A Pony's Guide to Gunpla

by Mystic Sunrise

Ch. 6

Pearl groaned as she sat up as the sound of thunder exploded outside of the room. Looking around she rubbed her eyes with her hand and blinked looking at it.

“Oh right. I’m still human. I have to get used to this.” Pearl sighed and stretched as another crash of thunder shook the room. Looking out at the balcony she expected a huge storm but she saw stars and everything dry as a bone. Standing up she looked to the bed and saw Twi and ‘herself’ snuggled warmly together. Shrugging she walked outside into the cool night air.

As she closed the door another thunder clap crashed, louder than the previous two caused Pearl to turn around and felt her jaw drop.

Across the vast yard and into the backyard of the neighboring house she saw two women fighting a young boy. Despite the distance, she could make out everything clearly, grateful that her pegasus sight worked in the human world.

The smaller of the women was wearing a tight-fitting flame orange kung fu gi. Her blazing short red hair made her look as if she was on fire.

Pearl watched as she threw a powerful punch only for it to be caught by the boy’s forearm. Looking closer she saw that the boy was Kohaku, and he was dressed only in a pair of loose fighting shorts, that annoying grin ever-present on his face as he effortlessly dodged a swift roundhouse kick that the crimson woman followed up with.

She was about to let out a silent cheer when she spotted the other woman. Dressed in a fitting two-piece professor-style suit, with a matching skirt, that looked a little too full in the chest. Waist-length cloud gray hair whipped about as she spun and slammed her shin with Kohaku’s stomach.

As the blow connected, Pearl heard the explosion of thunder and saw the dust cloud shockwave that emanated from it as Kohaku was blasted in her direction. The woman in the gi laughed hard only to be swiftly taken out by the other woman who said something in a sharp voice.

Why was he fighting with these two, very well-shaped, women? Scratching her head she quickly saw something that questioned if she was even awake. As Kohaku flew in her direction like a cannonball, a light glint of flame spread from his tails and around his body changing him from a human into something she had no idea what to call.

Taking a few steps back she watched as Kohaku, or the creature Kohaku turned into, gripped the balcony edge with his front paws, swing around, and caught the businesswoman hard in the stomach with his two hind paws, but was stopped by one leg that she quickly lifted up.

“Nice try little brother.'' The woman spoke as if she was evaluating his abilities in a classroom. Her hand gripped one of his tails and pulled him hard. With one swing she slammed him hard into the roof, creating yet another thunderclap.

Pearl fell to her butt and looked up, she felt her whole body tremble at what was happening. Why was this going on? Was this Kohaku’s sister? If so, why was she treating him like that? What made her blood go cold was the steel gray eyes that focused on her. The large woman stood there, like an impenetrable wall that Kohaku’s paws struck at furiously. But each strike was blocked by something faster than her eyes could catch. Pearl watched her smile.

“Hello Pearl, beautiful night. Don’t mind us. I’m sorry if I woke you up with his monthly combat review.” Her voice was as fierce as the storm clouds produced from the Everfree Forest, yet came over her like a gentle rain shower. “I would have figured you’d be used to it. Or did you just come out to watch him get pummeled?”

Pearl was about to squeak out an answer when Kohaku’s paw broke through whatever was blocking it and made a thin gash on the woman’s cheek as it thrust forward.

Kohaku gulped as the air around them seemed to stop.

Pearl had trouble understanding what was happening as this woman’s movements were almost too fast to follow. Her hand gripped Kohaku’s ‘wrist’ and with a spin slammed him down on his back in between them. The woman’s bare foot then slammed hard into his stomach making him twitch up in the shape of a V.

Pearl heard the wind literally leave his body like a deflating tire as he turned his head.

“Hey Pearl. When did you get to the Bahamas?” Looking her up and down he grinned like an idiot. “Nice jammies. Did you always have those?” his voice slurred and weak as his sister griped his tails and grinned.

“Sorry for this. Get some rest. Your test is two in days and I expect you to be ready for it.” her eyes flashed light lightning as she leaped from the balcony and didn’t land until she was in their yard.

Pearl just sat there with a feeling of her heart in her throat. What was that creature Kohaku turned into actually real? She had seen pictures of them, heard stories but never once ever believed they were real.

Behind her, Pearl heard the sliding door to the balcony. “You okay out here Pearl? I was getting up to head to the restroom when I saw Professor Everfree out here.” Twi kneeled down and rested a hand on Pearl’s shoulder.

“Professor Everfree? The woman with the big…” Pearl held out her hands in front of her chest.

“The one with the PH-double D’s? Yup, that’s her.” Twi looked out through the balcony bars. Whatever was going on seemed to have ended as she watched Professor Everfree cradle a very large fox in her arms and walk inside the mansion. “Did you see that huge fox? I swear I have never seen anything like that before. I knew the professor was fierce. But to take on such a monster all by herself.

“It was Kohaku…” Pearl shook her head and grabbed it with both hands. “That fox was Kohaku… That… that…”

“Kohaku? What do you mean that fox was Kohaku?”

“I mean that fox was Kohaku. I saw it with my own two Pegasus eyes. He changed in mid-air from a boy, into that… thing.”

Twi was going to suggest that Pearl had just been seeing things when she reached down and picked up a patch of green fur. Identical to the traces of fur she always found on that mattress in the corner of her Pearl’s room in fact.

Kohaku was rarely if ever seen alone in town. He was always with his sisters or with Pearl. He never went to public or private schools. His family was almost dangerously secretive. And even Pearl herself avoided talking about them when asked. No matter what Twilight tried.

Pieces of a puzzle started to fit into place. She was going to have a LONG talk with her beloved after this night. “Come on Pearl. Let's get you back to bed. I think you had enough excitement for one night.”

---

Pearl awoke with a groan, giving the sun coming in through the windows a heated glare. “Turn the damn sun off, princess! It’s too early for this.”

Nothing happened, and a moment later, she sighed. “Right. Sun moves on its own here. How the hell does this world survive with that?”

Shaking her head, Pearl looked around. Twilight and her counterpart were nowhere to be seen. But from downstairs, she could just hear the sounds of something going on in the kitchen.

Stretching, her eyes fell on her counterpart’s Gunpla collection. Her curiosity overcame her tiredness, as she walked over to the nearest cabinet and looked inside, careful not to touch anything.

On the top shelf, she recognized quite a few from the Cosmic Era, but many she did not. Maybe from a sequel series? She had seen the Seed Destiny box on the shelf next to Seed. A question for later.

The next shelf down was different again. None of the mobile suits Pearl recognized. But one thing was common amongst many of them. A cone extending from the back. Thrusters?

But it was the bottom shelf that drew her gaze. It was easy to distinguish one side from the other here. One reminded Pearl of the Earth Federation’s mobile suits. But the other? They seemed almost insectoid or dragon inspired.

“Hey, other me. You up yet?” H. Pearl asked, sticking her head into the room. She smirked as she saw what her twin was looking at, as she joined her. “Yeah. The Vagan did have great mobile suit designs.”

P. Pearl gave her a confused look. “The who?”

H. Pearl chuckled. “The Vagan. That’s who the Federation fought in AGE. Have you noticed how one side looks close to the Universal Century? That’s the Earth Federation in the Advanced Generation timeline.”

P. Pearl nodded before her eyes were drawn to three in particular. All were the same kit, but they were all different in some way. One was in what she guessed was normal colors, but one was transformed into a dragon-like flight form, and the other was purple. “And this one?”

H. Pearl’s smile grew. “The Gafran? It was the first villain mobile suit in the anime, and even after newer suits came out, the Vagan still used it. A lot of their early mobile suits could change into a flight form. They stopped using it past a certain point.”

“So why is one purple then? An ace pilot?” P. Pearl asked, trying to make sense of all of this.

Twilight shook her head as she joined the two. “It’s a commander unit. Bandai never released the Gafran in that color. Only the Danazine was,” she said, pointing to one kit in particular. This one looked more like a dragon than most. “And it was only Premium Bandai.”

P. Pearl deflated. “So I’d have to paint one then? Great. Just great. And I was just starting to want to get one. Even not having watched the anime.”

H. Pearl and Twilight shared a worried look, before H. Pearl put an arm around her twin’s shoulder. “Hey. You can still get one. Hobbytown always has AGE kits. No matter how fast they sell out. Hell, grab three and you can have a whole squad.”

Twilight nodded. “Most of the kits are High Grade. Bandai only did a few in Master Grade, and those were only the Gundam AGE-1 and AGE-2, and their various configurations. There were plans for more, the Gafran included. They even showed prototypes. But they never made them.”

That helped P. Pearl’s spirits as she smiled. “Figures. But this does sound cool. And I was already thinking of maybe getting the G-Weapons. Now I might try the same here.”

Twilight nodded as she led them downstairs. “That’s the spirit. And you are in luck. They’re open on Saturdays. So we can go over after breakfast.”

P. Pearl’s stomach growled, even as her face turned green at the thought. “Well. I am hungry. I still don’t get how you can eat meat. I’m just sick at the thought.”

H. Pearl blinked. “What’s so bad about it? I’m basically a carnivore.”

Twilight pinched her nose. “Ponies don’t eat meat in Equestria. Eggs are as close as most do. Human bodies can eat it just fine, so you will be fine.” She held up a hand. “But I am not taking both of you to Hobbytown.”

H. Pearl gave her a wounded look. “Why not?”

Twilight shook her head. “Because while I can explain being with you, Pearl. Everyone in Canterlot knows you are an only child and do not have any family that looks like you.”

P. Pearl rolled her eyes. “That makes two of us. Mom and dad gave me my name even before they knew what I looked like. Even though I have no idea what I want to do with my life.”

H. Pearl and Twilight shared a look, before deciding that it was probably better not to ask. At least not yet.

---

Pearl just barely stopped herself from squeeing as she eyed the Gundam Age kits. As she had heard, most of them were High Grade, but she could also see the Master Grades as well. What surprised her were what was called Mega Size and Advanced Grade.

For now, she paid them no mind and focused on the High Grade line. Namely the Vagan mobile suits. As she had hoped, they all seemed to be here. Plenty to make a full squad of any one of them.

Twilight stood off to the side. While she was interested in the kits around her as well, she was mostly looking to do damage control if people started asking questions. Luckily, it seemed to be a slow day today, and it was a common sight to see her and Pearl together here.

Pearl finally sighed in defeat. “I can’t choose. There are just so many that I like. Even just going off of one side. Do I grab the Gafran, Zedas, or Baqto? I want them all.”

Twilight giggled. “You can get them all. And if you also take the Farsia, you’ll have all of the Vagan mobile suits from the first arc of the anime. The Defurse doesn’t have a kit. The Zedas is used more by a small selection of people. So having a lot of them would be strange. The Farsia was also only seen once in the anime.”

Pearl tapped her chin. That made things easier then. Of course, if and when she started customizing her kits, or kitbashing them, then having more than one could come in handy.

But for now, she had to start somewhere. And as she grabbed three of the Gafran, she already had an idea in mind for something she wanted to do with one of them. But as she and Twilight headed for the paints, one question came to mind.

Was she ready for this step? Time to find out.

Author's Note:

Slight change of plans for the immediate future. Been watching Gundam AGE recently, and with everything wrong with the Advanced Generation timeline, the mobile suit designs are awesome. Especially the Vagan designs. So now Pearl will go with the High Grade Ovv-f Gafran, and more.

To clear things up. That second shelf is for Pearl's Anno Domini timeline for Gundam 00. Each shelf is for a different timeline. Universal Century, Future Century, After Colony, After War, Correct Century, Cosmic Era, Anno Domini, Advanced Generation, and Post Disaster. Nothing from the Build Fighters universe.

Comments

[Mix-up]

Would need to start reading this sometime soon.

[Night_Moon60606]

no Build series? shame, they had some nice looking variants, including one of the GM Sniper II that i particularly enjoyed building, the GM Sniper K9...

[Mystic Sunrise]

11187022
Yes. Yes, you do.

11187134
There are. But sweet God Empress Twilight, is the Build series nothing but a blatent "Buy our toys!" commercial. So much so that it makes MLP look tame by compassion 😒.

[Charlie_K]

Who/what exactly is Kohaku? The boy seems so out of place in this story.

[Mystic Sunrise]

11187243
He's Valtyrian's character. This is the "human" counterpart of Forestsong from A Twilight Rose Love, which is the sequel to this story. And he's going to stop appearing in this story after this chapter.

[Night_Moon60606]

11187147
i thought Build Divers moved away from that, and Build Divers Re:Rise moved even further...Freddy is a likeable character, if somewhat annoying at times...