Imperfect Replicaby Ocelot the DevilChaptersAwaken in a New WorldEscaping the Castle and off to Freedom!First Exploration in the forest of EverfreeOperation – Book Rebellion!Awaken in a New WorldAwaken in a New World My eyes slowly cracked open as I felt a massive headache coming on at this very moment which is odd cause I don’t drink alcohol – actually, never once have I tasted the stuff since I’m just a minor after all. So, how did I gain a headache and where am I? I’m laying on some green grass… in a forest of some kind? At least the grass is soft and I don’t feel like I have any sort of injuries whatsoever – except for the ongoing headache which sucks… and- Huh, weird. For some reason, I feel… different. Don’t get me wrong – I’m still human and everything yet my body… it’s weird. It’s so light… soft… did someone drug me last night? I hope not since I don’t really have that many friends at all… Maybe the school bullies played a prank on me? If so, I truly hate them – always picking on me for the smallest reasons and no matter how much I ignore them it doesn’t work. My life is such an awful one. Sitting up straight, I let out a small sigh and rubbed a gloved hand through my hair. Wait, gloved hand? I don’t wear black gloves. Something is definitely wrong. “Whoever did this is really going to pay.” I froze immediately after speaking that – that’s not my voice! It sounded… feminine. Something is definitely wrong and I need to find out what it is! Getting up, I spotted a puddle of water nearby and rushed over to check something quickly. When I spotted my own reflection in it, I gasped in complete shock. My hair which was short was colored raven while my eyes were a deep blue. The outfit I was currently wearing was a black coat of some kind with a silver zipper and drawstrings. Black gloves were covering my hands while my footwear consisted of black boots. Tears leaked from my eyes as I curled into a ball and began to cry. I’m a girl… A GIRL! I’m not supposed to be a girl! I’m a boy! If this is a prank, it's not a funny one! I hate this! I hate it! I continued to cry while not caring if anyone heard me or not. Right now, I’m feeling very miserable at the fact that I’m no longer a boy and instead I’m… this… this thing! Life is so unfair to me! Nobody knows how I feel – my parents don’t care about me; bullies pick on me since I’m an easy target… why don’t people just leave me alone!? Sniffling a bit, I wiped a few tears away while wondering what I’m going to do with this darn female body instead of my own. “I don’t want to be a girl… I wanna be a boy!” I declared yet nobody heard my wish to offer me salvation. Rolling my gloved fingers into a fist, I slammed it onto the green landscape before what seemed to be magic enveloped my hand much to my surprise. What’s going- *POOF!* Regardless of me continuing to cry, it couldn’t hide my astonished face at what had appeared in my right hand: a giant key! It’s blade was colored silver while the teeth formed an outline of a crown, its guard was bright golden while the rain-guard was blue. Lastly, it had a gray handle while a keychain connected with a mouse head token. I stared at the weapon for a couple more seconds before I rolled back into a ball and released a soft girlish sigh. “This is the worst day of my life.” Really mean it – first, I wake up in this forest only to realize that I’ve become a girl who can summon a giant key to use for… I don’t know! Anything at this point. Ugh, I hate my stupid life. I really do. Getting up, I released another sigh and decided to at least find out some clues as to where I am. Maybe find out if I’m near a village or city from which I can explain my situation to the police so they can contact my parents… not that they won’t care since they’re already in prison for child abuse and whatnot. Kind of wish I could get adopted or placed into the hands of child services. I began to walk slowly with my boots making no noise whatsoever - maybe it’s the soft grass? What a weird forest I’ve found myself on. Doesn’t help that it looks so… creepy and unsettling. As my walking through the forest continued, I began to wonder who the culprit was for transforming me into a girl and giving me a giant Key to wield. Probably one of the bullies that hate me in school. Wouldn’t surprise me… nearly everyone seems to enjoy tormenting me. Except for one person… Haruhi. My school’s guidance counselor – the only person who truly seems to care for me… in her very own motherly love. Most of the students however don’t seem to take the advice she gives them but not me. I always enjoy seeing and asking her for advice. Needless to say, she pitied me deeply when she overheard my story along with how things are at home. She asked me if I could introduce her to my parents and well… the outcome was bad. I was punished heavily which really pissed Haruhi who was at her ends. She contacted the police who arrived to arrest my parents; then she packed my bags and took me to live with her. We bonded very deeply and she promised that she would be there for me no matter what. These days, she told me that she was preparing a surprise for me but requested that I would wait until the end of the week. I do wonder what it is… hope I haven’t worried her with me being gone for so long- Stopping immediately, I turned around behind me to look yet there was nothing. “Weird… I could have sworn someone was watching me.” I said before continuing on ahead. Anyways, what was I thinking… Oh, yeah! The thing with Haruhi! I really hope that she isn’t worried for me that much. She’s overprotective but I’ve often told her that I’m a grown boy and I- I stopped and turned around. There it was again! I could swear that someone is following me yet there’s no one there. Weird… Better pick up the pace and find out where I am… quickly! I ran ahead but didn’t stop since I wasn’t sure if the figure was still following me or not. Is it one of the school bullies? If that’s the case, then he/she is in trouble. That could wait though since I need to find out where I am. Continuing to run, my face morphed into joy when I noticed an open clearing – Yes, an exit! Don’t stop and get through it… NOW! I made it out of the forest as I slowed my running and started breathing heavily. So… much… running. Oof, darn! That made me work up a sweat! Speaking of sweat, I wiped it off using the black coat’s sleeves before turning around to see if the figure was still following me. Nobody was there – good. I guess it was just paranoia. Now to find out where I am exactly along with the nearest police station so that they could contact Haruhi and let me explain everything. Looking up ahead, I spotted something in the distance… it couldn’t be… was it possible… “A village?” I questioned with an astonished look. “Ponyville and I’m very sorry about this.” A voice spoke which startled me. Who was that and for what is she sor- *BONK!* I felt a huge pain in the back of my head as my eyes rolled upwards and my vision began to blur. Falling forward onto the ground, I tried to get up yet everything was cloudy unfortunately. The last thing that I noticed was something which was colored purple standing over me and a book in the air. Then, I slipped into an unconscious state and didn’t feel or hear anything else. Author's Note Author's Notes: Figured I'd give this fic a shot since the last displaced one was a disaster... this time, hopefully I'm not rushing too much. All will be explained in the following chapters - who our Xion really is and how he came to Equestria (the pony version - not anthropomorphic or humanized one.) Please, no haters and flaming - I beg you all to give this one a chance! I'm trying my best here... hope you all enjoy it. Escaping the Castle and off to Freedom!Escaping the Castle and off to Freedom! A soft groan escaped the lips of the young girl with short raven hair who was lying on some kind of couch made out of crystals. She sat up slowly while rubbing both her eyes and hair but let out a pained noise due to feeling a bump on her head. How did she get a bump? Actually the better question was – where in the heck was she exactly? Looking around, it seemed she was in a room made of crystal. That didn’t help her. Who the heck had a room made of crystal? Every piece of furniture and wall were all made out of crystals… except for books and whatnot. It was… an interesting design and concept. Though she didn’t pursue the topic further. Seeing that the where was a bust, she decided to move on to trying to figure out the why. She tried to run a hand through her hair, but due to accidentally touching the bump on her head, she let out a pain noise that was very quiet and soft. Not knowing where she was, she was trying to be as quiet as possible. Her parents had taught her at a young age to never let her pain be broadcast. “How did I get here… why do I have a bump on my head… and why do I feel like a girl?” These were the questions that came from her mouth when she gasped and remembered everything: She awoke in a forest of some kind, walked down a path to get to a nearby village and then… then… she held her head to think what happened next yet the pain was too much for her to handle. “Ahhhh… my head. That knockout was really nasty… Wait, that’s it! I got knocked out by something that was purple!” She told herself after concentrating and realizing it. And then she remembered something else – she was born a boy and not a girl! Whoever gave her/him or whatever that bump was definitely not a nice person. Conflicting emotions rose up within her. On one hand, she was glad to remember everything. On the other, she wondered if it might not have been better to not remember she had been a boy. She hated being a girl! It was just so wrong! “This sucks… I don’t want to be a girl. I wanna be my true gender…” He/She admitted sadly yet no tears came out this time. Fate must really be laughing at his/her current status and gender. Just when things seemed to be getting better, when Haruhi was about to adopt him/her, this had to happen. “At least things can’t get much worse,” She should have never invoked those words. “Right… first things first, I need to find a way out of this ‘place’ or wherever I’m in right now. After escaping into the outdoors, I have to avoid attention as much as possible…” He/she paused before looking at his/her figure. “Hmmm… for the time being, I’ll settle into the role of a girl. As for my name… Izzy isn’t just a boy’s name but also a girl – Isabella, I guess? Nah… too common. I’ll need a new name to fit into whatever country or world I’ve found myself on.” The boy formally known as Izzy who had transformed into a girl told herself before going silent to think of a new name. She thought quietly in her mind but paced back and forth. “Hmmm… what could be an appropriate name for my new look… come to think about it, I do resemble a Japanese-styled anime character. Shame I don’t watch much of it… ugh, never mind that. I need a name and fast.” She told herself. Suddenly, her ears picked up footsteps… or hooves nearby. The raven-haired girl turned around to look and see where the noise came from but there was nothing much to her confusion. “Strange…” She commented. “Ya say ya found her in the forest, Twi?” A southern voice spoke which startled the girl. Where was the voice coming from? She hadn’t heard any footsteps. Were these people riding horses indoors? “Yeah… apparently, she was lost and confused. It pains me that I had to knock her out cold with my book but I panicked and didn’t think of other alternatives.” Another voice spoke but her words pissed off the raven-haired girl when she learned that this was the culprit who gave her the bump and took her hostage. Just where did this woman get off bashing a kid in the head with a book?! “That’s… a little extreme, Twilight. I won’t lie that the poor thing is probably confused and hurt at the way you knocked her out.” An elegant voice scolded this ‘Twilight’ while pitying the girl. “Oh, my… she’s hurt? The poor thing…” A gentle voice spoke – its tone was that of a worried mother. “Relax, Fluttershy… I’m sure the newbie is fine. Granted, you did perform a classical ‘me’ on her with that book knockout, Twi. That was dumb.” A tomboyish-voice spoke while voicing her agreements with the elegant and gentle individuals. The girl with raven hair was beginning to get a little bit impatient at the fact that she had no idea where the voices were coming from. At least a couple of them were scolding this ‘Twilight’ for knocking her out… that was something. At least they weren’t all monsters. “I know, I know! Look, what was I supposed to do? Drag her back to Ponyville while she was lost and confused? I panicked okay, give me a break?” Twilight’s voice pleaded with them to back off. Ponyville? Where was that? She’d never heard of any town called Ponyville before! She’d been knocked out, left unconscious for who knows how long, and kidnapped. She could be halfway across the country for all she knew! This had to be a bad dream. She was a boy and she hadn’t been kidnapped! She pinched herself to wake up yet nothing was working… this wasn’t a dream at all! It was a nightmare… one big terrible nightmare. Her heart started to beat faster and panic consumed her every thought. “I need to leave and fast!” She told herself quietly and began looking for an exit else instead of the crystal-structured front doors in front of her. “No… if I exit through the front door, this ‘Twilight’ and her companions might be waiting for me… then I would be in big trouble. Think, darn it… think! A w-window! That’s it!” She said to herself and looked around for a nearby window to jump and escape – provided that the ground was very low so as to make sure that when she landed her bones wouldn’t be broken. “Window… window… Ah-ha! Found one!” She said happily before walking over and checked to see if it was closed – it wasn’t. She poked her head out of the window. It didn’t look to be much more than a two story jump. Sure, that was scary and she might get hurt, but she couldn’t exactly stick around here. She had heard horror stories of human traffickers. Boogiemen who she had been sure were just made up to scare little kids...until now. She began sticking her right boot out when she stopped and realized something – even if she were to escape, the inhabitants would ultimately track her down when they entered the room and saw the open window. She needed to buy some time in order to get a head start. Pulling her boot away, she reentered the room and got an idea immediately. Concentrating with all her might, she began pushing the couch all the way to the front door and blocked it – a small distraction but it should buy her some time. “But even if I did block the door with the couch, they’ll use brute force to enter and I need all the time I can get… I need to lock it somehow. If only there was a key or someth-” The girl stopped when her eyes widened at that fact that she just remembered a certain giant key that appeared in her hands when she awoke in the forest earlier. “Hmmm… I wonder if it's still there.” She asked her before pulling out her right hand and concentrating. In a sudden flash, the giant Key that she had summoned before reappeared in her hands. “Yes!” She yelled in joy before she heard hooves from the other side. “I think I hear some noises coming from the guest room. Seems like she is awake… let’s treat her with some respect and give her privacy. She’s no doubt confused as to where she currently is. Girls, be on your best behavior.” Twilight’s voice spoke and the girl began to panic. She looked at the key before pleading. “Please… work your magic or whatever and lock this door… please.” Her wish was granted in the form of a pure light coming from the tip of the blade as it launched straight at the keyhole of the front door. The familiar sounds of a locking mechanism were heard as the beam of light disappeared soon after. The raven-haired girl tried the handle yet it wasn’t budging since the door wasn’t only locked but also blocked by the couch. Perfect! Smiling to herself, the girl looked at the key. “Guess you can be useful after all… I think I’m gonna keep you around for the time being.” She said to the weapon before dismissing it. Everything was in place and it was time to leave! Rushing back to the window quickly, she began sticking her right foot first before the rest of the body followed suit. Sitting on the windowsill, which was surprisingly comfy, she looked down at the ground before gulping a bit. “I hope I don’t break my feet or worse – my neck.” She told herself. Surprisingly, the windowsill was also made of crystals and it was strong enough to support her from the looks of things… wherever she was, it was a really strange place. “H-hey! Something’s wrong with the door! I can’t seem to open it! It’s like it's locked or something!” The voice of Twilight spoke as the raven-haired girl looked in the room again – more specifically, the handle. It was twisting and turning… seems like the key had done its job. “This should buy me some time… now let’s get out of here.” The girl told herself before taking a deep breath and jumping down. She landed on the soft green grass field and used her feet to balance herself as to not fall forward or backwards. Granted, it did make her a little disoriented but that was fine. Thankfully she had remembered to bend her knees as she landed. The last thing she needed was broken legs. Shaking her head quickly, she released a sigh of relief at the fact that she was free from her ‘prison’? Twilight may have called it a ‘guest room’, but a gilded cage was still a cage. Probably something she used to trick stupid kids into trusting her. Taking some steps back, she analyzed the building she had been kept in – the castle was sitting atop by a crystalized tree and crystalized branches; there was a banner with a flag on it, a balcony and a tower or two. Overall, it was an interesting castle and didn’t resemble a prison like she thought but looks could be deceiving. She had been taught that by Haruhi back when she had still been a boy. Still, she’d never heard of anything like this castle. Something like it would definitely be talked about at least a little… a sinking, terrible suspicion started to take root in her mind, but she refused to acknowledge it until she had more information. “I wonder if Haruhi’s worried sick about me right now or crying in bed… wait for me a little longer. I’ll be back home soon and then we’ll be a family… hopefully.” She told herself and closed her eyes for a moment to remember the school’s guidance counselor and the only person who cared about him in his old life. Hopefully this whole ‘being a girl’ thing was temporary. How would she face Haruhi looking like this? A minute later, she sighed before developing a serious look. “Right… now that I’m out, it’s time to find a safe place to hide while I plan my next move. But where?” She questioned herself. An empty house in town wasn’t an option since she was sure that every lodging was inhabited by someone; the forest was a good choice but it was also dangerous too… hmmm, maybe an empty cave? It was spacious and lots of room to breathe. The girl thought it over before sighing. “Not like I have any other choice… plus, I wanna avoid contact for a little while until I’m ready. They won’t be able to find me in a cave… at least for a little while.” She said. With her mind made, she took a deep breath and began walking away from the castle before stopping, turning back and speaking again. “Just in case my captors try to track me down…” She summoned the key again and walked over to the front door of the castle quietly before using its power to lock its main doors and keep the inhabitants inside… at least for a while. It won’t be forever but at least it will buy her some time. Dismissing the key, she turned around and quickly tip-toed away from the castle to new locations… (Nightfall – Later…) It was cold, spacious and large… but more importantly, empty. It was a perfect place – as far as temporary hideouts go; a cave that would serve as her home base until she could figure things out. The raven-haired girl released a sigh and she piled the sticks together before sitting down and rubbing the sticks together. Thankfully there had been plenty of vines to make a bow type fire starter. Before she was sent to this world and transformed into a girl, Haruhi taught her some skills in camping in case she went on an outing in the forest with the rest of the class. Even if she was 14 years old, she was pretty smart for someone her age. Haruhi taught her some things that her parents didn’t bother or cared to explain – camping, sewing, cooking, reading… She was lucky that she was familiar with how to camp properly. If she wasn’t, then things would get… complicated and she would be feeling the cold weather in this cave she was staying in. Granted, she was wearing a black coat but would it keep her warm? She didn’t want to find out if she didn’t have to. Some two/three minutes later of rubbing the sticks together, smoke began coming out from the stacked-up sticks much to the girl’s surprise. “Okay… come on, fire! Don’t fail me now!” She said and gently blew on the proto-fire, praying the fire would start properly. Soon, a small fire began which turned into a big one and covered all the sticks. The girl fist pumped into the air in victory. “Yes! I started the fire… now I can warm myself and eat.” She had managed to catch a single fish in a nearby river. It wasn’t big, but it would fill her belly for the night. She was lucky to have caught what she did. With no bait, she had resorted to sharpening a stick with a rock and doing some spear fishing. It was a lot harder than those survival shows on TV made it out to be. She did her best to clean the fish, but without proper tools, there wasn’t much she could do. Humanity had survived before eating uncleaned fish and she hoped she wouldn’t be an unlucky one who died of some fish disease. Once she was satisfied she had done all she could, she skewered the fish on a stick and stuck it over the fire for it to cook. She left the fish to cook for quite a long time. Without a clock or watch to keep time, she could only make rough guesses. Better to overcook than to risk eating it raw, so she left the fish until it just started to burn. Once she had let it cool enough to eat, she took a bite. Hmmm… salty – that’s it. Hopefully it wasn’t poisonous. It would be just her luck if it was. Since she wasn’t in a rush and eager to catch some sleep later, she ate her dinner slowly while being careful of any bone pieces inside the fish. Sucks that it was salty though… she could really do with some water right now. She could go back to the river and drink from that, running water was usually safe, but didn’t feel the need to risk the forest at night just to satisfy a minor thirst. The girl wondered if the castle’s inhabitants had already escaped. Probably… which meant that there was a massive man-hunt for her… or should she say ‘woman-hunt’. She grimaced at the thought. Everything about being in a girl’s body felt wrong. She thought about going to the police or something, but if the kidnapper owned a castle like that then Twilight might be able to buy her way out of trouble and she’d be back at square one. As long as she stayed well away from civilization and avoided contact, she would be fine. Perhaps she would be able to find out where she was and get home… to Haruhi in her true gender. Assuming her paranoia wasn’t right and she wasn’t really in another world altogether. A little later, she finished her fish except for the head and threw it away before sitting at the campfire and heating her body in the black coat. It was relatively warm which was good – at least she won’t freeze to death while resting in this cave. Half an hour later, she put out the fire and put on her hood to cover the face. “Well… my tummy is full and I feel very sleepy. Time for some shut-eye.” She said and blocked a yawn using her gloved hand. Finding a suitable patch of rocky ground that was comfy, she laid down and closed her eyes. Just as she was about to fall into a deep slumber however… Xion… The girl’s eyes snapped open as she looked around for the voice that spoke that name… Xion? What kind of name is that? Xion… Xion… There it was again! Where was that voice coming from? There was nobody in the cave except for her. Had she finally snapped? That was exactly what she needed, to go crazy in the middle of all this. She laid back down onto the comfy stone patch but didn’t close her eyes yet. “Xion… what kind of name is that… is that… supposed to be for me?” She questioned herself softly. Xion… it was a rather bizarre name. She had no idea what it meant to be honest. Maybe it did have a meaning but whatever it was she hadn’t a clue. “I guess… the name must be related to me in someway though I’m not sure what exactly.” She commented. Then something occurred in her mind… if this name was related to her, maybe she could use it for the time being? Until she got her gender back along with her true name… It was worth a shot. “Well… I guess I’m Xion now.” The girl now calling herself Xion released a soft sigh before speaking her last words for the day. “At least it isn’t any worse… I could have transformed into a monster.” Once again she uttered those cursed words. Then she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep completely. Her first day in this new world had officially ended… and tomorrow a new one would begin. Author's Note Author's Notes: Wow, didn't expect this one to become quite popular! I was surprised by people's reactions if I'm being honest. Thank you for all the support and such! ^_^ Also I have little clearing up to do about Haruhi in case anyone gets ideas - no she isn't a girlfriend or something like that. She's Izzy/Xion's school's guidance counsellor/psychologist and soon to-be adoptive mother. Bear in mind she's in her early 30s while Izzy is 14. Just wanted to clear that up. Now enjoy the chapter but no harsh/cruel criticism and whatnot please - only good advice on how to improve! Enjoy! First Exploration in the forest of EverfreeFirst Exploration in the forest of Everfree The first rays of sunlight filled the cave where Xion was still resting – the hood was covering her face. As the first rays of sunshine touched her sleeping form, she began to stir. “Morning already?” Xion questioned as she got up and stretched her arms before pulling down the hood. She looked around and realized she was still in the cave where she took shelter last night – which meant that this was still the real world and not a dream. “No use in thinking about it… This is my home now. Until I get back or find a way to escape this place, I’m stuck as a girl with a giant key. At least it can’t get worse…” Xion told herself as she felt her stomach growling. First order of business for the day was to find some breakfast and she had to find a way to quench her thirst since she had no clue if the water was fresh or dirty. Another thing to watch out for was the unwanted guests that could either aid or hinder her – probably the latter. So she had three problems to take care of in order to continue surviving for a while. With that in mind, she peeked out from the cave entrance. She didn’t spot anyone and sighed in relief. So far, so good. Leaving the cave, Xion walked along the dirt path and wondered if she’d find anything interesting. Maybe even a hive of bees for honey or something else. Another option would be to hunt the local wildlife and then bury the leftovers when she had her fill to keep people from finding her. With some urgency, Xion continued her task. After a while, she didn’t have luck in finding any berries or honey bee hive. It sucked, but sometimes things just didn’t go your way. She’d just have to settle for some fish. Picking up a stick on the ground and sharpening it with a rock, she walked to the river and prepared for a little spearfishing which would hopefully not be too difficult. Once arriving she waited to see if there were any fish swimming around in the river. Luckily, they were - a lot in fact. “Alright, little fishes. Come and get stuck on my spear...” Xion couldn’t help but giggle at that statement – even if it was a little cruel for her tastes. Now to wait for her morning meal to arrive. Hopefully it shouldn’t be too long, unlike last night… “Come on, little fishes… come on… Ah-ha!” Xion declared and rammed her spear down in the water. She was hoping one of the fish got stuck… Pulling it out she sighed in frustration. She wasn’t giving up yet and prepared to ram her spear into the water once more. A few more tries were equally fruitless. Xion closed her eyes and concentrated. Deep breaths, deep breaths… “Concentrate and keep a calm head… just like Haruhi told you, Izzy… Deep breaths.” Xion told herself before waiting for a fish to swim towards her direction. Once it got closer, Xion rammed her spear into the water and managed to stab the fish with it which made her smile a bit. Finally, she had her meal! She decided to start a small campfire to cook the fish - no sense in eating it raw. Who knows what kind of alien diseases were in the water. This wasn’t Earth, after all. Xion walked a little bit away from the river and sat down before doing her best to clean it. Shame that there weren’t any tools she could use; it would have been much faster that way. After cleaning it as best she could, she started a fire and cooked it before eating it. Yummy and salty… just like with last night’s fishy dinner. Speaking of the latter, she needed some water to quench her thirst. Running water won’t be a problem since she was close to a stream after all… Once she had finished eating the fish, she discarded the head and bones before rushing back to the stream and dipping her gloved hand in the water… so far it looked clean and healthy yet looks could be deceiving. At least the water was moving fast enough that it was probably safe. Nevertheless, she stuck a hand into the water before she brought the small droplets of water to her mouth and allowed some drops to fall onto her tongue. There was no obviously strange taste to the water, so she hoped it was safe before indulging her thirst. She took a few mouthfuls of water and soon her thirst was quenched. With that out of the way, she needed to decide what to do next - return to the cave or explore. The morning was just beginning plus she wasn’t well oriented with this forest yet… some exploration couldn’t hurt. As Xion made her choice, she started wandering the woods, doing her best to get the lay of the land. As she did so, she contemplated her current situation. Alone as a young girl with nothing but her coat and a strange key shaped weapon. Upon thinking about it, the thing appeared in her hands. She looked at it and sighed. “What am I going to do with you?” She wondered. Obviously it could be used as some kind of blunt force weapon and for unlocking things, but did it have any use outside of that? Xion would have to think about that. Dismissing the key weapon, she flipped her short-black hair and continued her task. As she trekked through the green paradise all around her, Xion couldn’t help but feel a sense of peace… as if she was glad to be in this forest and away from the village. Despite the dangers that lay ahead, it wasn’t anything that she couldn’t handle. In this forest, she could be happy and free from anyone that would want to abuse or take advantage of her. Food, shelter and water wouldn't be a problem… if she was lucky, she could keep living like this for a while. At least until she found a way back home to Haruhi – her soon-to-be-mother. Besides exploration and keeping herself alive, what else could she do? Creating tools and weapons was an option, of course. Practicing and learning skills with the key-shaped weapon… and that was it, as far as she could think of at the moment. Well… that wasn’t entirely true. She could find a way to sneak into town and steal a book or two in order to learn more about this place… but that would be a risky move and probably attract the wrong kind of attention. Perhaps during the night she could sneak into the local library. Of course, Xion had no training as a thief, but how hard could it be? Her black cloak was sure to help at night and her boots weren’t particularly loud. She’d just have to tip-toe around a little and she’d be fine, right? At this point, she kind of wished for a way to teleport straight into a library to avoid attracting attention. She almost dismissed the thought as unrealistic, but she had just recently woken up in a girl’s body on another world with the ability to summon a giant key from thin air. So maybe a little suspension of disbelief was called for. Suddenly, a small gust of wind tickled her nose and triggered a sneeze which in turn conjured a darkish purple-like portal in front of her. “W-what? D-did I do that…?” Xion wondered to herself. A sneeze? This portal appeared thanks to her sneezing...? This new life keeps getting weirder and weirder by the minute. Hmmm… actually, hold on. She snapped her fingers and the portal disappeared like magic much to her surprise. “Whoa. This is really… weird.” She admitted. Snapping her fingers yet again, the portal reappeared… so, she did do this! “Hmmm… I wonder where it leads to or if I can see anything on the other side?” Xion wondered before slowly approaching the portal and peeking through. So far all she saw was a purple landscape… Nothing more, nothing less. Despite her better judgement telling her not to, Xion took the risk and entered the portal. It was quiet and somewhat peaceful albeit a little weird. She looked around warily, unsure if she was alone in this place, but nothing happened. It was only her in this landscape. “Hmmm… this place could be used as a temporary home in case my pursuers try to track me down. Or maybe an escape route.” Xion mused to herself. Suddenly, another portal opened in front of her and this one displayed an area that seemed to be a library of sorts in a room made of crystal - just like with the castle she had been imprisoned in. “So… it can create gateways to other places. Interesting… I might be able to sneak in undetected or use it to spy on the inhabitants- Wait, what?” Xion was cut off by the appearance of a pacing purple unicorn with a lavender indigo-colored mane, violet eyes and a purple tail. There was a tattoo on her flank that depicted a pink six-pointed star that was surrounded by five other small ones. Most interesting were the wings on her back. Next to her was a small dragon with Light mulberry with scales, light spring bluish-gray underbelly and light lime green ear fronds, green spikes and eyes. He was sending a look of worry towards the unicorn. “Twilight, quit pacing! You aren’t helping anyone with your worrying!” The dragon told her. “Spike, this is serious! Right now is the time to panic!” The unicorn, who Xion guessed was Twilight, said to the dragon who must be Spike. Spike groaned. “What good will that accomplish?” He asked. Twilight ignored him and just paced back and forth. They didn't have any clue they were being spied on “Is… Twilight worried because of me running off?” Xion wondered. It was a good thing they couldn’t hear her or her plans might have been sunk then and there. What an embarrassing way that would’ve been to end up recaptured. “Look, Twi – we’ll find that cloaked girl… we just need to keep our wits about us. She couldn’t have gotten far.” Spike assured her. Twilight shook her head. "Spike, she's already left Ponyville. I'm worried what the Everfree could do to a young girl like her! She might get killed or worse!” The unicorn with wings told the dragon who just pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily. Xion couldn’t help but roll her eyes. She survived much worse than this… she would be fine. But they were still hunting her. They still wanted to take away her freedom. She couldn’t let them find her! Xion had enough and dismissed the portal. She sighed and shook her head before realizing that this would be much harder than it first seemed. Stranded on a planet with horses and dragons in the body of a girl… it was just like something that came out of a fantasy tale. For now, it was time to return to her cave and then determine her next course of action. She concentrated the image of her home in her mind before snapping her fingers and conjuring a portal which displayed her temporary home. Before stepping through, Xion made a note to come back here and examine this purple landscape more thoroughly - who knows what she might find? “Right… now to get back and rest for a little bit.” Xion told herself and entered the portal. Author's Note Author's Notes: This story is seriously getting popular - like I didn't expect this much popularity for it! Thank you all for the support you've shown for this! I also would like to thank my good friend (The Dimension Traveler) for helping me with the beta reading and fixing of this chapter - a good friend/brother over on Discord - Thank you for continuing to be my beta reader and apologies for all the torture I put you through at times! Next chapter will be very soon but in the meantime - enjoy and happy reading! Operation – Book Rebellion!Operation – Book Rebellion! Spike gave a weary sigh. They had been searching the Everfree ever since the mysterious girl had fled. Unfortunately, nothing had been found and Twilight, in her usual tendency to panic, had been rambling about her being eaten by a manticore and other such gruesome fates. “Twilight, you have to calm down. We didn’t find any blood or even a shred of her coat. She’s probably still alive,” He tried to comfort her. “Spike! We don’t know that! Even if she is still alive, who knows where she is right now?” Twilight protested. Said baby dragon pinched the bridge of his nose and tried once more. “Twilight, would you do me a favor and listen to yourself right now?” Twilight stopped and wondered where exactly was he going with this. She wasn’t doing anything bad! All she wanted to do was find the girl! Was that so hard to ask!? Why couldn’t Spike understand that!? Sure, she might be rambling or going on a panicking spree but that wasn’t- The alicorn froze as her pupils shrank. “Oh… I, uh, maybe went just a little bit overboard?” She told him. Spike nodded as he shook his head affectionately, “So long as you snapped out of it this time. I’d hate to send Celestia another ‘Lesson Zero’ letter.” “Yeah, that would’ve been bad,” Twilight chuckled weakly. “And I’m worried as well… but come on, Twi. We’ve been at this for almost 9 hours now, searching for her in the Everfree and no results. She might not even be in the forest anymore. We just have to hope she’s alright for now,” Spike sighed. “You think so?” Twilight asked. Spike gave a shrug in response. “I hope so,” He replied as Twilight sighed. “So… what can we do then?” Twilight wondered. “We wait patiently until she appears and then we explain the situation to her. If we’re lucky, she’ll come and we can help her settle in.” Spike explained the plan. Twilight thought it over and nodded. “Alright, I’m okay with it. But I don’t want to sit around all day waiting for the day when she appears.” She told him. “And that’s FINE. But take it one step at a time, alright?” Spike asked. Twilight nodded. “Yeah, I will. Sorry about my behavior.” She apologized. Spike hugged her. “Hey, it’s okay. We’ll find her and then you can get all your questions answered.” He promised. Twilight nodded and then felt her stomach growling. All that talk about the girl and the non-stop search for her really works up an appetite. “I feel like we should get something to eat.” Spike grinned with a nod. “My thoughts exactly.” As Spike and Twilight exited the castle in search of food, neither was aware of a black portal opening in the library. From the other-side came Xion who was satisfied that nobody was around. It meant that she could do her job without fear of being caught. “Alright. Now I just need to get the books and then it’s back to my home.” Xion told herself and then began to look around. Since she had no idea when the ponies would return, she quickly picked up some books without bothering to check what the title was. Then she summoned a black portal and went through it. Once back in her cave, she sat down and picked up the first book. It’s title was ‘History and Achievements of Equestria’. She flipped the first page and started to get immersed. Over the next three hours, she educated herself on the history of Equestria, it’s people, the lands, the various forms of magic but most importantly - the achievements of various pony folk like Starswirl the Bearded or the princesses themselves. After she was finished, she picked up the next one whose title was ‘Elements of Harmony: Backstory and Purpose.’ Opening the book, she began to read it from the beginning until the end. According to the book, there were six elements in total: one for Magic, one for Loyalty, one for Generosity, one for Kindness, one of Laughter and one for Honesty. When combined together, they release an incredible energy that is said to bring harmony and peace to Equestria. It was also said that when the being of darkness known as Nightmare Moon threatened to blanket the planet in eternal night, her sister Celestia had no choice but to banish her... to the moon of all places! Xion couldn’t help but shiver at what she just read. These Elements of Harmony were no joke… heaven forbid it if she ran into Celestia or whoever was using them. She wasn’t sure if she could survive an onslaught like that. The book took about an hour and a half to read but the results were worth it. As soon as she was done, she plopped the book next to the first one. Looking out to the entrance of the cave, she saw that it was already approaching night time. She felt her stomach growling. Sitting up, she stretched her arms and left the cave to go and find some food. As she walked onward, she unknowingly felt a pair of eyes watching her - glowing eyes which were soon followed by numerous growls. After a while, she arrived in a clearing and checked to see if there were any streams nearby or bushes filled with berries. What she didn’t sense was the incoming yellow-eyed creatures approaching her. For a moment everything was quiet… until she sensed them and summoned the key-shaped weapon to block an incoming attack. Her opponent turned out to be a wolf made out of wood but with glowing yellow eyes. Suddenly, he was joined by a couple more wooden wolves. Xion became confused. “What… what are you…?” The wolves growled at her which made Xion give off an annoyed sigh. “Here we go again…” She commented and prepared for a fight. Author's Note Author's Notes: Sorry for the long wait but here is the next chapter! Apparently, the original planned chapter four had to be rewritten cause there were lots of errors and mistakes according to my beta reader. Luckily, the power of friendship was used to remake it into a better one. Next chapter will be quite a doozy since Xion will see at first glance just how dangerous the darkness can be. Her opponents won't be just Timberwolves... oh, no! It will be much more. You'll see. Happy reading and enjoy commenting!
Awaken in a New WorldAwaken in a New World My eyes slowly cracked open as I felt a massive headache coming on at this very moment which is odd cause I don’t drink alcohol – actually, never once have I tasted the stuff since I’m just a minor after all. So, how did I gain a headache and where am I? I’m laying on some green grass… in a forest of some kind? At least the grass is soft and I don’t feel like I have any sort of injuries whatsoever – except for the ongoing headache which sucks… and- Huh, weird. For some reason, I feel… different. Don’t get me wrong – I’m still human and everything yet my body… it’s weird. It’s so light… soft… did someone drug me last night? I hope not since I don’t really have that many friends at all… Maybe the school bullies played a prank on me? If so, I truly hate them – always picking on me for the smallest reasons and no matter how much I ignore them it doesn’t work. My life is such an awful one. Sitting up straight, I let out a small sigh and rubbed a gloved hand through my hair. Wait, gloved hand? I don’t wear black gloves. Something is definitely wrong. “Whoever did this is really going to pay.” I froze immediately after speaking that – that’s not my voice! It sounded… feminine. Something is definitely wrong and I need to find out what it is! Getting up, I spotted a puddle of water nearby and rushed over to check something quickly. When I spotted my own reflection in it, I gasped in complete shock. My hair which was short was colored raven while my eyes were a deep blue. The outfit I was currently wearing was a black coat of some kind with a silver zipper and drawstrings. Black gloves were covering my hands while my footwear consisted of black boots. Tears leaked from my eyes as I curled into a ball and began to cry. I’m a girl… A GIRL! I’m not supposed to be a girl! I’m a boy! If this is a prank, it's not a funny one! I hate this! I hate it! I continued to cry while not caring if anyone heard me or not. Right now, I’m feeling very miserable at the fact that I’m no longer a boy and instead I’m… this… this thing! Life is so unfair to me! Nobody knows how I feel – my parents don’t care about me; bullies pick on me since I’m an easy target… why don’t people just leave me alone!? Sniffling a bit, I wiped a few tears away while wondering what I’m going to do with this darn female body instead of my own. “I don’t want to be a girl… I wanna be a boy!” I declared yet nobody heard my wish to offer me salvation. Rolling my gloved fingers into a fist, I slammed it onto the green landscape before what seemed to be magic enveloped my hand much to my surprise. What’s going- *POOF!* Regardless of me continuing to cry, it couldn’t hide my astonished face at what had appeared in my right hand: a giant key! It’s blade was colored silver while the teeth formed an outline of a crown, its guard was bright golden while the rain-guard was blue. Lastly, it had a gray handle while a keychain connected with a mouse head token. I stared at the weapon for a couple more seconds before I rolled back into a ball and released a soft girlish sigh. “This is the worst day of my life.” Really mean it – first, I wake up in this forest only to realize that I’ve become a girl who can summon a giant key to use for… I don’t know! Anything at this point. Ugh, I hate my stupid life. I really do. Getting up, I released another sigh and decided to at least find out some clues as to where I am. Maybe find out if I’m near a village or city from which I can explain my situation to the police so they can contact my parents… not that they won’t care since they’re already in prison for child abuse and whatnot. Kind of wish I could get adopted or placed into the hands of child services. I began to walk slowly with my boots making no noise whatsoever - maybe it’s the soft grass? What a weird forest I’ve found myself on. Doesn’t help that it looks so… creepy and unsettling. As my walking through the forest continued, I began to wonder who the culprit was for transforming me into a girl and giving me a giant Key to wield. Probably one of the bullies that hate me in school. Wouldn’t surprise me… nearly everyone seems to enjoy tormenting me. Except for one person… Haruhi. My school’s guidance counselor – the only person who truly seems to care for me… in her very own motherly love. Most of the students however don’t seem to take the advice she gives them but not me. I always enjoy seeing and asking her for advice. Needless to say, she pitied me deeply when she overheard my story along with how things are at home. She asked me if I could introduce her to my parents and well… the outcome was bad. I was punished heavily which really pissed Haruhi who was at her ends. She contacted the police who arrived to arrest my parents; then she packed my bags and took me to live with her. We bonded very deeply and she promised that she would be there for me no matter what. These days, she told me that she was preparing a surprise for me but requested that I would wait until the end of the week. I do wonder what it is… hope I haven’t worried her with me being gone for so long- Stopping immediately, I turned around behind me to look yet there was nothing. “Weird… I could have sworn someone was watching me.” I said before continuing on ahead. Anyways, what was I thinking… Oh, yeah! The thing with Haruhi! I really hope that she isn’t worried for me that much. She’s overprotective but I’ve often told her that I’m a grown boy and I- I stopped and turned around. There it was again! I could swear that someone is following me yet there’s no one there. Weird… Better pick up the pace and find out where I am… quickly! I ran ahead but didn’t stop since I wasn’t sure if the figure was still following me or not. Is it one of the school bullies? If that’s the case, then he/she is in trouble. That could wait though since I need to find out where I am. Continuing to run, my face morphed into joy when I noticed an open clearing – Yes, an exit! Don’t stop and get through it… NOW! I made it out of the forest as I slowed my running and started breathing heavily. So… much… running. Oof, darn! That made me work up a sweat! Speaking of sweat, I wiped it off using the black coat’s sleeves before turning around to see if the figure was still following me. Nobody was there – good. I guess it was just paranoia. Now to find out where I am exactly along with the nearest police station so that they could contact Haruhi and let me explain everything. Looking up ahead, I spotted something in the distance… it couldn’t be… was it possible… “A village?” I questioned with an astonished look. “Ponyville and I’m very sorry about this.” A voice spoke which startled me. Who was that and for what is she sor- *BONK!* I felt a huge pain in the back of my head as my eyes rolled upwards and my vision began to blur. Falling forward onto the ground, I tried to get up yet everything was cloudy unfortunately. The last thing that I noticed was something which was colored purple standing over me and a book in the air. Then, I slipped into an unconscious state and didn’t feel or hear anything else. Author's Note Author's Notes: Figured I'd give this fic a shot since the last displaced one was a disaster... this time, hopefully I'm not rushing too much. All will be explained in the following chapters - who our Xion really is and how he came to Equestria (the pony version - not anthropomorphic or humanized one.) Please, no haters and flaming - I beg you all to give this one a chance! I'm trying my best here... hope you all enjoy it.
Escaping the Castle and off to Freedom!Escaping the Castle and off to Freedom! A soft groan escaped the lips of the young girl with short raven hair who was lying on some kind of couch made out of crystals. She sat up slowly while rubbing both her eyes and hair but let out a pained noise due to feeling a bump on her head. How did she get a bump? Actually the better question was – where in the heck was she exactly? Looking around, it seemed she was in a room made of crystal. That didn’t help her. Who the heck had a room made of crystal? Every piece of furniture and wall were all made out of crystals… except for books and whatnot. It was… an interesting design and concept. Though she didn’t pursue the topic further. Seeing that the where was a bust, she decided to move on to trying to figure out the why. She tried to run a hand through her hair, but due to accidentally touching the bump on her head, she let out a pain noise that was very quiet and soft. Not knowing where she was, she was trying to be as quiet as possible. Her parents had taught her at a young age to never let her pain be broadcast. “How did I get here… why do I have a bump on my head… and why do I feel like a girl?” These were the questions that came from her mouth when she gasped and remembered everything: She awoke in a forest of some kind, walked down a path to get to a nearby village and then… then… she held her head to think what happened next yet the pain was too much for her to handle. “Ahhhh… my head. That knockout was really nasty… Wait, that’s it! I got knocked out by something that was purple!” She told herself after concentrating and realizing it. And then she remembered something else – she was born a boy and not a girl! Whoever gave her/him or whatever that bump was definitely not a nice person. Conflicting emotions rose up within her. On one hand, she was glad to remember everything. On the other, she wondered if it might not have been better to not remember she had been a boy. She hated being a girl! It was just so wrong! “This sucks… I don’t want to be a girl. I wanna be my true gender…” He/She admitted sadly yet no tears came out this time. Fate must really be laughing at his/her current status and gender. Just when things seemed to be getting better, when Haruhi was about to adopt him/her, this had to happen. “At least things can’t get much worse,” She should have never invoked those words. “Right… first things first, I need to find a way out of this ‘place’ or wherever I’m in right now. After escaping into the outdoors, I have to avoid attention as much as possible…” He/she paused before looking at his/her figure. “Hmmm… for the time being, I’ll settle into the role of a girl. As for my name… Izzy isn’t just a boy’s name but also a girl – Isabella, I guess? Nah… too common. I’ll need a new name to fit into whatever country or world I’ve found myself on.” The boy formally known as Izzy who had transformed into a girl told herself before going silent to think of a new name. She thought quietly in her mind but paced back and forth. “Hmmm… what could be an appropriate name for my new look… come to think about it, I do resemble a Japanese-styled anime character. Shame I don’t watch much of it… ugh, never mind that. I need a name and fast.” She told herself. Suddenly, her ears picked up footsteps… or hooves nearby. The raven-haired girl turned around to look and see where the noise came from but there was nothing much to her confusion. “Strange…” She commented. “Ya say ya found her in the forest, Twi?” A southern voice spoke which startled the girl. Where was the voice coming from? She hadn’t heard any footsteps. Were these people riding horses indoors? “Yeah… apparently, she was lost and confused. It pains me that I had to knock her out cold with my book but I panicked and didn’t think of other alternatives.” Another voice spoke but her words pissed off the raven-haired girl when she learned that this was the culprit who gave her the bump and took her hostage. Just where did this woman get off bashing a kid in the head with a book?! “That’s… a little extreme, Twilight. I won’t lie that the poor thing is probably confused and hurt at the way you knocked her out.” An elegant voice scolded this ‘Twilight’ while pitying the girl. “Oh, my… she’s hurt? The poor thing…” A gentle voice spoke – its tone was that of a worried mother. “Relax, Fluttershy… I’m sure the newbie is fine. Granted, you did perform a classical ‘me’ on her with that book knockout, Twi. That was dumb.” A tomboyish-voice spoke while voicing her agreements with the elegant and gentle individuals. The girl with raven hair was beginning to get a little bit impatient at the fact that she had no idea where the voices were coming from. At least a couple of them were scolding this ‘Twilight’ for knocking her out… that was something. At least they weren’t all monsters. “I know, I know! Look, what was I supposed to do? Drag her back to Ponyville while she was lost and confused? I panicked okay, give me a break?” Twilight’s voice pleaded with them to back off. Ponyville? Where was that? She’d never heard of any town called Ponyville before! She’d been knocked out, left unconscious for who knows how long, and kidnapped. She could be halfway across the country for all she knew! This had to be a bad dream. She was a boy and she hadn’t been kidnapped! She pinched herself to wake up yet nothing was working… this wasn’t a dream at all! It was a nightmare… one big terrible nightmare. Her heart started to beat faster and panic consumed her every thought. “I need to leave and fast!” She told herself quietly and began looking for an exit else instead of the crystal-structured front doors in front of her. “No… if I exit through the front door, this ‘Twilight’ and her companions might be waiting for me… then I would be in big trouble. Think, darn it… think! A w-window! That’s it!” She said to herself and looked around for a nearby window to jump and escape – provided that the ground was very low so as to make sure that when she landed her bones wouldn’t be broken. “Window… window… Ah-ha! Found one!” She said happily before walking over and checked to see if it was closed – it wasn’t. She poked her head out of the window. It didn’t look to be much more than a two story jump. Sure, that was scary and she might get hurt, but she couldn’t exactly stick around here. She had heard horror stories of human traffickers. Boogiemen who she had been sure were just made up to scare little kids...until now. She began sticking her right boot out when she stopped and realized something – even if she were to escape, the inhabitants would ultimately track her down when they entered the room and saw the open window. She needed to buy some time in order to get a head start. Pulling her boot away, she reentered the room and got an idea immediately. Concentrating with all her might, she began pushing the couch all the way to the front door and blocked it – a small distraction but it should buy her some time. “But even if I did block the door with the couch, they’ll use brute force to enter and I need all the time I can get… I need to lock it somehow. If only there was a key or someth-” The girl stopped when her eyes widened at that fact that she just remembered a certain giant key that appeared in her hands when she awoke in the forest earlier. “Hmmm… I wonder if it's still there.” She asked her before pulling out her right hand and concentrating. In a sudden flash, the giant Key that she had summoned before reappeared in her hands. “Yes!” She yelled in joy before she heard hooves from the other side. “I think I hear some noises coming from the guest room. Seems like she is awake… let’s treat her with some respect and give her privacy. She’s no doubt confused as to where she currently is. Girls, be on your best behavior.” Twilight’s voice spoke and the girl began to panic. She looked at the key before pleading. “Please… work your magic or whatever and lock this door… please.” Her wish was granted in the form of a pure light coming from the tip of the blade as it launched straight at the keyhole of the front door. The familiar sounds of a locking mechanism were heard as the beam of light disappeared soon after. The raven-haired girl tried the handle yet it wasn’t budging since the door wasn’t only locked but also blocked by the couch. Perfect! Smiling to herself, the girl looked at the key. “Guess you can be useful after all… I think I’m gonna keep you around for the time being.” She said to the weapon before dismissing it. Everything was in place and it was time to leave! Rushing back to the window quickly, she began sticking her right foot first before the rest of the body followed suit. Sitting on the windowsill, which was surprisingly comfy, she looked down at the ground before gulping a bit. “I hope I don’t break my feet or worse – my neck.” She told herself. Surprisingly, the windowsill was also made of crystals and it was strong enough to support her from the looks of things… wherever she was, it was a really strange place. “H-hey! Something’s wrong with the door! I can’t seem to open it! It’s like it's locked or something!” The voice of Twilight spoke as the raven-haired girl looked in the room again – more specifically, the handle. It was twisting and turning… seems like the key had done its job. “This should buy me some time… now let’s get out of here.” The girl told herself before taking a deep breath and jumping down. She landed on the soft green grass field and used her feet to balance herself as to not fall forward or backwards. Granted, it did make her a little disoriented but that was fine. Thankfully she had remembered to bend her knees as she landed. The last thing she needed was broken legs. Shaking her head quickly, she released a sigh of relief at the fact that she was free from her ‘prison’? Twilight may have called it a ‘guest room’, but a gilded cage was still a cage. Probably something she used to trick stupid kids into trusting her. Taking some steps back, she analyzed the building she had been kept in – the castle was sitting atop by a crystalized tree and crystalized branches; there was a banner with a flag on it, a balcony and a tower or two. Overall, it was an interesting castle and didn’t resemble a prison like she thought but looks could be deceiving. She had been taught that by Haruhi back when she had still been a boy. Still, she’d never heard of anything like this castle. Something like it would definitely be talked about at least a little… a sinking, terrible suspicion started to take root in her mind, but she refused to acknowledge it until she had more information. “I wonder if Haruhi’s worried sick about me right now or crying in bed… wait for me a little longer. I’ll be back home soon and then we’ll be a family… hopefully.” She told herself and closed her eyes for a moment to remember the school’s guidance counselor and the only person who cared about him in his old life. Hopefully this whole ‘being a girl’ thing was temporary. How would she face Haruhi looking like this? A minute later, she sighed before developing a serious look. “Right… now that I’m out, it’s time to find a safe place to hide while I plan my next move. But where?” She questioned herself. An empty house in town wasn’t an option since she was sure that every lodging was inhabited by someone; the forest was a good choice but it was also dangerous too… hmmm, maybe an empty cave? It was spacious and lots of room to breathe. The girl thought it over before sighing. “Not like I have any other choice… plus, I wanna avoid contact for a little while until I’m ready. They won’t be able to find me in a cave… at least for a little while.” She said. With her mind made, she took a deep breath and began walking away from the castle before stopping, turning back and speaking again. “Just in case my captors try to track me down…” She summoned the key again and walked over to the front door of the castle quietly before using its power to lock its main doors and keep the inhabitants inside… at least for a while. It won’t be forever but at least it will buy her some time. Dismissing the key, she turned around and quickly tip-toed away from the castle to new locations… (Nightfall – Later…) It was cold, spacious and large… but more importantly, empty. It was a perfect place – as far as temporary hideouts go; a cave that would serve as her home base until she could figure things out. The raven-haired girl released a sigh and she piled the sticks together before sitting down and rubbing the sticks together. Thankfully there had been plenty of vines to make a bow type fire starter. Before she was sent to this world and transformed into a girl, Haruhi taught her some skills in camping in case she went on an outing in the forest with the rest of the class. Even if she was 14 years old, she was pretty smart for someone her age. Haruhi taught her some things that her parents didn’t bother or cared to explain – camping, sewing, cooking, reading… She was lucky that she was familiar with how to camp properly. If she wasn’t, then things would get… complicated and she would be feeling the cold weather in this cave she was staying in. Granted, she was wearing a black coat but would it keep her warm? She didn’t want to find out if she didn’t have to. Some two/three minutes later of rubbing the sticks together, smoke began coming out from the stacked-up sticks much to the girl’s surprise. “Okay… come on, fire! Don’t fail me now!” She said and gently blew on the proto-fire, praying the fire would start properly. Soon, a small fire began which turned into a big one and covered all the sticks. The girl fist pumped into the air in victory. “Yes! I started the fire… now I can warm myself and eat.” She had managed to catch a single fish in a nearby river. It wasn’t big, but it would fill her belly for the night. She was lucky to have caught what she did. With no bait, she had resorted to sharpening a stick with a rock and doing some spear fishing. It was a lot harder than those survival shows on TV made it out to be. She did her best to clean the fish, but without proper tools, there wasn’t much she could do. Humanity had survived before eating uncleaned fish and she hoped she wouldn’t be an unlucky one who died of some fish disease. Once she was satisfied she had done all she could, she skewered the fish on a stick and stuck it over the fire for it to cook. She left the fish to cook for quite a long time. Without a clock or watch to keep time, she could only make rough guesses. Better to overcook than to risk eating it raw, so she left the fish until it just started to burn. Once she had let it cool enough to eat, she took a bite. Hmmm… salty – that’s it. Hopefully it wasn’t poisonous. It would be just her luck if it was. Since she wasn’t in a rush and eager to catch some sleep later, she ate her dinner slowly while being careful of any bone pieces inside the fish. Sucks that it was salty though… she could really do with some water right now. She could go back to the river and drink from that, running water was usually safe, but didn’t feel the need to risk the forest at night just to satisfy a minor thirst. The girl wondered if the castle’s inhabitants had already escaped. Probably… which meant that there was a massive man-hunt for her… or should she say ‘woman-hunt’. She grimaced at the thought. Everything about being in a girl’s body felt wrong. She thought about going to the police or something, but if the kidnapper owned a castle like that then Twilight might be able to buy her way out of trouble and she’d be back at square one. As long as she stayed well away from civilization and avoided contact, she would be fine. Perhaps she would be able to find out where she was and get home… to Haruhi in her true gender. Assuming her paranoia wasn’t right and she wasn’t really in another world altogether. A little later, she finished her fish except for the head and threw it away before sitting at the campfire and heating her body in the black coat. It was relatively warm which was good – at least she won’t freeze to death while resting in this cave. Half an hour later, she put out the fire and put on her hood to cover the face. “Well… my tummy is full and I feel very sleepy. Time for some shut-eye.” She said and blocked a yawn using her gloved hand. Finding a suitable patch of rocky ground that was comfy, she laid down and closed her eyes. Just as she was about to fall into a deep slumber however… Xion… The girl’s eyes snapped open as she looked around for the voice that spoke that name… Xion? What kind of name is that? Xion… Xion… There it was again! Where was that voice coming from? There was nobody in the cave except for her. Had she finally snapped? That was exactly what she needed, to go crazy in the middle of all this. She laid back down onto the comfy stone patch but didn’t close her eyes yet. “Xion… what kind of name is that… is that… supposed to be for me?” She questioned herself softly. Xion… it was a rather bizarre name. She had no idea what it meant to be honest. Maybe it did have a meaning but whatever it was she hadn’t a clue. “I guess… the name must be related to me in someway though I’m not sure what exactly.” She commented. Then something occurred in her mind… if this name was related to her, maybe she could use it for the time being? Until she got her gender back along with her true name… It was worth a shot. “Well… I guess I’m Xion now.” The girl now calling herself Xion released a soft sigh before speaking her last words for the day. “At least it isn’t any worse… I could have transformed into a monster.” Once again she uttered those cursed words. Then she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep completely. Her first day in this new world had officially ended… and tomorrow a new one would begin. Author's Note Author's Notes: Wow, didn't expect this one to become quite popular! I was surprised by people's reactions if I'm being honest. Thank you for all the support and such! ^_^ Also I have little clearing up to do about Haruhi in case anyone gets ideas - no she isn't a girlfriend or something like that. She's Izzy/Xion's school's guidance counsellor/psychologist and soon to-be adoptive mother. Bear in mind she's in her early 30s while Izzy is 14. Just wanted to clear that up. Now enjoy the chapter but no harsh/cruel criticism and whatnot please - only good advice on how to improve! Enjoy!
First Exploration in the forest of EverfreeFirst Exploration in the forest of Everfree The first rays of sunlight filled the cave where Xion was still resting – the hood was covering her face. As the first rays of sunshine touched her sleeping form, she began to stir. “Morning already?” Xion questioned as she got up and stretched her arms before pulling down the hood. She looked around and realized she was still in the cave where she took shelter last night – which meant that this was still the real world and not a dream. “No use in thinking about it… This is my home now. Until I get back or find a way to escape this place, I’m stuck as a girl with a giant key. At least it can’t get worse…” Xion told herself as she felt her stomach growling. First order of business for the day was to find some breakfast and she had to find a way to quench her thirst since she had no clue if the water was fresh or dirty. Another thing to watch out for was the unwanted guests that could either aid or hinder her – probably the latter. So she had three problems to take care of in order to continue surviving for a while. With that in mind, she peeked out from the cave entrance. She didn’t spot anyone and sighed in relief. So far, so good. Leaving the cave, Xion walked along the dirt path and wondered if she’d find anything interesting. Maybe even a hive of bees for honey or something else. Another option would be to hunt the local wildlife and then bury the leftovers when she had her fill to keep people from finding her. With some urgency, Xion continued her task. After a while, she didn’t have luck in finding any berries or honey bee hive. It sucked, but sometimes things just didn’t go your way. She’d just have to settle for some fish. Picking up a stick on the ground and sharpening it with a rock, she walked to the river and prepared for a little spearfishing which would hopefully not be too difficult. Once arriving she waited to see if there were any fish swimming around in the river. Luckily, they were - a lot in fact. “Alright, little fishes. Come and get stuck on my spear...” Xion couldn’t help but giggle at that statement – even if it was a little cruel for her tastes. Now to wait for her morning meal to arrive. Hopefully it shouldn’t be too long, unlike last night… “Come on, little fishes… come on… Ah-ha!” Xion declared and rammed her spear down in the water. She was hoping one of the fish got stuck… Pulling it out she sighed in frustration. She wasn’t giving up yet and prepared to ram her spear into the water once more. A few more tries were equally fruitless. Xion closed her eyes and concentrated. Deep breaths, deep breaths… “Concentrate and keep a calm head… just like Haruhi told you, Izzy… Deep breaths.” Xion told herself before waiting for a fish to swim towards her direction. Once it got closer, Xion rammed her spear into the water and managed to stab the fish with it which made her smile a bit. Finally, she had her meal! She decided to start a small campfire to cook the fish - no sense in eating it raw. Who knows what kind of alien diseases were in the water. This wasn’t Earth, after all. Xion walked a little bit away from the river and sat down before doing her best to clean it. Shame that there weren’t any tools she could use; it would have been much faster that way. After cleaning it as best she could, she started a fire and cooked it before eating it. Yummy and salty… just like with last night’s fishy dinner. Speaking of the latter, she needed some water to quench her thirst. Running water won’t be a problem since she was close to a stream after all… Once she had finished eating the fish, she discarded the head and bones before rushing back to the stream and dipping her gloved hand in the water… so far it looked clean and healthy yet looks could be deceiving. At least the water was moving fast enough that it was probably safe. Nevertheless, she stuck a hand into the water before she brought the small droplets of water to her mouth and allowed some drops to fall onto her tongue. There was no obviously strange taste to the water, so she hoped it was safe before indulging her thirst. She took a few mouthfuls of water and soon her thirst was quenched. With that out of the way, she needed to decide what to do next - return to the cave or explore. The morning was just beginning plus she wasn’t well oriented with this forest yet… some exploration couldn’t hurt. As Xion made her choice, she started wandering the woods, doing her best to get the lay of the land. As she did so, she contemplated her current situation. Alone as a young girl with nothing but her coat and a strange key shaped weapon. Upon thinking about it, the thing appeared in her hands. She looked at it and sighed. “What am I going to do with you?” She wondered. Obviously it could be used as some kind of blunt force weapon and for unlocking things, but did it have any use outside of that? Xion would have to think about that. Dismissing the key weapon, she flipped her short-black hair and continued her task. As she trekked through the green paradise all around her, Xion couldn’t help but feel a sense of peace… as if she was glad to be in this forest and away from the village. Despite the dangers that lay ahead, it wasn’t anything that she couldn’t handle. In this forest, she could be happy and free from anyone that would want to abuse or take advantage of her. Food, shelter and water wouldn't be a problem… if she was lucky, she could keep living like this for a while. At least until she found a way back home to Haruhi – her soon-to-be-mother. Besides exploration and keeping herself alive, what else could she do? Creating tools and weapons was an option, of course. Practicing and learning skills with the key-shaped weapon… and that was it, as far as she could think of at the moment. Well… that wasn’t entirely true. She could find a way to sneak into town and steal a book or two in order to learn more about this place… but that would be a risky move and probably attract the wrong kind of attention. Perhaps during the night she could sneak into the local library. Of course, Xion had no training as a thief, but how hard could it be? Her black cloak was sure to help at night and her boots weren’t particularly loud. She’d just have to tip-toe around a little and she’d be fine, right? At this point, she kind of wished for a way to teleport straight into a library to avoid attracting attention. She almost dismissed the thought as unrealistic, but she had just recently woken up in a girl’s body on another world with the ability to summon a giant key from thin air. So maybe a little suspension of disbelief was called for. Suddenly, a small gust of wind tickled her nose and triggered a sneeze which in turn conjured a darkish purple-like portal in front of her. “W-what? D-did I do that…?” Xion wondered to herself. A sneeze? This portal appeared thanks to her sneezing...? This new life keeps getting weirder and weirder by the minute. Hmmm… actually, hold on. She snapped her fingers and the portal disappeared like magic much to her surprise. “Whoa. This is really… weird.” She admitted. Snapping her fingers yet again, the portal reappeared… so, she did do this! “Hmmm… I wonder where it leads to or if I can see anything on the other side?” Xion wondered before slowly approaching the portal and peeking through. So far all she saw was a purple landscape… Nothing more, nothing less. Despite her better judgement telling her not to, Xion took the risk and entered the portal. It was quiet and somewhat peaceful albeit a little weird. She looked around warily, unsure if she was alone in this place, but nothing happened. It was only her in this landscape. “Hmmm… this place could be used as a temporary home in case my pursuers try to track me down. Or maybe an escape route.” Xion mused to herself. Suddenly, another portal opened in front of her and this one displayed an area that seemed to be a library of sorts in a room made of crystal - just like with the castle she had been imprisoned in. “So… it can create gateways to other places. Interesting… I might be able to sneak in undetected or use it to spy on the inhabitants- Wait, what?” Xion was cut off by the appearance of a pacing purple unicorn with a lavender indigo-colored mane, violet eyes and a purple tail. There was a tattoo on her flank that depicted a pink six-pointed star that was surrounded by five other small ones. Most interesting were the wings on her back. Next to her was a small dragon with Light mulberry with scales, light spring bluish-gray underbelly and light lime green ear fronds, green spikes and eyes. He was sending a look of worry towards the unicorn. “Twilight, quit pacing! You aren’t helping anyone with your worrying!” The dragon told her. “Spike, this is serious! Right now is the time to panic!” The unicorn, who Xion guessed was Twilight, said to the dragon who must be Spike. Spike groaned. “What good will that accomplish?” He asked. Twilight ignored him and just paced back and forth. They didn't have any clue they were being spied on “Is… Twilight worried because of me running off?” Xion wondered. It was a good thing they couldn’t hear her or her plans might have been sunk then and there. What an embarrassing way that would’ve been to end up recaptured. “Look, Twi – we’ll find that cloaked girl… we just need to keep our wits about us. She couldn’t have gotten far.” Spike assured her. Twilight shook her head. "Spike, she's already left Ponyville. I'm worried what the Everfree could do to a young girl like her! She might get killed or worse!” The unicorn with wings told the dragon who just pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily. Xion couldn’t help but roll her eyes. She survived much worse than this… she would be fine. But they were still hunting her. They still wanted to take away her freedom. She couldn’t let them find her! Xion had enough and dismissed the portal. She sighed and shook her head before realizing that this would be much harder than it first seemed. Stranded on a planet with horses and dragons in the body of a girl… it was just like something that came out of a fantasy tale. For now, it was time to return to her cave and then determine her next course of action. She concentrated the image of her home in her mind before snapping her fingers and conjuring a portal which displayed her temporary home. Before stepping through, Xion made a note to come back here and examine this purple landscape more thoroughly - who knows what she might find? “Right… now to get back and rest for a little bit.” Xion told herself and entered the portal. Author's Note Author's Notes: This story is seriously getting popular - like I didn't expect this much popularity for it! Thank you all for the support you've shown for this! I also would like to thank my good friend (The Dimension Traveler) for helping me with the beta reading and fixing of this chapter - a good friend/brother over on Discord - Thank you for continuing to be my beta reader and apologies for all the torture I put you through at times! Next chapter will be very soon but in the meantime - enjoy and happy reading!
Operation – Book Rebellion!Operation – Book Rebellion! Spike gave a weary sigh. They had been searching the Everfree ever since the mysterious girl had fled. Unfortunately, nothing had been found and Twilight, in her usual tendency to panic, had been rambling about her being eaten by a manticore and other such gruesome fates. “Twilight, you have to calm down. We didn’t find any blood or even a shred of her coat. She’s probably still alive,” He tried to comfort her. “Spike! We don’t know that! Even if she is still alive, who knows where she is right now?” Twilight protested. Said baby dragon pinched the bridge of his nose and tried once more. “Twilight, would you do me a favor and listen to yourself right now?” Twilight stopped and wondered where exactly was he going with this. She wasn’t doing anything bad! All she wanted to do was find the girl! Was that so hard to ask!? Why couldn’t Spike understand that!? Sure, she might be rambling or going on a panicking spree but that wasn’t- The alicorn froze as her pupils shrank. “Oh… I, uh, maybe went just a little bit overboard?” She told him. Spike nodded as he shook his head affectionately, “So long as you snapped out of it this time. I’d hate to send Celestia another ‘Lesson Zero’ letter.” “Yeah, that would’ve been bad,” Twilight chuckled weakly. “And I’m worried as well… but come on, Twi. We’ve been at this for almost 9 hours now, searching for her in the Everfree and no results. She might not even be in the forest anymore. We just have to hope she’s alright for now,” Spike sighed. “You think so?” Twilight asked. Spike gave a shrug in response. “I hope so,” He replied as Twilight sighed. “So… what can we do then?” Twilight wondered. “We wait patiently until she appears and then we explain the situation to her. If we’re lucky, she’ll come and we can help her settle in.” Spike explained the plan. Twilight thought it over and nodded. “Alright, I’m okay with it. But I don’t want to sit around all day waiting for the day when she appears.” She told him. “And that’s FINE. But take it one step at a time, alright?” Spike asked. Twilight nodded. “Yeah, I will. Sorry about my behavior.” She apologized. Spike hugged her. “Hey, it’s okay. We’ll find her and then you can get all your questions answered.” He promised. Twilight nodded and then felt her stomach growling. All that talk about the girl and the non-stop search for her really works up an appetite. “I feel like we should get something to eat.” Spike grinned with a nod. “My thoughts exactly.” As Spike and Twilight exited the castle in search of food, neither was aware of a black portal opening in the library. From the other-side came Xion who was satisfied that nobody was around. It meant that she could do her job without fear of being caught. “Alright. Now I just need to get the books and then it’s back to my home.” Xion told herself and then began to look around. Since she had no idea when the ponies would return, she quickly picked up some books without bothering to check what the title was. Then she summoned a black portal and went through it. Once back in her cave, she sat down and picked up the first book. It’s title was ‘History and Achievements of Equestria’. She flipped the first page and started to get immersed. Over the next three hours, she educated herself on the history of Equestria, it’s people, the lands, the various forms of magic but most importantly - the achievements of various pony folk like Starswirl the Bearded or the princesses themselves. After she was finished, she picked up the next one whose title was ‘Elements of Harmony: Backstory and Purpose.’ Opening the book, she began to read it from the beginning until the end. According to the book, there were six elements in total: one for Magic, one for Loyalty, one for Generosity, one for Kindness, one of Laughter and one for Honesty. When combined together, they release an incredible energy that is said to bring harmony and peace to Equestria. It was also said that when the being of darkness known as Nightmare Moon threatened to blanket the planet in eternal night, her sister Celestia had no choice but to banish her... to the moon of all places! Xion couldn’t help but shiver at what she just read. These Elements of Harmony were no joke… heaven forbid it if she ran into Celestia or whoever was using them. She wasn’t sure if she could survive an onslaught like that. The book took about an hour and a half to read but the results were worth it. As soon as she was done, she plopped the book next to the first one. Looking out to the entrance of the cave, she saw that it was already approaching night time. She felt her stomach growling. Sitting up, she stretched her arms and left the cave to go and find some food. As she walked onward, she unknowingly felt a pair of eyes watching her - glowing eyes which were soon followed by numerous growls. After a while, she arrived in a clearing and checked to see if there were any streams nearby or bushes filled with berries. What she didn’t sense was the incoming yellow-eyed creatures approaching her. For a moment everything was quiet… until she sensed them and summoned the key-shaped weapon to block an incoming attack. Her opponent turned out to be a wolf made out of wood but with glowing yellow eyes. Suddenly, he was joined by a couple more wooden wolves. Xion became confused. “What… what are you…?” The wolves growled at her which made Xion give off an annoyed sigh. “Here we go again…” She commented and prepared for a fight. Author's Note Author's Notes: Sorry for the long wait but here is the next chapter! Apparently, the original planned chapter four had to be rewritten cause there were lots of errors and mistakes according to my beta reader. Luckily, the power of friendship was used to remake it into a better one. Next chapter will be quite a doozy since Xion will see at first glance just how dangerous the darkness can be. Her opponents won't be just Timberwolves... oh, no! It will be much more. You'll see. Happy reading and enjoy commenting!
