CPU of Equis Re;Birth

by Maziodyne

Rating: teen
Tags: Rainbow Dash, Other, Fluttershy, Adventure, Twilight Sparkle, Crossover, Alternate Universe, Human, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 13826

A Japanese teen gets her consciousness thrown into the mind of a child. The child is then stranded in Equestria without either of her two sisters to comfort her. Displaced.

Note: Scheduled to undergo renovations. Status will be "Hiatus" until renovations are complete.

A Displaced story.
Maiko Hayakawa, a 17 year old gamer girl living in Tokyo, has some terrible luck with her favourite convention. After running into a strange old woman, Maiko finds herself to be nothing more than a voice in the mind of a young child who got dumped into Equestria during the dead of Winter. Considering that the child is the younger sister of a goddess, this promises to be an interesting experience for poor Maiko.

Published 2017-08-18 22:40:09 UTC
Last updated 2017-08-29 15:55:25 UTC

Character Encyclopedia & Bestiary

Author's Note

This encyclopedia will contain detailed information on all of the party members, monsters and enemy characters that appear in the story.

PLEASE read all the available chapters before looking through this. And I mean every single time you want to look at this, make sure you're caught up, because this encyclopedia will be kept up-to-date with all the information of every chapter, so to avoid spoilers, avoid looking through this unless you've read all the currently uploaded chapters.

Character Encyclopedia & Bestiary

Knowledge Primer

There are several different things that will be colour-coded in combat, however I'm sure you can all determine the colour-coding for yourselves. Instead, I will first explain a few things that might not be so self-explanatory to some people. First, I'll explain stat abbreviations.

HP - Hit Points. Once this hits 0, a character or monster is KO'd and can no longer fight. Decreases when the character or monster is attacked.
SP - Skill Points. These are needed to use Skills. This number decreases when a Skill is used, and will slowly increase as the character or monster deals damage to enemies.
STR - Strength. This is a measure of how powerful a character or monster's physical attacks are. The higher this stat, the more damage will be dealt by a physical attack from the character or monster.
VIT - Vitality. This is a measure of how physically resilient a character or monster is. The higher this stat, the less damage the character or monster will take from physical attacks.
INT - Intelligence. This isn't a measure of how smart or stupid a character or monster is, but rather a measure of how powerful a character or monster's magical attacks are. The higher this stat, the more damage will be dealt by a magical attack from the character or monster.
MEN - Mentality. This is a measure of how magically resilient a character or monster is. The higher this stat, the less damage the character or monster will take from magical attacks.
AGI - Agility. This is a measure of a character or monster's general swiftness. The higher this stat, the sooner a character or monster will act in a turn, and the more likely they'll be to evade attacks.
TEC - Technique. This is a measure of how adept a character or monster is at attacking. The higher this stat, the more accurate a character or monster's attack will be.
LUK - Luck. This is a measure of how lucky a character or monster is. This stat has a slight influence on a character or monster's evasion, accuracy and chance to land critical hits.

Next, I'll explain critical hits, or "crits" for short. It's very simple: every attack has a slight chance to be a crit, and when an attack is a crit, the damage dealt is tripled with some slight variance. Finally, I'll explain the different status conditions.

Poison - A poisoned character or monster will take damage after each action they take. It will cure itself after several turns, or can be cured early with some Skills.
Paralysis - A character or monster that is paralyzed will be unable to act for several turns. It will cure itself after several turns, or can be cured early with some Skills.
Virus - Virus is only dangerous to characters that can access HDD, since virus prevents the character from using HDD. If a character is already in their CPU form when they're inflicted with virus, they will automatically revert. Doesn't cure itself, instead needing to be cured manually with a Skill.
Skill Seal - A skill sealed character or monster will be unable to use any of their Skills. It will cure itself after several turns, or can be cured early with some Skills.
Regen - A character or monster with regen will recover a small amount of their HP before each action they take. Can't be cured, but will be overwritten if the character or monster is inflicted with another status condition.

Party Members

Rom

Max HP: 14600
Max SP: 8960
Elemental Affinities: Weak to Fire; Resistant to Ice.
Notes: AGI and TEC are above average. Very magic oriented, with high INT and MEN but low STR and VIT. Her basic attack is a magical attack, meaning it uses her INT, unlike most characters who use STR for their basic attacks. Being one of the two CPU Candidates of Lowee, she can activate HDD to become stronger.

Rainbow Dash

Max HP: 8990
Max SP: 6350
Elemental Affinities: Weak to Lightning; Resistant to Wind
Notes: Her STR and INT are below average, and she's very brittle with extremely low VIT and MEN. This is offset by the fact that she's incredibly difficult to hit due to her having the highest AGI out of all the party members. Her TEC is also really high.

IF

Max HP: 19410
Max SP: 4520
Elemental Affinities: None
Notes: Her STR and INT are both average; her VIT is below average, while her MEN is a little above average. Her TEC is fairly high, with her AGI being her highest stat.

Neptune

Max HP: 27420
Max SP: 5700
Elemental Affinities: Weak to Ice; Resistant to Earth
Notes: Her STR is fairly high, and her LUK is a little above average, though her AGI is a little below average. Other than that, her stats are average.

Alice

Max HP: 13250
Max SP: 8130
Elemental Affinities: None
Notes: Her VIT is fairly low, and her STR is even lower, though her MEN is decently high, and her INT is very high. Her TEC is also rather high, though her AGI and LUK are average. She has access to offensive Skills of every element, fitting the definition of an RPG Black Mage well.

Enemy Characters

Underling (1st Battle)

Max HP: 5330
Max SP: 4280
Elemental Affinities: None
Notes: Her AGI is average, while her TEC and LUK are below average. Her other stats are extremely wonky in this battle, so they can't be accurately measured. She must have been using some kind of illegal, external program...

Seija Kijin

Max HP: 8340
Max SP: 7830
Elemental Affinities: Weak to Fire and Lightning; Resistant to Ice
Notes: Her AGI is a little above average, and her MEN is decent, though her VIT is somewhat low. Other than that, her stats are average. She may seem like a simple foe at first, but she has a few tricks up her sleeve to be really careful of...

Raiko Horikawa

Max HP: 8400
Max SP: 7300
Elemental Affinities: Weak to Earth; Resistant to Wind and Lightning
Notes: Her STR and INT are both a little above average, while her VIT, MEN and TEC are fairly high. In comparison, her AGI is extremely low.

Monsters

Dogoo

Max HP: 3520
Max SP: N/A
Elemental Affinities: None
Notes: Your average, everyday, basic monster. Absolutely nothing interesting of note.

Chapter 1: Beyond Cosplay

Through the howling winds of a blizzard, the figure of a child could be seen lying in the snow. The child had shoulder-length, dirty blonde hair, and was wearing a winter cap, winter coat and winter boots that were all in a matching baby blue. The child was lying in the front yard of what appeared to be a cottage.

After a few moments, the child stirred, using their bare hands to get up. "Ouchie..." the child said in a quiet, female voice, her hands recoiling from the cold bite of the snow against her skin. She opened her blue eyes and took a look around. "Where's Ram and Blanc...?" the child asked. As she asked the question, something else stirred.

Damn... Maiko said. What was that woman's problem...?

The child heard this voice and jumped. "Wh-Who...?" she asked, scared.

Wait- What happened to me? Maiko asked. I can't move at- Maiko then fell silent when she realized that her field of view was darting around, seemingly on its own.

"W-Where are you...!?" the girl asked, starting to seem terrified.

Maiko realized that the voice seemed to come from 'her' mouth. I... think I'm in your... head...? Maybe? Maiko answered, unsure.

"Wh-Who are you...?" the girl asked hesitantly.

My name is Maiko, Maiko supplied.

"Um... Why are you in my head...?" the girl asked next, seeming to be a bit less scared.

I honestly haven't the slightest idea, Maiko said truthfully.

The girl had still been glancing around as this conversation was happening, not sure what else to do while she basically spoke to herself. Maiko noticed the blizzard that was raging. Maybe you should get inside, she said.

"Huh...? O-Oh... Um, okay..." the girl answered. She looked around her until her eyes stopped on the cottage behind her.

You should knock on the door and see if whoever lives there will let you come inside, Maiko suggested.

"Okay..." the girl said, approaching the small building.

You know, Maiko suddenly said, I still don't know your name.

"U-Um..." the girl hesitated as she stopped in front of the cottage's door. "Rom..." she answered shyly.

Rom!? Maiko said in surprise. Ahem, well, alright Rom. It's nice to meet you. Rom had yet to knock on the door. Don't forget to knock, Maiko reminded her.

"Oh..." Rom said before knocking. "Thank you..."

Rom waited for a few moments, starting to shiver in the cold. Nobody answered.

Maybe nobody's home... Maiko said.

Rom looked behind herself nervously. "Now what do we do...?"

Maiko noticed a shape coming towards them through the blizzard in the direction Rom was looking. Hang on, someone's coming.

As the figure came closer, the two could see that it was a young woman with long, pink hair that curled upward near the tips. She was wearing a large, green winter coat dress, and had a pink scarf around her neck. Her eyes were a marine green colour.

Do you think she's the one who liv- Maiko began to ask, before getting interrupted by four strange creatures suddenly jumping forth from the blizzard. The creatures looked like blue blobs with canine ears, muzzles and tails.

The creatures surrounded the woman, who squeaked in fright at their sudden appearance.

"Ah...!" Rom said in fright. "Monsters...!"

Rom, get a grip! Maiko said. They're just some simple Dogoos! You're a CPU Candidate, aren't you? Take them out and rescue the poor woman!

Rom paused for a moment. "Y-You're right..." she said. "I-I'll save her from the meanie monsters...!"

As Rom's staff materialized into her hands, the four Dogoos seemed to sense her intentions, turning away from the woman and lining up between her and Rom.

Dogoo A

Dogoo B

Rom
HP: 14600/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Dogoo C

Dogoo D

Rom attacks Dogoo A!
Rom swept her staff in front of her, creating a flash of light that erupted on the left-most Dogoo.
784 damage!

The four Dogoos then swarmed Rom and tackled her one by one.

Dogoo A attacks Rom!
304 damage!

Dogoo B attacks Rom!
307 damage!

Dogoo C attacks Rom!
309 damage!

Dogoo D attacks Rom!
302 damage!

Dogoo A

Dogoo B

Rom
HP: 13378/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Dogoo C

Dogoo D

Rom attacks Dogoo A!
Rom continued to hit the left-most Dogoo with the same magical attack.
777 damage!

As the Dogoo took more damage, its movements became a bit more sluggish, but it continued to ram Rom with the others nonetheless.

Dogoo A attacks Rom!
305 damage!

Dogoo B attacks Rom!
303 damage!

Dogoo C attacks Rom!
301 damage!

Dogoo D attacks Rom!
308 damage!

Dogoo A

Dogoo B

Rom
HP: 12161/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Dogoo C

Dogoo D

Rom attacks Dogoo A!
As Rom casted her attack a third time, the light erupted on the Dogoo considerably more intensely than the previous two times.
Critical Hit! 2357 damage!
The Dogoo then slumped down, defeated, before fading away.
Dogoo A was defeated!

The other three Dogoos continued to attack Rom, either ignoring or unaware that one of them had been defeated.

Dogoo B attacks Rom!
306 damage!

Dogoo C attacks Rom!
309 damage!

Dogoo D attacks Rom!
304 damage!

As the Dogoos continued to damage Rom, she began to feel more tired, however she kept fighting anyway.

Dogoo A

Dogoo B

Rom
HP: 11242/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Dogoo C

Dogoo D

Rom attacks Dogoo B!
Rom continued with the same attack, moving on to the next Dogoo.
776 damage!

The Dogoos simply continued to retaliate in the same way.

Dogoo B attacks Rom!
309 damage!

Dogoo C attacks Rom!
304 damage!

Dogoo D attacks Rom!
302 damage!

Dogoo A

Dogoo B

Rom
HP: 10327/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Dogoo C

Dogoo D

Rom attacks Dogoo B!
785 damage!

Dogoo B attacks Rom!
304 damage!

Dogoo C attacks Rom!
301 damage!

Dogoo D attacks Rom!
307 damage!

Dogoo A

Dogoo B

Rom
HP: 9415/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Dogoo C

Dogoo D

Rom attacks Dogoo B!
782 damage!

Dogoo B attacks Rom!
305 damage!

Dogoo C attacks Rom!
307 damage!

Dogoo D attacks Rom!
304 damage!

Dogoo A

Dogoo B

Rom
HP: 8499/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Dogoo C

Dogoo D

Rom attacks Dogoo B!
780 damage!

The Dogoo Rom had been attacking was now panting in exhaustion, but didn't let that deter it as it attacked with the others.

Dogoo B attacks Rom!
304 damage!

Dogoo C attacks Rom!
307 damage!

Dogoo D attacks Rom!
302 damage!

Dogoo A

Dogoo B

Rom
HP: 7586/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Dogoo C

Dogoo D

Rom attacks Dogoo B!
778 damage!
As Rom's attack defeated the second Dogoo, it slumped and faded away, just like the first.
Dogoo B was defeated!

The remaining two Dogoos were once again unaffected by the defeat of one of their own, behaving almost like programmed machines.

Dogoo C attacks Rom!
306 damage!

Dogoo D attacks Rom!
303 damage!

As Rom's HP waned below half, she could feel the tiredness weighing on her. Despite this, she pushed herself to keep going and save the woman from the monsters' ambush.

Dogoo A

Dogoo B

Rom
HP: 6977/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Dogoo C

Dogoo D

Rom attacks Dogoo C!
784 damage!

Dogoo C attacks Rom!
307 damage!

Dogoo D attacks Rom!
309 damage!

Dogoo A

Dogoo B

Rom
HP: 6361/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Dogoo C

Dogoo D

Rom attacks Dogoo C!
781 damage!

Dogoo C attacks Rom!
302 damage!

Dogoo D attacks Rom!
305 damage!

Dogoo A

Dogoo B

Rom
HP: 5754/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Dogoo C

Dogoo D

Rom attacks Dogoo C!
779 damage!

Dogoo C attacks Rom!
306 damage!

Dogoo D attacks Rom!
307 damage!

Dogoo A

Dogoo B

Rom
HP: 5141/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Dogoo C

Dogoo D

Rom attacks Dogoo C!
786 damage!

Dogoo C attacks Rom!
305 damage!

Dogoo D attacks Rom!
308 damage!

Dogoo A

Dogoo B

Rom
HP: 4528/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Dogoo C

Dogoo D

Rom attacks Dogoo C!
776 damage!
Just like the first two, the Dogoo slumped and faded away upon defeat.
Dogoo C was defeated!

Dogoo D attacks Rom!
When the remaining Dogoo made to attack Rom, this time its lunge was considerably more forceful.
Critical Hit! 928 damage!

Rom was beginning to feel very tired at this point, but she continued to push through, not wanting to let the monster have its way with the defenseless woman.

Dogoo A

Dogoo B

Rom
HP: 3600/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Dogoo C

Dogoo D

Rom attacks Dogoo D!
783 damage!

Dogoo D attacks Rom!
304 damage!

Dogoo A

Dogoo B

Rom
HP: 3296/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Dogoo C

Dogoo D

Rom attacks Dogoo D!
784 damage!

Dogoo D attacks Rom!
308 damage!

Dogoo A

Dogoo B

Rom
HP: 2988/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Dogoo C

Dogoo D

Rom attacks Dogoo D!
779 damage!

Dogoo D attacks Rom!
303 damage!
Rom's HP is low...

As Rom's HP dropped below one fifth, sweat began to form on her forehead. Despite this, she continued to fight the remaining Dogoo, sure that she could beat it.

Dogoo A

Dogoo B

Rom
HP: 2685/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Dogoo C

Dogoo D

Rom attacks Dogoo D!
785 damage!

Dogoo D attacks Rom!
309 damage!

Dogoo A

Dogoo B

Rom
HP: 2376/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Dogoo C

Dogoo D

Rom attacks Dogoo D!
776 damage!
As Rom attacked the Dogoo through the intense exhaustion she was feeling, her magical attack finally managed to finish it off as it slumped and faded away like the rest.
Dogoo D was defeated!

Dogoo A

Dogoo B

Rom
HP: 2376/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Dogoo C

Dogoo D

Victory!

"I did it...!" Rom said, overjoyed but exhausted from the battle. She then looked up at the woman. "Um... A-Are you okay miss...?" she asked the woman.

The woman looked down at Rom. "Um, yes. Thank you," she said in a quiet, sweet voice.

You should ask her if she lives in the cottage, Maiko suggested.

However, before Rom could say anything, the woman jumped and looked around. "Who's there?" she asked.

Maiko realized that the woman must have heard her. Um, my name is Maiko Hayakawa, she ventured. You won't be able to see me though.

"Huh...?" the woman said, still looking around.

"She's in my head..." Rom said. "But she doesn't know why..."

The woman was quiet for a few moments. "Maybe Twilight will know what that's all about..." she said to herself quietly. She then looked down at Rom again. "But, yes. I do live in this cottage." She gave Rom a smile. "You should come inside out of this blizzard," she offered. "You look very tired, so you should definitely rest."

"Okay..." Rom answered, nodding. "Thank you..."

As they walked to the door, the woman introduced herself. "My name is Fluttershy. What's yours?"

"Rom..." was Rom's reply. "Um... Can I just call you Miss Shy...? Your name is kind of long..."

"Sure," Fluttershy said as the two stepped inside.

End of Chapter 1

Author's Note

Here we go, the remake begins now!

I am so happy with those health bars, you have no idea. Anyway, things that are different from the original:
Battle GUI - so that you can see everyone's HP.
More HP - for more accuracy in damage calculations and whatnot.
SP - which will come into play later.
Everyone can hear Maiko - because I feel the awkward dynamic of only Rom being able to hear her dragged the quality of the original down a bit.
Rom saved Fluttershy instead of the other way around - because I thought it would be interesting.
Battle in chapter 1 - since I actually know how I want to treat combat from the get-go this time.
Solo battle - because why not.

Anyway, I have so much planned for this remake. I sincerely hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 2: CPU Candidate

Rom and Fluttershy spoke with each other inside Fluttershy's cottage as they waited out the blizzard.

"Um... Miss Shy, where is this...?" Rom eventually asked.

"You're in Ponyville," Fluttershy answered.

"I don't think that's in Lowee..." Rom said, looking worried.

No, I don't think so either, Maiko added.

"I haven't heard of 'Lowee' before," Fluttershy said. "Is that where you're from Rom?"

"Uh-huh..." Rom nodded as she said this.

It seems to me that Rom's been separated from her two sisters, Ram and Blanc, Maiko chimed in.

"Uh-huh..." Rom agreed. "I really miss them too..."

Fluttershy thought about this for a moment. "How about I help you look for them?" she offered.

Rom smiled. "I'd really like that..." she said.

Fluttershy looked out the front window. "It looks like the blizzard has subsided," she said. "Alright Rom, I want to go and ask a friend of mine to help look for your sisters too. Her name is Rainbow Dash, and she might not seem like it at first, but she's a really nice person."

"Okay..." Rom said, following Fluttershy.

Skipping boring travel...

Rom and Fluttershy reached an odd house that was supported a good 8 feet above the ground with a ladder leading up to the porch. "This is Rainbow Dash's house," Fluttershy said. "The porch can be a little scary, so you can wait down here while I go get her if you'd like."

"Okay..." Rom answered. Fluttershy then climbed the ladder, climbing onto the porch at the top, disappearing from sight. There was a few minutes of silence as Rom waited outside.

I wonder what kind of person this 'Rainbow Dash' is, Maiko said, deciding to break the silence.

"Miss Shy says she's nice..." Rom responded.

Yeah, but she also said that she won't seem like she is, Maiko countered. I'd like to know what she meant by th-

"Hello there, brat."

Maiko was cut off by a condescending voice that came from behind. Rom turned around to look.

Behind them was what looked like a teen girl with green hair and red eyes. She was wearing black army boots, gray sweatpants, a gray hoodie with a hood that resembled a rat's head, and a small strap top with a broken heart design. Her skin was a sickly gray colour, and she was holding an iron bar, which she was resting on her shoulder like a baseball bat.

"I'm here to finally kick your ass, now that you don't have your broad brigade to protect you," she said. "I've already gotten my revenge on that 'breath of wind' loser as you can clearly see." As she said this second part, she lifted her other hand up, which Rom and Maiko finally noticed was holding another girl by the back of her collar.

This other girl had brown hair and green eyes, and was wearing a green bow that looked like a pair of leaves in her hair. She was also wearing an oversized blue trench coat, a black, sleeveless top, and black shorts. Her hands were currently tied together behind her back.

"You won't get away with this, Underling..." the girl said, addressing her captor.

"I told you to stop calling me that," Underling growled, kneeing the other girl in the back.

"Miss IF...!" Rom said, worried. "You bully...! Let her go...!"

"Nah," Underling answered. "I'm here to get my revenge. If I can beat this pain in the ass..." Underling shook IF for emphasis, "then beating you should be a piece of cake."

"Sorry, but I can't let you do that," came a woman's voice from above.

Underling and Rom looked up in surprise to see a young woman looking over the edge of the porch at them. She had rainbow-streaked hair, and magenta eyes. She was wearing a sky blue coat, blue jeans, brown army boots, and had a rainbow scarf around her neck. She then jumped off the porch, landing just in front of Rom, then stood upright and turned to look at Underling. "In the name of justice, I, Rainbow Dash, will rescue that girl and protect this one by defeating you!" she said epically.

"That was so cool...!" Rom said in admiration.

Rainbow Dash looked over her shoulder with a smirk. "I know," she answered. She then pulled out a dagger from inside her coat. "Leave this common thug to me. There's no need for you to get pointlessly hurt," she continued.

"But...! I can fight too...!" Rom said. "And I wanna save Miss IF too...!"

"Rom is pretty strong," Fluttershy chimed in from the porch.

Rainbow Dash was silent for a moment. "Fine," she said. "Just don't do anything stupid that gets you seriously hurt, okay kid?"

Rainbow Dash has joined!

"Uh-huh...!" Rom responded, getting ready to fight.

Rom
HP: 14600/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Underling

Rainbow Dash
HP: 8990/8990 | SP: 6350/6350

Rainbow Dash attacks Underling!
0 damage!

Rom attacks Underling!
0 damage!

Underling attacks Rom!
4371 damage!

Woah, time out! Maiko said. What the hell is that!? That's not fair at all!

"Who-?" Rainbow Dash started, looking around.

"Underling has to be cheating somehow!" IF said, cutting Rainbow Dash off. "I don't know what to do about it though..."

"It's called 'winning' loser," Underling taunted. "Now, let the battle resume, so I can continue to beat your asses."

Rom, Maiko said. I have an idea. Try transforming.

"O-Okay...!" Rom said, before a column of light appeared around her. The light dissipated after a few moments, and Rom's appearance had changed drastically.

She now had baby blue, shoulder-length hair, with one extra-long lock coming in front of her shoulder, and her eyes were now bubblegum pink with power symbols in their middles. Her outfit had changed from her winter attire to a white and pink skintight suit as well.

"Whatever," Underling said, unfazed by the transformation. "Activating your silly HDD won't help you."

"Underestimating a CPU Candidate is going to be your downfall," IF commented.

"Oh, shut up," Underling said, tossing IF to the side. "Now, let's continue the beat down."

Maiko's EXE Drive Tutorial

White Sister (Rom)

HP: 14600/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

You see this bar below your HP and SP? That's your EXE Drive Gauge. It'll fill up as you take and deal damage, like this:

It fills more when you take damage than when you deal damage, and while you have HDD active, it fills even faster when you take damage, and even slower when you deal damage. Once it's full, you can unleash a devastating EXE Drive Skill, which depletes the EXE Drive Gauge. Try using EXE Drive Skills to take out Underling in this battle, okay?

End of Tutorial

Rom gripped her staff as it materialized, a determined look on her face. Her and Rainbow Dash were side by side as they faced Underling.

White Sister (Rom)

HP: 14600/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Underling

Rainbow Dash

HP: 8990/8990 | SP: 6350/6350

Rainbow Dash attacks Underling!
Rainbow Dash lunged forward, slashing at Underling with her dagger. Despite seeming like she had made a solid hit, the attack didn't seem to affect Underling in the slightest.
0 damage!

White Sister (Rom) attacks Underling!
Rom attacked Underling, swinging her staff to cause an eruption of light on the delinquent. Underling flinched slightly from the attack, but it otherwise didn't seem to do much.
102 damage!

Underling attacks White Sister (Rom)!
Underling then ran at Rom, and swung her iron bar at the CPU Candidate, hitting her with a sideways swing.
736 damage!

The attack was fairly forceful, and Rom felt it. However, she also felt energy welling up inside her from the hit.

White Sister (Rom)

HP: 13864/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Underling

Rainbow Dash

HP: 8990/8990 | SP: 6350/6350

Rainbow Dash attacks Underling!
Rainbow Dash made another slash at Underling, but it was just as ineffective as the first.
0 damage!

White Sister (Rom) attacks Underling!
Rom made her same attack again, eliciting basically the same result as before.
104 damage!

Underling used Take This!! on White Sister (Rom)!
This time, Underling jumped at Rom, bringing her weapon down in an overhead swing. The weapon made a solid connection with Rom, who recoiled from the force of the attack.
1728 damage!

That last attack had been painful, but Rom felt like she was topped up on the energy from before. She decided it was time to retaliate.

White Sister (Rom)

HP: 12136/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Underling

Rainbow Dash

HP: 8990/8990 | SP: 6350/6350

Rainbow Dash attacks Underling!
Not knowing what else to do, Rainbow Dash simply continued to slash Underling with her dagger.
0 damage!

White Sister (Rom) used the EXE Drive Skill Northern Cross on Underling!
Rom released the energy built up inside her and raised her staff to the air. This called down four large, blue orbs of energy which slammed into the ground, surrounding Underling. The orbs opposite each other then connected with beams of energy, creating a cross shape, the beams overlapping on Underling. Each beam dealt a hit to Underling, who visibly recoiled from the power.
762 damage!
767 damage!
Rom then put her feet together and looked up to the sky, raising her staff again, and called down a set of four red orbs, already connected by beams in the same way as the blue ones, with a shout of "Northern Cross!" When the red set landed on the blue set, overlapping perfectly, there was an explosion of energy, causing Underling to recoil again.
764 damage!

The force of the EXE Drive Skill finally seemed to be doing a good amount of damage to Underling as she began to look somewhat worn out. This just seemed to spur her on even more though, as she went on to attack again, using the same overhead attack as before.

Underling used Take This!! on Rom!
1733 damage!

White Sister (Rom)

HP: 10403/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Underling

Rainbow Dash

HP: 8990/8990 | SP: 6350/6350

Rainbow Dash attacks Underling!
0 damage!

White Sister (Rom) attacks Underling!
Rom's attack erupted with extra force, and it caused Underling to flinch fully and even recoil a small bit, though it still seemed to be fairly ineffective.
Critical Hit! 317 damage!

Underling used Take This!! on White Sister (Rom)!
Underling continued to hit Rom with her powerful, overhead swing.
1727 damage!

Rom was once again beginning to feel the tiredness as her HP continued to drop, though Underlings last attack had given her enough energy to use the powerful EXE Drive Skill again.

White Sister (Rom)

HP: 8676/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Underling

Rainbow Dash

HP: 8990/8990 | SP: 6350/6350

Rainbow Dash attacks Underling!
0 damage!

White Sister (Rom) used the EXE Drive Skill Northern Cross on Underling!
768 damage!
764 damage!
765 damage!
The EXE Drive Skill was executed in the same way as the first time, and again dealt a very hefty amount of damage to Underling.

At this point, Underling was looking downright exhausted, hunched over and panting, sweat dripping from her face. Despite this, she still attacked Rom with the same attack.

Underling used Take This!! on White Sister (Rom)!
1730 damage!

White Sister (Rom)

HP: 6946/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Underling

Rainbow Dash

HP: 8990/8990 | SP: 6350/6350

Rainbow Dash attacks Underling!
0 damage!

White Sister (Rom) attacks Underling!
100 damage!

Underling used Take This!! on White Sister (Rom)!
This time, being desperate, Underling took a running start on her jump, and swung her body forward with her overhead swing, putting a bunch of extra force behind the attack, resulting in an incredibly intense blow.
Critical Hit! 5203 damage!
The attack brought Rom close to fainting, but she hung in there, not wanting to let Underling get away with humiliating IF.
White Sister (Rom)'s HP is low...

White Sister (Rom)

HP: 1743/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Underling

Rainbow Dash

HP: 8990/8990 | SP: 6350/6350

Rainbow Dash attacks Underling!
0 damage!

White Sister (Rom) used the EXE Drive Skill Northern Cross on Underling!
Rom used her EXE Drive Skill one last time to finish Underling off, not caring if it was overkill or not.
766 damage!
768 damage!
764 damage!
Underling was defeated!

White Sister (Rom)

HP: 1743/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Underling

Rainbow Dash

HP: 8990/8990 | SP: 6350/6350

Victory!

"Uuuurgh... W-What the ffff..." Underling mumbled before falling forward into the snow.

Rom then reverted back to her initial form and, despite her exhaustion from the intense battle, jumped up and down happily. "We did it...!" she said cheerfully.

"More like 'you did it'," Rainbow Dash said. "I don't think I left even so much as a scratch on her..." Then, under her breath, she added "So embarrassing..." while putting her face into her palm.

Rom then ran over to IF. "Miss IF, are you okay...?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine thanks," IF answered. "I'd like to get my hands untied though..."

"Allow me," Rainbow Dash suddenly said, coming over with dagger in hand. She then used her weapon to cut IF's bindings.

"Thank you," IF said, rubbing her wrists and standing up.

"Anyway, what was with that voice earlier?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Me? Maiko responded, causing Rainbow Dash to look around in suspicion.

"Yeah, where the heck are you?" Rainbow Dash asked, sounding a little frustrated.

I'm in Rom's head, Maiko answered.

Rainbow Dash's eyes narrowed, apparently not buying it. "No, that doesn't make any sense. How would you get to be in someone's head?"

That's what I'd like to know, Maiko shot back.

"Please don't fight," Fluttershy said, having come down the ladder after watching the battle from the porch. "We should go see Twilight and ask her if she can figure out what's going on."

"Right, that sounds like a good idea," Rainbow Dash said.

"I'm coming too," IF said. "I can fight as well, and even though Rom is pretty strong, she can't beat everything on her own."

"Thank you Miss IF..." Rom said.

IF has joined!

"Alright then you two," Rainbow Dash said. "Follow me. We're going to see Twi."

End of Chapter 2

Author's Note

Ta-da! Chapter 2 is here! I'm just going to mention that all bosses will have 4-layer health bars.

Obligatory list of differences from the original:
Underling attacks - because the only reason I had her flee in the original was because I didn't yet know how I wanted to handle combat.
IF captured - just to be interesting.
Rainbow Dash joins the party - because I felt that the character selection needed to be 20% cooler.
EXE Drive Gauge and EXE Drive Skills - because they're awesome.

Also, feel free to use your imagination as to how Underling was cheating. I personally think she was using a GameShark.

Anyway, I hope you're enjoying this remake so far!

Also, tutorial.

Chapter 3: 3rd Party Interference?

Soon enough, Rom, Rainbow Dash, IF and Fluttershy came to a large castle made entirely of crystal.

"This is impressive-looking," IF said.

"It is, isn't it?" Rainbow Dash responded. "This is Twi's castle."

Her castle? Maiko asked. She lives in a castle?

"Well, yeah," Rainbow Dash said. "She's a princess. Of course she'd live in a castle."

"Wow...!" Rom said in amazement. "A real princess..."

"You never mentioned anything about this Twilight being a princess," IF said, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, I guess I forgot to bring that up until just now, huh?" Rainbow Dash answered, embarrassed. "Oops."

IF sighed. "What you just said really reminds me of Neptune," she said.

"You called, Iffy?" came a voice from behind.

"Dammit..." IF said under her breath as the four turned around.

Behind them was a girl with messy, shoulder-length, pale purple hair, and vivid violet eyes. She had purple shoes, a white hoodie-dress and striped stockings that were white and pale blue. Her hoodie's cuffs, hem and hood were purple, and it had large, round pockets, as well as drawstrings that looked like USB cords, and a large 'N' emblem as the zipper tag. She also had two large clips in her hair that looked like the directional pads on a video game controller.

"It's Miss Neptune...!" Rom said.

"Thaaaaat's right!" Neptune said, her voice cheerful and carefree. "It's me, the protag of protags, Neptune! I'm here to nep whatever you may need to give a good nepping!"

"Um..." Rainbow Dash said, confused. "What is she talking about?"

"Nep is random," IF said. "Just accept that you're going to get a lot of migraines with her around. Also, be prepared for a lot of meta talk from her."

"You can't stop me from being me," Neptune said. "Plus, your party isn't even anywhere near full yet! With me, you'll be one step closer to full-party-perfection!"

"Miss Neptune will help us..." Rom said.

"Exactly!" Neptune said. "The little munchkin knows the know, so let me show the show!"

"I doubt I can say anything to change your mind anyway..." IF said, already rubbing her temple.

Neptune has j-

"Nah, I don't think so."

Suddenly, Neptune was flipped, suspended in the air upside-down. "Wh-Whaaaaaa!?" Neptune exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock. Then, a young women stepped out from behind Neptune, a large grin on her face.

The woman had black hair with several white streaks, and then one red streak at the front. She had two small, white horns on her head, and red eyes. She wore a white dress, the skirt of which was made up of black and red interlocking arrows, and a blue ribbon around her waist, which was tied into an upside-down bow on her back. She was wearing strange, wooden-block sandal-like footwear with blue straps, and brass bangles on her wrists.

"Who are you?" IF asked, her eyes narrowed.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" the woman answered, her tone snarky.

Seija Kijin, Maiko suddenly said. The woman frowned, her eyes narrowing.

"None of you are supposed to know who I am," she said, slightly irritated.

"We don't," Rainbow Dash answered. Seija's eyes narrowed further.

"Then who-?"

Me, Maiko cut her off. Don't bother looking for me, I'm not physically here.

Seija was silent for a few moments, before her eyes suddenly widened. "Ah, so you're the one that hag was talking about," Seija said, her grin returning. "Well, alright then. I came here to be a nuisance, so I can easily accomplish that by fighting you really quick."

"What makes you think we'd fight you?" IF asked.

Seija gave a big toothy grin. "Because. If you don't defeat me here, who knows what I'll do to your precious Neptune?"

IF's eyes widened as Neptune squeaked in fright. "C'mon Iffy," Neptune pleaded. "You wouldn't feed me to the sharks, wouldja?"

"Dammit..." IF said. "Fine. Have it your way."

"Excellent," Seija responded. "See? Plenty of harm done. Now to waste your time as much as possible with this fight."

IF's tutorial on SP and Skills

You do know that you have more than just your basic attack, right? You can also use Skills, which can do a lot of things, such as deal even more damage than your basic attack could, deal elemental damage to exploit an enemy's elemental weaknesses, heal status conditions from allies, inflict status conditions on enemies, buff your stats, heal your allies' HP, and a lot more. They're really useful, but be careful, as using one costs SP, and if you don't have enough SP, you can't use certain Skills. Dealing damage will slowly restore your SP, but damage dealt by Skills, EXE Drive Skills and status conditions doesn't count. Also, on the topic of EXE Drive, damage dealt by Skills won't fill the EXE Drive Gauge as quickly as basic attacks would. Lastly, SP isn't restored between battles, so be really mindful of how frequently you use Skills. Anyway, remember to use your Skills effectively to get the upper hand in battle!

End of Tutorial

Rom, Rainbow Dash and IF stood together, facing Seija, who was standing in front of the suspended Neptune. Rom's staff materialized, and she gripped it, determined to save Neptune, and IF produced a pair of Katars, dagger-like blades that are wielded like claws, from within her sleeves.

Rom

HP: 14600/14600 | SP: 8960/8960

Seija

Rainbow Dash

HP: 8990/8990 | SP: 6350/6350

IF

HP: 19410/19410 | SP: 4520/4520

Rainbow Dash attacks Seija!
Rainbow Dash lunged forward, slashing with her dagger, catching Seija off guard. The attack connected successfully, leaving a cut on Seija's arm.
224 damage!

IF used Demonic Inferno on Seija! Seija is weak to the Fire element!
IF swept her arms in front of her dramatically as she called out "Demonic Inferno!" just as dramatically. A series of blasts pelted Seija, ending with a column of flame engulfing her for a few moments, leaving her hair and clothes singed.
431 damage!
433 damage!
427 damage!
425 damage!
429 damage!

Rom used Ice Coffin on Seija! Seija is resistant to the Ice element...
Rom twirled her staff before taking it in both hands and slamming the butt end to the ground, announcing "Ice Coffin...!". A spire of ice then froze around Seija, before shattering, dealing a total of two hits.
398 damage!
390 damage!

Seija was already looking somewhat worn out from the intense attacks that had been used against her.

Seija attacks Rainbow Dash!
Seija then retaliated with a volley of strange, glowing, red and blue objects that then began to fly at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash, however, was quick on her feet, and avoided the objects.
The attack was avoided!

Rom

HP: 14600/14600 | SP: 8528/8960

Seija

Rainbow Dash

HP: 8990/8990 | SP: 6350/6350

IF

HP: 19410/19410 | SP: 4160/4520

Rainbow Dash attacks Seija!
Rainbow Dash lunged for Seija again, and even though Seija had been anticipating the attack this time, Rainbow Dash had predicted her attempt to dodge, still successfully landing her attack, leaving a second cut next to the first on Seija's arm.
229 damage!

IF used Demonic Inferno on Seija! Seija is weak to the Fire element!
IF once again used her Demonic Inferno Skill, not yet having any reason to conserve her SP. Seija was singed once again by the blasts, however this time, she managed to quickly sidestep away from the flaming column.
427 damage!
429 damage!
430 damage!
433 damage!
The attack was avoided...

Rom used Ice Coffin on Seija! Seija is resistant to the Ice element...
Rom also had no reason to conserve SP yet, so she called out her Ice Coffin Skill a second time. Seija attempted to dodge the forming ice spire, but was unsuccessful due to the ice spire forming not only quicker, but also larger than last time. The ice spire then shattered like normal, dealing the second hit.
Critical Hit! 1181 damage!
396 damage!

Seija was looking exhausted already, hunched over slightly, her hair glistening with sweat. However, she then grinned as she made her attack.

Seija used Reversal on Rom!
Seija grabbed the wounds on her arm, gripping them for several seconds before she lifted her hand, revealing a large ball of energy which she then flung at Rom. Maiko realized that Seija was trying to use her low HP to her advantage, and tried to warn Rom, but was too late. The ball of energy hit Rom, hard.
5386 damage!

Rom was flung backwards, landing on the ground a good few feet back.

Rom

HP: 9214/14600 | SP: 8096/8960

Seija

Rainbow Dash

HP: 8990/8990 | SP: 6350/6350

IF

HP: 19410/19410 | SP: 3800/4520

Rainbow Dash ran over to Rom, making sure she was okay. She helped Rom up, and Rom thanked her, saying she was alright. The two then returned in time for IF's next attack.

IF used Demonic Inferno on Seija! Seija is weak to the Fire element!
Seija tried to avoid the smaller blasts, but due to their random and scattered pattern, she was unsuccessful.
429 damage!
432 damage!
430 damage!
427 damage!
She also attempted to avoid the column of flames like she did last time, but the column erupted forth much larger, and with more force, catching her within it despite her effort to sidestep.
Critical Hit! 1277 damage!
Seija was defeated!

Rom

HP: 9214/14600 | SP: 8096/8960

Seija

Rainbow Dash

HP: 8990/8990 | SP: 6350/6350

IF

HP: 19410/19410 | SP: 3440/4520

Victory!

Seija wobbled slightly on her feet, struggling to keep her eyes open. Her hair was singed, full of soot, and soaking wet from a combination of melted ice and sweat. Her clothing was also singed, covered in soot and damp. She then shook her head and glared at the three that had beaten her as she gripped the two bleeding cuts on her arm.

"I guess I was too overconfident," she admitted. "This time. But next time I'll be sure to kick your asses." With that warning, she surprised them by floating up into the air and then flying away.

Once Seija was out of sight, Neptune was released from whatever Seija had done to her, falling to the ground, still upside-down. IF rushed over to her to see if she was okay, but Neptune got up quickly, seemingly perfectly fine, and rushed past IF to Rom. "Hey hey hey, are you okay?" she asked Rom, her voice worried. "That was quite the hit you took back there. It sent you flying and everything. No scratches, bruises, need medical attention, CPR, operation-?"

"She's going to be okay," IF interrupted Neptune. "She definitely doesn't need an operation."

"Ah, alright," Neptune said, returning to her cheery self. "Just making the rounds, cause if little Rommie Rotten were to get hurt, I definitely wouldn't be caught in the same room with the Big Bad Blanc when she found out, ya know?"

"True..." IF said.

"Anyway, now the protag of protags, Neptune, can join your party to nep everything that needs a good nepping," Neptune said.

Neptune has join-

"What's with all the commotion out here!?"

"Oh, come on!" Neptune said.

Everyone turned to see another young woman standing in the doorway of the castle. She had long, dark purple hair with a pink streak and a brighter purple streak, as well as eyes that were a vivid violet, just like Neptune's, though possibly a little darker. She was wearing a long, regal-looking, purple winter coat, and dark purple winter boots. On her head she wore a golden tiara with a violet gem at the front that was in the shape of a six-pointed star.

"Ah, Twi!" Rainbow Dash said. "Sorry 'bout that, but someone really weird was being really nasty, and we had to fight 'em and chase 'em off."

"I'll... ask for more detail later," Twilight said. She then looked at Rom, IF and Neptune. "But who are you three? I don't recognize you."

"My name is Rom..." Rom said quietly. Twilight grinned a little at Rom's shy response.

"You sound a lot like Fluttershy," she said, looking over at Fluttershy, who blushed and looked away.

"I'm IF," IF said, "a gust of beautiful wind that blows through the vast world!" Twilight's grin widened a little at this.

"And you sound kind of like Rainbow Dash," she commented, turning to look at Rainbow Dash.

"D-Does not!" Rainbow Dash stuttered, blushing a little.

"D-Do not!" IF stuttered, blushing a little.

The two fell silent before both of their blushes deepened and they looked away from each other, mumbling.

"And I'm the protag of protags, the biggest nep to ever nep, overall awesome gal, Neptune!!!" Neptune then said, striking a pose. Twilight fell silent, her grin replaced by a frown.

"And you remind me of Pinkie Pie..." Twilight said after several moments. "Except more migraine-inducing," she added after a moment, rubbing her temple.

"She tends to do that to people," IF commented. Neptune finally just fell silent, pouting in defeat.

My name is Maiko Hayakawa, Maiko then chimed in, earning a startled jump from Twilight. I've somehow gotten stuffed into Rom's head, and we came to see you about how that would end up happening.

Twilight was silent for a moment, before she put her one hand on her chin, her elbow resting in her other hand, as she thought out loud. "A person being put into another person's head..." she said to herself. "Interesting..." She then looked at the group. "Could you all come in please?" she asked. "I wish to run a few tests. Don't worry, they're completely painless, and should have no adverse effects. They'll help us to understand how Maiko got inside Rom's head, and they'll also offer up a bunch of other information that I wish to study in detail."

"Oh boy, Twi's in analyze mode," Rainbow Dash said. "I think you should just go with it," she continued. "It'll be difficult to talk your way out of this."

"Alright," IF said. "I guess it'll be fine, since they shouldn't hurt Rom." She then turned to Neptune and tugged on her sleeve as everyone followed Twilight inside. "C'mon Nep, we're going inside."

"Mmmm..." was all Neptune said in response, still wearing a dejected expression as she followed IF inside after the others.

Neptune has joined!

End of Chapter 3

Author's Note

And here we go, chapter 3!

Differences from the original:
Brand-new boss battle! - a completely new boss fight that wasn't in the original. The character choice will make sense to those of you who were able to read the original's final chapter, but for those who couldn't, don't worry about who that is if you don't know, it'll be explained another time.
The reason behind SP, revealed - Skills should be less spammable now.
They're not leaving yet? - no, they're not. Chapter 4 is gonna have brand-new content, right from the get-go!

Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the story so far!

P.S. - Poor Neptune.

Edit: Found a very fitting music theme and decided to use it as the generic boss battle theme for Touhou characters.

Chapter 4: Digressing

Many dubious, but admittedly harmless, tests later...

"Alright," Twilight said. "It'll take me a while to sort through all this data and come to any conclusions, so why don't you go into Ponyville proper and find something to do in the meantime?"

"Sounds good to me," Rainbow Dash said.

As the group stepped outside, they found that the sun was low in the sky. Since it was Winter, that meant it was probably around late afternoon.

"I didn't realize it was so late," IF said. Suddenly, there was a growling sound.

"Looks like my tummy has a case of the quakes," Neptune said.

"I'm hungry too..." Rom said.

"How about we grab something to eat then?" Rainbow Dash said. "Anybody have anything particular in mind?"

How about sukiyaki? Maiko offered.

"Hmmm, yeah," IF said. "Sukiyaki is a great idea."

"What's..." Rainbow Dash paused, attempting to say the foreign word. "Soo-kee-yah-kee?"

IF frowned. "Sukiyaki is a very popular Hot Pot dish," she explained, her tone suggesting that it should have been obvious.

"Hot Pot... Is that anything like Potluck?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Kind of, maybe? Maiko answered. Except it's traditionally done in the Winter instead of the warm seasons like Potluck.

"So, what do we need for this 'sookeeyackee'?" Rainbow Dash asked next, continuing to butcher the word.

We'll need raw beef, thinly sliced, Maiko started, listing off the common ingredients. Raw vegetables, soy sauce, sugar and mirin. We'll also need a shallow, iron cooking pot.

"We should use shin mirin for Rom's sake," IF added.

"What's... That?" Rainbow Dash inquired, deciding not to even try to say the word this time.

What? Mirin? Maiko asked.

"Yeah. I've never heard of it, so there probably isn't any in Ponyville," she said.

"No need to worry!" Neptune said. "I've gotcha covered!" As she said this, she pulled out a bottle that said '味醂風調味料' on the label.

"I should have the other ingredients at my home," Fluttershy said. "Why don't we eat there?"

"I like that idea..." Rom said. IF shrugged.

"Alright, I guess that's fine," she said.

Inside Fluttershy's cottage...

After they had arrived, Fluttershy had gone and brought the necessary ingredients, as well as a suitable iron pot. IF prepared the stock in the pot right at the table, Maiko helping by offering pointers as she cooked. While those two prepared the stock, Neptune set the table, for some reason having enough dishes and chopsticks for all five of them. By the time the stock was ready, there were five places set, and a small selection of raw vegetables as well as a plate of raw beef slices around the pot that was at the center of the table. As everyone sat down, Rainbow Dash spoke up.

"So, how do we eat it?" she asked.

"Actually, we now have to put the ingredients into the stock and let it simmer, right here at the table," IF answered. She then took her chopsticks and placed a few slices of meat and several vegetables into the pot.

The five sat, waiting for the soup to simmer, Rainbow Dash fidgeting a little. After nearly half an hour, IF finally spoke up.

"Alright, it should be ready to eat now," she said.

The five began to eat, though Rainbow Dash had trouble with the chopsticks for a while at first. "This is actually really good," Rainbow Dash said once she finally managed to eat some. "I wouldn't mind having this again sometime."

After finishing the tasty sukiyaki and cleaning up...

"What should we do now?" IF asked.

"Why don't we go for a nice walk?" Fluttershy offered.

"Yeah, we could show you around," Rainbow Dash added.

"Sounds good to me," IF answered.

"Oh boy, a free guided tour?" Neptune said, excited.

"It sounds like fun..." Rom added.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy led the three into town and showed them around. Eventually, as they approached a street corner, someone came bolting around it and rushed past them, bumping into Neptune on the way by.

"'Ey!" Neptune shouted. "I'm walkin' 'ere!"

"Wait, wasn't that Under-?" IF started to ask.

"Thief! Get back- OOF!" IF was cut off by a girl's shout as someone else ran around the corner... straight into Rom. Both Rom and the other person landed on their butts in the snow.

The person was a young girl with shoulder-length blonde hair and yellow eyes. She was wearing a white button-up shirt and a long, blue skirt with straps that went over her shoulders. She had a blue ribbon in her hair, and she had white footwear that resembled socks.

"Ow..." she said, rubbing her head. She looked at Rom, who was also rubbing her head. "Are you ok-" she began to say, before remembering what she was doing. "Wait, I don't have time! I need to get my Grimoire back from that thief!" she said before running off, shouting "get back here!".

"Quick, follow her!" IF said, running after the girl as the others followed.

"Why, what's wrong?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Do you know her?"

"No," IF responded. "But the thief she's chasing? I'm pretty sure it's Underling, and Underling is never up to any good."

The group followed the girl, who eventually ducked into an alley after the thief. When they caught up with the girl, she had the thief - who did turn out to be Underling - cornered at a dead-end.

"There's nowhere left to run," the girl said. "Now give me back my Grimoire!"

"Like hell!" Underling shouted, gripping the book in question.

"Why did you even steal that book in the first place Underling?" IF asked, jumping into the conversation, startling both Underling and the girl.

"It says 'Grimoire' on the cover, doesn't it?" Underling answered, regaining her composure. "Grimoires are supposed to be full of magic, right? Of course I'd steal it!"

"Well, it's mine, not yours!" the girl shot back, turning back to Underling.

Underling laughed. "Like I care," she said. "If I want something that somebody else has, I'm going to steal it!"

"Talking never works with the mooks," Neptune suddenly butted in. "Your supposed to just give 'em a good smack and be done with it!" Neptune then materialized a sword into her hand. She then pointed it at Underling and shouted "I'm gonna beat'cha up!" before rushing forward, slashing Underling, then knocking her up into the air and slashing through her one more time in midair.

"For ffff..." Underling said as she passed out, dropping to the ground. The girl then went and picked up her book, which had dropped to the ground as well. The cover said Grimoire of Alice. The girl then turned to the group.

"Thanks for helping me get my Grimoire back," the girl said. "My name is Alice."

"My name is IF," IF said. "This is Rom, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and-" she continued, gesturing to each one in turn.

"And I'm Neptune, the greatest of all protagonists!" Neptune interrupted.

"Uh, sure," Alice said, giving Neptune a funny look.

And my name is Maiko Hayakawa, Maiko finished. I've somehow been put into Rom's head.

Alice looked like she was going to say something, but IF interrupted her. "We have someone looking into the details," she said. "So don't worry about it for now."

"Okay..." Alice answered slowly. "Anyway, this place doesn't look like it's Makai," she added, looking around.

"It's Ponyville, in Equestria," Rainbow Dash said.

"I've never heard of it," Alice said.

"Hmmm..." IF said. "I've never heard of Makai, but your situation sounds similar to ours. How about you come with us for now? We could go see Princess Twilight and see if she knows where this Makai is and how to get you back there."

"I guess I don't have anything better to do," Alice answered.

Alice has joined!

"I guess it's back to Twi's then," Rainbow Dash said as the six made their way out of the alley.

End of Chapter 4

Author's Note

Chapter 4 is here!

Differences from the original:
Literally this whole chapter - none of this happened in the original. The entire chapter is brand-new.
Another never-before-seen party member! - another party member that wasn't in the original. In the original, a black-mage-type didn't join the party until the last moment, so I've decided to bring one in earlier this time.
A brand-new character - I just thought it would be interesting.

With that, I hope you've been enjoying the story so far! Look forward to seeing more if you are.

P.S. You know the bottle Neptune pulled out? Props to anyone who knows what the label says. And no, it doesn't say "shin mirin". Also, my respect to anyone who can name which Touhou game I got Alice from.

Chapter 5: Hyper Dimension Tuning

Back at Twilight's Castle...

"I see," Twilight said, after being introduced to Alice and hearing about her situation. "Well, I'm not sure yet, but I might be able to make some sense of your situations once I've finished analyzing all the data I have. It's getting late, so you should all get some sleep. You can come back in the morning, and I should have come to a conclusion by then."

"Sounds like a plan to me," IF said.

After the six had stepped outside, Alice spoke up. "Actually, where are we going to sleep?" she asked. "Except for you two," she said, addressing Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, "none of us live here. We don't have anywhere to sleep."

"I have space at my house that you could use," Fluttershy offered.

"A sleepover?" Neptune asked. "Ooh, I love sleepovers!"

"I wanna sleep at Miss Shy's..." Rom added.

"Well, I guess it's decided then," IF said, shaking her head slightly with a hint of a grin. Rainbow Dash then left for her own house, the other five heading for Fluttershy's.

The following morning, in Twilight's Castle after meeting up with Rainbow Dash out front...

"Hey Twi, you got anything for us yet?" Rainbow Dash called out as they entered the testing room. Twilight was inside with her back turned. She seemed to still be looking through the data.

"Nothing absolute yet," she answered without turning around. "But the data is showing that Rom is undoubtedly giving off two completely different dimensional signatures."

"Way over my head, Twi," Rainbow Dash said.

Twilight sighed before continuing, still without turning around. "I'm saying that Maiko is a real, independent person," she explained. "I still haven't figured out how or why she's in Rom's head though. I'm going to need more time." She was silent for a few moments before she continued. "As for Alice, this Makai place she claims to be from isn't something I've heard of before, and it isn't in any of my texts. She might also be from a different dimension. But if you haven't heard of Makai, then she's not from yours." A few moments after she finished speaking, Twilight suddenly came to a dead stop. "Maybe..." she whispered before looking over her shoulder at the group. "I'll need some time to do something," she said to them. "Go find something to do, I'll contact you when I'm ready." She then turned back to the data in front of her.

"Uh, Twi's in one of those moods right now," Rainbow Dash said. "So we should wait outside or something."

"Alright, if you say so..." IF responded slowly.

Once outside, the group saw a small crowd gathered nearby on the street, and they could hear drumming from the same direction. Curious, the group went over to investigate, but as they approached, the drumming stopped, and the crowd clapped vigorously.

"Thank you for listening!" a young woman's voice shouted to the crowd over their clapping. "Maybe I'll perform here again sometime. If I do, I'll be looking forward to seeing every one of you here listening to me!" The crowd cheered at this, then, after several moments, slowly broke up as people left. Once everyone had left, the drummer was the only one remaining.

The drummer was a woman with shoulder-length red hair, and red eyes. She was wearing an open, white shirt over a red plaid shirt, as well as a white skirt with a leather belt. She also had a pink tie on, and strange boots that had tiny drum mallets fixed to the heels. There was a ring floating around her, and attached to it were eight flat, red, hexagonal objects with swirl designs. She was sitting on a large bass drum that had a floral design on its skin.

The group realized that the bass drum was floating just off the ground when the woman caught sight of them and the drum floated towards them. The woman stopped in front of them and inspected them all. "Hmmm..." she said to herself after she'd finished looking them over. "They match the descriptions I was given..."

"Excuse me," IF interrupted. "But who are you, and why do you have descriptions of us? Who gave them to you? And why would they give them to you?"

"Ah, sorry," the woman said. "My name is Raiko Horikawa. I have your descriptions so that I would know who to look for. Your next question is unfortunately classified information, but as for why I wanted them..." A grin formed on her face as she paused, flipping her drumsticks into the air and catching one in each hand. "It's because I'm interested in fighting you," she finished. "I want to gauge your strength."

"Do you even know who we are?" Rainbow Dash asked incredulously.

"Not your names," Raiko answered. "But I do know that you're the people I want to gauge the strength of right now."

"Let's just get this over with..." IF said, her face in her hand.

"Woohoo!" Neptune said, pumping a fist in the air. "Finally, my first battle! Last time, I just pwned Underling, and the battle screen didn't even show up."

"Neptune, just shut up and fight," IF said, irritated.

"Ugh, fine..." Neptune said.

Rom and Neptune materialized their weapons as IF flicked her Katars out of her sleeves and Rainbow Dash drew her dagger from within her coat. Alice simply held her Grimoire at the ready as the five faced Raiko who was still sitting on her bass drum sideways in a casual fashion.

Rom

HP: 14600/14600 | SP: 8096/8960

Rainbow Dash

HP: 8990/8990 | SP: 6350/6350

Raiko

IF

HP: 19410/19410 | SP: 3440/4520

Neptune

HP: 27420/27420 | SP: 5340/5700

Alice

HP: 13250/13250 | SP: 8130/8130

Rainbow Dash attacks Raiko!
Rainbow Dash made the first move as always, lunging in for a slash. Raiko didn't seem to be very agile, though the attack didn't seem to faze her much either.
103 damage!

IF attacks Raiko!
IF then followed, making a lunging slash with her Katars. Raiko, again, was slow in her attempt to dodge, though the attack didn't seem to faze her too much, just like Rainbow Dash's attack.
187 damage!

Rom used Ice Coffin on Raiko!
Rom spun her staff in front of her, grabbing it in both hands to slam the butt end to the ground as she called her Ice Coffin Skill. The ice spire caught Raiko within it before shattering.
277 damage!
274 damage!

Alice used Quaking Orange on Raiko! Raiko is weak to the Earth element!
Alice then opened her Grimoire and read out a spell from it before declaring "Quaking Orange!". At Alice's declaration, stone spires erupted from the ground underneath Raiko, and she recoiled as they hit her.
599 damage!

Neptune used Critical Edge on Raiko!
Neptune pointed her sword at Raiko and shouted "Critical Edge!" before dashing at her and slashing her.
386 damage!
Neptune then knocked Raiko into the air and slashed her again in midair.
383 damage!
390 damage!

Raiko used Crashing Thunder on Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash is weak to the Lightning element!
Raiko then used one of her drumsticks to hit one of the hexagons around her. It sounded off like a drum, but also released several sparks of electricity upon being struck. After a moment, a bolt of lightning came down and struck Rainbow Dash, the force of it knocking her to the ground.
3672 damage!
Rainbow Dash looked like she had taken the attack poorly, but got back up on her own and into a battle stance anyway.

Rom

HP: 14600/14600 | SP: 7664/8960

Rainbow Dash

HP: 5318/8990 | SP: 6350/6350

Raiko

IF

HP: 19410/19410 | SP: 3533/4520

Neptune

HP: 27420/27420 | SP: 4980/5700

Alice

HP: 13250/13250 | SP: 7830/8130

Rainbow Dash used Cool Combo on Raiko!
Rainbow Dash lunged for Raiko again, but this time she attacked Raiko with a swift, six-hit combo.
164 damage!
166 damage!
161 damage!
158 damage!
162 damage!
160 damage!

IF attacks Raiko!
IF simply performed the same attack as last time, a lunging slash with her Katars.
185 damage!

Rom used Ice Coffin on Raiko!
Rom once again performed her Ice Coffin Skill, having more or less the same outcome as previously.
276 damage!
279 damage!

Alice used Quaking Orange on Raiko! Raiko is weak to the Earth element!
Alice once again opened her Grimoire and read out the spell for her Quaking Orange Skill. This time, however, the stone spires erupted under Raiko three times in a row, landing three successive hits.
Critical Hit! 603 damage! 601 damage! 597 damage!

Neptune attacks Raiko!
Neptune then ran at Raiko before slashing with her sword. Raiko continued to be slow on her dodging.
254 damage!

Oddly, Raiko wasn't showing many signs of fatigue yet. The group began to wonder if she was just toying with them.

Raiko used Crashing Thunder on Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash is weak to the Lightning element!
Raiko once again struck one of her strange drums to cause a splash of sparks. However, Rainbow Dash knew what was coming, and timed her dodge perfectly, sidestepping as the lightning bolt struck next to her.
The attack was avoided!

Rom

HP: 14600/14600 | SP: 7232/8960

Rainbow Dash

HP: 5318/8990 | SP: 6000/6350

Raiko

IF

HP: 19410/19410 | SP: 3625/4520

Neptune

HP: 27420/27420 | SP: 5107/5700

Alice

HP: 13250/13250 | SP: 7530/8130

Rainbow Dash attacks Raiko!
Rainbow Dash then retaliates, immediately following up on her prior dodge with a lunging slash.
105 damage!

IF attacks Raiko!
IF then follows up with a jumping slash of her own, attacking as Rainbow Dash backs away from Raiko.
188 damage!

Rom used Ice Coffin on Raiko!
As IF jumped backwards, away from Raiko, Rom made her own follow-up attack, hitting Raiko with her Ice Coffin Skill.
277 damage!
280 damage!

Alice used Quaking Orange on Raiko! Raiko is weak to the Earth element!
Alice also began reading her Quaking Orange spell from her Grimoire as Rom performed Ice Coffin. Just as the ice spire shattered, the stone spires erupted from the ground to hit Raiko.
605 damage!

Neptune used Critical Edge on Raiko!
While Raiko was still being knocked into the air by the stone spires, Neptune pointed her sword at her and declared her Critical Edge Skill. She then slashed Raiko in midair, knocked her further up into the air, then landed and jumped back up to slash Raiko in midair a second time.
382 damage!
390 damage!
386 damage!
Raiko was defeated!

Rom

HP: 14600/14600 | SP: 6800/8960

Rainbow Dash

HP: 5318/8990 | SP: 6052/6350

Raiko

IF

HP: 19410/19410 | SP: 3719/4520

Neptune

HP: 27420/27420 | SP: 4747/5700

Alice

HP: 13250/13250 | SP: 7230/8130

Victory!

Despite the beating Raiko had just endured, she seemed mostly unfazed by the battle. "Alright, looks like your freestyle is pretty strong..." she commented to herself.

"Are you just toying with us or something?" Alice asked.

Raiko looked at her. "No, I'm just gauging your strength, like I said I was," Raiko answered. "Anyway, I think that's good enough for now. Next time, I'll probably test to see how well you can keep up with the beat. Be seeing you!" With that and a quick wave, Raiko then took to the sky on her bass drum and left.

"Jeez, that was one strange character," Neptune commented.

"You're one to talk..." IF muttered.

At that moment, Twilight then came out of her castle. "Ah, you're all right here, good," she said.

Twilight? Maiko started. Have you managed to figure out what happened with me?

"No, not yet," Twilight responded. "That will take more time. I came to tell you that I'm working off an unrelated theory right now. I'm in the process of building a device that can detect the dimensional signals that Rom, IF and Neptune give off. And the basic prototype I've built has already confirmed my hunch."

IF raised an eyebrow at this. "What do you mean?" she questioned.

"Well..." Twilight started. "The prototype can only scan within Ponyville and the immediately surrounding area. On top of that, it can't pinpoint where a signal is coming from. It can only tell me when it picks up a signal, and how many unique signals it picked up. On the trial run... it detected four signals."

"So...?" Rainbow Dash asked slowly. "There are four people right here that claim to be from different worlds."

"True, but Alice isn't from the same dimension as the others," Twilight explained. "And the device is tuned to exclusively pick up signals from Rom's dimension."

"So Alice wouldn't register on the device," IF finished as she came to a realization. "Meaning that someone else we know is in the area."

"Exactly," Twilight said. "And it's very possible that there are even more further out, but I can't confirm that until I finish the final build of the device. While I work on that, you should go and look for the source of the signal and meet up with them."

"Of course," IF said. "We would have done that anyway."

Then let's get going, Maiko added.

"I wonder who it is..." Rom wondered as the group left to search the town.

End of Chapter 5

Author's Note

Here you are, chapter 5! Sorry this took so long compared to the others, I was just feeling extra lazy the past few days. Basically, I'm openly admitting that I procrastinated.

List of differences:
Yet another brand-new boss fight - basically what it says on the tin. I promise I won't have a brand-new boss fight every chapter, because that would get boring quickly.
Oh hey, the Lightning element - in the original, I only had Fire, Ice, Wind and Earth, because I knew that the Hyperdimension Neptunia series only has 4 elements in each game, and I checked the wiki to make absolutely sure what they were... And what I originally thought was Lightning was actually Earth... But then while watching gameplay for a Hyperdimension Neptunia game, I saw an icon that was definitely for a Lightning element. Turns out some games have the Earth element as the fourth element and others have the Lightning element instead. So I made a compromise and have all five elements in the story now.
Twilight is no longer hacking - in the original, Twilight never built a prototype for the device, instead just building the final version right away. Also in the original, she built (at the same time as building the device) a magical cell phone that could make interdimensional calls. Yeah, building all that right away is much too overly convenient, so this time she has to go through the prototype, and it'll take her quite a bit longer to make that magic cell phone.

Anyway, that's all for now! I hope you're enjoying the story! Until next time!

Edit: Holy shit, that's embarrassing. I should have proofread this chapter before uploading... Turns out I ended up introducing Alice to Twilight twice. I've fixed the problem though. But still. That was a pretty big oversight on my part. Oops.

Prologue: Unusual Old Woman

"And I was planning such an amazing Rom cosplay too..." a girl muttered to herself, having been doing so for a while now.

Maiko Hayakawa stood in the middle of the convention floor, unsure of why she even came this year. Despite her best efforts, Maiko had been humiliatingly unsuccessful in creating her cosplay, so she was just in her casual clothes. However, looking around at all the other incredible cosplays, she regretted coming to the convention without her own.

"Ugh, I'm just going to go home before I get myself even more frustrated," she muttered to herself.

Something caught her attention once she was outside the front doors: an old lady with weird clothing seemed to be loitering outside. Maiko recognized the dress and parasol as belonging to a character from a popular doujin game, and concluded this must be another cosplay. "What the hell are they doing out here...?" she asked under her breath.

Suddenly, the woman turned and walked around to the side of the building. Being unable to think of anything else to do, and admittedly curious, Maiko followed the woman.

When she turned the corner, Maiko came face to face with the woman and her smirk. Before Maiko could react, the woman gave her a small wave, and then Maiko felt the ground open beneath her feet just before she fell in and lost consciousness.