Stranded in a strange new world, Mizuki must familarize herself with new friends, foes, and a new body.
Falling.
All she could feel was the rushing wind flowing through her hair. Too weak to shout for help, her eyes too heavy to see her surroundings; all except for the ground fast approaching. She could just barely make out what looked like a round platform with bright glass panes decorating the surface.
"Mizuki.. wake up... Mizuki!" "Uuah!" The young woman shot up and rubbed her eyes, quietly groaning and rubbing her eyes. She looked over to the sound of the voice and spotted her younger brother: Akio was crossing his arms and waiting patiently for his sister to wake up.
"Mizuki ya gotta hurry! Ya promised me you would take me to the convention!" "Wha.. convention...? ... oh shit! Get out I need to get dressed!" Akio hurried out of the room and Mizuki slammed the door before she rummaged through her closet. She almost forgot she was taking Akio to his first convention today.
After having thrown on some appropriate clothing as well as sliding on her shoulder bag with a little pokéball pin on it, Mizuki ran out of her room and called out to Akio, the two heading out of the apartment and racing down the sidewalk.
After a good fifteen minutes, Mizuki and Akio had arrived at the Makuhari Messe Event Hall. Akio was In awe at all the cosplays he saw along the way, some seemed on the cheaper end, others looked professionally hand crafted to the smallest detail. Mizuki was amused at his energetic behavior, she couldn't blame him of course. An hour later Mizuki was at one of the vendors buying them lunch, when she turned to give Akio his tray, he was gone. "Wh..Akio? Akio! Where are ya kiddo?" Mizuki looked around, asking other patrons if they saw her little brother anywhere, after a dozen answered no, one pointed over to another vendor, the man running it was concealed by his costume, dressed as the merchant from resident evil 4. As Mizuki tried to push by some of the people, she watched as the merchant handed Akio a small plush.. a patron walked passed her vision, when her focused returned to Akio... he was gone.
As the crowd finally cleared, Mizuki ran over to where the vendor was, but the whole stall was gone, the man was gone Akio was gone. Mizuki frantically looked around for any sign of the merchant, her eyes darting around before she dropped the trays onto the floor and dropped to her knees, and let out a wail, her calls to Akio falling on deaf ears.
2021 Shibuya, Tokyo - Japan.
"can you please for once stop bringing it up Hinata.." Mizuki grumbled, one of her friends from highschool walking alongside her had once again brought up Akio's disappearance to the girl, it was starting to get on her nerves. "Oh.. but its so sad.. he was so hyperactive and smiling all the time.. it doesn't make sense that the police couldn't find anything, like.. even the description of that guy who took Akio would have been enough-" "He was wearing a mask and a hood Hinata, there was no way I could give the police a good enough description.. can you please stop bringing it up?" there was a brief moment of silence before Hinata spoke up again. "what if you go to the next convention? he might be there!" "he wasn't at any other conventions I went to just to catch the bastard-" "But you only saw him at the Anime-Convention right? maybe he only shows up there!" Mizuki thought on this.. maybe Hinata was right.. she of course couldn't know for sure until she went herself. "when is the next convention?" "in about two weeks.. ya better hurry, there's only a few spots left to order a pass!" Mizuki nodded, the two said their goodbyes before Mizuki trekked up the stairs to her apartment.
Mizuki was sitting on the couch, staring at her laptop with a bottle of bepsi in her hand. the purchase had been made, she could only hope that this time she could catch the merchant who took her only family away from her.. Mizuki looked over to a photo of her and Akio smiling into the camera, next to that was another photo of Mizuki at a much younger age, holding a baby Akio in her arms, her parents sitting next to the two with warm smiles on their faces. she took a sip from her Bepis before closing the laptop and laying down on the couch, slowly falling asleep.
Mizuki felt the rush of wind flow through her hair as she descended towards a bright light. As the light dimmed, she saw what looked to be a stained glass surface sitting apon a pillar. Suddenly everything slowed down before her feet touched the glass, aside from the floor beneath her, and three pedestals, she was surrounded by darkness. The pedestals lit up; now each had a tool or weapon floating above them. One was a Shield, one was a Sword, one was what appeared to be a wand.
A voice rang in her head. "make a choice.. and sacrifice another."
-Protection -Strength -Wisdom
Her eyes darted between the three, before her hand reached out to the sword, taking it by the hilt and turning away from the wand. The pedestals vanished, and she was left in darkness.
Another three pedestals rose up, the voice rang out again. "What power do you seek.."
-Guardian -Warrior -Mystic
This time the choices were represented by mirrors, depicting events she doesn't recognize. She went up to the mirror in dead center, and reached out, her palm pressing against its smooth surface before it vanished into thin air. Along with the other two mirrors.
Suddenly, the ground rumbled beneath her before a large white dragon scaled over the edge of the pillar. Mizuki screamed and fell onto her back, as the beast approached her, growling and snarling before it thrashed its claws at her. Mizuki yelped as she was thrown near the edge of the pillar; when stairs started forming out of thin air. Looking at the dragon, and then the stairs, Mizuki quickly got up and ran up the steps, the dragon roared and took flight, circling around and flying straight for Mizuki. She tensed up as the dragon swooped down to scoop her into its claws; acting quick she ducked into the step, the dragons claws scraping along the stairs. Mizuki continued her trek up the flight of stairs until she reached another pillar.
Suddenly the floor left her feet as she was snatched by the dragon, holding her in its grasp before it let out a powerful roar and spun through the air, throwing her back down to the pillar, she yelped into pain as she rolled across the surface and slammed into what looked like a door. Mizuki got up and rubbed her shoulder before hearing the dragons roar once more, she looked up and saw it dive bombing to her, its large maw open wide. She screamed and spun around, her hands pushing the heavy door open, before she was blinded by a bright light.
"Gyah!" the young woman shot up from her slumber on the couch, holding her hand to her bust; it felt as if her heart nearly jumped out of her chest. "holy hell.. all of this is stressing me out." rising off the couch she stretched out, feeling the joints in her back pop back into place. "right.. coffee time.."
two weeks would pass rather quickly for Mizuki, stuffing her laptop into her shoulder bag she took a glance at the photo of her and Akio together one last time, before she grabbed it and stuffed it into her bag as well. Mizuki took one last look at everything... it was weird.. she felt like it was going to be the last time she looked upon her home. Taking a long breath, she stepped out of the apartment and made her way back to where it started.
Mizuki casually brushed pass the massive crowds of people, all adorning different costumes ranging from Boku no Hero all the way to Neon Genesis, spotting some pretty impressive mechs along the way. The woman shook her head to get herself back into focus. ~I don't have time to be gawking around..~ she thought to herself, eventually she recognized where she was in the six years that had past. Eying through the crowds she barely made him out, the man that took Akio from her.. ~there you are you son of a.. wait.. is he looking back at me..?~ that's when the world stopped.. literally. Mizuki took a quick glance around her to find everyone.. everything had stopped moving.
"What the hell..?" She mumbled, quite shaken at the sight, when she turned to find the man had vanished, she panicked and ran up to the stall. Looking around she saw him strolling down the hall, but everything else was still frozen in place.. what the hell was going on? Not taking the chance at losing him again, Mizuki ran after the hooded figure, following him around the corner before pumping into his chest. The woman stumbled back and rubbed her nose, glaring daggers at the man.
"Where is he..?" She hissed, the man tilted his head and responded with an amused tone. "Where is who? Please be more specific Mizuki.." she sat in silence before taking a few steps back defensively. "How do you know my name?" "Oh I know many things about you Mizuki, of your past... present.. and future.." "future? The hell? Look I just wanna know what you did with my brother!." "Oh! You mean Akio.. yeah he's safe.. relatively speaking." "What do you mean.." "if you want I could send you to him.. though you're gonna have to sacrifice something first.." "I don't care! Where. Is. Aki-" his hand shot forward around her neck, she gasped and wrapped her palms around his arm, trying to pry him off of her. "Ah don't you worry.. you'll be taking the express route!" He snapped his fingers and opened a black portal behind him, tossing her into the void like discarded rubbish. Mizuki screamed as darkness enveloped her vision.
Mizuki felt the rush of wind flow through her hair as she descended towards... she's been here before... Mizuki opened her eyes despite the air battering her face.. she felt different. As her feet settled on the smooth stained glass, she took a look at her surroundings. "I.. saw this in my dream.. what the hell is going on..?"
"Not yet.." a voice rang out into her head, Mizuki turned around at the sound of the voice, trying to find the source. "Hello? Is someone here with me..?" Turning around she found a mirror, but in that mirror was not herself.. or was it..? Stepping closer to the mirror she reached out to the reflection; she recognized it as a zoroark, from pokemon. As her palm pressed against the glass she felt herself being yanked into the mirror and tossed into the other side. She looked behind her and found herself - her human self - looking back at her, before the mirror vanished.
Mizuki did a double take, quickly getting up and looking down at herself, still sporting her clothing, but underneath she had smooth black fur with two pairs of crimson claws, feeling at her head she found her long and smooth hair had been changed into a bushy, but rather soft, mane. "What. The. F-" "Please.. continue on.. you will return soon." "...I'd certainly like an explanation." "No time.. please.. hurry." "What the hell do you mean there's no t-" turning back around she found a large wooden door, similar to the one from the dream she had.. taking an exhausted huff, she pressed her hands against the door and pushed on; the heavy wood opening up to a bright blinding light.
The light faded away as she stepped into what looked to be a torn up bedroom; Mizuki could barely make out her surroundings, the room faintly illuminated by the moonlight from the collapsed ceiling. The walls stacked with dark bricks, while the floor was layered with old and mossy wood and a torn up rug. Turning around, she would find that the door leading back into that strange place from her dreams had now lead into a short hallway that turned to a flight of stairs.
Taking a lighter out from her bag, she brought it up to one of the old torches before igniting it, stuffing the lighter back into her bag. "what am I going to do..?" She sat down on the old creaky bed, looking down at her two pairs of claws. Mizuki quietly contemplated her bizarre transformation, all of this was frankly too much to handle, to much to garner a proper reaction from her. "This could be some weird trip.. maybe that guy in the cloak drugged me.. but.." she looked up, staring down the dark hallway before rolling into the bed, staring up at the shining moon. "If you are here Akio.. let your big sis rest for a bit." She slid an arm over her eyes to block the light from her vision, before slowly drifting to sleep.
From the shadows, a whisp shot out and traveled down the hall, flying through the castle until it reached the throne room where it took its true form, a dark gray pegasus kneeled at the bottom of the steps. "Your highness, we have an intruder in the castle, they seemed to have.. manifested out from nowhere, they had fallen asleep in the old guest quarters in the north eastern wing." At the top of the steps, sitting upon a ruined stone throne, cushioned by an old pillow; was a dark blue alicorn with a beautifully blue mane that seemed almost translucent, and flowed on windless air. "Then a guest they shall remain.. come morning treat them as such, then we wish to speak to our newfound visitor." "Of course, lady luna." The pegasai bowed once more before taking his leave into a puff of smoke. Luna sighed and scratched at her chin, pondering the new arrival before a small black figure came up from the floor, twitching incoherently, it's antennae flicking about over its shining yellow eyes. Luna glanced down at the creature and gave it a small smile. "Let us hope it's a friend, yes?"
Mizuki felt the warm beams of sunlight hit her face, just barely peaking through the trees and into the broken ceiling above her, her eyes fluttered open just a tad; enough to spot a possum sniffing curiously at her face. She let out a surprised yelp and quickly sat up, bumping her head on a low hanging wooden beam as the rodent scurried back into whatever hole it crawled out of, she quietly cursed under her breath and rubbed her head and gazed around the well lit room. Her eyes focused on her hands which had been replaced by soft fuzzy paws of the sorts, with sharp red claws at the end.
Her attention moving to a shattered mirror, what chunks of the reflective glass still remained gave her a clear enough image of what she had become. Grey and black tufts of fur covered her body, her face had elongated into a fox like snout, red bits of fur coated the ends of her lips and around her sharp, predatory eyes while a long red mane hung from her head, being held together by a singular bluish orb near the end her hair. "Alright.. definitely wasnt drugged.. and I'm not dreaming or else I wouldn't have a raging headache.. damned old wood.. where am I exactly...?"
"Your in Lady Lunas Castle of course." Mizuki jumped a bit before she turned towards the sound of the voice, spotting a maroon colored mare In a neat dress holding a clipboard close to her chest. "You're a... talking.. horse..?" The equines muzzle scrunched up, quite offended by the remark. "I beg your pardon? I'm a royal servant of Luna herself! Not some cheap breeding stool..!" "Wait, no, that's not what I meant..!" The mare didn't give her time to explain herself before she turned and walked out the door, Mizuki quickly followed behind, scratching the back of her head.
"My name is Scarlett Dawn, I have been assigned by lady luna to acquire you and bring you down for breakfast, it's recommended that you show the utmost respect for royalty of course." She stated rather blankly. "Now before we enter, I'm going to use a spell on you that'll allow you to see past this little illusion." Scarlett raised her hand towards Mizuki, a glowing green ward had appeared across her hand; before Mizukis very eyes the dusty old ruins had morphed into a beautiful white hallway with lavender rugs and hanging tapestries. "Uh.. wow.. that's a neat trick." "Trick?!" Scarlett glared at Mizuki, offended at the very notion that the spell was nothing more than a magicians party gimmick. "It took me fifteen years just to learn it, and an additional ten to master! Controlling a illusion to this scale takes alot of mana and more then just one pony to keep it stable!" "Woah woah alright, chill.. I'm just.. blown away is all." Mizuki's eyes danced around her new surroundings while Scarlett harumphed and continued down the hallway to a large pair of pearly white doors with Mizuki close behind. "Remember to be on your best behavior.. your lucky Lady Luna doesn't mind informalities, other wise I'd have you out of those rags and into something more proper." With a wave of her hand, Scarlett casted a spell to open the large doors wide open.
Inside were black bipedal creatures with glowing yellow eyes, standing guard at each pillar that ran along the center of the large room. "Quite menacing.. whatever they are." Mizuki said. "Heartless, and don't let their appearances fool you, they can be quite sweet when unprovoked." Mizuki took a glance at one of the twitching heartless, it was about 5'6" in height and had what looked like two antennae coming out of the back of its head and hanging down to its back.
Mizuki was stopped by a hand across her chest, she glanced over at Scarlett who slowly got onto one knee, before Mizuki asked what she was doing Scarlett had smacked her in the stomach making the zoroark double over onto her knee as well.
There was a bright flash of light from the top of the staircase ahead before a sweet, but authoritative voice echoed through the room. "Rise." Scarlett rose to her feet first, followed by Mizuki who was giving the mare a dirty look before her gaze traveled to the top of the stairs and to a tall throne. Sitting in that throne was a beautifully blue mare sitting comfortably in the cushioned seat, smiling down directly at Mizuki was Lady Luna herself. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, we hope you can be a friend, and not a fiend.
"Dear Princess Celestia; I'm sure I wasn't the only one who felt that.. there was a tear in the fabric of space and time over the everfree, something was thrown out of it. something out. I'm working with my arcanists to triangulate where exactly the rift appeared, if we're lucky it might have been over the hidden fortress of Baroness Luna.
Your loyal Student and Arch Magus; Twilight Sparkle.
Glory to the light."
Celestia stood on a balcony overlooking the city of canterlot, her eyes focused on the distant everfree forest across from ponyville. She had just finished reading the scroll Twilight sent to her, and according to her own sources, even those with little connection to magic have been effected by the Tear.
Celestia's ear flicked as the doors to her chambers opened, the guards letting in a frazzled Raven, carrying her clipboard close to her chest in one hand, and a large canteen of coffee in the other. Celestia turned to face Inkwell with a smile, that turned into a worried frown. "How long have you been awake Ms. Inkwell?" Celestia said, stepping away from the balcony. "Fourty five hours your majesty. It's.. been a long couple days, I have about fifty papers with lists of names on one clipboard and another fourty five on this one, ranging from the noble to the comoner. And before you ask, about four pills of painkillers each seven hours... your majesty." Inkwell took a big gulp from her cantine full of coffee, Celestia could smell the pitch black roast from where she stood.
"Inkwell.. take a break, and that is an order." "But your ma-" "Please?" Inkwell sighed, nearly passing out right on the spot before she shook her head and taking another drink of her coffee. "Yes, your majesty.. I'll find an aide to take over before I rest." She took a bow.. before slumping over. Celestia used her magic to catch Inkwell before she crashed into the floor, thankfully saving the coffee as well. She levitated Inkwell over to her massive bed before setting her down, placing the canteen on the nightstand and closing the lid shut. "You overwork yourself too much Inkwell.."
She sighed as a couple booming knocks came from the chamber doors. "Enter." She said, strolling to her desk before sitting down. Shining armor came in, Clad in prestine white armor with hints of golden accents. He took a bow before Celestia. "You majesty, we have increased reports of ponies and other creatures being effected by the tear across equestria, sources show that Unicorns have been getting sick from its sudden appearance, with symptoms such migraines, nausea, and magi discharge. Pegasai and earth ponies have experienced more minor effects, such as fatigue. We're still gauging the effects of the tear on non ponies, depending on how strong their connection is with magic." Shining armor said, lifting up before Celestia. "And how long is this expected to last?" She asked, her gaze drifting to the sleeping Inkwell. "Unsure, the appearance of the Tear was brief, but sudden. Could last from a few days, to a few weeks." She found and looked behind her to the balcony. "..your highness?" Shining said, cocking his head a tad to the side. "Nothing... that will be all Shining Armor. I'll need to message Cadenza about this." He nodded, gave a salute, then left. Celestia returned the balcony and looked out towards the everfree forest. "Oh luna.. just what have you brought upon us.."
"May I ask your name miss?" Baroness Luna asked, her soft gaze inquisitively observing Mizuki.
Mizuki gulped nervously, having never been in the presence of actual royalty, never mind one in an entirely different world compared to hers was putting a bit of strain on her composer. "Mizuki, Mizuki Himura."
"Miss Himura, would you happen to know how you ended up here? I detected a great magical disturbance upon your arrival.. don't worry you aren't necessarily in trouble, though I'd greatly appreciate any insurances that you aren't a threat."
Mizuki's ears folded back as she thought back before she ended up here.
"It's a tad rough.. I was.. at an event, looking for my little brother, he's been missing for some time now. I found the man who initially took him. I questioned him a bit told me he'd take me to my brother, if I sacrificed something. I snapped, he grabbed my neck, opened up a portal and threw me in like I was nothing.. before I knew it I was here.. and in a different body."
"Different body?" Luna asked, leaning forward a bit with a hand on her chin. "I uh.. didn't exactly look like this on my way in.. my people are bipedal like you but we only had hair atop our heads. Not fur all over.. we also had much flatter faces.. do you have primates here? We kind of look like those." "Wait, your planet is comprised of monkeys?" Scarlett Dawn piped up.
"Eh.. not.. quite? There's been many debates of where my people originated, some think we evolved frome apes, others think we evolved from fish or something. A large populace of my people belive that we were molded by some all knowing diety."
"Ah.. lets.. not get off track.." Luna said with a calm expression. "Miss Lavender?" There was a puff of smoke as a Thestral appeared beside the Baroness. "Yes ma'am?" "Please show miss Himura here around the castle make sure she's back for the banquet, I'm sure she's quite hungry." The thestral saluted before leaping off the steps and drifting down infront of Mizuki. "Yo.~ Names Dawning Lavender. Cmon I'll give ya the run of the place."
Mizuki nodded and got back up onto her feet before following Lavender out of the throne room.
"..Miss Dawn?" Scarletts ears flicked as she turned her gaze back to Luna, her horns glow fading away. "She spoke the truth, she ain't a threat.. she did leave out some parts of her story but her head might have been jumbled from the trip across dimensions."
Luna nodded and pondered for a moment. "You may return to your duties.. I have to think of what to do with our new guest." Scarlett Dawn nodded, bowed, and left the throne room. Luna turned her attention to one of her guards, quietly gesturing them forward. "Lady Luna?" The guard asked when summoned, standing before the Baroness. "Would you kindly have a message delivered for me? It's for our friends in the Crystal Empire and the Kingdom of Olenea."
Mizuki had her focus on the marvelous architecture as Lavender lead her through the halls, she'd never seen anything this grand, aside from on the TV. "And here we have the training grounds." She heard Lavender pipe up, returning her gaze to the mare infront of her, leaning over a balcony. She'd join her side and look down to see a small squad armed with Bayonetted rifles, the sounds of clanging metal and magical spells rousing from below. "We have a magical barrier around each one of these, deafens the sound of any magical detonation from the outside..."
there was a bit of a silience as Mizuki observed the soldiers from the balcony. Lavenders ears perked and her eyes widened." Uh.. ya know speaking of training I should probably-" Lavender turned around only to be confronted with a rather tall individual, turning her attention to Lavender, Mizuki found herself gazing up at a rather tall insectoid equine. "A..ah! T...thistle.. I was.. just on my way to-" "trying to skip lessons again, eh Lavender?" "Hey I just wanted to show the new gal around! Can't hurt to give her a tour. Besides Luna asked me to-" "I know. I'm just worried you won't pass mastery exams if you keep running off." Lavenders ears folded back as she scratched the back of her head. "Hey, I'll have to catch ya later.. show ya a little more about the place." She said before running past the tall bug pony.
"Lavender! Wait for.. ugh.. always five steps ahead of herself.." he sighed as he rubbed her eyes before turning his attention to Mizuki. "Apologies.. as you heard, my name is Thistle, I'm one of the grandmasters here. And you are..?" Thistle extended his hand to Mizuki who gently returned the gesture and shook his hand politely. "Mizuki Himura.. uh.. if you don't mind me asking, what are you?"
Thistle blinked, his head tilting before he snapped back and chuckled. "Ah that's right, you're quite new here.. I'm a changeling as you can depict were more like insects than the normal pony, typically I'd function with a hive but.. the one I was with was.. rather unpleasant. I managed to break from the hive and ended up here. Now I'd love to chat some more but I do have to teach my students.. have a pleasant day."
He gave her a short nod as he turned away and strolled off. Mizuki sighed and rubbed her face. "Thats.. enough exploring for one day I think.. people here are nice.. I think I could get used to it here. Now let's see if I remember which room I came from." Mizuki stepped from the balcony and made her way down the halls of the castle. "I could get used to being here.. but if that guy from before.. the man who tossed me here was telling the truth.. then my brother also has to be here.. somewhere.." Mizuki spoke to no one in particular, mainly herself as she walked up a flight of stairs. "I better catch some sleep before food is ready, Luna said something about a banquet.. past couple days have been exhausting.." Mizuki pressed her clawed hand against a door and opened it to the room she first woke up in. After stepping forward to the soft mattress and dropping herself onto it, she immediately passed out.
Mizuki opened her eyes to a rapidly approaching pillar, the familiar pained glass with an image of her new body. As she neared the surface, she mysteriously slowed to a halt and landed on her paws.
"Hello?" She called out, only to receive her own echoes seemingly bouncing off of nothing. 'This dream again..? At least the dragon from last time doesn't seem to be around.'
Looking around the dark void the pillar seemed to rise out of, Mizuki slowly stepped towards the center of the structure before a bright light flashed before her eyes, shielding herself for a moment, her gaze would focus on a key shaped object about the size of a bat; the hand guard surounding the hilt deep crimson, chains dropped from below it to end at an orb similar to the one in her red and black mane. She slowly reached out to grab it, almost on instinct, before the whole tower shook and she fell backwards onto her back and the key dissappeared.
"What the hell?" She sputtered, slowly picking herself up as another pillar rose in the distance, followed by another, and another, each one taller than the last. The next moment, translucent stairs appeared, running from her tower to the next.
Mizuki began her ascent, carefully making her way up the flights of stairs as they weren't protected by guard rails. With each tower climbed she saw the key again and again until it remained in view at the final tower. She slowly approached it, curiosity written on her furred face. Finally she took hold of it, her clawed hand wrapping around the grip as she looked at her reflection in the silver fuller. ".. what kind of lock do you fit into.." she whispered to herself.
Suddenly the ground shook once more, dropping her to her knees. That's when she saw it. It had returned, the silvered scaled dragon with the cross on its chest roared as it pulled itself over the edge to gaze down at Mizuki like a bite sized snack.
She covered her ears as the seemingly eyeless beast roared before taking off into the void. Watching it circle around the tower, Mizuki uttered a curse as it turned and dived toward her, mouth agape. She clumsily rolled to the side as it crashed onto the surface of the tower, causing it to shake.
She regained her footing as the dragon slowly lifted off the grown, it's deep growl reverberating in her ears as it turned and lunged for her. She leapt back, trying to avoid becoming it's meal, it lunged forward again forcing Mizuki to duck and crawl under the massive beast as it writhed above her. It's massive feet stomping the ground around her as if to crush her body.
The woman eventually moved her body out from under the dragon, just as if took off into the air once again. High in the sky in turned on a dime , but instead of diving at her like last time, it opened is mouth wide. Mizuki could see feint glow of its breath getting brighter in the back of his gaping maw, her eyes widening she eyed the stairs at the other end of the Spire.
She knew she wouldn't make it even if she sprinted, so instead she turned, ran, and leapt off the edge of the tower. She felt the crashing THOOM of the dragons breath crashing into the surface of the tower, the explosion propelling her forward to one of the lower adjacent towers from before. Her body collided with the edge, she slammed the key into the surface to keep her from falling, but the collision left her breathless. After pulling herself up she gasped for fresh air as the dragon rounded the tower she was on and prepared another breath attack.
She closed her eyes, waiting for the end. But ass the ball of flame came down, she heard the crash, felt the vibrations and the tremors, felt the heat on her fur.. but her life remained. Opening her eyes she looked up, only for her eyes to widen at the sight of Baroness Luna standing before her with a magic barrier. The air seemed to shimmer and warp around her, gazing down Mizuki noticed a key in her hand much like the one in her own. The alicorn turned back with a soft smile upon her snout. "Are you alright?" She said, Mizuki could only nod in silence as Luna eyed her body for any major injuries before her gaze landed on the key in the Zoroarks hand. "...When did y-" She was cut off by the roar of the dragon above, crashing down onto the tower, teeth bare as it slowly made its approach. "Damn.. Miss Himura, did you by chance have this dream before?"
"Wh- i- yes? But how-" "it's my job to know what happens in the subconscious when my subjects are sleeping. Now technically I'm not supposed to aide with these sort of things but this is.. rather extreme. Just stay close to me and you'll be fine." The baroness' hand glowed before a similar key appeared in her hand, with a crescent shaped handguard and a keychain in the form of a full moon.
Mizuki slowly stood up next to Baroness Luna, nervously gripping her key like a bat. "Let us begin." Luna said before her hand shot forward. The barrier dropped before the dragon recoiled from what one could only describe as invisible blades striking against its scales. Luna dashed forward with Mizuki in tow, the Zoroark swiftly ducked under a swinging claw whilst Luna leaked over and slashed downward across it's face, making it reel back in pain.
Mizuki struck upward with all her might, albeit clumsily so, straight into the dragons gut, earning a pained roar before it took off into the sky and circled around the Spire, shooting fire balls from its mouth. Luna lifted her key to form a dome barrier around her and Mizuki, each fiery crash making the baroness flinch and wince as the shield cracked and flickered before the beast came down and slammed its clawed feet down on the barrier. Luna and Mizuki rolled apart from the other as the barrier shattered, the Alicorn blasted it's hide with magic bolts as it took off once again, this time however Mizuki had clambered onto its leg before it shot into the sky, the wind blasted into her face as she slowly made her way onto its back, the dragon itself distracted by either magic being shot at it or the aforementioned invisible blades. The dragon roared before it reared its head back, Mizuki could feel the rumbling of its next breath attack; definitely stronger than the others. Fearing Luna wouldnt be able to block this one she hurried up the dragons back and drove the tip of her key right into the cross on its head. It stopped, the rumbling, the breathing, and its wings. Luna looked up from below confused until she saw Mizuki rip her key out from the dragons skull. "Uh.. I.. Did I do it?"
Poof.
Suddenly the dragon disappeared into a flash of light. Luna had to shield her eyes for a moment before her gaze went back to Mizuki whom was now screaming as she fell down to the void. "Miss Himura!" Luna leaped off of the spire and dove down, quickly catching up to Mizuki before she slung her arms under the womans figure and extending her wings.
"Woah! Okay.. haah.. you.. better give me a damn good explanation for this.." Mizuki said as the two rose back up to the top of the spire. "Of course, you deserve that much. But perhaps after you wake up, yes?" Before she could protest the baroness flicked her forehead, causing the Zoroark to shoot up, in her bed.
"And what of the next shipment?" Luna asked Scarlett Dawn as they strolled down the halls of the castle. "Théodore Vérany will be sending more supplies within the next four to six months - rations, sleeping supplies, rifles, also made sure to send Nova to the River Federation to see if River Swirl is willing to trade with us." Scarlett replied, flipping through the pages on her clipboard as they walked. "Very good.. and what of Ms. Himura? Is she awake yet?" "I actually spotted her looking for you on my way to the throne room, why, what happened?" "She has a Keyblade, Scarlett." The young unicorn sputtered and fixed her glasses up her snout. "P-pardon? Did I here that right? Not many are chosen to wield a.. of all the creatures.."
"Calm down Ms. Dawn, she doesn't seem to understand what it is anyhow, I'll have her under the tutelage of Thistle later, since they've already been introduced and she has a friend under his teaching, it should be a smooth integration.." Luna brought a hand up to her chin, pondering to herself. "I just hope this doesn't go sideways.." Scarlett sighed as her ears folded back, placing a hand on Luna's shoulder. "Something tells me she'd have to pitch in sooner or later."
"There you are!!"
The two winced and slowly turned around along to spot a quite stern looking Zoroark storming her way over to them. "Well you're highness I better get going, you know how stacked I get with paper work-" "Wait, Ms.. D-" Luna was caught off as Scarlett used a teleportation spell to disappear to.. wherever in the castle. The baroness' eye twitched.
"Baroness Luna, I want- I need answers..!" "Yes yes I know I know.. but.. could we talk over tea at least? For the record you slept through half the day." "What?!" "Come now I'm sure you're quite hungry, Ms. Himura."
Mizuki had taken a seat at a small table across from Luna in the Baroness' chambers, poking at the fresh pancakes with her fork while a dozen thoughts ran through her mind.
"..Alright. I suppose I should explain myself... but please don't skip out on brunch, Evernova's cooking is spectacular." Luna said, as she drove her own fork and ran her fork through her own line of pancakes.
"What was it?" "Be more specific" Luna responded, before engulfing a small slice of the pancakes into her mouth, followed by a sigh of absolute satisfaction.
"I- Well.. Giant white dragon, Giant magic keys...you. What the hell was all of that, and what was that place?"
Luna sighed and set her silverware down before gazing at the Zoroark woman. "Was this the first time you've dived?"
"I.. what?" Mizuki asked, even more confused than before. "Have you been to that place more than once, is what I'm asking." "I.. no, I've been there once before, but I can't remember any dream like that before hand so-" "it wasn't a dream, Mizuki. To put it rather simply, you were in your heart, or soul. You Dived."
"I.. don't follow." Mizuki said, Luna responded with a sigh, patting down her lips with a napkin before standing up and moving towards a window, gazing up at her moon. "When someone is chosen, they will, weather it's a conscious decision or not, Dive into their heart. It's the first step to something much more grand for their life..
You, Mizuki, were chosen. For what purpose I cannot say.. but with that, you'll need training. I know it's not right of me to ask of you but.." Luna turned to face Mizuki again, her face riddled with confusion, and uncertainty. "I request that you become a student here at the palace. You will learn magics, learn how to control mana, and how to summon your Key-Blade."
"Woah woah, Key-whatnow? Magic??" "The Key-Blade is as much a tool as it is a weapon, something you can channel your magic through as a spellcast focus. You will learn more come tomorrow. You don't have to accept.. but please consider." "I mean.. shit, are you basically asking me to join your conflict with your sister as well?"
Luna's ears folded back, the Alicorn crossed her arms under her chest with a sad expression. "I.. yes, joining as a student subsequently enrolls you as a member of the republic."
Mizuki hesitated, staring down at her warm pancakes, deep in thought. "..if.. if it helps me find my brother, and get us both home.. then I accept.. but after me and my brother find a way home, im done with this, deal?" "Ms Hamura, I wouldn't have it any other way. This is all unfair to you, and I'd like nothing more than to see you returned home safe and sound.. We won't put you under your new teacher until tomorrow, but id like for you to at least see who you'll be training with."
Mizuki and Luna entered a large room, stacked with vantage points, ramps, and glowing rifts. In front of them was a familiar face Mizuki met earlier this week.
"Sir Thistle, I'm sure trainings been going smoothly." Luna said, granting the changelings attention. Thistle turned around and greeted the two with a gentle smile. "As smoothly as possible of course, Im sure politics is just as amusing." He responded with a short bow towards Luna, while a loud explosion went off behind him. "Afraid youve came in at an interesting time, Avery lost her temper again." He turned his attention back to the training grounds as Luna and Mizuki stepped up for a closer look. The one Mizuki could only assume was Avery was angrily clashing her own Key-Blade with whom she recognized as Lavender, the Thestral dancing around Avery, either dodging or deflecting each strike from what Mizuki could assume be a griffon.
"Geeze Ave, chill! This isn't a competition! Just friendly practice!" Mizuki could see sweat beading from Lavender from where she was standing, and was about to step forward before Luna's arm came in front of her. "I appreciate your want to help, but you'd do more harm if you go in, especially with no experience."
Thistle cocked a brow and glanced back at Mizuki with curiosity. "Is she..?" "Yes, I came upon her when she dived." Luna replied, Thistle hummed and brought a hand up to his chin. "Very intriguing.."
Back on the training floor, Avery swiped underneath Lavender, causing her to trip up before being sent flying by a powerful kick, the mare landed straight into one of the matted walls with a loud grunt. "Hoo.. damn Aves, ya kick like a mule..~! Eheh.."
"I never said this was a competition Lavender." The scratchy voiced griffon said "But you need to take this training seriously, otherwise we won't last a second out there!" "Yeah? Tell that to Tang." Lavender responded, leaving Avery confused before a bright red flash caught her attention. Avery took to the air as a fireball crashed where she stood, before she countered with her own fireball, hurtling it towards a green colored changeling. "Oh son of a B-"
Mizuki winced as aloud bang went off, she watched as the poor changeling woman was sent flying into one of the portals before she came out of the one stationed next to the three onlookers, though with black colored splotches on her body. "-iiiitch! Oh damnit, I hate this black stuff! What the hell is it?!"
"Ah yes, we keep having issues patching that, still haven't figured why the arcane rifts seem to smudge some creatures body.. thankfully it's easy to wash out." Thistle commented before stepping forward. "I think that's enough! By Faust Avery I understand your conviction but remember these are your teammates, not your targets."
"Come Mizuki, I'm sure you'll have time to get to know the three later." Luna said as she led her out the room, the Zoroark looked back to catch Lavender giving her a lil wave with a wink while the three were being lectured, earning a chuckle from the woman.
"..I hope you don't mind me asking.. what is the human world like..?" Luna asked as the two stepped into an interior garden with a gazebo. "Uh.. well.. not the most gorgeous place.. definitely not a vacation spot but.. we have our moments.. even if those moments came after we made the more horrendous mistakes.." Mizuki said, rubbing the back of her head.
"I see.. then our two words are quite similar then.. you know, wanting to bring ballance between light and dark isn't the only reason Im at conflict with my sister.. before I took action, Thestrals were being incredibly mistreated.. it wasn't technically my sister's fault, despite me being quite furious with her, I understand the micro-politics of it.. but I couldn't ever stand around and wait any longer for change to happen." Luna's ears folded behind her head as she sat on a bench. "Ya know.. ya might be right about our two worlds being similar.. lemme tell ya a story about the United States.. about.. fifty nine years ago.."
