Equestria no Kitsune [REDUX]

Stop! Stop it right now! This is weird!

Weird as it may be, I'm sorry, I promise I'll give your--

No, I want out! This is my body! You can't just take the driver's seat!

I'm sorry, but you'll have to ride shotgun until I can get out of here unnoticed

Ugh, for pity's sake! I'm gonna get you out of me, and once I do that, I'll... do.. SOMETHING!

Yeah, good luck with that. I'm not leaving until I get to safety -- I already told you that

No, look -- look, this isn't fair! All I had to do was request for you to be discharged, but no, you just straight-up possessed me!

You never offered. And I'm still not leaving

W--well, you--! Ugh.. I guess I don't have a choice in the matter, do I?

Nope.

... Fine, I--I'll let you keep doing this for now. But you have to release me, got it!?

Got it. Sorry.

Redheart had stopped running, and was instead opting to, as suggested, 'act natural'. She had just run though several corridors and passed by several ponies that she may or may not have crashed into -- it was hard to tell with someone else in the driver's seat, all things considered. Considering how conspicuous it would have otherwise been, both she and the one inhabiting her had decided to walk casually instead, so as not to draw any attention to themselves.

Redheart, the temporary 'driver' mentally whispered, when does your shift end?

Slowly getting used to not being in control of her own body as it made its way through the hospital corridors, Redheart answered. It was MEANT to end at six-fifteen! We've been going around in circles for, like, fifteen minutes!.

Okay then, why don't you direct us to the exit then? We're going to need to co-operate here, the fox thought back. Redheart had stopped near a corner -- there were a mercifully small amount of ponies present in the whole hospital at the time, and the corridors had been next to empty apart from the odd nurse or two. Thankfully, none had really engaged Redheart in conversation, only given her a friendly nod or a wave before getting back to whatever they were doing.

Fine then. Turn left when we can, and we should see signs to the front door and the staff room.

Redheart carried on walking and turned left -- true to Redheart's consciousness' word, there were blue signs on the wall that pointed to the exit, staff room, additional wards and waiting rooms. Looking down the corridor, one could see that it shared the white-and-cream colour scheme with the entire hospital, with polished laminate floors and featureless walls save from the occasional fire extinguisher, first-aid kit or telephone. It was, by any other name, a slow evening at the hospital, which was exceedingly rare for a hospital in a big city.

I take it we're going to the locker room first?

Yeah -- I need to get changed. And you'd better take shotgun for that, mister!

What do you mean? I'm not attracted to you. It's not like I'm going to be feeling this body up, because in fact, Redheart, I DON'T LIKE THIS ANY MORE THAN YOU DO! Ryu protested as Redheart continued to walk down the corridor.

Even so! It's really uncomfortable having exactly zero distance between us -- how would you like it if I possessed you?!

But you can't. I wouldn't let you do it.

Ryu and Redheart were still arguing as she came to the staff room door. The locker room was just through the door on the other side -- and thankfully, in yet another stroke of luck, the room was empty.

The room had a distinctly green theme to it, given the colour of the carpet and wallpaper. Sofas and chairs were placed in corners or against walls, and there was a worktop with cupboards and a fridge underneath it. Redheart entered tentatively before shutting the door behind her, but before she could take another step, her body froze.

Is there tofu?

Wh--What?

I want some tofu

Foxes don't like tofu! Why do you want tofu?!

Well, I eat tofu and I'M a fox!

I hate tofu! It makes me feel sick

Good for you, the fox's voice came, but he didn't direct Redheart's body over to the fridge. She kept on walking, glancing around once or twice before opening the door to the locker room.

All right. You take shotgun.

She wouldn't get a response. Suddenly, it felt as if Redheart was in control of her body again. She stumbled a little bit before regaining her sense of balance -- she let out a sigh of relief, and made her way over to her locker, near the very back of the changing room.

Redheart produced a key from her pocket and unlocked the door, pulling out her casual wear. As she began to get changed, however, there was something wrong. For example, she never really knew that she hated tofu -- in fact, Redheart quite liked it up until a few minutes ago. Also, she thought, the fox's voice is gone. There's something wrong.

Still, though, she paid it no mind.

"...Hey, fox?" Redheart whispered just as she was pulling up her jeans.

Yes? came his reply -- so he HAD been there all along!

Redheart took a look around -- the locker room was empty apart from her and her mental passenger. No footsteps, no voices -- nothing at all, thankfully. "You can do magic, can't you?" She asked in a hushed tone.

Um. Yes?

"And you're possessing me?"

Yeah, I-- look, what are you getting at? his voice came again, patience audibly wearing thin.

"I'm just wondering -- what do I get out of this?" Redheart asked, raising an eyebrow as she pulled her dark blue t-shirt on. "I mean," she began, tugging the shirt over her head, "is this a trade, or are you basically hijacking me?"

Silence was the only reply she received, save for a distant, quiet sound of what resembled a sigh. It was enough to make her wait for a response, oddly enough, but as it seemed she would only get no input;

...Well, I can be your guardian spirit for a little while. Is that enough?

Unfamiliar with the concept, Redheart looked -- or at least felt as if she looked at him with a discerning stare, given that there wasn't a direction he was in that she could look in. "So... what does that entail?"

Eh... well, it's my first time actually doing this, but let's say, uh... let's say that after I escape, I'll help you out in little ways? Ryuzaki chuckled nervously, the sound echoing through her head with just a touch of feedback, as if coming in from a microphone, making Redheart's ears ring painfully.

"O-ow! What was that?!" she protested, recoiling and nearly tripping over, just barely missing the open locker door before she steadied herself.

S-sorry! It's just feedback... W-well, as I was explaining, I'll help you out

Teeth gritted, Redheart frustratedly sighed, a hand going to her forehead, attempting to ease the short-lived headache. "Yeah, I get that, but how? What do you mean, 'help me out'?"

No, no, it's very simple. I can put a blessing on your household. Sure, I've never done it before, but it does work in theory, he began as Redheart got back to getting changed. I mean, I-I took a class on it once, so I can convey things like... I don't know, good fortune? Financial success? Blessed crops? If you really want, I can--

Redheart slammed the locker door shut in exasperation. "Okay, I get it! You can 'bless my household' and stuff, so just..." she paused, stepping away for a second, letting out a tired sigh as she gathered her thoughts. "I'm... I'm sorry, Ryuzaki, it's just that this is getting--"

Weird?

"Ugh, yep," Redheart admitted as she practically threw her jacket over herself, fumbling with getting her arms through the sleeves. She sat down, taking a much-needed moment. Not only would this situation get her in an astronomical amount of trouble, but she'd actually gain something out of it. And what was that about a 'blessing'?

Head in hands, another sigh left her as she straightened up, slowly coming to terms with not talking in any particular direction to commune with her newfound spirit. "So... what kind of, uh, blessings are you offering?" Redheart tentatively asked.

Um... let's see. I think I can do money-related blessings easier than anything else. What's the name of the currency around here, anyway? Ryuzaki asked.

"Oh, we use bits. They used to be just gold coins, but notes are more common now," she answered, though with a little confusion. Why would he need to know what the money was called? Surely he'd do better with knowing how valuable it was, she thought.

Right. Just so we're on the same ground, what would... say, fifty bits get you?

"Fifty? That's basically two day's groceries, if they're not doing any offers," Redheart replied. A sudden idea shot through her mind, the sound of fluttering notes very easily imaginable as a look of surprise appeared on her face. "Wait, can I choose what kind of blessing--"

Sure you can, he interrupted, but first, I can do this for you: I can exactly double any earnings you make from now on, no matter where they come from. In exchange, you need to get me at least as far as your house, so I can actually cast the thing

No longer than a second's consideration passed before Redheart accepted the deal. "Done," she smiled, fists clenched with excitement. Looping, then securing her belt through as she got up from where she sat, a great sense of motivation overcame her. To think: permanently doubling her income, with no drama and no questions asked, with the only condition being to get home? It was nearly enough to make her forget the situation of the supposedly disappearing fox, never mind who would be looking for it.

Oh, one more thing

Redheart paused after picking up her bag, holding the strap over her shoulder. "Huh? What is it?"

I'm sure they'll be looking for me. The, uh, powers that be, I mean. If they find out where I am, I'll get out of you and run away, but I'll still invoke the blessing. Is that alright?

She shrugged, a chuckle escaping her lips. "Sure. I'm getting that blessing either way, right?"

Yes. I just, um.. said that. Oh, and don't forget your keys. They're underneath your locker

Redheart scooped the keys up and pocketed them, thankful for the fox's attentiveness. "Let's go, then," she smiled.

Right! U-uh, I mean.. yeah. Let's go.

Redheart smiled a little as she vacated the room, exiting onto the main corridor near the entrance. The corridor was still as empty as it had been that evening, much to Redheart's fortune, so the coast was clear enough to simply walk out the front. And of course, she needed to sign out anyway.

Um, Redheart? Can I just say, you've been very helpful

"Uhh.. you're welcome, I guess," Redheart answered quietly as she made her way down the main corridor. It was getting a lot noisier from there, mainly because the waiting room was at the front as well as the exit. Sounds of telephones ringing, and of course the rolling sound of voices came from the waiting room. Even though it was a rather slow day at the hospital, there were still a good few ponies waiting to be treated for one reason or another. Once or twice, Redheart would pass someone, be it a nurse or a patient, on her way to the exit.

As she signed out and said her goodbyes for the day, Redheart couldn't help but think about how strange the situation was. Here she was, walking out of hospital (that now had one patient unaccounted for) with a mental passenger that happened to be what appeared to be a dangerously underweight and quite alien fox. Hardly a very mundane occurrence.

Hey, Ryuzaki? Redheart mentally asked, deciding that it was much safer than audibly speaking.

Yes?

When you were in hospital, were.. uh, did you feel weird or anything? she enquired.

No, not at all. I can breathe the atmosphere and the gravity's fine, if that's what you're worried about he explained.

Right. That's good she answered as she stepped out of the front entrance and onto the road.

She suddenly felt an odd sensation of movement in the front of her head, accompanied by a little pain, as if something was shifting behind her skull.

"H-hey, what gives?" She whispered, rather startled.

Sorry, sorry... I just need to get a better view., came Ryuzaki's quiet voice.

Canterlot, as cities go, was rather unusual. Once, it was just a castle, perched curiously on the side of a great mountain. It overcame the difficult terrain, and it slowly became a more modern city as the mountain was carved, dug and re-shaped to suit the city's needs.

The hospital was situated on the biggest main street of the mountainous portion of the city.

This white cobblestone road stretched the entire length of the newly developed section of Canterlot, and it eventually lead to the older, more traditional area surrounding the castle. There was a slightly-less-than-gentle slope to the road, which disappeared over a hill towards the right. The streetlamps hadn't switched on, as the golden-orange light of the evening forbade them just yet, and, surprisingly, there weren't a particularly huge amount of ponies on the street that evening. The castle itself loomed in the distance, but not blocking out the sky, as it was up much higher, on its own miniature plateau, which forced the roads to the left to gradually slope upwards as they lead to the sections of town much closer to the castle.

...Nice. I do like the architecture

Uh, thanks... A-anyway, we should get going Redheart thought.

Redheart's home was in a rather inconvenient place. Considering that her workplace was in the mountainous section of the city, and her house wasn't, it took a rather lengthy commute to and from work. Of course, it could have been worse; she was compensated for the time she needed to get there, but her commute involved at least an hour or two of walking.

Redheart, are we... how far away do you even live? asked a weary Ryuzaki.

Shut up in there -- it's not much further she mentally answered as she let out a sigh, hefted her bag and kept on walking, taking quicker and faster strides.

No really, how far away are we

It's literally only another mile! We need to get down the mountain, go right at the lower gates, take a left, then we'll be on my street, just please be quiet

I'm just saying -- you've been walking for like two hours

Yes I know, Redheart sighed, exasperated. She'd had to put up with Ryuzaki's complaining for a while now -- and while the overall situation of having a mental passenger wasn't exactly terrible or much of a burden, he was getting annoying. Just hold on for, like, half an hour, okay? she mentally sighed. How are you tired, anyway? It's not like you're not doing any walking

I know, it's really stupid. basically i can feel whatever you can feel, but your leg muscles are so weird

That still doesn't explain how you're tired!

Well why dont you try lying still for like 2 months and see how YOUR legs handle it

Oh, right... point taken she concluded.

Woah, woah hold on a second stop

Redheart stumbled to a halt, having heard little more than silence from Ryu for the last twenty minutes. Wh-what? Don't startle me like that! she snapped back. Nobody saw her trip, given the emptiness of the street at that time of day, but nothing stopped her from being embarrassed, a pale pink hue to her cheeks flaring up.

Yes okay i'm sorry but please listen

Alright, what is it?

I'm gonna need you to answer as honestly as possible here, ok

Yeah, what's the matter?

Do you have helicopters on this planet

...What’s a 'helicopter'? she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Oh. Well, do you have ANY sort of powered flying machines?

Annoyed, she answered him. Of course we do, we have airships! You might have things we don't, but that doesn't mean we're--

I never meant to insult your kind, Redheart, but I can hear something approaching. Two kilometres behind us.

Falling silent, Redheart looked behind her. The pale purple glow in the rapidly ambering sky instilled a distinct feeling of hopelessness within her, and since Ryuzaki mentioned it, she really could hear it. The low, resonating hum of magic energy, quiet but undeniably there, and getting very gradually louder with each minute.

Oh. Um... we're in trouble.

Okay, okay, so... you and I have very different definitions of 'airship'. How fast do they go? came Ryuzaki's voice again, with just a hint of shakiness to it. Fear, perhaps? It was hard to tell.

They're, uh... pretty fast.

Okay. I suggest we start running, then.