Das Wiederaufleben

Immediately, Marks went for his pistol and took aim at the assailant. “Ninja bitch!” Just before he could pull the trigger, the mare dashed towards him at a seemingly ludicrous speed and used the inertia to kick the stallion in the chest, sending him flying and knocking the wind out of him.

“Marks!” Fang cried. “Get avay from him, schlampe!” She growled as she lunged at the assailant.

For a split second, the unknown mare seemed to phase out of existence before jumping down from the trees and slamming the thestral's face into the snowy ground.

“Shit! Hermes, need some support here!” Scootaloo cried as she assumed her combat stance and drew her pistol.

The changeling nodded stood back to back with his commander, his own gun primed and ready to fire.

The pair listened intently for any noise that would give away their adversary's position, when she suddenly jumped from a bush, sword drawn and ready to slice. The two took aim and opened fire, their bullets ricocheting off some unseen barrier.

“What the!?”

The mare brandished the katana as a whirling green mist began to pour from its blade, taking the shape of a translucent green, long, serpentine dragon. “Kakuheiki. Osuo.” the mare commanded

The dragon opened its glowing maw and bellowed a thunderous, awe inspiring roar that seemed to shake the very earth. The air rose in temperature, melting the snow at the assailant’s hooves. The dragon charged forward, swiping at the two with its long claws and snapping its powerful jaws lined with serrated blade-like teeth, only to be narrowly evaded by its targets.

The cloaked mare growled. “Konchū no sewa o shimasu. Orenji-iro no mono wa watashi no monodesu!” With a twirl of her blade, the ninja lunged at Scootaloo as the dragon turned its full attention to Hermes.

Scootaloo had barely enough time to process what was happening when her assailant leapt into the air and swung her blade downwards. Letting instinct and intuition control her, the orange mare dove to her side and swept her hind leg out, knocking the cloaked mare off balance. Seizing the opportunity, the commander grabbed her gun and levelled it at her attacker. A split second before she could pull the trigger, the masked combatant knocked the weapon out of her hoof with a black throwing dagger with a diamond shaped blade. After narrowly dodging the swing of the blade, Scootaloo sat up and slammed a forehoof into her attacker’s cheek. As the mare lost balance, Scootaloo lunged at her and pinned her by the withers.

Hermes fired a few shots at the rampaging dragon, but to no avail. All of his bullets bounced harmlessly off of the beast's scales until no more rounds were loaded into the pistol’s magazine. “Crap!” He cried as he threw the empty gun to his side and took off flying, just barely managing to evade the dragon's claws and the gnashing of its teeth.

The ninja struggled against Scootaloo's grip, suddenly flipping the two over. She grabbed the snow goggles off Scootaloo's face, revealing her own pair of angry purple eyes. The cloaked mare gasped and her eyes widen behind her mask at the sight of the Pegasus's face. “Kanojo wa...Kireida... Kakuheiki! Oremasu!”

Hermes cowered as the dragon leapt at him, whimpering in fear before the dragon snarled and faded away in a cloud of green mist, leaving him both extremely relieved and extremely confused.

As Scootaloo struggled against her assaulter's hold, a recovered Marks slammed into the ninja’s side, knocking her back a ways and disarming her. “Doesn't feel so good on the receiving end, now does it, bitch!?”

Quickly, the mare sat up and assumed a submissive pose. “Watashi wa kōfuku shimasu! Watashi o yurushitekudasai, watashi wa isoide kōdō shi, nani mo kangaezu ni!”

“What the hell is she saying!?” Marks cried angrily as Fang slowly rose to her hooves.

“Is... she surrendering?” The thestral asked. “Hermes, can you translate.”

“I'm afraid I don't know Japonese.” The changeling stated as he tentatively approached the kneeling mare. “But I have an idea. Changeling's can instantly install languages into each other when they don't have time to learn a language themselves. Maybe I can...” Hermes sat down in front of the ninja and lowered his horn so that the tip of his was touching the tip of the mare's. A jolt of energy shot through the two’s horns, making both of them flinch. “Can you understand me?”

The mare blinked a few times in shock before nodding. “Y-yes... please... forgive me. I thought you were assassins.” She spoke in perfect Equestrian, no traces of any accent were present.

“Assassins?” Fang tilted her head.

The mare reached up and removed her mask, revealing a young adult of a bright yellow coloration, barely nineteen years old, if even that. Long green strands of mane dropped from her scalp, framing her soft facial features.

“I can see now how foolish I was... please... Forgive me....”

Scootaloo knelt down. “What's your name, kid?”

“Jinsokuna. Jinsokuna Arashi...”

Marks’ eyes widen in shock. “A-Arashi!?”

“What's the matter, Marks?” Scootaloo tilted her head.

“N-nothing.” Marks assured. “The name just sounded familiar.” Scootaloo could see right through the stallion’s facade, but decided against pressing further.

“Alright, Miss Arashi. Why did you think we were here to kill you?” The orange mare queried.

The younger mare played with her mane and looked down. “It's... it's a long story. I don't want to tell it out here in the snow. Would you care to join me for tea?”

“Tea?”

“Y-yes! Tea. As an apology!” Jinsokuna assured. “Tea is one of the few things I actually can make, not counting instant ramen.” The younger mare chuckled. “Please. I insist.”

The commander looked to her squad before slowly nodding. “We accept.”

Jinsokuna's eyes lit up. “Thank you! Just give me a minute.” She rushed over to her sword and whispered something softly to it.

A familiar green mist poured from the sword, swirling and solidifying into the same translucent dragon from before.

“This is Kakuheiki.” Jinsokuna spoke. “She's my... well... I guess the word is 'familiar’.”

Hermes approached the dragon tentatively. “Miss Arashi, I could grant your dragon the ability to speak our language.”

“Of course. Feel free.”

The changeling knelt before the glowing serpent, shooting a jolt of energy into its forehead. The green aura crackled around the fearsome creature, making it writhe a little as little static shocks prickled its scaly skin, its tiny rumbles growls slowly turning into ticklish giggles as the dragon found her voice.

“Ooh, that tickles! Stop, stop!” She protested, the green lightning fizzling away as Hermes jumped back from the laughing lizard, whose ticklish titters slowly died down to a soft sigh of contentment. Jinsokuna stepped forward, eyes wide in amazement at the sight of her familiar talking.

“K-Kakuheiki?” She squeaked, awestruck. The dragon turned to smile at her pony partner, leaning down to nuzzle her affectionately.

“It's good to finally have a voice.” The dragon purred in a calm, motherly tone. “Thank you, young one.”

Hermes blushed and chuckled nervously as he backed away from the monstrous reptile. “It... it was nothing. Heh...”

Jinsokuna rubbed her hoof along Kakuheiki’s snout and climbed onto her back. “Hop on. Our home isn't that far down the mountain.”

Scootaloo slowly climbed up onto the dragon's back, keeping a close on both Jinsokuna and her familiar and beckoned her team to follow suit.

“So can I ask your names?” Jinsokuna asked as Kakuheiki began to crawl downhill.

“Sergeant Nacht Fang.”

“Paladin Herimestus. Or just Hermes if you prefer.”

“Lieutenant Hit Marks...”

“Commander Scootaloo Dash.”

“Equestrian military, I take it?”

Scootaloo chuckled but remained wary. “What tipped you off? The plane, the uniforms or the guns?” As her squad chuckled amongst themselves, Jinsokuna blushed and looked forward, earning a teasing giggle from Kakuheiki.

“So how did you summon Kakuheiki?” Fang asked. “Aren't familiars supposed to be ludicrously difficult to bind?”

“Well... I didn't... Kakuheiki has existed since the end of World War II.” The unicorn explained.

Fang tilted her head in confusion. “Zen who bound her?”

Jinsokuna bit her lip and inwardly sighed in relief as a small house amidst the trees came into view. “How about I tell you over tea?”

Fang nodded as Kakuheiki laid down, allowing the five passengers to dismount. “You live out here all by yourself, kid?” The commander asked.

“H-hai, Scootaloo-Sama.”

“I'm sorry? Scootaloo-Sama?”

Kakuheiki glowed brilliantly in a radiant emerald aura, shrinking down to a less intimidating size. “Sama is an honorific. It shows respect to elders or superiors.” She explained.

Scootaloo raised her eyes, still suspicious. “Alright, Jinsokuna -”

“Just 'Jin-chan’ is fine, if you prefer.”

“... How about just ‘Jin’?” The orange mare asked. Before she could get a response, she continued. “Why do you live out here in the middle of nowhere?”

“There’s a town only about a ten minute walk away.” She explained. “I go there to buy food, interact, etcetera. Plus I still get running water and electricity. I like living up here in the mountains because it’s perfect for Kakuheiki and I to do some agility training in peace.”

“Brrr... It’s so cold...” Hermes shuddered. “Could we please go inside?”

Jin nodded and gestured inside. “Please, come in. Make yourself comfortable. Kakuheiki, could I ask you to prepare some tea? I’m going to change out of my Shozoko.” The ninja mare vanished behind a sliding paper door and left the Centurions to gaze around at the simple, but cozy aesthetic of the home. Kakuheiki found the tea supplies and mixed the brew in a black teapot, pouring in enough water for five and setting it on the stove to brew.

“Wow.” Hermes whispered, as he gently prodded at the walls with his hoof. “I never would’ve thought to use paper as a building material for a house.” He mused.

“Yeah, well… the Japonese have always had a bit of a…. Backwards culture, I guess you could say.” Scootaloo agreed. “With the invention of paper, it became all they ever used. Walls, windows, even tea sets would be made of paper. They were using paper cups for centuries, because they never invented porcelain, or ceramics.”

The wall on the opposite side of the room slid away to reveal Jin as she stepped out in her normal clothes; a pink floral kimono that parted at the flanks and revealed her cutie mark; a kunai throwing dagger with a green radiation symbol framing the weapon. The Neighsian mare smiled softly as she fixed her glasses on her muzzle and made her way into the room.

“Thank you for brewing the tea.” She smiled as she passed by the pair and set about pouring the brew into five dainty little cups. The Centurions sat as a low standing table and Jin passed them their tea, her hoof lingering on Scootaloo’s a while before she blushed and picked up her own and sipped slowly.

“Now, I believe I promised to tell you where Kakuheiki came from.” Jin spoke. “To understand, first you need to know about my grand parents. My grandmother was a traveling antique merchant, and my grandfather was the heir to a powerful ninja clan called the Tatsumaki clan. The Tatsumaki were rebels and revolutionaries during the second world war, fighting in the shadows to sway Japon from war. It was on the sixth of August, 945, when my grandfather returned home to his wife after a sabotage mission. My grandmother was polishing an old decorative katana at the time that she was planning to sell in the nearby city.”

“What city?” Hermes asked.

“Hayroshima.”

The room went silent as the four stared at Jin and her dragon in disbelief. With the exception of Hermes. “Is there some significance of Hayroshima?”

“It's... It's where Equestria dropped the first atomic bomb... where we rained radioactive hellfire down on innocents just to make a statement...” Scootaloo sighed. “If any crime committed during that war could hold a candle to the Nazi's genocidal crusade, it was those damn bombs.”

“My grandparents were spared from the initial blast but the fallout... the irradiated particles gathered around the sword my grandmother was polishing. It was from those particulates that Kakuheiki was born.”

“So... Kakuheiki is made of radiation? Ve're not gonna get cancer from being too close to her, are ve?” Fang asked nervously.

Jin chuckled. “No. Of course not. Her body itself is no longer radioactive. Just like it's safe to walk through Hayroshima. Kakuheiki is, however, capable of emitting a concentrated stream of ionizing radiation in a manner similar to how Equestrian dragons breath fire.”

“And then I absorb the residual radiation and nullify it, all within a fraction of a fraction of a second.” Kakuheiki explained. “Completely harmless, unless you were standing in the way of the beam.”

“So she’s essentially a radiation sponge?” Scootaloo asked.

Jin nodded. “More or less.” The young mare smiled. “So what brings Equestrian soldiers to Japon?”

“Classified” Scootaloo answered bluntly. “We can’t share with a civvie. All I’ll say is that we’re on a hush hush search and destroy mission. Black ops.”

Jin nodded in understanding before turning to Marks. “Hit Marks-sama, if you don’t mind me saying so, you don’t really carry yourself as I expected a soldier would.”

The silver stallion raised an eyebrow. “You insinuating something, kid?”

“Oh no!” She assured. “It’s just your gait is less of a soldier and more of a Yakuza thug.”

Fang and Scootaloo gasped as they drew their hooves across their necks as Hermes and Jin looked at them with confusion. Marks slowly put his cup of tea down , his expression unreadable, before a grin slowly made its way across his muzzle. A soft chuckle sounded from his throat, slowly increasing in volume. Scootaloo and Fang looked on in horror, while Hermes and Jin maintained their confused stare.

Marks’ laughing at this point grew to a cackling chortle, and then again to a raucous laughing. “HAHAHAHA! Me!? A gangster!? Oh that is rich!” He snickered. “It’s not like I was the muscle of one of the most notorious mafia gang on the west side of Equestria, drowning in bits and mares, as I helped smuggle opium for them from the Tatsumaki crime syndicate! Like, how ridiculous can you be!? I never was busted by the police and given the option between spying on my former gang and a thirty year prison sentence! The sheer lunacy of thinking my first girlfriend was killed by my former boss’ goons after a raid that lead to his imprisonment! HAHAHAHA!”

Fang tried to place a hoof on Marks’ withers, only to have it batted away. “Don’t. I’ve put those days behind me. I’m a soldier now, not a criminal.”

“I know, sveetheart.” Fang purred as she moved to embrace her lover. “Ve all have pasts zat ve aren’t proud of. It’s just a fact of life. You’ve made mistakes, ja, but so has everypony else who’s ever existed. Your past doesn’t define you.”

“Then what does?” He growled.

“You define you.” Fang cooed. “You’re ze stallion I fell in love viz. You’re a Phoenix Centurion. You’re you.”

Marks chuckled weakly. “What did I ever do to deserve an angel like you?”

Fang kissed her lover’s cheek, embracing him with her wings. “You vere you.”

Hermes and Jin looked on in awe. “The lieutenant is an ex-gangster!?” Hermes cried.

“Yeah. No shit, bug boy.” Marks growled.

“You... worked with my father?”

“Yeah. Arekuruu Arashi. Pompous, rich shit head and his damned morphine...” Marks chuckled softly and looked to Fang. “Well... I have to give your dad credit, Jin. It’s because of your dad peddling opium that I found such a cute little geek.”

Jin tilted her head as Fang blushed sweetly.

“Whatcha mean by that?” Scootaloo asked.

“Vell...” Fang started. “Remember a year and a half ago vhen ve helped Marks kick his morphine addiction?”

“Ugh. As if I could forget.” Scootaloo chuckled.

Fang chuckled back. “Vell, I vas helping him zrough a spell of nausea and he turns to me and says, ‘Fang, you vanna go get viz me dinner sometime?’ And ze rest is history.”

“So the vomiting, anxiety and fevers were all worth it?” The commander chuckled.

“A thousand times over” Marks cooed as he nuzzled the thestral.

Hermes nodded, smiling excitedly. “So, are we ready to get going and kick some Nazi plot?” He cheered, making Jin gasp.

“Did… Did you say… Nazis?” The Japonese pony furrowed her brows and snarled in anger. Scootaloo glared at the paladin.

“Hermes! What did I say about telling civvies about our operations!?” Hermes gulped and clapped his hooves over his muzzle.

“I-I’m sorry, Commander.” He yelped. “I….. I didn’t mean to-”

“Take me with you!” Jin yelled, leaping on top of Scootaloo and tackling her to the floor, pinning the orange mare down with her hooves as she snarled. “I have a score to settle with those skinhead motherbuckers!” Scootaloo squirmed under the mare.

“I can’t do that, Jin.” She protested. “This operation is top secret, and we can’t go taking civilians with us into terrorist operation bases.”

“I’m not just any civilian though, am I?” Jin retorted. “And, besides, I seemed to give you a run for your money in our little scuffle earlier.” Scootaloo growled at that.

“Only because you took us by surprise!”

“Scootaloo-chan… it’s because of those skinhead bastards that my country’s name has been dragged through the mud.” Jin argued. “My grandparents were opposed to the war. It was a senseless, unnecessary evil that cost the lives of millions. And, because of our stupid government thinking that one tiny little island country could conquer the world with no allies, and the smallest army in the world, it cost the lives of ponies who never wanted to go to war in the first place. It's because of our allegiance to Herr Fuhrer Nazi Germaney that we suffered the wrath of the atom bomb!” The ninja mare growled. “I trained in the art of ninjutsu with one purpose; to serve justice to the corrupt and power hungry. And there is nopony more corrupt or power hungry than the Nazi scourge. Come on. Please. At the very least, I know how to keep myself hidden. Couldn’t you use a spy for recon?”

“And there's me, of course.” Kakuheiki reminded. “If you allow Jinsokuna to join you, I'd make a powerful addition to your arsenal.”

Hermes tapped Scootaloo on the shoulder. “She has a point, Commander. And, besides, did you see her fight? She’s like a wild animal, she would tear up the field! Pow, pew-pew! Slice! Dice! Wha-POW!” He cried and yelled as he did his best attempt at martial arts moves, only succeeding to make himself look clumsy and awkward. The orange mare sighed and massaged the bridge of her muzzle.

“Alright, alright, fine. But don’t come sobbing to me if Miss ninja pants here gets a bullet planted between her eyes.” Scootaloo turned to Jinsokuna. “And you. You are to leave all your weapons in a lockbox when not in use, and you are to follow every order I give not only to the letter, but to the punctuation mark. If I say jump one foot, you better land on the damn moon. Are we clear?”

“Crystal, ma’am!” Jin cried happily.

“Excellent.” The orange mare nodded. “We’ll brief you on the mission tomorrow on the WACC.” She stood up and walked towards the door, sliding it open and revealing that a terrible blizzard had just hit. “Aw crap... Even if we could get back to the Wyvern in this weather, there’s no way we’d be able to take off...”

Jin jumped up with sparkling eyes. “You’re welcome to sleep with me!” All present stared at the Japonese mare confusedly. “Um... I-I mean... You... Y-You all can spend the night h-here.”

“Um...” The commander mumbled. “Thank you, for your hospitality... I guess...” Kakuheiki chuckled into her claw and smirked before whispering something into Jinsokuna’s ear.

“N-Nani?” Jin gasped incredulously. “Damare! Kanojo no mae de sono yōna mono o itte mawari ni idō shinaide kudasai!”

“I’m just teasing, little one.” The dragon purred. “Nearly three quarters of a century without being able to speak leaves one with quite a sizable amount sarcasm built up in their system.”

“Watashi wa mada watashi no seiteki shikō wa no tanoshisa o tsukutta rikai shite imasen...”

Kakuheiki smiled and nuzzled her master affectionately. “Um... sorry about that all... Kakuheiki was being a snarky jerk.”

Fang chuckled. “I know zat feeling, meine freunde.” She joked earning a chuckle and a cheeky nudge from Marks.

“Shaddap!”

Jin giggled and gestured down a hallway. “I have a guest bedroom down the hall and to the right. It should be large enough for all of you.” She bowed. “Feel free to make yourselves at home. If you need anything, my bedroom is right across the hall.”

Fang yawned and smiled. “Dänke, Jinsokuna.”

Marks chuckled and draped a foreleg over her withers. “Come on, darling.” He purred as he led her away. Scootaloo smiled at the ninja pony.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Jin.” She bowed, making the Neighsian pony blush.

“It….. It’s my pleasure, Scootaloo-chan.” She muttered shyly.

“Come on, Herm.” Scootaloo led the changeling away, leaving Jin to watch the mare’s tail sway to and fro as she went, wistfully.