,” she starts, “do you mind introducing yourself?”
“Oh! Um, yes. I mean, no I don't mind,” I fumble with my words, shouting at myself in my head for screwing up already, but noticing the slight grin my awkwardness got out of Princess Twilight, “Um, my name is Alexandria Kijin, and I'm half-human/half-Amanojaku-” I start absent-mindedly, before I catch myself saying my mother's exact species instead of generalizing to 'Yokai'.
“Huh?” Rainbow Dash says with a confused look, “I thought you were supposed to be half yolk-eye?”
“It's 'Yokai,' Rainbow Dash,” Princess Twilight corrects, impressing me with her knowledge already, “but I think I've heard 'Amanojaku' somewhere before. Hang on.”
With that, her horn starts glowing with magic power as books start being levitated off the shelves to Princess Twilight one by one, her checking the titles, then returning them to their spots. This continues for several seconds until she seemingly finds the correct book, at which point she flips through the pages looking for the right passage.
“Here we go,” Princess Twilight says as she finds the desired passage, before reading it to herself in her head. After she finishes, she returns the book to its place, and the horn on her head stops glowing.
“The book says that an Amanojaku is a subspecies of Oni, a type of Yokai,” Princess Twilight begins, summarizing what she read, “however, it also said that they're most known for being able to find people's emotional weaknesses and exploiting them to provoke those people into doing terrible things.”
My heart drops as I hear this, and I look away, saying to myself in a sad voice, not meaning to speak out loud, “I was really starting to think I could finally escape my mother's reputation for good here…”
“Your mother?” Princess Twilight asks, then in a voice containing a hint of pity, “could you explain everything to me?”
I look at Princess Twilight, then nod. “I was born in a place called Gensokyo, somewhere separated from the rest of the world by a spiritual barrier. My father was some unknown human magician, and my mother, Seija Kijin, an Amanojaku. My mother thought differently than other people. Backwards. What should have made her happy, instead made her sad, and vice-versa. When I was born, she decided she would keep me hidden away from the entirety of Gensokyo for my whole life. I would have never known anything besides the one room I was born in. After sixteen years, I finally decided to escape, fueled by innocent curiosity. However, I learned the hard way that my mother was the only person in all of Gensokyo who wasn't forgiven for any crimes they committed. She was the only outlaw in all of Gensokian history. An outlaw in a place you can't escape from. I had a lot of trouble making friends. It would go well until I told them my name. Then they would associate me with the biggest outlaw they knew, and would either run away and avoid me… or try to kill me on the spot.” I subconsciously pull Shanghai out of my pocket and hug her to myself as I continue, “The only real friend I was able to make was a magician named Alice Margetroid who worked as a doll maker. Even though Shanghai, the doll she gave me, is a symbol of our friendship, when she first learned my name… just like many others before her, she also tried to kill me. Once I inexplicably found myself here in Equestria, I thought I could have a fresh start. But I guess that's gone now, huh?”
There's dead silence for what seems like eons, but is probably only several seconds, before Princess Twilight breaks the silence, “Well, you don't seem to be an evil person, so we'll give you a chance.”
At this, I look at Princess Twilight with a smile spreading across my face. “Thank you!” I say. After that, I realize I'm clutching Shanghai in my hands, and with my cheeks heating up, I put her back in my pocket.
Princess Twilight smiles, then reminds us why we're here in the first place, “so, what was it you wanted to ask me about?”
“Oh yeah!” I say, having completely forgotten while remembering my dark past, “I wanted to know if there was any magic related reason why I'm in Equestria, and not Gensokyo.”
Princess Twilight furrows her brow in thought, and answers a few seconds later, “nothing immediately comes to mind. I'll need some time to do some research.”
“That's okay,” I say, before absently looking at the beautiful sunset outside a nearby windooo… Wait, sunset? “Crap, it's already that late?” I say, worried, “I still don't have anywhere to stay for the night.”
“That's right,” Princess Twilight says, “you'll need somewhere to stay at night while you're here, huh? Hmmm…” Princess Twilight thinks for a few moments.
“Rainbow Dash,” she starts suddenly, “until I can think of a permanent residence, I want you to let Alexandria stay at your house, okay?”
Rainbow Dash is taken aback, “But-”
“I'm an Alicorn Princess,” Princess Twilight interjects, “I don't want to hear any 'but's.”
Rainbow Dash slumps her shoulders in defeat, “Fine…”
“Then it's settled,” Princess Twilight says, “I'll look into reasons why you're here, Alexandria, and you'll be taking up temporary residence at Rainbow Dash's house until I can find somewhere more suitable for you.”
“Alright,” I respond cheerfully, finally getting the fresh start I always wanted, “and thank you.”
“You're welcome,” Princess Twilight says, after which, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and I leave the castle.
Outside, Applejack says her farewells and heads home, leaving me alone with Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash turns to me with a mischievous grin on her face.
“Well, I'll see you at my house,” she says as she begins to hover. “If you can find it and get there, that is.”
With that and a laugh, she takes off, flying through the air. That asshole! She planned this all along, didn't she?
My anger fades away as I remember something. A grin spreads across my face, and I bend my knees before jumping into the air… and flying in pursuit of Rainbow Dash, who I can still see in the distance. She's not going to be happy when I teach her that all Yokai from Gensokyo can fly.
I slow down just behind her, and after a few seconds, suddenly say, “So, where are we going?”
This startles Rainbow Dash, and she looks back, seeing me. “Wait, you can fly too!?”
“All Yokai from Gensokyo can fly!”
“Damn it! I'll just have to lose you then…” She says. Lose me? What does-
Suddenly, she takes off at an incredible speed. I know I can't catch her, so I quickly rake through my mind, desperately trying to think of what I can do… when I remember the ability I inherited from my mother.
“Well, if there's one thing about my mom that I'm grateful for, I guess it's the ability I inherited.”
Reverse Sign「Turn Over」
A magic circle - indicating the target of my Spellcard - appears around Rainbow Dash, who is already a tiny point in the distance, even though only a few seconds have passed. In a couple more seconds, she comes screeching to a halt not too far in front of me, facing me.
“What… the hell…?” she says incredibly confused, “I'm supposed to be going the other way, dammit.” She turns around to take off again, and I have to do some quick thinking to prevent an endless loop of this from happening…
Reverse Sign「Disorienting Spin」
Another magic circle appears around Rainbow Dash, and before she can take off, the Spellcard takes effect, spinning her ruthlessly for a few seconds.
After it finishes, she looks around, clearly dizzy. “Um… if you're there, then I go in the opposite direction… unless you moved… in which case… ummm…” she looks around, seeing nothing but sheets of clouds in all directions this high in the air.
“Why are you so against me staying at your house?” I ask, not moving from my position, which I hadn't moved from since using the first Spellcard in order to keep a point of reference.
“I'm not, it's just-”
“Don't lie to me! If you weren't against me staying at your house, then you would have led me there instead of leaving me to do it myself!”
“But I'm not against it! I was bored and thought I would prank you!”
“Well, I don't think it's funny,” I say, barely managing to keep a stern face as I realize I would probably have done the same thing in her situation, “in fact, I find it kind of mean.”
“Alright, I'm sorry,” Rainbow Dash says, “just let me figure out which direction to go, and I'll bring you there…”
“I haven't moved this whole time, so it's in that direction,” I say, pointing in the correct direction.
“Seriously!?” Rainbow Dash exclaims, exasperated, “Damn it!”
This time, I can't help but smile, which is fine, since Rainbow Dash isn't looking, too busy leading me to her house.
After a while, Rainbow Dash's house finally comes into view. The fact that it seems to be completely made of clouds impresses me, and the rainbow waterfalls out front are truly beautiful. Despite this, the image of such a large, floating building brings back memories of the Shining Needle Castle, which had been my forced home for sixteen years, and the continued home of Seija Kijin, my mother.
Rainbow Dash notices the distant look on my face, “is everything alright?”
I snap back to the present, “Oh. Ummm… to be honest, your house reminds me of the Shining Needle Castle in Gensokyo. It's the only floating building in all of Gensokyo… and also where my mom currently lives, not to mention where I spent the first sixteen years of my life locked away.”
“Oh,” Rainbow Dash says, not entirely sure how to respond, “well… if it makes you feel better, you can step outside whenever you need to, alright?”
“Oh, um, alright, thanks,” I say, admittedly a bit surprised by Rainbow Dash's consideration.
The sun had already long since set once we reach the front door. Rainbow Dash opens the door and gestures inside, “make yourself at home, I guess.”
I enter and look around. Except for the fact that the walls, ceilings and floors seem to be completely made of cloud, the inside looks like an average house. “The mattresses are filled with cumulus,” Rainbow Dash says as she walks past me, “it makes them really comfy. Follow me, your room is this way.”
I follow Rainbow Dash down the hall, to a room on the right side. “This is the guest room,” she says to me, “it's already night, so you should get some sleep. I know I'm beat.”
With a stretch and a yawn, she walks away, presumably to her room. I enter the guest room to find a bed and a bedside table, and not much else. I shrug, and pull Shanghai out of my pocket, placing her on the table before climbing into bed. “She's right, this is really comfy,” I say, already feeling myself fall asleep. I turn to Shanghai. “Goodnight,” I say before closing my eyes.
“Goodnight.”
………Huh? My eyes snap open, and I see Shanghai looking at me. “Is something wrong?” she says, “I thought you were going to sleep?”
I stare at her for a few moments, then answer, dumbfounded, “you weren't alive before.”
Shanghai puts her fist to her lower lip, and looks down in thought, before saying, “I guess not. Maybe the large amount of magic in this place did something?” I contemplate this, but I'm too tired to get anywhere. Shanghai speaks up again, “but I'm too tired to be sure.”
“Tired?” I ask, “didn't you just come to life?”
“I don't understand any more than you do,” Shanghai answers, before standing up and stretching with a yawn, “is it okay if I sleep with you tonight? It's gotta be more comfortable than this wooden table.”
“Um… sure,” I say, still having trouble grasping that my doll just came to life and had a casual conversation with me. While I'm thinking this, Shanghai floats over to the other side of me and scootches under the covers near my arms. I decide to get some sleep and think about it in the morning.
“Goodnight, Shanghai.”
“Goodnight, Alexandria.”
I fall asleep almost right away.
End of Chapter 1
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And, just to mess with you, FIRST! Welcome to Fimfiction, buddy!
Sorry the link to the Prologue isn't up yet. We're experiencing some technical difficulties with it right now, so just hang in there until we have them sorted out.
8115098 Thank you for the thumbs up. XD
Let's just hope to god that this thing actually does well...
8115285 So far so good, but to be honest, I wouldn't let it bother me if it doesn't.
8115294 Not that I'm that worried...it's just that It would feel devastating, to me at least..
Prologue should be up soon, just got to finish a few things in my second chapter and I can get it submitted!