Delta Guardian: Heart of the Dragon

Chapters

1 - The Story Truly Begins...
2 - Waking Up
4 - Venting Bonds
5 - Applewood Boulevard
0 - Prologue
3 - Breaking Out (The Feels)

1 - The Story Truly Begins...

Diary and Journal of the Delta Guardian
Friday 15th of October, Year 43 AD

So, yeah. Pretty big start to the story, I know. Mental patient who got eaten by a Dragon? Who could believe that!?

Heh, well, lemme tell ya. If by the end of this journal you still think that’s the strangest thing about me? Well, you’re gonna wanna read through this again.

So anyway, what happened next… ah, right.

The next time Zoey opened her eyes, what greeted her was not the padded white walls of the cell she was so familiar with. Instead, what she looked upon was the open sky, a vast expanse of blue that seemed to fill her with a sense of pure freedom. After a moment of just gazing up into the air, the young woman seemed to register that she was lying prone on her back, climbing to her feet and taking in her surroundings.

Ancient, sandy stone seemed to have constructed a low wall around her, no higher than her knees on all sides and built in the shape of a triangle. A raised platform stood in the centre, with a shrine-like stone at the far side. Curiously, Zoey walked to the edge of the area and peered over the wall, practically leaping back when she saw no ground below, only a thick layer of clouds.

“What the hell!?!” Zoey cried out in fear, moving as far from the edge of the apparent tower as possible before spinning in place, eyes darting to every small detail as she tried to process what was happening to her. “Where am I!?”

‘Be calm, child,’ a voice spoke soothingly, deeper than Zoey could even imagine and carrying a sense of authority so great that she couldn’t help but obey, her breathing becoming less ragged as her heartbeat slowed.

“H-hello?” she called out unsurely, looking around herself as she tried to identify the source of the voice. “Who’s there?”

Silence reigned for a moment before a sense of pure, overwhelming power washed over the young woman, practically forcing her to her knees as a massive, emerald-scaled serpent came into her vision. Scarlet eyes locked onto amber, widening as Zoey realised just what had appeared before her, and where she was.

“...you gotta be shitting me…” she breathed in amazement, jaw hanging open as she simply gawked at the Rayquaza before her.

‘Nay, young one,’ the same voice spoke again, the Rayquaza’s eyes seeming to glint as it did so. ‘Thine eyes doth not betray thee. Before you doth stand Rayquaza, son of Arceus and Lord of the Atmosphere.’ After a moment of silence, the gigantic serpent seemed to chuckle bodilly before smiling down at her. ‘Although, thou art not truly knelt before me and mine shrine. Thou art truly unconscious, allowing me to speak to thee in thine mind.’

Zoey nodded slowly, looking around herself as it finally clicked on where she was. “Sky Pillar…” she breathed in awe, eyes wide as she ran her hand over the ancient stone beneath her, dust and dirt sticking to her flesh.

‘Indeed, child,’ Rayquaza chuckled in clear amusement, grabbing her attention once more. ‘I called thy mind here so that I may teach thee, and that I may beseech thy forgiveness.’

“What do you mean?” Zoey asked, confusion once more overtaking her features. Rayquaza merely sighed, allowing it’s gargantuan head to droop momentarily.

‘Tis a long story…’

Jutting out from the side of the tallest mountain in Equestria, with towering spires made of polished marble and sparkling gold throughout its many cobblestoned streets, hangs the bustling capital of Canterlot.

To the north of this gleaming capitol stood the undeniably tallest building, reaching high into the heavens with golden spires perched atop the ivory walls. Lush green gardens spanned the grounds, broken up by flower arrangements, wildlife areas, a hedge maze, and even a statue garden, all of which could be seen from the castle’s main throne room.

Up on one of the many tower balconies, Princess Celestia stood, the ivory mare’s pastel-coloured mane flowing in the ethereal breeze that seemed to follow her around. Robed in naught but a nightgown sewn from the finest silk and as light as gossamer, shimmering pink in the golden glow of her own horn as it flowed over her generously voluptuous curves.

To the general populace of Equestria, the sun began to set on it’s own, as it did every day, and no visible difference occurred with the gargantuan ball of burning hydrogen. To Celestia’s age-old eyes, however, the sun gained an extra golden glow - the colour of her magic - as it wrapped around the celestial body, reigning in it’s burning power for another night as she coaxed it past the horizon.

“Another sunset,” a familiar voice spoke, silky and cultured. This caused Celestia to smile as the moon rose in the sky, surrounded by a silver-blue glow. She turned to her side as her sister stepped up, the Princess of the Night dressed in a regal, midnight blue gown with shimmering silver stars that complimented her onyx regalia perfectly, her star-dotted mane flowing in the same ethereal breeze as Celestia’s. “And another moonrise. I hope you have good dreams tonight, sister.”

“Thank you, Luna,” Celestia chuckled, stepping forward to give her sister a hug, which Luna returned gladly. “I do wish there was more time in the day that we could spend together, but…”

“I know, Tia,” Luna sighed, though a small smile still sat upon her lips. “But we must see to our duties, and be sure we are rested enough to do so. If this means our worlds are connected by but a mere hour in the day, so be it.”

Celestia sighed deeply, shaking her head ruefully. “When did you go and grow up so much, Lulu?” she asked sadly, giving a loving smile. “What happened to my little Woona?”

A dark blush crossed Luna’s cheeks. “I told you not to call me that anymore!” she shrieked suddenly, eyes flying wide in shock as she realised her outburst.

Celestia, meanwhile, merely stood there, staring at her sister for a time before a smirk cracked her bewildered visage. Quiet giggles began to slip past the Solar Princess’s lips before she fell into a peal of boisterous laughter, having to grip the railings of the balcony to keep from falling. Luna stared for a time, baffled at her sister’s sudden change, before slowly beginning to laugh herself, the sounds of both princess’ joy echoing out in the night air.

This continued for a while before, eventually, Celestia managed to regain her composure, taking deep breaths to calm herself as Luna did the same. As time passed, both sisters resigned to merely staring out over the balcony at the night sky, content smiles on both of their faces.

“Your Night truly is beautiful, Luna”, Celestia said eventually, glancing at her sister and chuckling as a dark blush once more graced the lunar mare’s cheeks. “I don’t think you hear that enough.”

“Th-thank you…” Luna muttered, staring out across her creation with a smile, her eyes lingering upon the Moon. “Celestia?” she asked, speaking up after a few minutes of silence.

“Hmm?” the Solar Princess hummed, looking over at her sister. “What is it, Lulu?”

“Do…” Luna began, wringing her hands together nervously. “Do you think that… that They will ever…”

In a single, swift motion, Celestia moved along the balcony, sweeping Luna into a close, loving embrace that made the younger Alicorn blush as her head was pressed gently against her sister’s bust. “It’s okay, Luna,” Celestia whispered soothingly, gently stroking her sister’s mane. “They won’t. We’ll make sure of it.

Nodding, Luna returned the embrace, giving a quiet sigh of relief. “Thank you, sister…” she muttered.

“Of course.”

After a while, the sisters separated, smiles on each of their faces as they turned and moved into the tower. As the doors swung softly shut, however, a light streaked across the sky, emerald green contrails wisping behind it…

“So lemme get this straight…” Zoey began, drumming her fingers on her leg irritably as she sat cross-legged in the centre of Sky Pillar’s pinnacle, staring up at the emerald serpent that hovered before her. “You’re telling me that, due to some multiversal BS, I’m basically dead in my world and now your physical body is bringing mine to some other world?”

‘Correct,’ Rayquaza said, nodding.

“...and there are Pokemon in this world?” the girl continued, causing the Sky High Dragon to nod again. “But it’s not the Pokemon world I know.”

‘Nay, tis not,’ Rayquaza confirmed, shaking his head. ‘Tis a world where those you know as Legendary are that and more. Tis a world with no human presence, instead populated by races reminiscent of Human mythos, with human-like bodies.’

Zoey just nodded, pushing herself to her feet as she moved to the edge of the tower, looking over into the cloud barrier below. “Eh, I’ve heard weirder,” she shrugged, turning her back to the edge. “Y’know a guy in that asylum thought he was being raised by a bunch of sentient gemstones with bodies made of light?”

Rayquaza chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. ‘I hath no doubt that thy strange encounters will continue, child,’ he replied with a laugh. ‘But for now, thou must return to the waking world. Thou hast arrived.’

Zoey nodded, crossing her arms over her bust. “Alright then, how do I do that?” she asked, raising a brow when Rayquaza just seemed to nod at the edge of the plateau. “Jump?” she asked, receiving another nod in response, to which the young woman merely shrugged. “Alrighty then.”

With that, Zoey let her body tip backwards, gravity doing the rest as she fell from the tower, wind streaming past her ears. As she fell, Rayquaza seemed to follow after her, almost seeing her off as he spoke again, the cloud barrier rushing closer.

‘I near forgot,’ the drake said. ‘Thy name is no longer Zoey, tis instead Z-’

2 - Waking Up

Diary and Journal of the Delta Guardian
Friday 22nd of October, Year 43 AD

Probably won’t be adding much commentary on my story from now on, unless of course it’s something major, or I think you might need a warning. Just a courtesy, y’know?

But yeah. This part of the story is… I dunno. I guess it’s what you’d expect somepony to do when a flaming meteor crashes into their back yard. Or the equivalent thereof at the time, I suppose.

Trixie was a simple mare, in her own eyes. She had simple wants and simple needs. All she wanted was to be loved and adored by all of Equestria, and all that she needed was the undivided attention of the masses as she went from her jewel-encrusted mansion to the stages that the privileged ponies that booked her built in her honor.

...At least, that was what she used to think she wanted. Certain events had shattered that vision, making her realise that all she really wanted was to make ponies happy with her performances, and all she really needed was her little caravan and the memories she made on the road. Granted, the fame and fortune would be nice, but she didn’t need it anymore.

The travelling showmare had made camp on the outskirts of the Whitetail Woods, a simple resting point as night fell on her journey across the Equestrian wilderness. Of course, with camp came work and she had spent the better part of the afternoon gathering firewood, restocking her water, and being sure her shelter was properly maintained.

After making sure her camp was good enough, Trixie had set about her cooking. A simple rabbit stew that sat bubbling in a pot over a relatively small campfire. While eating meat was a rather large taboo for most of Ponykind, Trixie liked it. There was nothing quite like the taste, especially when it was cooked just right. The juices that splashed across her tongue with every slow, savouring bite… there was just no substitute, and any attempt to make one in the past had left her feeling quite ill.

Trixie was currently lay back on the ground, a blanket beneath her as she stared up at the stars. Hat and cloak alike had been stored away within her caravan, hung from the hook that was their home when not worn, the showmare instead lay in a pair of blue jogging pants and a silver tank top that matched her mane. Letting out a soft sigh, the magician closed her eyes, attempting for a moment to bring her thoughts under control.

“Ponyville…” she began, speaking aloud into the night air, “was a disaster. I know I stretch the truth a little sometimes, but really, what were those colts thinking!? Luring an Ursa Minor into town was just… ugh, so stupid…” Pausing for a moment, Trixie sighed once again, covering her eyes with her palms. “And all my fault… guess I can’t go around telling kids I do all that stuff anymore… and that’s if my reputation isn’t ruined to the point I can’t get a gig anyway…”

With a groan, Trixie pushed herself up slightly, leaning back on her hands as she stared up at the sky once again. “What am I gonna do…?” she asked herself quietly, desperately searching for an answer in the stars. After a moment, the showmare blinked, confused as a streak of emerald green light shot across the tapestry of Princess Luna’s night.

With a wave of her hand and a pink flash of her horn, a small telescope flew from Trixie’s caravan straight into her grip, where she proceeded to point it at the sky above. She peered through. Just as she’d thought, the object streaking across the sky was a shooting star, though the emerald flames that made up its contrails struck her as odd.

Lowering the telescope, Trixie stared at the star as it travelled across the sky, finding that the sight provided her with an odd sense of clarity. After a moment, a memory rose to the surface of her mind, surprising her with its unprompted arrival.

”Remember girls,” a middle-aged mare spoke, smiling down at a young Trixie and a second filly, coloured the same hue as a blue flame, with a two-tone mane of charcoal and white. “Whenever you see a shooting star, make a wish, and one way or another it will come true.”

“Wow!” young Trixie cried, lilac eyes sparkling in wonder. “Is that true Mama? Really?”

“Of course,” the other fillie laughed, pushing the young Trixie lightly. “Ms. Lulamoon never lies!”

“Not to you two, at least,” Trixie’s mother joked, causing both fillies to burst out giggling.

A smile found its way onto Trixie’s face as the memory drew to a close, her gaze lifting once again as she traced the shooting star’s path. Nodding to herself, the showmare clasped her hands together, closing her eyes tight as she thought of the right words to say.

“I wish…” she began, pausing for a moment as her smile faded. “I wish something would change…”

Opening her eyes once more, Trixie looked back to the shooting star, watching it until it disappeared over the horizon, and for a few moments after she stared after it, as though expecting something to happen. When nothing did, however, she sighed, standing and heading back into her caravan, the campfire dying out with an absent water-concentrator spell that drew the moisture from the air.

As she pulled the door to her caravan closed, Trixie cast one last look in the direction of the star… and smiled. Somehow, she felt something very good would be coming soon.

Something very bad had come.

Trixie stared with wide, terrified eyes at the emerald blaze that was tearing through the forest, for once thankful for being woken up in the middle of the night, as that had given her time enough to move her caravan far enough away from the flames to keep herself safe.

Pokemon scurried and galloped and stampeded away from the forest in a panic, some weaving between her legs and others leaping over her abandoned campsite. At one point, she caught sight of a pair of Sawsbuck attempting to escape even as flaming trees crashed down around them. Without a second thought, she sent a pulse of magic their way, blasting the fallen trees away to clear a path for the creatures, both of whom quickly took the chance to flee.

A sharp tugging at her hair managed to pull Trixie’s gaze from the blaze, causing her to spin around with a yelp only to lock eyes with a small, floating Pokemon, coloured a grey-blue with pink highlights at the ends of each of the many hair-like appendages atop its head. Red eyes with yellow sclera stared back at her, a string of five crimson gemstones glittering in the firelight around the Misdreavus’ neck.

“Um…” Trixie muttered, starting to feel a little uncomfortable with how the Ghost Pokemon was just staring at her. After a moment, however, the Misdreavus floated around her, moving towards the still-burning forest and looking back as though it wanted her to follow. When she didn’t move, however, it rolled its eyes before floating back over and grabbing her hair in its mouth, pulling harshly towards the forest.

“H-hey!” Trixie cried, staggering forward from the initial pull before catching herself, pulling her hair back. “What’s wrong with you!?”

“Mis!” the Misdreavus shot back, using its whole body to try and point her into the forest.

“I’m not going in there!” the showmare screeched, eyes wide. Misdreavus shook its head, finally deciding to ignore her as it turned and flew into the blaze itself, making Trixie’s eyes widen in shock. “H-hey, wait!” she called, biting her lip nervously for a moment before throwing up a basic shielding spell and hurrying after the Pokemon, weaving around any still-standing trees as she attempted to keep the Screech Pokemon in her line of sight.

However, focusing on the Ghost ahead of her proved to be Trixie’s downfall, as an unseen root that stuck out of the ground caught her foot, causing the showmare to trip and fall. As she pushed herself up, Trixie froze, a loud cracking sound echoing through the forest. Looking up, she saw a blazing tree branch breaking away from the tree, having time enough to scream before it fell, certain this would be her end.

A wave of psychic energy shot through the branch as it approached the showmare, splintering the wood and sending shards scattering over the ground. Trixie blinked in surprise, heart racing as she looked up to see the Misdreavus floating above her, concern in its distinctly feminine eyes.

“Th-thank you…” Trixie breathed, climbing to her feet as the Misdreavus nodded and continued on its way. She made sure to stick close to the Ghost this time.

Trixie and Misdreavus hurried through the forest together after that, the showmare keeping a magical barrier around them to protect from any other falling debris as the Ghost Pokemon cleared their path with its Psywave attack, blasting fallen trees apart. At one point, Trixie glanced back, managing a smile as she saw that the Pokemon of the forest were using the path they had carved in order to escape faster as well. After a time, the showmare skidded to a halt, eyes wide in shock as she stared down at what lay before her with Misdreavus at her side.

A massive crater, easily the size of a small neighbourhood - if not bigger - and deep enough that, if Trixie were to stand on her own shoulders ten times, she would still only just reach the top. Shaking off those thoughts, however, drew the showmare’s eyes to what lay in the center of the crater. Not a meteorite, or even a spaceship - that idle thought told Trixie she needed to cut down on the comic books - but…

“Is that a person?!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Trixie leapt over the edge of the crater, sliding down the steep decline on her rear. She had to make sure they were okay. If this person was in the middle of the crater… that did not bode well for their health, to say the least.

Upon reaching the prone figure - a woman, Trixie noticed with a blush as she rolled her over, revealing the burned and charred clothing beneath the tattered brown cloak that had covered her backside beforehand - the first thing that the showmare made sure of was her pulse. Years of working with pyrotechnics had lead to Trixie taking at least a basic course in First Aid, meaning it was almost instinctual as she reached for the woman’s neck, placing two fingers to the flesh just beneath her jaw. After a moment, Trixie released a breath she hadn’t realised she was holding - there was a pulse, and it was a strong one.

Looking around, Trixie resolved that staying in the centre of the impact site was not a good idea. After making sure the woman could breath properly, and that she was adequately covered up - an awkward process, as Trixie steadfastly refused to touch anywhere inappropriately for fear of any repercussions should the strange woman awaken - a gentle purple light surrounded her, lifting both the stranger and the showmare out of the crater before setting Trixie gently on the edge. Looking around for a moment, Trixie allowed herself a smile as her Misdreavus companion floated to her side, nodding silently before moving to clear the path ahead of them. The return trip seemed like it would be much easier.

Zoey awoke with a groan, pushing herself into a sitting position before grabbing her head in pain. Her skull throbbed in agony, the feeling of a truck smashing into her coursing through her head every time she tried to open her eyes.

“One Hell of a hangover…” Zoey muttered, rubbing at her temples in an attempt to reduce the pain. “Fuck, didn’t think they’d let me drink… hope I can have some coffee or something…”

“Trixie placed a pot on the fire ten minutes ago.”

Zoey paused. Cracking open an eye, she glanced at the woman across from her, idly taking in the fact that she was covered in a coarse-looking blue fur and had long, silver-blue hair. A horn also shot out from her forehead. Wordlessly, Zoey looked around herself, recognising the telltale signs of a stereotypical traveller’s caravan.

Looking back to the blue woman, Zoey sighed. “Okay, what drugs did you slip me?” she asked tiredly.

“W-what!?” the blue woman cried indignantly, causing Zoey to flinch as her head throbbed in pain once more.

“Nevermind!” Zoey shot back hurriedly. “Just… keep your voice down… head hurts…”

“Oh, sorry,” the woman replied, being sure to stay quieter. “So, um…”

“Who are you?” Zoey asked suddenly, cutting off the stranger’s words. “And more importantly, where am I? Obviously not the hospital, they would never give me anything this nice…”

“Oh, this is Trixie’s home,” the woman answered easily, gesturing around the space that, while large enough for someone on their own, felt rather cramped at the moment. “Trixie is a travelling magician, bringing joy to the fillies and colts of Equestria.”

“Uh-huh,” Zoey muttered, nodding along. “And… ignoring that you sound crazy, who is this Trixie?”

The woman blinked, tilting her head to the side for a second before seeming to come to a realisation and pointing to herself. “Sorry, I have a habit of slipping into the third person when around others. It's something from my performances that just kinda became a tic. I’m Trixie.”

Again, Zoey nodded, before shivering. It was then that she noticed she was sat covered by naught but the cloak of her costume. “Right… okay then Trixie, one more question. For now at least.” Looking up to Trixie, Zoey opened her cloak, raising a brow as the blue woman’s face erupted into a crimson blush. “Where are my clothes?”

“Th-they were destroyed when I f-found you,” Trixie replied, averting her gaze as much as possible within the small space. “I-I covered you the best I could, b-but… you can borrow some of Trix-” She paused, cursing under her breath before continuing. “Some of my clothes if you like. At least until you get your own.”

Zoey nodded. That seemed plausible enough. Closing the cloak around herself again, she looked around. “So… we’re in your caravan, which is in… Equestria, did you say?”

“Yes,” Trixie replied, chancing a peek before sighing in relief and turning to give Zoey her full attention. “We’re about a week’s travel from Ponyville, and I’m on my way towards Applewood right now.”

Sighing deeply, Zoey shook her head. “Are we moving now?” she asked, receiving a shake of the head from Trixie in answer. “Good. That gives you the option of getting out while I get dressed, I really don’t care if you watch though. Where do you keep the clothes you wear the least.”

Blushing once more, Trixie pointed to a small chest in the back of the caravan, watching in interest as Zoey stood up and moved in that same direction. She promptly vacated the caravan when the woman threw her cloak off, revealing her bare skin without a care in the world.

“Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to strip in front of ponies!” the showmare called over her shoulder, grumbling quietly.

“Nope,” Zoey shot back. “She just told me I was a worthless slut.”

Trixie suddenly decided to cut off her rude comeback.

After a few moments of silence, Zoey eventually stepped out of the caravan, now garbed in simple black pants and a sky blue strapless crop top. “Ugh,” she muttered, tugging at the top that accentuated her curves flatteringly. “I feel like I’m wearing half of a leotard here. Which, normally, I’d be all for, but this is a little too small too.”

“Sorry,” Trixie offered, rubbing the back of her head. “I noticed earlier that you were a little… ahem, larger than me in some areas.”

Zoey blinked, looking over Trixie for a moment before her gaze landed on the mare’s chest. “Oh!” she cried in realisation, slamming a fist into her open palm. “Right, gotcha. My tits are bigger.”

Trixie’s face turned crimson once again in a matter of seconds as she stammered, tripping over her words before sighing. “You don’t beat around the bush, do you?” she asked in resignation, massaging her temples.

“Nope,” Zoey shrugged. Looking around for a second, she blinked. “Holy shit, what happened here?!” she cried suddenly, eyes going wide as she took in the sight of the burned foliage and blackened grass.

Looking up, Trixie blinked. “Oh, that was the fire that I found you in the middle of,” she offered. “Luckily the rain started up not long after I got back, but… yeah. A meteor crashed into the middle of the forest and started a blaze.” Pausing for a moment, she looked around, kicking a loose pebble. “It was strange, though…”

“How so?” Zoey asked curiously, rubbing at her arm worriedly.

“Well, the whole blaze was green.”

Cursing under her breath, Zoey sighed. “Yeah… yeah, that’d do it…”

“Do what?” Trixie asked, raising a brow curiously.

Sighing again, Zoey turned to the stranger that had rescued her. “We’ve got a lot to talk about, I guess. But first of all… I never told you my name, did I?”

“No,” Trixie replied, crossing her arms.

“Well, it’s Zinnia.”

And that there lead to a long, confusing, and quite frankly kinda awkward conversation about what I was and where I came from. Of course, Trixie didn’t quite believe me when I told her that there was no meteor, and that it was just me that had crashed into the forest, but as I explained more - specifically the bit about the chat with Rayquaza - she seemed to open up to the idea.

4 - Venting Bonds

Zinnia stormed through the woods furiously, not really paying attention to her surroundings as she snapped branches and stomped twigs, working out her frustrations on the only things she could that wouldn’t hurt anyone - the trees.

As she reached a small clearing banked on all sides by thick foliage, the fuming woman hauled off and kicked a stone in front of her, sending it flying through the air to the opposite end of the clearing. Looking around, Zinnia said nothing as she honed in on a downed tree branch thicker around than the rest, lifting one end with some difficulty and dragging it to the center of the clearing.

After some work, Zinnia had the branch propped upright, the broken edge jammed deep into the earth and supported by a small ring of stones. Taking but a moment to admire her handiwork, Zinnia almost immediately leapt into a ferocious attack, lashing out at the branch with punches and kicks and words in an attempt to vent her frustrations.

“Stupid kids!” She cried. “Running off into the woods! Stupid parents, not teaching kids to stay safe! Stupid ponies, blaming Trixie for something that wasn’t her fault! Stupid Twilight Sparkle, kicking her out of town! Stupid Twilight, showing Trixie up! Stupid Twilight, stupid Twilight, STUPID TWILIGHT!!!”

With one last, guttural cry of rage, Zinnia spun and struck the branch with a powerful kick, jumping back at the resounding CRACK as it snapped in two and fell away from her. Panting, breath gone and muscles sore, Zinnia sank to the floor and sat heavily, crossing her arms on her knees and hiding her face in the crook of her elbows.

“Stupid me…” she muttered. “Getting so worked up over this… don’t even know any of those ponies…” She sniffled, swiping a hand across her face to banish the tears forming. “Barely even know Trixie…”

She stayed that way for a while, staring into the darkness provided by her own arms over her eyes until her exhaustion, both physical and emotional, dragged her into unconsciousness. With the area now peacefully quiet, wild Pokemon began to slowly emerge from their hiding places, slowly approaching the mysterious figure that had caused such an uproar in their home.

As an overly-curious Poochyena approached to sniff her arm, Zinnia jerked away with a snort, looking around for a moment in confusion before noticing the Dark-Type pup had leapt back to growl at her. She simply stared back at it, remaining still until the Pokemon calmed itself and approached to sniff her again.

“Hey there, little guy…” she uttered quietly, slowly extending her hand palm-up to the pup. After a brief sniff, the Poochyena let out a content yip and rubbed its face along her hand, allowing her to stroke it. “Sorry, did I scare you?”

As the pup flopped over onto it's back for tummy rubs, Zumba could only giggle, looking around at the Pokémon that had entered the clearing. Her mind raced for all the ‘useless’ information she had memorised on the species in her old life, taking note on those that she didn’t recognise as areas to figure out.

A large, regal-looking Sawsbuck was regarding her warily as a number of smaller Sawsbuck and young Deerling followed it into the clearing. When she made no movements towards them, the leader seemed to give a signal that told the others it was safe, as they all began to roam and graze in the clearing. The vibrant green leaves and fur across the heard told Zinnia it must have been the height of Summer.

A number of bird Pokémon sat upon branches surrounding the clearing, ranging from Hoothoots and Murkrow to a few Natu being watched over by an elderly Xatu. Zinnia locked eyes with the clearly aged Mystic Pokémon and gave a slight nod of respect, not entirely certain why until it seemed to nod back.

Paras scuttled along the bases of trees, searching for food. Venonat seemed to hop around in the distant shade of the trees as the forest returned to it's normal night-time activities. Even a Dustox fluttered by overhead.

The only strange occurrence that registered firmly in Zinnia’s mind was the solitary Apple that rolled down the tree it had been hanging in before completely changing direction and approaching her. Blinking slowly, Zinnia regarded the seemingly sentient fruit out of nothing more than pure curiosity as it came to a stop by her foot before a pair of eyes popped up from its skin, beady black orbs set into a pair of green stalks.

Zinnia stared at the creature for a moment as the Poochyena seemed to decide it had had enough before scampering off. With her hands now free, Zinnia turned to the apple fully. “And what might you be?”

The apple creature stared back at her before letting out an echoing chirp.

“An Applin, hun?” Zinnia mused as she shifted to cross her legs, holding a hand out. The Applin took the invitation readily, rolling into her hand for her to lift it up to her eye-level. “Never heard of one of you guys. Gotta say, you’re pretty cute!”

The eye-stalks frowned at her as Applin let out an echoing growl from within it's fruit shell.

“Right, sorry,” Zinnia giggled. “Not cute. Fierce and ferocious!”

Applin nodded smugly.

“So what type are you?” the girl asked, rubbing her chin with her free hand. “In guessing Grass but… Bug Type maybe?”

Applin shook it's whole body in her hand in the negative, chirping insistently.

“Oh, so you’re a Dragon!” Zinnia mused, smiling. “I see it now - not a worm, a wyrm. That’s pretty neat!”

Applin rocked back and forth in her hand happily, seemingly enjoying her understanding and praise. It let out a questioning chirp as Zinnia set it dow. And rose to her feet, however, the girl stretching slightly before smiling down at it.

“Well it was nice to meet you, Applin the Fierce Dragon,” Zinnia said kindly. “But I should probably get back to my friend. Stay safe now!”

And with that, Zinnia turned and made her way out of the clearing, making sure to leave a wide berth from any of the Pokémon that still seemed wary of her.

As she made her way back to camp as best as she could remember, Zinnia couldn’t shake the feeling of being followed. Every time she looked back, however, she could see nothing there. Just the trees.

Shrugging the feeling off, Zinnia just focused on getting back, breaking free of the tree line in just a few more minutes and deciding to simply sit by the fire and rest.

She wasn’t entirely sure when she’d fallen asleep. She only knew she had when Trixie shook her awake the next morning. “Bwuwha-“

“Elegant as always,” Trixie muttered with a roll of her eyes, stepping back and waiting as Zinnia yawned and stretched to wake herself up. “Thanks, by the way, for uh… getting me to bed last night.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Zinnia muttered dismissively, waving her off. “What’re friends good for if they can’t even do that, right?”

Trixie blinked in surprise before smiling slightly. “Right,” she agreed, before glancing down at Zinnia’s side. “Where’d the Applin come from?”

Zinnia frowned for a moment before looking down. Sure enough, nestled snugly into the curve of her leg was the Applin she had met the night before, snoozing contentedly. It soon woke with a start, however, when Zinnia moved her leg, causing it to tumble to the ground.

“Some girls charge for that kind of privilege, y’know,” she said teasingly as the wyrm rounded on her angrily. Rolling her eyes, Zinnia smirked as the Pokémon began chirping at her rapidly. “Yeah yeah, talk it up big guy, I could still toss you back into the woods.”

Trixie looked back and forth between the two in confusion before clearing her throat. Zinnia and Applin looked to her in confusion.

“Zinnia, you do realise you’re talking to a Pokémon, right?” the powder-blue mare asked seriously.

Zinnia blinked, looking to Applin for a moment before turning back to Trixie. “The thought crossed my mind, yes.”

“And that’s not odd to you?” Trixie asked pointedly, brow raised in question.

Zinnia simply shrugged. “For you maybe. Everything else that’s happened to me? This is fairly tame.” She paused, seeming to contemplate something for a moment. “Though I do wonder why its only Applin I can understand…”

Trixie blinked, turning it over in her mind before filing it away as a ‘just roll with it’ moment. “Maybe it's something to do with its Type?” She offered unsurely. “You did mention a dream with Rayquaza in it before.”

Zinnia hummed, nodding slightly. “Could be…” she muttered. “So I can understand Dragon Types then? That’s kinda cool.”

“Could be dangerous too,” Trixie put in. “Dragons are pretty dangerous Pokémon, to the point that they have their own Country.”

Zinnia looked to Trixie in intrigue. “Really?” She asked incredulously. “So what, the Dragons all banded together and decided ‘this is our land now’ and the rest of the world just ran with it?”

“Yes, actually. You’d have to be insane to think you could convince a nation’s worth of Dragons to up and leave, plus it was a wasteland anyway.”

Thinking it over for a moment, Zinnia could only nod. “Fair enough,” she allowed before hopping to her feet. “Well then! Shall we be off?”

Trixie gave their campsite a once-over before nodding. “Yeah, thanks for cleaning up last night by the way.”

Zinnia just shrugged.

“What arou going to do about him?” Trixie asked, gesturing to the Applin still positioned by Zinnia’s heel.

Zinnia looked down before taking a step away from the Dragon-Type. As she did, it rolled forward. She took another step, and it followed her.

“Seems like he’s coming along,” she said simply after a second of thinking. She simply shrugged at the look of surprise Trixie gave her. “What? Like you said, Dragons are stubborn - tell me he wouldn’t try and follow us.”

Trixie simply sighed. “I suppose…” she allowed, before levelling an accusatory finger at Zinnia. “But you’re in charge of feeding him!”

Zinnia just shrugged. “Fair enough,” she allowed, bending down to scoop the little apple-wyrm up and place him on her shoulder. “Hey, look at me, I’m a protagonist!”

Trixie stared at her.

“Never mind…” Zinnia sighed.

Author's Note

...so I'm back

5 - Applewood Boulevard

Days passed with little excitement to note as the duo of Zinnia and Trixie made their way towards their destination, camping by the roadside as night fell and travelling in amicable silence in the days, interspersed with swapped stories of their past as well as random, casual conversation as topics came to mind.

On the fourth day, Zinnia awoke with a yawn to the feeling of the wagon trundling along the road at the same steady pace as always. Her Applin lay on her stomach, gently rocking back and forth with the wagon and making Zinnia chuckle at the sight.

Gently, Zinnia scooped the tiny dragon up and set him in the crook of her pillows as she sat up before moving about to get dressed for the day. She kept her outfit fairly simple - a pair of shorts that Trixie had loaned her and a loose-fitting shirt - before stepping out of the front door of the caravan and dropping to sit on the steps with her companion.

“How come you didn’t wake me?” Zinnia asked casually, nudging Trixie with a teasing smile.

The showmare shrugged, smiling to herself as she watched the path. “You looked peaceful,” she said simply, pausing to steer her Mudbray away from a dirt patch. “And we did most of the tidyup work last night, so it was easy enough to get it done and get us moving. We’re close to Applewood, so I thought if we left early we’d be there by about mid-day.”

Zinnia nodded to herself, leaning back as she looked down the road. “Makes sense,” she mused, frowning as something caught her eye in the distance. “What time is it, anyway?”

Trixie smirked. “About eleven thirty,” she said teasingly, giggling as Zinnia groaned and buried her face in her hands. “I told you to take it easy on that cider!”

“Yeah yeah, laugh it up…” the Draconid muttered before sighing. “So that’s Applewood over there, yeah?”

Trixie looked into the distance and nodded. “The one and only,” she said. “This is the place anypony who wants to be somepony goes to make their big break. It's where I started out, when I decided I wanted to stay independent I hit the road. I like coming back sometimes.”

The duo fell silent again as the wagon trundled along, a comfortable quiet between new but fast friends that could be filled with conversation, but didn’t need to be. Zinnia found herself surprised by how quickly she’d come to be comfortable in Trixie’s presence - how quickly she’d latched onto this mare, for how nice she’d been and how invested in Trixie’s life she had become. Some people might have found it concerning. Zinnia shrugged it off as another quirk of her new life and simply filed it under ‘don’t question it’.

As they passed the city limits, Trixie paused for a moment in their travel to look around before directing the caravan down a series of small streets. Zinnia watched in mild interest, impressed at the showmare’s intrinsic knowledge of the area. She blinked as the wagon pulled up at the side of a seemingly random, if wide, street, and Trixie hopped off to start messing with the side closest to the street proper.

“What are you doing?” Zinnia asked curiously, leaning over the side to watch Trixie work.

“Setting up my stage,” Trixie answered simply. “I have a mechanism built into the wagon normally, but it’s been broken since Ponyville. I need to get it fixed, but for that, I need money.”

“Oh.” Zinnia paused, watching for a moment before hopping over the edge of the stairs and moving to help.

The two worked in unison, and before long Trixie’s caravan had been unfolded into a sizable stage complete with backing curtains and, to Zinnia’s surprise, fireworks launchers lining the front edge of the stage itself. Zinnia shrugged it off.

“So now what?” the woman asked as Trixie leapt onto her stage, a brief flare of magic giving her a boost. Zinnia followed with a jump of her own, not even blinking as she cleared the stage easily under her own power.

“Now I get changed,” Trixie said simply. “I can do a couple simple shows until sundown and then the big finale when it gets dark.”

“Need any help?” Zinnia offered as she followed Trixie behind the curtains. She blinked in surprise at what she saw. “Wow. How did I not clock this when we put it up?”

Trixie just shrugged as she moved to the closet that was inside of her caravan, now standing in the ‘dressing room’ portion of the stage. “Magic, I guess?” she offered unsurely. “I don’t know how to explain your ignorance.”

“I-” Zinnia stammered, blinking before grabbing and throwing a pillow at Trixie. “Jerk!”

Trixie just laughed, disappearing behind a screen with an outfit from her closet. “Just pick an outfit and get changed!”

Zinnia grumbled to herself, digging around in the closet before moving behind a screen of her own. When she emerged, she’d changed her clothes to a set that matched her original costume to a surprising degree. Olive-green shorts tied off with a crimson rope-belt, a black shirt with red claw-like markings, long tang socks, black combat boots, and a tan cape hanging around her shoulders. The anklet she hadn’t even looked at since she’d first woken up in Equestria had been fastened around her leg.

Zinnia moved to a standing mirror and looked herself over, admiring her reflection. “Huh, guess I really did turn into her…” she muttered, blinking as she saw Trixie step out of her own screen in the mirror and turning around.

The powder-blue showmare had changed into what Zinnia could only describe as a typical magician’s outfit - a deep purple leotard with lighter purple leggins, and a sparkling purple came decorated with stars, complete with matching magician’s hat.

Zinnia whistled in appreciation. “Lookin’ good, Trix!” she called, giggling as Trixie glared at her despite her blush. “Oh come on, you’ve gotta know how that makes your body look! I like it.”

Trixie huffed. “Yeah, well…” the showmare muttered, looking away. “You know what they say. Sexy sells.”

Looking down at herself, Zinnia hummed in thought. “I’ll probably lose the cape mid-show then, yeah? Show off a bit.”

“And what are you going to be doing?” Trixie asked pointedly. “Last I checked, you don’t have any magic.”

Zinnia shrugged. “You conjure up some illusion monsters, I’ll fight them?” she offered. “I can be the hero of the story, and it could probably make the kids more invested because they can interact now?”

Trixie stared at her for a moment, turning the thought over in her mind slowly before giving a nod. “That… could work…” she mused. “In fact, that might work really well. I like it.”

Zinnia gave a nod, and the pair sat down for a while to discuss what each would be doing and how the other should react. Without realising, an hour ticked away, and Trixie looked up suddenly as she heard chattering from outside of the caravan. Casting a quick spell with a wave of her hand, she opened a window in the air through which she could see the street outside of her caravan-turned-stage, where a small crowd of ponies had gathered, muttering amongst themselves in a mixture of curiosity and excitement.

“Guess I won’t have to attract a crowd then…” the showmare muttered, chuckling nervously.

“Mystery often brings more in than shouting and calling,” Zinnia offered cryptically as she stood up, brushing her legs off. “Gimme a minute to sneak around to the back of the crowd, then start.”

Trixie nodded as the woman flipped a hood up on her cloak, pulling it around herself before making her way out of the ‘backstage’ area of her caravan and stealthily sneaking around to join the crowd at the back. Watching through her scrying spell, Trixie waited until Zinnia had settled herself in place before taking a deep breath and walking up to stand behind the curtains.

“Showtime.”

Vinyl Scratch, more commonly known to ‘her people’ as the Dunkin’ DJ P0N3, was bored. Her shows for the week had all finished up, and she couldn’t find the inspiration despite herself to mix anything new.

Her best friend, roommate, and… occasionally more, Octavia, had suggested an evening walk to clear her head. “Something might catch your eye,” she’d offered as she poured over the sheet music for her set in their next destination, the grand capital of Canterlot, and Vinyl had to admit she had a point. She often found what she needed for her music when just walking around with a recorder in her pocket.

Thus it was that she’d found herself drawn to the weird wooden caravan stage thing with the slowly growing crowd. She looked around at the gathered ponies and noticed there was no particular grouping - anypony from little kids to older couples had stopped to investigate this strange stage that had appeared out of nowhere. There was even some weirdo in a cloak that had stepped up not long after her, though she couldn’t make out many more details than the beige cloak and bare legs.

Her attention was snatched back to the stage as an almost startled silence fell over the crowd, her eyes widening as smoke billowed out from under the curtain to fill the stage with an eerie, almost mystical purple mist that seemed to sparkle from within. Lights flared to life along the front of the stage, showing the silhouette of a mare behind the curtains as a voice began to speak.

“Ladies and Gentlecolts!” the voice called out. “Ponies of all ages! Welcome, one and all, to the spectacle of your lives… please, put your hands together for the tantalizing tales of the Grrrreat, and Powerful… TRRRRRRIXIE!”

As the introduction faded off, the ponies around Vinyl began clapping excitedly. The curtains pulled away to either side, revealing the powder-blue mare that had been silhouetted on the curtains. Vinyl had to admit, in that skimpy little leotard of hers, framed by her wide-brimmed hat and billowing cape, she was pretty hot.

She laughed when an elderly mare struck her husband upside the head. Apparently the stallions thought so too.

“Thank you, thank you!” the mare called out in the same voice as before, and Vinyl looked closer to see the very subtle glow of her horn, expertly hidden. Vinyl used the same trick in her sets. “Trixie welcomes you all to her show! Please, settle down!”

The mare laughed as the cheering and clapping died down, winking as a few daring stallions - and even a few mares - whistled at her. “Trixie thanks you all for coming!” she continued, and Vinyl couldn’t help but raise a brow. Was the third-person thing part of the show? “Now, Trixie must warn you - the tales Trixie tells are not for the faint of heart. Those who are not brave as the great Minotaurs themselves, Trixie must advise that you leave.”

The silence that settled on that statement was suffocating. Vinyl had to remind herself to take a breath even when the figure behind her chuckled under it's cloak.

“Nopony?” Trixie continued, looking around at the crowd. “This is your last warning!” When nobody moved, she nodded to herself. “Very well. Then allow Trixie to tell you the tale of the great Emerald Serpent, who circles the globe to this very day.”

As she spoke, Vinyl’s eyes widened in surprise as the very smoke that surrounded the stage swirled around, coalescing into a large, emerald-scaled serpentine beast with short arms and sharp claws, fearsome eyes and razor fangs. The beast circled the stage thrice with its elongated body before rearing up, easily dwarfing the crowd as it looked down on them. Gasps and screams filled the air.

“Trixie warned you all!” the mare on the stage called out, casually stepping to the side of the stage as she gestured to the beast, who seemed to regard the crowd like a predator eyeing its prey. “This beast protects our world, it is true. But when angered, it can call down the Heavens themselves to raze the earth and the seas. None dare to enter its domain, even the Pegasi above fear its wrath!”

“I-I do fear it!” a mare at the front of the crowd cried, shivering violently as her grey wings twitched in fear. The stallion next to her, dressed in a long brown trench coat, pulled her to his side and gently stroked her blonde mane to calm her.

“And so you should!” Trixie shouted, causing the crowd to jump as the beast snapped its teeth. “For the great Emerald Serpent is here tonight, for you to witness… as it satiates it's hunger with one of you!”

Screams of terror met Trixie’s words as the serpent lunged forward, held back as Trixie suddenly lashed out with a lasso of magic energy, pulling the serpent back with evident struggle.

“Trixie cannot hold the beast back for long!” the showmare warned. “Who among you is brave enough to face the Emerald Serpent!? Who will defeat this beast and save the crowd… or be eaten alive as you try!”

Nervous chattering washed over the crowd. Some groups attempted to push one of their own forward only for the pushee to turn tail and hide again. Only after a moment, when Trixie seemed to lose her grip and the beast lunged forward again, did somebody step forward.

“I will face the beast!” the figure behind Vinyl called, stepping forward and lightly pushing people aside as she made her way towards the stage. Vinyl was sure it was a she - that voice was definitely female.

“Finally!” Trixie cried, visibly struggling against the beast’s movements as it thrashed about on the stage. “Come, noble warrior! Trixie must let the beast go - these ponies safety is in your hands!”

Without further warning, Trixie’s lasso snapped, dissipating in the air as the beast lunged forward. The crowd parted in terror as the serpent closed in on the figure in the cloak… who reared back, punching the beast directly in the snout and sending it reeling back!

Vinyl watched in awe as the figure threw its cloak off, revealing a shapely woman with no wings, no horn, and no fur dressed only in a black shirt and olive-green shorts. Black boots covered her feet as she crouched down and leapt onto the stage, flipping mid-air to bring her heel down in an overhead axe-kick that barely missed the serpent’s tail before it flicked the girl back.

Even knowing this was all fake, likely an illusion cast by Trixie herself, Vinyl found herself staring, her attention captured entirely as the battle raged on. The beast blasted streams of fire and pure energy at the woman, who dodged and weaved around every attack only to retaliate with rapid punches and kicks of her own, swiping with her fingers extended like claws when a punch couldn’t connect and leaping into the air far further than any pony should be able to naturally.

Vinyl blinked, and suddenly the woman was sprinting along the serpent’s body, up its back as it rose into the air. Vinyl watched as the woman slid under a coil in the serpent’s body before leaping, rising high into the air before flipping again and coming down to strike the beast directly in the middle of its head with her own in a vicious headbutt that made her wince.

As the beast fell back and hit the stage once more, defeated, the woman landed on the ground in a crouch. Without a word, she bent down to pick up her cloak.

“Ladies and Gentlecolts!” Trixie cried out, stepping into the middle of the stage as she beckoned the woman to join her. The crowd converged again slowly as the woman did so. “Let’s hear a round of applause for our brave warrior, who has single-handedly saved the day! What is your name, oh brave one?”

The woman looked over the crowd for a moment before smiling. “I’m Zinnia,” she said simply. “You can call me your Delta Guardian.”

“The Delta Guardian, Ladies and Gentlecolts!”

As the crowd erupted into roaring applause, Vinyl turned to leave. Suddenly, she had her inspiration.

“That was amazing!” Zinnia laughed as she entered the caravan later that night, having disappeared into an alleyway where Trixie teleported a change of clothes for her. When the crowd eventually dispersed, the duo spent some time putting the stage away before calling it a night. “How did you do those tricks for me, Trix?”

“Oh, the constructs are easy really,” Trixie replied casually as she hung her cloak and hat up. “A little magic-powder smoke goes a long way to making things look much more real than they are. But if you mean all that leaping and flipping - that was all you. I didn’t do anything more than cushion your fall.”

Zinnia blinked in surprise as she scooped Applin into her arms. “Really?” she asked in shock. “Huh, did not know I could do that stuff… neat!”

Trixie regarded her for a moment before shrugging. “Maybe it has to do with how you got to Equestria?” she offered. “That seemed to have changed your body, maybe it gave you more abilities at the same time?”

“Maybe,” Zinnia muttered in agreement, suppressing a yawn. “I’ll think about that in the morning though. For now, I’m tired as all hell.”

Trixie nodded in understanding. “I’ll be up counting out the bits we made for a bit, but I won’t be far behind you,” she chuckled. “I must admit, having you around really helps the income. Normally I’d need to do three or four shows to get a purse this full.”

“I do what I can,” Zinnia joked before falling back into her bed, drifting to sleep soon after.

Trixie smiled before sitting down at a small table set into the side of her caravan, carefully counting out her bits. As she did, she pulled a pad of paper and a quil to her side in her magic, jotting down what bills she needed to pay against how much she had earned and mentally checking where she might have to save money.

To her surprise, as she reached the end of the list, she found she had a good two hundred bits to spare. “Huh, we really did bring in a good amount today…” she muttered, looking around her caravan. “Maybe I could even get an upgrade instead of just a repair… with the two of us, plus the Pokemon, I suppose this little caravan might get a bit cramped…”

After another moment’s thought, Trixie shrugged, filing the thought away for the morning. She could always ask her friend when she saw him what he thought - and maybe Zinnia could have an input too.

As she stood to go to her own bed, she paused, gasping in surprise as her hoof slid out from under her before she caught herself. Glancing down, Trixie bent to pick up a strange, colourful card with what could only be described as an ‘odd helmeted figure’ printed on the front.

“Weird…” Trixie muttered, before shrugging and putting it on her desk. “Probably just a gift from a fan that I missed. I’ll look at it tomorrow.”

With that, the showmare headed to bed, smiling to herself in pride as she drifted off. For the first time in a while her show wasn’t just a way to stay alive. For the first time in a while, her show was… fun.

0 - Prologue

Diary and Journal of the Delta Guardian
Friday 14th of October, Year 43 AD (After Darkness)

Wow. I can’t believe it’s been forty-three years already… and yet, according to the others, I don’t look a day over twenty. Guess that’s the benefits of being a Draconid, longevity and all that.

Hello to anyone reading this. Not sure why anyone would be reading my journal, but who knows, maybe it became some valuable museum piece in the future, maybe people are studying me.

Hope their pants aren’t too tight. Heh.

Anyway, yeah, hi. As you can probably tell, I’m Zinnia. Well, as this is the first entry I suppose I should start at the beginning, best way to tell a story and all. So yeah, where to begin… Oh, yeah! How did I come to Equestria?

Well, it went a little something like this. To begin with, my name wasn’t always Zinnia...

Pleasant Hills Memorial Mental Health Asylum, built on the border of the small town of Goldfield. While to the general populace it was a place of care, meant to help those with damaged psyche to heal and recuperate, it meant something different to any unlucky enough to find themselves as patients.

To them, it was just a little slice of Hell.

A loud banging sounded out in one of the many cells within the hospital, the distinctive sound of a doctor’s fist impacting with the metal barrier ringing in the ears of the young woman within.

“Patient 2615525, I am entering your cell!” A man’s voice called out with a deep, authoritative tone. “Remain distanced from the door!” A few moments of silence followed before the doctor gave another loud thud on the door. “Patient 2615525!”

“I heard ya!” the woman shouted back sharply from her position on the small, padded-metal frame bed, her back to the door. She sighed as the familiar sound of the three individual locks on her door - which she was assured were for her own safety - sliding open, sitting up as her long, raven-black hair fell around her face and looking around the room.

Just the same as every other day, the only things that met her vision were the pristine, white, padded walls of the cell, the cold steel door set into one wall (padded on her side, of course), and the single other piece of furniture in the room - an uncomfortable three-legged stool, the colour of old, rotted wood but yet still apparently good enough for her. As the door swung open, the young woman turned her scarlet eyes to him, a glare forming on her brow.

“Hello again, Patient 2615525,” the doctor said as he stepped in. A tall, skinny man with neatly brushed brown hair and a pair of simple black spectacles resting upon his nose, the doctor made his way into her room with all the confidence in the world, his neatly pressed lab coat ruffling only slightly in the breeze it felt from his movement.

“Don’t call me that,” the woman grunted, refusing to meet his gaze as she allowed her unkempt fringe to cover her face. “You know my name. You know everything about me, it’s all in those charts of yours. I wasn’t allowed any shred of privacy in your screenings.”

“Come now, Patient 2615525,” the doctor sighed, straightening his glasses with his palm. “You know full well by this point that that was a necessary process in order to best judge the actions to take with your recovery.” The woman just grunted again, turning away from him as much as she could in her straightjacket. “Alright then, if it would make you more receptive, I shall call you by your name. Is that more acceptable to you… Zoey?” he asked, pausing to check his clipboard.

“Feh,” Zoey spat, allowing him to see her cynical smirk as she shook her head. “Care so much you had to check your little board… yeah, that’s ‘acceptable’ to me,” she allowed. “So whaddya want?”

The doctor shook his head, turning to a blank sheet in his clipboard and noting something down. “I was merely here to inform you of a new program that we are initiating,” he said after a moment. “The more healthy and well-behaved patients are being allowed attendance to the local gaming convention in a week’s time, and will even be allowed to dress in costume. Patient Identification badges will be distributed of course, but-”

“What?” Zoey demanded coldly, cutting off the doctor’s words. “You’re telling me… you want me to go to a convention?” she continued, turning to him with a silent anger in her eyes. “You know full well why I’m here, and you’re even suggesting that?!”

“I would suggest you calm yourself,” the doctor warned her. “Whilst you are correct that we are well aware of your elder brother’s disappearance at one of these events, the board believes the fastest road to your recovery is to face this problem directly. A costume has already been chosen and purchased for you based on recorded interests and references to your personal appearance.” Pausing for a moment, the doctor once more flipped through the sheets on his clipboard before turning it to Zoey, showing an image of a character all-too familiar to her.

“...Zinnia?” she asked in confusion, blinking twice before a slight smile crossed her face as her anger at the situation seemed to bleed away. “Heh, good times. And I guess I do look kinda like her… I’d need a haircut though, pretty sure I haven’t had one since I… checked in.”

The doctor nodded in satisfaction, pulling back his extended arm and flipping to his notes on the clipboard, once more scribbling across the page. “I have already arranged for Nurse Patricia to provide just that service for you, Zoey. She will be visiting you later today, at precisely sixteen-hundred.”

“Four o’clock,” Zoey deadpanned, rolling her eyes.

“Quite,” he continued, nodding in confirmation as he stood before checking his clipboard once more. “Oh, and you have also been deemed safe enough to remove your straightjacket and have free roaming during the day. Do try not to squander this privilege.” As he spoke, the doctor moved over to Zoey’s side, reaching behind her to undo the clasps on her jacket and allowing it to fall to the floor, revealing her bare, olive-skinned chest. At his stern gaze, the young woman rolled her eyes, lifting the sheets of her bed to cover her modesty. “I would also suggest you work on your social etiquette,” the doctor added before turning and heading for the door, leaving the heavy steel portal open as he strode away.

Zoey looked down at herself, arms finally free again after so long that she barely remembered what they looked like. Slender, olive-skinned, with just the slightest hint of muscle below from her days training for self-defense - you could never be too careful. She smiled as she ran her left hand up her right arm, faltering as her fingertips brushed the tattoo on the back of her shoulder, a simple heart design with ‘Nathan’ written inside in cursive.

Trembling slightly, Zoey fell back onto her bed, curling up as a stray tear fell down her face.

“...I miss you…”

Hours later, Zoey sat on the rotted-looking stool in her room, now clothed in a black tank top with red collar, red claw designs curling around her breasts, and a pair of simple, dark green shorts. A pale brown cloak sat on her bed.

Staring into the large, full-body mirror that had been provided, the young woman couldn’t help but stare at the nurse behind her as her hair was cut and trimmed. The nurse in question was filipino, with skin kissed by the sun to give her the perfect tan. Long, pink hair cascaded down her back, and her uniform clearly struggled to contain her bountiful bust, even considering the amount of cleavage that she showed with her buttons left undone.

“And that should be…” Patricia muttered, leaning in close as she trimmed a few stray hairs on the side of Zoey’s head. “Just… about… it!” Standing straight, the busty nurse took a small brush from the bag at her hip, using it to brush the hairs off of Zoey’s shoulders. “What’cha think hun?”

“It’s…” Zoey muttered, a slight blush on her face as she tried not to stare at the nurse’s reflection. “It’s perfect. I can’t thank you enough, Patty.”

“Hey, no worries,” Patricia shot back with a smile, packing her tools away before pausing. “Y’know, I can’t help but get a sense of deja vu here…”

“What do you mean?” Zoey asked in confusion as she stood, brushing off her knees.

“Oh, nothing dear,” the nurse replied with a smile, waving off any concerns. “So how are you feeling about going to this con?”

“Oh,” Zoey muttered, looking down nervously as she rubbed at her arm. “I… I don’t know… I mean, it’ll be good to get out of this place even for a day, but… going there…”

“Yeah…” Patty sighed, nodding solemnly. “I’m sorry hun, if it were up to me you wouldn’t have to go, but the higher ups do really think it’d be good for you.” Silence filled the room for a time before Patty seemed to brighten up, reaching into into her bag. “Oh!” she cried. “Almost forgot, I got you something for your costume!”

Overcome by curiosity, Zoey turned around, eyes widening as she watched Patty pull a large, metallic anklet out, painted a deep cobalt blue and fashioned to imitate a great, coiling dragon, a gemstone roughly the size of a small marble embedded in it’s head. Raised sections formed a pattern along the body, accentuated by the black lines painted along the surface.

“Oh wow…” Zoey breathed, eyes wide as she took the anklet in her hands shakily. “Patty, I…”

“No thanks necessary,” Patty chuckled, brushing her nails off on her uniform as she headed for the door. “Just try to enjoy yourself where you’re going, alright hun?” With that and a quick smile, the nurse turned the corner, disappearing down the hall.

“I will!” Zoey called after her, a wide smile on her face as she moved to her bed, fastening the anklet to her leg before throwing the cloak on over her shoulder. As she stood before the mirror, however, a thought crossed her mind. “Wait a minute... what did she-”

The sound of an explosion followed by the ground beginning to shake furiously cut her off, throwing the young girl to the ground. Quickly regaining her balance, Zoey pushed herself to her feet, looking up just in time to see the walls of the asylum get torn away by gargantuan, emerald claws, a great hulking beast of a Dragon peering in the newly-created hole, it’s emerald scales glittering in the sunlight that rushed in. Glowing yellow markings covered its serpentine body, matching yellow eyes seeming to study her for a time before the creature seemed to smile, bearing it’s razor-sharp fangs.

The last thing Zoey saw as the Dragon snapped it’s hungry jaws around her form was a bright, rainbow-coloured light…

~ End Prologue ~

3 - Breaking Out (The Feels)

Zinnia lay back atop Trixie’s caravan, watching the clouds roll by as the little wooden home-on-wheels trundled along the old dirt path. Glancing over the side, the young woman recalled how the Showmare had surprised her, a simple flare ‘spell’ calling forth a pair of Mudbray from the woods that she proceeded to fasten to a harness clearly meant for pulling the caravan behind them. While it had crossed her mind that these ‘Ponies’ may have encountered the Pokemon of this world at some point, this level of cooperation had left her both confused and impressed. She wasn’t sure just why it had confused her, but it had.

Trixie had been silent throughout the process, though. And as Zinnia peered at the showmare, who sat on the entrance step to her caravan guiding the Mudbray, she idly wondered if it was because she was used to being alone while travelling, or if it was something she had said.

Turning onto her back once again, Zinnia returned to her cloud-gazing, her eyes tracking a flock of Tailow as they passed overhead.

“Hey, Trix?” she called suddenly, stretching her leg out a little.

“Hmm?” Trixie hummed in response.

“You ever wanted to fly?”

The showmare went to answer, a witty remark already on the tip of her tongue… before she paused. Granted, flight wasn’t too far out of anypony’s reach in Equestria, what with a Pegasus’ natural ability to do so and the fact that many Flying-Type Pokemon were friendly enough to ride if trust was built. But Zinnia wasn’t from Equestria - or anywhere on Equus for that matter.

“Trix- I mean, I suppose…” she began, chewing the inside of her cheek as she searched for the words. Looking to the skies, a small smile appeared on her lips. “I suppose anypony would want that,” she allowed. “I mean, there’s always the thought of ‘What if?’ Everypony knows that.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Zinnia muttered, staring after the flock for a time before pushing herself to her feet atop the caravan. Trixie let out a startled yelp as the Draconid dropped onto the steps next to her, taking a seat as if nothing had happened.

“So tell me,” she began, resting her elbows on her knees as she watched the Mudbray plod along. “Where exactly are we going?”

“Well, I need to look for work,” Trixie replied, relaxing in her makeshift seat. “The best place for that in the past has been Manehatten, they seem to enjoy theatrics quite a bit in that city. Especially in Bridleway. Applewood is closer, though, so I’m going to try there first.”

Zinnia remained silent for a few moments before a short snicker forced its way past her lips. As soon as that happened, the proverbial floodgates opened, and Zinnia burst out laughing, a loud, unrestrained cacophony of joyous sound that seemed to spook any birds in the immediate area with its sudden arrival. For her part, Trixie merely sat there, turning to look at the woman with a bewildered expression.

As she managed to calm down, Zinnia smiled widely. “Whew! Wow, those names are bad,” she chuckled, coughing slightly to stop herself falling into another fit of laughter. “Anyway… What sort of shows do you do?”

Trixie took a moment to watch Zinnia, seemingly waiting for another outburst before she answered. “Why, magic of course. The Great and Powerful Trixie puts on the most dazzling spectacles this side of Canterlot or any other!”

Zinnia had to cover her mouth to stop herself from laughing again, taking a breath to steady herself. “So you… what, break out of straight jackets? Do card tricks?”

“Foal’s play!” Trixie barked, her horn sparking to life as her hat flew from within the caravan to rest atop her head. “Trixie astounds the masses with tales of wonder! Visions of creatures they can only dream of, vanquished by the great hero!”

“Oh, so you’re a theatrical storyteller,” Zinnia summarised, nodding to herself even as Trixie seemed to almost deflate.

“Yes, I’m a storyteller,” she sighed, pulling the brim of her hat over her eyes. “Way to make it sound like I’m better suited for children’s parties…”

“Wait, what?” Zinnia asked aloud, eyes widening in slight panic. “Nononononono! That’s not what I meant at all! Everyone needs stories!” Silence fell for a time as Trixie stared at the road ahead, her companion fidgeting nervously in worry, casting concerned glances her way every now and then. After a while, Trixie sighed, sitting up as she waved her hand idly in front of her.

To Zinnia’s surprise, a small, screen-like window of light pink magic appeared, shimmering slightly as pictures seemed to scroll across its surface. Images of what she could only assume was an infant Trixie, running around a large, lush garden with another young girl as an older mare watched on with a smile. What caught her off guard, however, was the differences in clothing. The unknown girl was dressed in high-end, clearly designer clothes, light and decorative. Trixie, however, seemed like she was lucky to have what she did, and even then it was a pair of torn shorts and a top that looked about three years older than herself. And the mare watching - who bore a striking resemblance to Trixie herself - was dressed in a maid’s uniform of all things.

“Trixie always liked stories as a little girl,” Trixie said, staring into the magical screen herself. “They told Trixie of far off lands, where even the smallest of ponies could be the biggest of heroes. They gave Trixie hope.”

Zinnia could only blink as she watched the showmare blink back tears. Looking back to the screen, she saw Young Trixie doing much the same as she knelt huddled on the ground, covering herself desperately as tattered fabrics fell to the ground. The other girl with her moved in a panic as she tried to cover Trixie up with her jacket.

“Hope that Trixie could help,” Trixie continued. “Trixie could live with old clothes. She could live with tears and rips.” Sighing, the showmare turned back to the path ahead as the image zoomed in on the maid in the back, with tears streaking down her powder-blue cheeks. “She couldn’t live with her mother’s sadness.”

Zinnia shifted in her seat awkwardly. “Look, Trixie-” she began, only to pause when Trixie raised her hand again. The window before her rippled, the scene changing to a small, cramped room with a single bed pushed against the wall. Makeshift toys sat lined up along a small chest, ranging from a stuffed blue bear - clearly hand-made - to a magic wand carved from wood.

“That’s why Trixie started telling stories,” Trixie said, carrying on as though her companion hadn’t uttered a word. “Trixie would spin tales of wonder for her mother. She would always bring a smile to her mother’s face before bed, even when mother got… weaker…”

“Okay, stop,” Zinnia cut in suddenly, shooing the magical window away frantically. Turning bodily, she placed a hand on Trixie’s shoulder. “Look, Trixie, you don’t have to tell me all this. I… I’m not even sure why you did, if I’m honest.”

Trixie remained quiet for a moment, staring blankly back at her before letting out a shuddering sigh. “I… I just wanted you to understand…”

“I do,” Zinnia assured her, leaning over to pull the showmare into an awkward hug. “Trust me, I do.”

Nodding quietly, Trixie returned the hug before the two women separated, returning their attention to the road ahead. Silence reigned for the longest time until Zinnia let out an exasperated groan.

“Now I feel like I should share something too,” she groaned, burying her face in her hands.

“Why?” Trixie asked, glancing over curiously. “You’re not required to show your inner demons just because Trixie showed hers.”

“You did it again,” Zinnia muttered idly before looking up, catching the faintest blush on the showmare’s cheeks. “And… I dunno, it feels really awkward now. Like, it's only fair that I do it too.”

“You don’t have to,” Trixie offered. “If you choose to, that’s fine, but don’t feel like you have to.”

Leaning back, Zinnia took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. She remained quiet for a time, fingers drumming on her knees as she searched her mind… and spoke.

“I'm a paranoid sociopathic orphan who spent the last three - maybe four - years of my life in a mental asylum for the safety of the public,” she droned, voice impassioned as she stared into the distance. “My last memories of my parents include my father standing over my mother as she lay in a pool of red - I thought it was weird water back then, stupid me. My brother stood between me and him. Then we were in an orphanage.”

Trixie looked at Zinnia with wide eyes for a time, seemingly trying to judge if she was serious before slowly placing her hand on the girl’s shoulder. “I… I’m sorry…”

Zinnia merely shrugged. “Eh, don’t be,” she replied easily, turning her attention back to the two Mudbray plodding along rhythmically. “That was a long time ago. I came to terms with it.”

Trixie nodded, and the pair fell into silence once again, though no awkward airs fell between them. The sounds of nature soon filled the gap, birds chirping as they flew across the sky.

“Guess we both had pretty bad childhoods, then,” Trixie offered eventually.

“Yeah,” Zinnia agreed, blowing air through her lips.

Silence dropped again, and this time, neither girl seemed inclined to break it. Zinnia leaned back against the caravan’s door, once again staring into the vast sky, crimson eyes darting to every detail that crossed her vision. Trixie, meanwhile, set about gently correcting their course, as the Mudbray had slowly drifted from the road towards a particularly muddy looking patch of dirt and were happily stomping their hooves around as they plodded along.

Lunch came and went with the sun at it's highest point, a shared meal of beans and boiled vegetables, with scraps of shredded meat mixed in for Zinnia’s need and Trixie’s guilty pleasure. During this time, the girls shared a laugh as their four-legged companions found another puddle for a cooling mud bath.

“So about these stories,” Zinnia began, pausing to chew on another piece of chicken from her bowl. “What kinda stories d’ya tell?”

“Oh, fantastic tales of adventure and heroism!” Trixie replies, setting her own empty dish aside and standing as she began to gesticulate wildly with her hands. “Long expeditions into the great unknown! Fierce battles against deadly creatures! Whimsical tales of passion and romance!”

Zinnia watched as Trixie leapt to her hoof-like feet, the powder-blue mare soon pacing around with wild gestures, casting images into the air around them as she seemed to almost fall into one of the stories she so loved to tell. This particular one was of a beautiful, blue-skinned mare with a mane of starlight silver as she tracked down and tamed a rampaging Ursa Major - the image of which caused Zinnia no small amount of alarm when she realised it was a bear the size of a castle that seemed to be built from magic and Stardust.

It was as she stared at the great, imposing image of the star-bear when Zinnia realised that Trixie has fallen quiet. Tearing her eyes from the image before her, Zinnia looked to Trixie, and found herself shocked as the showmare seemed to stare at her own creation with what almost seemed an air of shame.

“Trixie… I messed up, one day…” she muttered, staring at the beast. “I was doing a show in Ponyville… and I started showing off, telling this story…”

Tears formed in Trixie’s eyes, slowly dripping down her cheeks as a choked sob broke from her throat.

“I f-forgot… forgot to tell them… that these were just s-stories…” she stammered. “Two of the k-kids in town, they went of into the w-woods…”

As Trixie fell into quiet sobs, Zinnia’s mind raced. For as much as she played the aloof, disinterested role, she noticed things, and the pieces quickly fell into place from why she’d been told.

“They tried to fight one themselves, didn’t they?” Zinnia asked, staring up at the slowly fading image of the star-bear. Trixie’s sobs only grew. “Hey, Trixie…” she began, before faltering. What could she say to this? Nothing, was the answer. She was new to this world, new to it's struggles and customs. If she tried to push her own views on things… she could just make things worse.

And so Zinnia sat in awkward silence, frozen by fear and awkwardness as her new and only friend in this world cried her heart out over past mistakes, with no idea on how to even begin to help. Minutes passed, and when Trixie grew quiet, Zinnia looked over to find the mare with her head lolling onto her arms, knees tucked to her chin, gently dozing after crying herself to sleep.

Zinnia sighed, climbing to her feet and moving to Trixie’s side. Kneeling down, she scooped the mare gently into her arms, taking little notice of the ease with which she did so as she turned towards the caravan and carried Trixie to her bed inside. She re-emerged moments later, a borrowed purple jacket covering her bare shoulders and the blue top replaced with a black tee shirt. She looked over the campaign tiredly, slowly moving about to tidy everything away and extinguish their cooking fire, bringing the two Mudbray around for their own sleep.

Once finished, Zinnia sat with a heavy sigh on the caravan’s steps, staring once more into the night sky above.

“Like hell I could sleep now…” she mutters darkly, brows furrowed in frustration. She sat there for a few minutes more, simply staring at the stars above, before pushing to her feet with an agitated grunt and storming into the woods.