When Ghouls Cross Over

Chapter 2: Strangers

Steady breathing. Splintered wood. Lacerations, bruises , and gashes slowly healing.

Kaneki now stood at Everfree’s exit. The timberwolves lay in nothing but broken twigs and sticks as his rinkaku retracted into his back. Wood was everywhere on the grassy plain and Kaneki simply stared at the broken creatures simply double checking that none would revive and attack him as he made his exit.

His eye, the ghoul eye, slowly turned back to normal, as he continued to stare at the fallen creatures in silence.

The timberwolves had put up more of a fight than he had expected from a pack of twigs, logs and leaves. It was surprising how fierce they had been. What really surprised Kaneki were the strangeness of the creatures he’d encountered so far, but he merely stared at the twigs with a mundane look before stepping over them and slowly making his way towards the light that would be his exit.

Where am I? he thought as the radiant sunlight hit his face forcing him to shield his eyes with a hand, now that he was free from the shadows of the strange forest, that harboured such strange creatures.

Looking around Kaneki saw nothing of immediate interest.

His eyes scanned the plain road till they followed the road’s path up to the town no more than a soccer field’s distance away.

In silence Kaneki stared at the town wondering what would await him ahead. With the strange creatures he had seen, he wasn’t sure what to expect next. But if he was no longer in Japan, then he needed to be careful and not attract unnecessary attention.

Placing a hand on his tattered shirt Kaneki, didn’t feel any hunger. At least not yet.

“Looks like that animal did it’s purpose” he said moving forward, towards the town.

“Maybe I’ll get some coffee while I’m there.”

Dark brown eyes shot open as the being took in a large breath of air, lurching forward in the bed, his companion next to him soon awakening with a start and wincing in pain from the shock his injured hand gave him.

“W-Where are we? Hey, hey Sting!” he said nudging the surprised man to his left as he clutched his sore hand. “The heck happened back there?”

Sting moved his left hand over to his face, both troopers armor were gone along with their weaponry. His head was still fuzzy shortly after fainting from the pain in his hand. However, now that he looked at it. It wasn’t as severely broken as he remembered.

“Sting!” Kill Shot said again regaining his partners attention. “Where the heck are we?!” His voice was clear with distress but at the same time he managed to keep a somewhat cool expression.

Sting looked around the room. Seeing a few books on the floor piled up just a few feet away and a gauze strap that had been placed on a shelf that was used to bandage his hand.

“I have no idea” he said.

Kill Shot who had now gotten up from the surprisingly comfy bed moved over to where a window was. Drawing the drapes light hit the man square in the face as he squinted to peer outside, unsure of what he was seeing.

“Oi, Sting come here” he said ushering over his partner as he moved away to allow Sting to see what he saw as they peered outside the window.

Sting’s green eyes lit up in shock as he and Kill Shot stood looking out the window of what appeared to be a castle. The man clearly seeing all the other parts of the fine lavish building like a tree of sorts as he spotted the roots from below. From below they could see the entire town directly in front of them. From it’s baking shop only a few yards away. To the floating city in the sky.

Both stared in shocked reactions.

“Oh good!” a gentle voice said from behind them. The two soldier turned and to their utter confusion and surprise, they found staring at them was a humanoid equine, with wings.

“Pegasasu!” they both exclaimed in their confusion and shock. The pegasus with the butterfly insignia on her skirt tilted her head in confusion.

“I-I’m sorry?” she said, clearly unable to understand the alien language that had escaped her patient's lips.

Both soldiers looked at each other before nodding silently. Kill Shot slowly and with great caution Fluttershy had noticed, move towards her. She smiled encouragingly like she was dealing with one of her critter friends who was scared. Encouraging him with the calm and friendly vibes that radiated off her.

“U-Um. Sorry Ma’am we just uh were a little surprised is all” Kill Shot said taking in Fluttershy’s form, finding her to look less horse and more human the only obvious horse featuring being her feet which were hooves.

“We simply were wondering. Where are we?” Kill Shot managed to say after he forced himself to quit scanning the girl and focus on the matter at hand.

Fluttershy smiled. “You’re in Twilight’s castle.”

Kill Shot looked back at Sting who was holding his nursed hand. The young man merely shrugged.

“Twilight?” he asked in his japanese accent.

“Why’d you say it like that?” Sting asked from behind.

“It slipped alright!”

“Um excuse me?” Fluttershy’s kind voice said interjecting. Both soldiers looked back at her. She smiled sheepishly in return.

“Twilight’s a friend of mine. She found you guys near Everfree Forest when she was out doing some research on flowers nearby the area. We brought you back to her castle and she called me over to help. She’s waiting for you downstairs if you’re ready to meet her?” the mare finished.

Kill Shot nodded, taking in the fact that they had been saved by the strange human (although kind of cute he must admit), and her friend. Instantly both soldiers bowed to her as a show of respect and gratitude slightly surprising Fluttershy who awkwardly bowed back.

“Thank you miss?”

“Fluttershy.”

“Thank you miss Fluttershy” Sting said kindly. “We would have been in serious trouble not knowing where we are and my injured hand. Once again, Arigatou.”

The yellow mare nodded her smile widening a bit. “Do you want me to call Twilight up here or would you prefer to get some more rest?” she asked as she began walking towards the door. The clicking of her hooves faint and light on the azure floor beneath them.

Sting gave Kill Shot a look that said “Well?”

Turning to face the mare that had so graciously nursed them to health Kill Shot smiled warmly. “We would like to meet Twilight. We would both like to thank her...and ask her a few questions.”

Fluttershy nodded opening the door. “Then please follow me this way.”

Kaneki was now in what he had read to be Ponyville off the sign he saw upon his entry. Since it was in the morning stallions and mares of all ages could be seen walking around going about their business or heading towards a job. It was like any other morning in Ponyville.

Except this time it wasn’t.

The busy streets of the small town would slow down or in some cases even stop as the boy began making his way from the road towards Ponyville’s main street. Kaneki would catch the humanoid creatures staring at him with strange looks of curiosity and some with utter confusion as he would pass by them. Something in the past would have originally bothered him greatly, but now he simply did his best to ignore it.

It was hard not to though. The creatures that he saw had horns on their head or even wings on their backs. All of them looking like humans, all of them having some kind of strange insignia if not on their bare butts then on their clothing. It was uncanny and made the boy feel like his objective of not wanting to attract any attention had immediately failed.

Every time he caught someone eyeing him he would turn in their direction only to see the person look away and then immediately focus their attention back on him as soon as his back was turned.

It’s safe to say. I’m no longer in Japan he thought as he passed by a salesman, selling clothes.

“Hey you there!” the blue stallion said pointing a finger at Kaneki. The boy ignored him and kept on walking. But the stallion was persistent.

“Hey you there!” the stallion said once again his voice coming from below as Kaneki looked down to see the stallion now peering at him from directly below with a creepy smile on his face.

Kaneki’s expression didn’t change but he certainly wasn’t alright with the disturbing friendly look this creature was giving him. Lifting his head up the boy looked around to see if anyone knew who this guy was, but when he did he was met with the averted eyes of basically everyone that walked by.

Kaneki closed his eyes, thinking of a way to get rid of this being, while ignoring the stallion that had begun poking his legs, from directly beneath him in attempts to get his attention.

“Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!” the stallion repeated ruining Kaneki’s train of thought as he slowly opened his eyes to look back down at the stallion that was no longer between his legs but now in front of him.

“Hi there!” the stallion said offering his hand in a friendly gesture. Kaneki took a defensive step back expecting something else to happen but nothing did so he relaxed and shook the creatures hand.

“Boy you’re a strange one, aren’t ya?”

The boy didn’t reply.

“Anywho!” he said acting as if Kaneki had responded. “What happened to you friend you look like a wreck? But hey working hard or hardly working huh?” the stallion said nudging Kaneki who gently pushed his arm away after two or three nudges.

“Strong silent type huh?” the stallion said with a wise nod, when Kaneki didn’t respond. “That cool I can respect that but, you probably shouldn’t be walking around in those. You look like you just escaped prison” he said drawing Kaneki’s attention to his own tattered clothing.

Looking over to the display that the salesman had in his shop Kaneki saw some shorts and a black shirt he could use. But he didn’t have any money. Nor did he believe they accepted yen as currency here even if he had money.

The stallion seeing Kaneki’s eye wonder to the aforementioned items smiled and patted Kaneki on the shoulder. “Go on in and change into them, it’s free of charge.”

Kaneki looked back at the earth stallion with slight surprise.

“Why?” he asked speaking for the first time which only made the sales pony smile even wider.

“What do you mean why?” he asked as he ushered Kaneki into his store. Once inside he took the white shorts and black shirt and from their respected hangers and handed them over to the still confused boy.

“Why are you helping me?” Kaneki asked the surprise and confusion still clear in his voice. “Not a lot of” he paused staring at the human body then down to the hooves that were the stallion’s feet. “Not many, people would help a complete stranger. Especially one like me...why?”

The stallion’s smile faded as he stared at Kaneki with a fixed observative look. The two staring at each other in the silence of the shop, for a few more seconds till he clapped a hand on Kaneki’s shoulder his smile once again returning.

“I can see you’re a good person that’s why. Besides it’s my motto to help out a person or friend in need, and you look like you could use some help here friend” he said simply, moving behind Kaneki and pushing the boy’s bare back towards a changing room.

“Now get in there and change out of those tattered rags will ya?” he said shoving Kaneki inside before closing the curtain on him.

Inside the changing room there was a mirror. Much like any regular changing room, of course. And as Kaneki began changing out of his tattered clothes he looked at his own reflection. A good person huh?

Walking out of the changing room in his new clothes Kaneki looked up to see the salesman waiting for him outside the shop. Still holding his tattered clothing Kaneki grabbed the mask in his pocket and shoved it deep within his short’s pockets before, heading out into the open streets of Ponyville and once again attracting unwarranted attention.Turning towards the sales stallion the boy stared at him calmly, then bowed. “Thank you” he said earnestly.

A few more heads had turned to take a look at the store and the weird stranger that now bowed before their local salesman. The salesman smiled and patted Kaneki on the shoulder. “Your welcome.”

Raising his head a thought popped into Kaneki’’s head before he would begin moving on to find more information on his whereabouts. “I have a question” he said ignoring the eyes that passed constant gaze in his direction.

“Shoot” the blue stallion said crossing his arms.

“Is there a place I can get coffee to drink?” and to the boy’s indifference the stallion immediately began to smile. “Follow me.”

Pinkie Pie had been up all night.

The poor girl hadn’t slept a wink since the shiverings began and she hadn’t bothered to after she’d finished helping Mrs. Cake with that morning’s goods feeling pretty energetic despite the slight lack of sleep she had.

“Are you sure you’re alright dear?” Mrs. Cake asked.

“I’m fine Mrs. Cake don’t worry” the girl had replied every time the kind mare had asked.

“Have the shivers stopped yet?” Mrs. Cake asked once she had finished handing a customer the cupcakes they had ordered.

“Mostly” she said with a weak smile. And though it was true the pink mare still couldn’t feel but uncomfortable by the sudden change her body had made since this morning. Earlier into the night her body had been shaking so badly that she couldn’t properly measure the correct cups of flour she needed to help Mrs. C bake the cupcakes.

It had worried the light cerulean mare so much she nearly dropped all her work and took Pinkie to the hospital, but Pinkie had fervently insisted that she work on the sweets instead. Eventually as it got closer to morning the pink mare’s body had relaxed a bit. No longer shaking as badly as it had before in the night.

And though the feeling had gone down much more as the day progressed there were still moments where Pinkie Pie would get chills up her spine down to her fluffy tail. It made her feel extremely nervous. Because for once she had no idea what to expect out of these bodily disruptions.

“Hello!” a voice called reaching the mare’s ears as they twitched at the sound of Sugarcube Corner’s door opening.

“Is that Raiment Wear I hear at our door?” Mrs. C said with a cheery note in her voice.

“The one and only” the salesman said with his signature smile. “And how are those two sweet angels and good old Carrot doing?” he asked as he entered followed by another figure behind him.

“They’re all just fine, thanks for asking” she said hugging her friend. “Oh and who do we have here now?” Pinkie heard Mrs. C ask. Her body suddenly starting to shake with renewed force as she began the battle of rising to her hooves and walking over to see who the new guest was. The wall having hidden everything about their new guest aside the shoes that poked out from underneath.

“Oh he’s a friend of mine. New in Ponyville and all, and-” Raiment paused as his eyes caught the movement in the living room that Pinkie was struggling to walk out of as she leaned her weight on furniture to support her.

“Pinkie!” Raiment exclaimed, only to stop and stare in bemusement. “What’s with the shaking?”

“Pinkie sense” Mrs. Cake whispered, in a nervous tone. “Been happening since midnight she hasn’t stopped. I may just take her to the doctor if it continues.”

“I’m fine, I’m fine” Pinkie Pie said with a forced smile as she leaned against the table inches away from the doorway. At this point she could now make out the stranger’s clothing. Underneath the black shirt the stranger wore was a sweat shirt, along with the white shorts that went well with his light grey shoes.

Rarity would be proud she smiled as she straightened up on wobbly legs.

Looking up to now see Kaneki’s face all of Pinkie’s fuzziness suddenly stopped. Huh? she thought the confusion clear on her face as Mrs. Cake moved towards, her up the three step staircase, asking “Are you alright?”

“I...I think so?” she said with a raised brow as she checked her body for any twitching. Lifting her tail up with her hand she didn’t feel any twitching. Nor were knees achy or anything else of the sort.

Her muddled expression brightened into a smile.

“Yeah. I think I’m fine now!” she said with glee in her voice, the stranger however had remained silent and staring at her quietly the entire time. Calming herself Pinkie let out a sigh of relief.

“Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie” she said moving forward to offer a handshake. “What’s your-” her tail twitched. Then her whole body gave a quick shudder making Mrs. C gasp in shock as Pinkie slipped on her step, her hoof sliding along the clean floorboards and rising slowly into the air as her entire body began to fall towards the ground. Her head in the trajectory of the solid mahogany table now behind her.

Raiment moved to grab Pinkie but he was to slow. His enclosed fingers snatching the air as his hand just barely missed the bubblegum pink mare’s as she continued to fall.

Pinkie’s eyes now stared at the ceiling as everything appeared in slow motion to her.

What just happened? was all she could think.

Shutting her eyes tightly expecting to go unconscious as her head would slam into the table possibly spelling her death the mare suddenly felt strong hands wrap around her body and lift her up, saving her from a painful fate.

Kaneki was now safely holding the mare in his arms, keeping her steady with one arm around her waist. The other on her back near the nape of her neck.

His face still calm and his expression still impassive Pinkie stared into his pale brown eyes as those cold eyes that had been through so much stared back into hers.

Silence.

Raiment and Mrs. C who had been holding their breaths in great anxiety and anticipation, sighed a breath of relief at Kaneki’s quick reflexes.

“Phew,” the stallion sighed wiping a bead of sweat away.

“Oh thank you so much” Mrs. Cake said moving over to help Pinkie as the boy helped her stand back on her hooves. “Pinkie what do you say?...Pinkie?”

The mare and Kaneki still had locked eyes, both ignoring any other presence in the room as the two stared at each other. Kaneki feeling something off about this girl in comparison to the others in the room. And Pinkie wondering why her body had shuddered when she had moved towards the stranger in the Cake’s home. Her home.

“Pinkie!” Mrs. Cake said snapping her fingers and breaking the long stare the two were sharing.

“It’s rude to stare at someone like that, especially when he saved you from your own clumsiness, now what do you say?” Mrs. Cake asked admonishingly.

Pinkie’s eyes widened as she realized that Kaneki had indeed moved quickly to save her. Her eyes moving back to the spot he had been silently standing at behind Raiment and Mrs. C, and near the wall.

He was fast. Really fast she thought looking back up at the calm, slightly dull and the prim look the boy gave her as he continued to stare in silence. And he moved that quick just to save me...

The look of realization turning into one of gratitude the mare reflexively jumped to hug Kaneki, and much to Kaneki’s own surprise his body didn’t reflexively move away. Feeling the girl’s arms firmly wrap him in a hug the mare smiled brightly whispering her thanks rather loudly into his ear, as he kept his arms to his sides hesitant on returning her hug.

“Thank you soooooo much!” she said warmly. “Oh this is great we’re going to be such great friends! I can’t wait to introduce you to the girls!” she said excitedly still hugging Kaneki, oblivious to the fact that her chest was also firmly pushing against the boy’s body.

“Your welcome” was the only thing he said in response to the mare, completely ignoring the rather soft feeling pushing up against his own chest as he kept his arms away from the mare’s body now that she was safe.

“So what’s your name?” he heard her ask him once she had taken in her fill of hugging. Kaneki looked at the expectant faces, waiting for his response as they stared at him patiently. Each holding a friendly smile that reminded him of his comrades back in Japan.

“...Kaneki...Kaneki Ken.”

Twilight Sparkle now sat in her library. A leg crossed over the other as she stared at the two troopers who had only a couple minutes ago come to see her, with Fluttershy who now sat across from them by her side.

The young alicorn had been through a lot, especially to get to her status now. And she’d seen a lot of things with her friends as they made their way through Equestria righting wrongs. But these two soldiers before her were strange in every word.

Not only did they have if not virtually the same anatomy and basically the same physiology, these two “humans” as they called themselves weren’t even sure where they were.

“So” Twilight said with a paper and pen magically floating up into the air, ready. “What do you want to know?”

“First of all where are we?” Sting asked for the second time since they’d been awake. “What are you and why do you resemble mythological creatures that have never been seen in our world?”

“First of all if anything we are almost the same as you. Minus the fact that you don’t seem to posses magic. And your technology is greatly advanced in comparison to our own. Second you are in Equestria, to be more accurate you are in Ponyville; in my castle. And third what do you mean mythological?” she asked with a bit of indignation.

Sting was about to speak again but a jab in the side from his superior silenced him. Kill Shot spoke next.

“Nothing, nothing at all” he said with an apologetic wave of his hand. “Now where is this Equestria? Did we travel from Japan to another country due to the...” he paused looking for the right word. “transportation, we were carrying in our trucks? Or is it due to something else completely different?”

Fluttershy and Twilight looked at each other confused. “We don’t really understand what you’re saying?” Twilight said voicing the two’s thoughts.

“Um. Ok let’s try it this way” he said in Japanese, still confusion was all he got.

“Where are we?” he asked plainly.

“Um Twilight already told you, you’re in Equestria” Fluttershy said quietly.

“I understand that but is Equestria near Japan or anything? If it is this is our first time of seeing such a country with...such inhabitants.”

Twilight and Fluttershy turned to each other talking in a low whisper. “I think he’s saying he’s from Japony” Fluttershy inquired.

“That would explain why he doesn’t know of Equestria” Twilight said with a nod. Turning back to the two soldiers she got up and walked over to a closet. Opening the closet, the lavender alicorn’s horn glowed and out came two RC weapons.

“Those are ours” Sting said pointing to the briefcases.

Twilight nodded. “I know” she said walking over to Fluttershy and gently placing the briefcases on the ground. “The question is why do you have weapons like these with you. You aren’t trying to take over Equestria are you?” she asked.

The soldiers looked at each other then laughed much to the two mares surprise.

“Ma’am we’re not serial killers or tyrants. We’re officers, at least in our country” Sting said wiping away a tear.

“Oh” Twilight said slight skepticism in her voice.

“Here, we’ll prove it” Kill Shot said pulling out his badge and showing it to them. Sting did the same with his good hand.

“GGC; Rank: Associate Special Class-Senior Investigator. Tokoshima Ren.
Code Name: Kill Shot, Age: 28.

“GGC; Rank: First Class- Senior Investigator. Yokozami Akiro.
Code Name: Sting Ray, Age: 20.

The two mares stared in awe at the badges presented before them before the two investigators put the badges back inside their pockets.

“Seems legit to me Twilight” the yellow pegasus said. As Twilight couldn’t help but feel slightly uneasy by all of this.

“Do you know how you two got here?” she asked, when both shook their heads the uneasiness Twilight felt merely amplified. Sighing heavily she tried to calm down by sipping some of the herbal tea Fluttershy had made for them.

“Is there a reason you injured?” Fluttershy asked Sting. “I didn’t see any signs of a serious battle before Twilight and I began treating you. But your hand was seriously broken. It took almost an hour mending broken bones, ruptured vessels and the rest” she said with a frown.

“What happened to you?”

Sting got quiet as all eyes including his partners went to him. “I think that kid did something. I’m not sure what, but whatever it was that happened he wasn’t with us. Otherwise he’d be here as well. Anyway he did this to my hand” Sting said raising his bandaged right hand.

“You must have attacked him then” Kill Shot said. The look of shock on his partners face was enough to tell the senior investigator he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“The heck is that supposed to mean!” he yelled anger rising in his voice.

“Exactly what I said. He wouldn’t have hit you if you didn’t attack. The guy isn’t like the others Sting Ray! I’ve told you time and time again. Not. All. Ghouls. Are. Evil!”

Just as Sting was about to reply Twilight whistled catching their attention and ending the argument.

“Who are the ‘others?’” She asked, Fluttershy drawing in closer as well due to curiosity.

Kill Shot cleared his throat and turned resuming his seating position before speaking. “Ghouls. And the one who was in our custody got away.”

“Oh” Fluttershy said with a frightened voice. “That sounds awful.”

“They are.” Sting said, without hesitation earning a worried look from Twilight and a frightened look from Fluttershy.

“And we need to find ours before he does something we’ll all regret.”

Twilight gulped the nervousness she was feeling starting to reach it’s peak. “Is he really that dangerous? Do you think he’s here in Equestria?” Her eyes widened in horror. “In Ponyville?!” she squeaked.

Kill Shot nodded.

“If we’re here. Then he must be here as well. And who knows how many of our comrades and the ghouls we managed to capture are out here somewhere. But one thing’s for sure, Centipede, the one-eyed ghoul is here. Somewhere. And we’ve got to find him before it’’s too late.”

*** ***** ***

Kaneki sat with Mrs. Cake, Pinkie Pie, and Raiment Wear, all enjoying a cup of tea. The boy had been asked if he wanted anything to eat but he knew if he tried to consume the sweets that filled the air of the bakery home he would merely throw them up in disgust.

And he wouldn’t want suspicion to arise, not after he’d just cleared himself of it all.

As he drank the coffee memories of Anteiku came flooding back to him, when he stared at the cup as he poured himself another cup.

“Enjoying your coffee?" Pinkie Pie asked and for a second the boy almost heard Yoshimaru's voice asking him he same thing.

Staring into the cup once more he nodded taking another sip. “Yes, Thank you.”