Legend of the Sword Heroine

Another day... another opportunity for a quiet outing around the city., were his thoughts as he kept to himself, walking down the road.

So far, it was a peaceful afternoon with the sun still out and the usual stroll around his hometown. Starting to become a pattern if he was being honest.

The boy, around 17 but slowly approaching 18 years of age, featured a pale complexion with him having short-styled light brown-colored hair and crystal blue eyes that were shielded by glasses. He donned a white short-sleeve dress shirt with a red tie and a pair of grey jeans while his footwear consisted of black boots. A set of black finger-less gloves covered both of his hands.

Right now, he had no other goal and was just walking about... today was Sunday and that meant one thing: the stores were all closed. He hated it... almost as much as he hated living with his parents. His sister was pretty much 'okay' in his book...

Still didn't answer the question: What to do or where exactly was he to go...?

The sun was still out so he had some time to kill even if he didn't have much of a plan for the moment. Plus, his sister was with friends and he was all alone for the moment.

Actually... come to think about it, some of the cafes were open at this very moment. Pulling out his phone, he activated the app for the map and began to search for the nearest cafe that was close to his location.

One of the places he had discovered had been given a four out of five stars, eh? And it was near his location... hmm, might as well go and see. If the cafe's workforce was anything good and the atmosphere was too peaceful, he was going to have a wonderful time.

Just in case, he read some reviews about this 'Artistic' cafe - only a few of them were in the negative zone. But most were positive... Good enough for him. He'll have a chance to try out their drinks.

“Looks like I'm settled for the evening.” He declared with a grin as he turned off the phone, pocketing it back.

Beginning once more to walk, he headed down the street and cut corners as best he could to reach the cafe. Thankfully, his phone was also directing him to his destination, down an avenue and-

His walking was halted as his gaze was directed towards flashing lights at the end of the street. With a curious expression on his face, he decided to spare a moment and see what exactly it was.

To his surprise, it was a store. Opened on a Sunday which was ironic since everything else had been closed. Hmm, should he spare a moment to investigate and see what was inside? He had time to spare until the sunset.

Heading inside, he suddenly found himself in a different world. Filled with anime, manga, and games - video and board. There were also movies (action, horror, musicals too). Holy crap! This was indeed a new world for him... he imagined himself spending a lot of time in this store or with his sister.

Since he was an anime/manga fan, he took his time exploring the store. Walking around shelves and taking a good look at the merchandise in stock. He hoped to find a manga of My Hero Academia or Fairy Tail. Those series were his favorite in the whole world.

If he was lucky, then he would find a manga that he wasn't familiar with yet. As he was looking, he fell upon one that he had never seen before. Although it would have been better if the mangaka had put a lot more work on the front page!

The entire cover art was brown-colored and it depicted some sort of shadowy figure that was posing with a blade and a shield. It also had a title that was decorated in bright red with yellow outlines:

*Journey of the Sword Heroine.* - Unknown.

Unknown mangaka? Was this some kind of sick joke? Who in the hell draws a manga but doesn't even do a proper job of fixing the cover art first? Also, judging from the shadow with the blade at the front, it was obvious that this was the protagonist of the story.

Nevertheless, he opened it and... was caught by blank pages. Blank squares with nothing in them? Was this a joke someone was playing on him? Not only was the cover art completely unfinished but the entire manga as well! This was a complete gyp!

Frowning, he was about to put it back when he noticed that the pages began to glow a bright light which confused him. Before he could yell the pages suddenly began to flip back and forth as he felt himself being sucked inside, unable to scream for help.

The golden glow encovered the entire store, blinding any patrons that were inside... safe to the poor boy that was soon sucked inside the near-empty manga which dropped on the ground entirely. Once the light died down, all was quiet once more in the store. Safe for one change - the missing boy who had made the mistake of reading the unfinished manga.

In fact, at that very moment, his unconscious form was passing through time and space itself... his male body was glowing a bright white light. Neither his body nor could be visible anymore as it continued soaring through the vortex.

Soon enough, another portal had opened allowing the young boy to pass through... but not in his old form. He would soon find out that there was not one but two surprises that awaited him once he had reached his destination.

(*???*)

A cold wind blew into their unconscious form as they shivered in their sleep. Someone had best turn on the heat before she froze to death. Moments later, their eyelids opened to reveal a blurry sight. She could make out green, lush, and... thick?

A forest maybe? Not certain yet to be honest. Another thing was the body... it felt so heavy, especially around the chest area. Along with the headache, it's safe to assume that something bad happened last night.

Sitting up slowly, another breeze made them shiver yet again. Why did their head feel so light... along with a twitching atop?

Or rather... a double twitch on the head. Weird. Another thing: why was their body so damn heavy!? Rubbing the eyelids, the vision was finally cleared as they looked down and immediately froze, blinking.

They rubbed their eyelids once more only to see the two developed mountains on the chest! Or in other words... they were BREASTS! She blinked, rubbing her eyes once more and praying that they were just lying to her. Yet the two mountains remained on her chest!

Just like any good and rational person, she decided at that moment to release a scream. So many questions had formed in her head: HOW AND WHY DID SHE HAVE BREASTS!? WHEN DID SHE EVEN GET THEM!? ALSO, SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A BOY, NOT A GIRL!

And then she halted and looked down... she was completely NAKED!!! Another scream was released! This was a disaster!

How could- Wait... why was she a WOMAN AT ALL!? SHE WAS A BOY!

At that moment, she halted as it all came back - the store with different media, him walking around town and that empty manga! He/She remembered it all!

Her head was spinning from the overload of questions with a lack of answers. Feeling the breeze once more, she stood up and covered herself with her hands even though it was probably useless to do so. She covered her breasts and crotch, feeling very embarrassed.

"How'd I even end up being a chick in the first place...?" She wondered, noticing that her voice had also experienced a change.

She had hoped that her old voice would remain yet there was no God.

Now what was she supposed to do? Where would she even head towards? And if there were people nearby, were they going to be hostile to her?

Another gust of wind made her shiver once more as she jumped into the nearest bush. So embarrassing! What was she supposed to do now?

"Imagine my life right now. A naked woman stuck in a forest, somewhere in Europe or America. What a fucked-up situation this is..." The young woman admitted.

Right now, her main goal was to find out where she was. Along with finding clothes that fit her size, ones that fit her breasts.

...If there were any around, obviously.

Spotting a nearby bush, she began to jump from one to another. Halfway, both of her ears- Wait, she only had one set... why did she imagine having double? And why was she hearing singing...?

She then halted. Singing!? Aw, crap! That meant... people nearby! She had better take caution and avoid being spotted. She was still naked after all!

She counted the pros and cons of the mess she was in right now: on the one hand, she could find out where she was and ask for directions to the nearest city/town. And the other was being ridiculed and laughed... along with being oogled by men.

Damn it... she didn't have much choice now, did she? Sighing heavily, she followed the singing... all the while wondering why the twitch atop her head was happening. And why the hell she can't control it!

Hopping from one bush to another, her ears perked at the sounds of running water. Getting closer, she noticed some clothes that were hanging from a tree nearby.

They were too exposed to her. Not to mention it was something she wouldn't want to wear at all... who wears loincloths?

Well... she was in a jungle, to be honest, so yeah that's a dumb question.

The clothes would have to do... at least until she got another piece of attire to wear. The girl crept closer while the singing continued... she couldn't see the woman at the moment.

Taking a deep breath, she proceeded onward towards the next bush as the clothes were above her. Whoever was still singing was focused on themselves and not her.

It allowed her to steal the clothes as long as she was quick. No need to waste any precious time. She took out her hand and began to reach up the branch. She could feel the touch... so close!

Only to immediately halt as she felt some sharp flying past her hand which made her yelp in pain as she brought it down to see... a small part of the skin was cut along with some blood pouring out.

She reacted in shock... how and when did...? The most important question on her mind though: Who had managed to send that knife flying towards her?

Peaking her head out, she noticed that the knife had lodged itself into a tree. How on Earth did that happen?

"You know the old saying: cheaters never prosper." A voice spoke behind her, startling the girl.

She jumped back into the bush and shivered completely... keeping silent and hoping that-

"I'm still here, mind you. If you're going to run away, now is the time to do so..." The voice warned her.

The girl jumped up once more, turning slowly and shivering... until she came face to face with the owner.

...Who was sitting atop a wooden staff, glaring at the girl? A dark-skinned young woman with a mohawk, colored in black-and-white while both of her irises were strong cyan-colored.

Judging from how she spoke to the girl, it was clear she wasn't in the mood to play games or appreciate being stolen from. And the fact she was entirely naked with water dripping down from her body didn't help.

The girl gulped a bit and prepared to jump away from another bush only to be held at knife point by the woman. "I don't appreciate being stolen from, little raccoon..."

R-raccoon? Where did that come from...?

The girl immediately covered her eyes. "Put some clothes on, PLEASE!" She demanded.

The demand was unamusing to the woman who crossed her arms. "Do you mean MYSELF or rather... YOU?" She asked pointing at the girl.

The girl, blushing heavily, ducked down but poked out her head. "N-never-mind that! Who are you!?" She demanded the answer.

“How rude asking me for my name without telling me yours first, little raccoon.” The woman admitted, shaking her head.

Again with the raccoon bit!? Come on!!!

But all the girl did was shake her head. "I don't even know who I am. Let alone remembering what my name is." She admitted.

The woman placed a hand on her chin, thinking. Hmm... a nameless raccoon girl who didn't even know anything at all. Let alone her name, eh? Interesting.

"I woke up naked in the forest... where am I exactly?" The girl questioned.

"Equis. You're in the Everfree Forest, where dangerous creatures roam about. Now then..." She trailed off while acquiring the loincloth from the branches, putting it on.

Said girl was relieved heavily as she no longer had to look at the naked form. But then she noticed that the woman had fished into her pockets and pulled out a bottle filled with a blackish-yellow liquid. "Reveal yourself to me!"

She threw the potion into the bush which exploded and exposed the young woman from it. The dark-skinned woman took a closer look at her... hmm, tall and developed. Around 17 or 18 years of age.

She featured a fair complexion with her long hair reaching down to her waist with it being coloured in red along with the fluffy tanuki ears attached atop her head.

The woman noticed a bushy tail moving around, twitching. Her height was at 5’2 with a lean build having a developed body with muscles and a great bust.

“Hm, very interesting.” She told the girl, continuing to strike her chin.

Before the tanuki girl could inquire as to what she was talking about, the woman got off the staff she was sitting on. “I have something you can wear in my hut.”

“Oh? What’s the catch?” The girl asked, brow raised.

The woman shrugged. “My reasons are my own. Unless you rather spend the rest of the day in your birthday suit?” She responded, amused.

Said young woman, blushed once more, using her hands to cover herself. She contemplated what to do: go with the woman willingly and get a proper attire or… be stubborn and remain naked.

Her blush, increased, made her groan. In the end, she didn’t exactly have any choice. Plus, walking around naked was PROBABLY not the best idea.

Sighing, she walked next to the woman. “I’ll follow you… for now. What’s your name?” She inquired.

“Zecora,” The woman replied.

The girl gave a nod as the dark-skinned woman looked at her. "You don't have a name, yes?" She asked.

She gave a nod in response, wondering what to pick as a name.

“Memory loss as well,” Zecora replied, shaking her head.

"I don't have memory loss! I just... don't have... I... um..." The girl trailed off, unable to think of an answer.

“Don’t have what?” Zecora asked amused.

The girl, embarrassed, sighed. "N-nevermind... just... let's just find a way out of this forest."

“Very well, I shall lead. Stay close at all times... this forest isn't a children's playground.” Zecora led the girl away.

The girl followed suit, not certain how or what to respond with. Best to just keep one eye open, see what happens in the end.

She kept up, covering her naked body with her hands. "S-so... you live in this forest?" She inquired.

The woman looked at her and nodded. "Yes. I do not mind interactions with humans but I often prefer my privacy in order to work better. Brewing potions and writing recipes." She explained.

Brewing potions? Was this a witch by chance?

"Are you a witch?" The girl inquired.

Zecora let out a chuckle. "More like a Shaman and Herbalist... I brew potions, yes. However, they are mostly harmless and are for the citizens of Ponyville."

Ponyville, eh? Sounds like a decent place to start searching for answers.

After some time, Zecora led the girl to her home, which was revealed to be a house inside a tree. Huh, how interesting and befitting of a voodoo witch.

"That's your home?" The girl asked, poiting at the tree.

"Indeed. The nature provides all that one needs in order to survive." Zecora admitted, opening the door.

Said girl gave a nod as entered into the hut itself. Everything was situated on the first floor entirely.

A cauldron over a fireplace, warm bed with sheets, vials sitting on the shelves filled with liquids... didn't know what types though yet. She also spotted some creepy masks and reserved staffs leaning on the wall.

All in all, wasn't exactly a bad place. Kinda cozy to live here if she was also a witch. Her eyes noticed that there was steam coming out from the cauldron along with something being prepared.

"Oh? Making some dinner, are we?" The girl inquired something atop her hair twitch once more.

Zecora looked at her with a confused expression. "Stew?" She asked until the girl pointed at the pot which was on the fire. "Oh! No, no... that's not stew. It's a magic potion."

Ah… that explains. Zecora did mention something about an ‘Equis’ and ‘Everfree Forest’… hmm, not exactly any familiar locations that were on Earth.

Wait… was she on another world!? No… it had to be a dream.

Also, another thing… “Magic?” She inquired, eyes widened.

Zecora turned and nodded. "Yes... it seems that you aren't from around these parts." She admitted, stroking her chin.

“You have no idea.” The girl replied with a blush.

The dark-skinned woman then pointed at her closet. "Let us fetch you an outfit suitable for your tastes." Zecora declared.

Opening the closet, she pulled out some clothes of the modern variety - shirts, skirts... shoes. Anything that could be of use to cover her naked body.

Zecora gave her a sundress and flats to try on along with a bra and some panties. Slipping the undergarments, she found out that they were a perfect fit...

Next, she donned on the sun-dress and flats. Noticing a mirror nearby, she walked over and examined herself... along with finding out why the thing atop was twitching... BECAUSE OF A PAIR OF RACCOON EARS!

She was about to scream only for Zecora to silence her with the staff. "Hold your tongue, child... the last thing we need is to bring unwanted attention on us from the creatures in the Everfree." She warned the girl with the ears.

It made her blush in embarrassment followed by a sigh as she kept looking at her reflection. Comfy and sturdy... not to mention lots of space as well.

"Hmm... not bad." The girl complimented. A smile on her face.

Zecora nodded. "Indeed. It would suffice if there is a celebration or a day out in the stores. Speaking of which..." She halted and pulled out some more clothing choices.

Her second attire was a t-shirt with a skirt, leggings and sneakers. A beret along with some sunglasses too...

"Hmm... casual attire. For an outing." The girl stated.

"It would seem so.” Zecora agreed with her words before asking a question. “What do you traditionally wear?”

"Hm, I guess - normal clothes. In the land where I come from - it's just casual stuff." The girl responded with a shrug.

Zecora gave a nod, “Hmm, interesting. Any other preference?" She inquired.

The girl, pausing for a little bit, scratched her head. Another choice for an attire?

"Casual... not particularly since these two might serve me well. However... do you have something befitting for adventure?" The girl inquired.

Despite the meeting with Zecora and accepting (reluctantly) the offer to come with her, sparing the dignity of going around naked on this land, the girl still wasn't certain how much SAFE this world really was.

Best to be prepared... just in case she ran into something dangerous. Like a giant spider or a wolf. Probably a bit paranoid... yet better safe than sorry.

Zecora hummed. "I may have something that you can use. Let me fetch the chest."

The girl confusingly tilted her head as Zecora rushed towards her bed. What exactly was she looking for underneath it? Something about a 'chest'...?

It was quite a large box... hmm, judging from the size and the fact that Zecora was pushing it, it was heavier than it first seemed.

The girl looked at Zecora who gave a nod. The raccoon girl opened the chest and looked through its contents to find an outfit that had been refitted with armor.

Also, there was a blade and a shield.

“Where exactly did you find this?” The girl with the ears questioned, looking at the contents.

“A week ago, outside my hut,” Zecora replied before adding. “I was planning on selling it since I do not need to wear armor.”

Well, that made sense since Zecora was comfortable wearing that loincloth and it befitted her jungle-like appearance.

She looked at Zecora before asking. "Can I try it on?"

“Go ahead,” Zecora encouraged her before walking towards her cauldron. “I have some orders to fill in.”

Giving a nod, the girl took out the clothes and removed her second casual attire before getting dressed.

First, she slipped on the brownish-copper-colored leather ankle-length boots on her pale-skinned feet and legs. She noticed the metal armor acting as boot bracers which was definitely a good idea. Next, she slipped on the white-colored blouse-like dress on her body followed by the black tunic with red in the middle with slits at the bottom with a pair of golden buttons. A red ribbon was tied around her neck.

She attached the silver-armored breastplate on her chest and the spaulder on her right shoulder before slipping on a pair of brownish-copper gloves with metal bracelets on her hands. The girl noticed two yellow headbands that she attached to the bangs at the front, fixing her hair completely.

Once done, she walked over and examined herself in the mirror. Dress and armor fitted her well... comfy too.

"Well, should be acceptable for the time being... adventurer mixed with a little bit of knight in there." She joked, smiling amusingly.

Looking back in the chest, only two things remained - the shield and the sword. She wasted no time in picking them up.

The blade wasn't anything special - an average silver with a brown handle and a guard that featured a gem in it. As for the shield, it was a bilabial one, colored in silver with a simple green gem on it.

"Hmm... the weapons of a knight." The girl commented, rubbing her chin.

So... at her best guess, this was an adventure for her. And she may as well be the main character of this story. Although, there was one problem: she had no idea what the goal of all this was.

Come to think of it, how did she even end up in the forest completely? Who or what brought her here?

Scratching her head or ears, she went silent to think. Just as her stomach began to growl a little.

The girl blushed. Guess in all this excitement and mystery she hadn't eaten anything. Crap...

Zecora, having overheard the belly rumble due to being in the room, released a chuckle. "Good thing I've made lunch... do you want some?” Zecora questioned her new roommate.

Another stomach growl followed by the girl blushing. "I'm down." She agreed.

“Good...” Zecora replied before giving her a look of concern, “Do you need help? You seem worried at the moment.” She admitted.

The girl shook her head. "No... I'm just... figuring things out on my own. What's for lunch?" She inquired.

"Stew. I think you'll like it." Zecora assured her.

Shrugging, the girl took a seat on a stool next to the table as Zecora accessed the cupboard, pulling out some bowls and utensils.

Time for a good meal... or whatever passes around these parts.

(*Meanwhile...*)

Faraway... the flowers were blooming as she halted to sniff the roses. They felt so perfect...

She began to snap a few roses for a bouquet, as one of the maids approached the garden with a tray of tea and cakes.

The woman stopped what she was doing and turned to the maid. "Thank you... you may put it on the table. I'll be done soon enough." She responded to the hired help.

The maid, nodding, put the tray with the tea and biscuits on the table before departing away from the garden.

Said woman resumed her duty... and kept an eye on the roses. The young woman's moderate cyan eyes stared at the red flowers as her fair-skinned right hand held the scissors with which she snapped off the stem while the left one was being protected by a garden glove.

Her hair was a long and wavy one which was colored in a moderate sapphire blue with a grayish Persian blue outline.

She wore her royalty attire which consisted of a light-dark blue top with a Moon symbol that showcased her cleavage, a light blue arm bracelet was on her right hand while a disconnected long sleeve covered her left.

Her lower attire was a dark blue skirt that covered her knees and lastly light blue sandals with blue soles adorned her feet. The dark crown rested atop her hair while a small string with a red rose held both the skirt and top together.

Soon enough, she was finishing up her bouquet, placing it into a vase filled with water. With a sigh released, she couldn't help but smile... another job well done in her wonderful garden.

She looked at her handy work and nodded. "That's done for today..."

Just then her peaceful moment was cut off by the hearing of footsteps... she looked and saw her royal guards approaching.

The Night Watch? What exactly were they doing here?

She approached them with caution but calmness as well. They were her Royal Guards after all.

One of the main leads... a captain, bowed in respect. "Princess Luna."

Luna held her hand out. "At ease, Captain Nightshade. What have you to report?"

The captain, out of breath, took small pockets of air before responding. "Your majesty... our mages reported a sighting of a huge magical surge coming from Equis... more specifically the Everfree Forest."

“Hmm, what kind of sighting?” Luna inquired with a look of interest.

The captain could not answer that since he had only gotten this information from the mages not too long ago. Instead, he answered. "We're uncertain yet since the mages are investigating... and yet..."

Luna raised her hand, having heard enough. “Go to the Everfree Forest. Investigate the source and report back to me ASAP. Am I understood?” She questioned.

"We shall prepare the carriages immediately... although... what of the elder Princess?" The captain inquired with a worried expression.

Upon hearing that, Luna's face turned to dread... she didn't want to deal with that. Not at this hour, at least.

I'll handle that myself, Captain” She sighed before making a serious face. “Now go. Daylight is burning.” She ordered.

"Yes, Princess... you do know that she won't take kindly to this though." The captain reminded her.

Luna had to suppress the urge to release a sigh and rubbed her eyes. "Transparently... Now get going, Captain." She gave her orders.

The captain soon departed along with his men with Luna returning to her tea and biscuits. Beforehand though, she washed her hands with some wet tissues since she didn't want to get any germs all over the yummy biscuits.

Not to mention, she was feeling a bit thirsty as well.

Sitting down on her garden chair, she poured some tea in a cup and brought it closer to her lips.

I should see what else remains on my schedule... the day is still young, Luna told herself in her mind.

Her mind drifted back to what the captain had told her... and still prayed it was nothing serious.