Boundary of Friendship and Magicby GrimoireFantasiaChaptersI - Opening the BorderII: Fashion Show - The Perfectionist Tailor vs. The Perfect MaidIII: A Test of New Magic – The Obsessive-Compulsive Librarian vs. the Anemic MagicianI - Opening the BorderSeveral days after the invasion of the ice fairy from Equestria, Celestia and Luna had called forth a meeting of Canterlot and Ponyville’s most brilliant minds, as well as the Canterlot guard. The sun princess used the palace’s old, dust-filled war room. Its last use was in the era before Nightmare Moon, when Discord’s chaotic forces marched across the land. An argument had risen forth in relation to how to handle Cirno and Gensokyo as a whole. “I believe this ‘Gensokyo’ could become a greater threat if we do not strike it down immediately,” declared the voice of a gruff earth pony stallion with a grey coat, black mane and tail and a pair of crossed swords emitting sparks on his flank. The guard around the table seemed to acknowledge his plan with great fervor before Princess Luna interrupted their praise. “Still thy tongue, Sterling Sword,” said the night princess. “We do not want to act so harshly if but one of this world’s residents hath caused us strife. Dost thou wish to start a dimensional war?” “But Princess Luna-” “My sister is right, Sterling,” Celestia interrupted. All eyes moved to the sun princess as she began to speak. “Cirno is the only one from Gensokyo to come to Equestria and attack us. We should at least try to discover how she managed to get here before we act on anything. Twilight Sparkle, have you and the research team discovered any dimensional gaps in Ponyville or Canterlot?” “Possibly, princess,” Twilight, who sat next to her mentor, replied diligently. “Night Augur informed us just a few hours ago that he found some form of disturbance in Ponyville, behind the library.” “Is this anything like the previous disturbances?” Celestia inquired. “Not at all,” replied the lavender mare. “The last ones were just a few sparks. Night Augur claims to be seeing a flow of energy rising up from the ground.” “Is that so?” asked the sun princess. “If that is the case, then I would like for you to meet with Night Augur at the disturbance site. The library, and Ponyville, is your home, after all.” Twilight nodded happily. “Of course, princess!” “As for you, Sterling,” Celestia continued, turning to the silver stallion. “I would like for you and your guards to keep an eye on both Ponyville and Canterlot. If this disturbance turns out to be a way point from Gensokyo to here and vice-versa, you will need to be at the ready in case something more dangerous than Cirno presents itself.” Sterling gave a proud salute and his troops followed suit. “Yes, ma’am!” “Meeting adjourned,” Celestia proclaimed blankly, rising up first from her seat and exiting out the door behind the chair. As Twilight and the guards exited out the other doors, Luna followed after her sister, recognizing her tone of voice as one of worry. “Sister, what did thou not tell the guards and Twilight Sparkle?” she asked. The sun princess remained silent, but Luna was persistent. “We know thou hast something on thy mind, sister. Thou art never this silent unless thou hath conflicted thoughts.” Celestia sighed. “You read me like a book, sister. I am admittedly a bit worried about this entire situation.” “Thou hast put Twilight Sparkle and Night Augur in charge of the investigation. Dost thou doubt two of Equestria’s brightest minds?” “Not at all,” replied Celestia, who immediately went silent again, delving into her thoughts once again. “Sister…” Celestia remained absolutely silent, which slowly drove her night-blue sister to the brink of rage. “Sister, speak!” Luna shouted, breaking her sister from her trance. “I...apologize, Luna...It isn’t that I doubt Twilight Sparkle and Night Augur...it’s simply that...I am still thinking about Cirno’s storm. It blocked our access to the sun and moon, and it weakened our magic.” “So thou noticed it as well. Whoever conjured the storm for that pest must not have told her that it weakened our magic. She was most likely told that it blocked the celestial bodies above from sight, and therefore she believed that she was simply stronger than us.” “It only makes sense,” Celestia murmured. “But if that is true, how powerful was the one who magician who created the storm to begin with?” “We shall find out sister,” Luna reassured her. “Have faith in thy student and her friends. They have never let thee down.” Celestia smiled and gave her sister a small nod. “Thank you, Luna. You’re absolutely right.” “Of course I am,” Luna said, returning a smile. “After all, what are sisters for? Now, let us retire to our room for now whilst we await a report from Twilight Sparkle.” “Miss Sparkle, come take a look at this.” Twilight trotted over to the light-blue unicorn stallion and examined the area around which he stood. “What is it, Augur?” “Do you feel anything…different?” the arch-mage unicorn asked. “I do feel a bit strange standing in this particular spot…but I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is that bothers me about it.” “Try to explain,” Night Augur said. “Do your best to describe the feeling.” Twilight thought about it for a moment, taking in the essence of the area around her. Her hooves tingled in the grass in a way they normally wouldn’t. She came to a basic conclusion regarding the situation. “It’s sorta…overwhelming,” the young scholar began. “Like…something is pulling at me and pushing me away at the same time, and it’s definitely some kind of magic.” “I think it’s a planar field.” Twilight looked to Night Augur and tilted her head in confusion. “A…planar what now?” she asked. “I didn’t think Celestia would have taught you about that just yet,” he replied. “To put it simply, it is a field of powerful magic, usually generated by somepony such as the princesses, used to travel between different worlds.” “Wait a minute…you mean it’s possible? Interdimensional travel is…well, I guess it’s a bit redundant to seem confused by that at this point, considering Cirno, but the idea that we might be able to-“ “Don’t even think about it,” Augur interrupted, putting a hoof over Twilight’s mouth. “We need to report this to the princesses immediately. Only they have enough magic to close the breach.” Twilight nodded instinctively. Of course Celestia and Luna would be powerful enough, but why bother them? She knew that even she had just as much power as the princesses. After all, she was the Element of Magic. What could the princesses do that she couldn’t? Taking a deep breath after realizing the risks of taking action without consulting her mentor first, she stepped forward and began to channel her magic to her horn. “Twilight Sparkle, what do you think you’re doing?” Night Augur asked, stumbling back in surprise as the sparks shot up from the lilac unicorn’s horn. “Celestia chose me as her student!” Twilight exclaimed. “If the princesses could do this with no problem, then all I need to do is throw in a little bit more effort than usual!” “Miss Sparkle, you’ve never even dabbled in extraplanar arcana! You could rip the hole right open and let more of those freaks into Equestria!” “If it’s something that needs sealing,” Twilight said, struggling to bring a little extra magic to the tip of her horn, “then all I need to do is amplify my fail-safe spell with everything I’ve got!” Twilight’s purple magic began to form a circle around her hooves, and as she grinned confidently for the last time that day, she felt something go horribly wrong. The arcane power that she had focused to her horn backlashed, filling her entire body with unstable energy. Her eyes shone the same color as her spell and her magic began to spark wildly around the entire area, singeing grass, disintegrating the leaves off of trees and even lighting her own library ablaze at the base. Night Augur stared as he realized the gravity of this calamity. “By the Sun, she’s Overcasting! I’ve got to contact the princesses immediately!” Celestia looked out to the sky from her room to see it being filled with violet lightning. The alicorn princess bit her upper lip as a pair of unicorn guards came barreling into the room. “Your highness, a field report from Night Augur has just come in! It is incredibly urgent and he insisted that you-“ The sun princess snapped up the report with her golden spell and unrolled it immediately. She eyed it as quickly as possible and dropped it to the ground, immediately taking off out the window towards Ponyville. At that very same moment, Luna burst through the doors with a silver platter of sweets. “Dearest sister, I have brought the sugary snacks thou hast requested and-“Luna looked out the window at the lightning-filled sky, then to the note and then to the two guards. “What has happened here? Where is Celestia?” The guards levitated the report before Luna, who set the tray of treats down and took hold of the note. ‘Night Augur reporting in: Element of Magic Twilight Sparkle has attempted to seal a dimensional breach located directly behind the Golden Oaks Library where she normally resided, and in doing so, she drastically overcast her custom Fail-Safe spell, sending her into a Level Three Arcane Nova. If it is allowed to continue, her magic may very well open the breach before we even have a chance to examine it further. Your presence is necessary, Your Highness.’ Luna tossed the note aside and spread her wings. “I must not let Celestia go alone. This does not bode well for Equestria…” The lunar princess flew out the window, headed toward Ponyville as well. The two guards looked at one another and then proceeded to devour the tray of pastries the moon princess had left behind. The clouds above slowly started to dissolve into vapor as Twilight’s magic spell began to grow even more out of control. “H-help me, please!” she cried, trying desperately to reign her own power back under control, to unfortunately no avail. Royal guards approached from all sides, raising a glowing ward to try and contain the unstable spell. Shining Armor, former captain of the guard and Twilight’s older brother, led the troops onward with a powerful shield spell of his own. “Hang on, Twily! I’m coming to get you! Now, boys! Push with everything you’ve got!” The unicorn soldiers unleashed the blunt force of their magic, sending the ward down from a large dome to a containment field around Twilight Sparkle, whose magic continue to fluctuate out of control. The violet lightning struggled against the shield, making it crack in multiple locations and forcing it to grow once more. The soldiers stumbled back, still attached to the magic making the shield up. Shining Armor gasped and grunted, his own spell rivaling his sister’s unstable force. “Twily, you need to try and fight against it! It’ll only get worse if you let it take over!” “I…I’m trying!” Twilight screamed back, her body shaking violently as she fought to take it back from the magic nova’s control. “You need to try harder! Think about what you’re doing! Think about what will happen if you don’t reel this in!” Her brother’s words banged against the drum of her subconscious where Twilight’s mind raged to break free. The spell kept a tight lock on her, but the encouraging shouts from Shining Armor was all the extra strength she needed. Regaining enough control to perform a quick flick of her horn, the Element of Magic launched the spell across the ground in a shockwave, merely knocking down ponies across all of Ponyville instead of burning the town to a crisp. By the time the wave had subsided, Twilight was a half-unconscious heap on a patch of incinerated grass and dirt. Shining Armor rushed over to check on his sister. “Twily, are you all right? Is there any of that unstable magic left?” “I…don’t think so,” Twilight replied, managing to rise to her hooves with her brother’s help. “That was really stupid of me…I’m sorry, Shiny.” Shining Armor pulled his sister into a hug with one foreleg. “It’s not the first time you’ve gotten in over your head like that.” “And I’m certain it won’t be the last,” announced the regal voice of Princess Celestia as she hovered into the general vicinity. Moments after her, Princess Luna landed beside her sister. Twilight immediately broke the hug with her brother and bowed as low to the ground as she could. Celestia looked to Shining Armor first. “Thank you for coming on such short notice, Shining. I know how important it is for you to be by Cadence’s side, especially after recent events.” “With all due respect, Your Highness,” he replied, “as soon as I heard Twily was in trouble; I had no choice but to help.” Celestia nodded. “But of course.” She then turned her attention to her faithful student, now practically groveling in the dirt. “Twilight Sparkle…I am slightly disappointed in you. You knew how important it was for us to find and properly close any extraplanar breaches, but you went ahead and attempted to fix the problem on your own, once again.” Twilight began to tremble, as her voice did in turn. “I-I’m s-so s-s-sorry, P-Princess Celestia…I just thought…t-that I could do it on my own and prove myself to you.” Celestia stepped forward and, as opposed to Twilight’s thoughts of punishment, draped a wing over her student. “Why would you think you needed to prove yourself to me? You’re already my student.” “But,” Twilight started, sniffling and on the verge of tears, “I got beaten so easily by Cirno, so I thought that you thought I was slipping up, so I wanted to try and do something I’d never done before, and before I knew it, everything was completely out of control, and I was hurting ponies and-“ Celestia silenced her student with a soft, tender ‘shh’ and slowly began to stroke her mane. “Nopony saw that travesty coming…not even myself or Luna. You have no right to blame yourself, Twilight. You need to calm down so we can address this problem properly.” Twilight wiped her eyes and looked up to Celestia with a hopeful smile. “You’re right…Thank you, Princess. You always know just what to say.” “Not always,” Celestia admitted. “But thank you for the vote of confidence, my faithful student. Now, let us deal with the problem at hand.” “What you consider a problem, I see as a newly-presented opportunity,” a new, mocking voice echoed out. Everypony glanced around, searching for the source of the voice. Their futile efforts were met with a childish giggle. “Ah, you ponies are interesting creatures indeed, I must admit. I’ve never seen anything like any of you…even the ones without spells have such interesting magic.” “Show yourself, whoever you are!” demanded Celestia. “Oh, hold your horses,” replied the voice, laughing once more. “Oh, that was a good one. I’ll have to remember that one. Anyway…here I come!” A black rift appeared out of thin air. It seemed to be held together with red ribbons and was filled with purple mist and a cluster of prying eyes. Even Celestia stared at this strange gateway in confusion. Suddenly, a figure appeared out of the dimensional gap, sporting a white and purple dress accompanied by a white and red bonnet. She had blond hair, blue eyes, and a butterfly-pattern fan in hand and was most certainly from the same universe as Cirno, as she was nothing close to a pony in any way, shape or form. The woman rose up out of the gap completely and sat on it as if it were a hammock. “Identify yourself, creature!” Luna shouted at the strange figure, assuming the Royal Canterlot Tone. “You are invading Equestrian soil!” “Oh, but your sister’s little student was the one to open the breach first,” the odd woman stated. “So technically, you invaded Gensokyo first. This is simply retaliation.” “Give your name, spirit!” Celestia yelled. The woman sighed. “Fine, if you won’t shut up until I do. I am Yukari Yakumo, yokai of the borders of Gensokyo. Normally, I couldn't be bothered to even come here, but considering the fact that you have one of our own held prisoner…” “How could you possibly know about that?” asked Celestia, staring down Yukari. “Oh, I've got eyes everywhere…I manipulate borders and boundaries to see everything and everyone in every single world: Every…Last…One.” “You planned this, yokai!” Luna proclaimed. “You sent your puny field agent as bait so you could invade with a bare sliver of an alibi!” Yukari gasped and held her fan to her chest, barely covering her breasts. “Now how could little old me do something such as that? I mean, an all-powerful dimension-altering yokai like me wouldn't dare dream of creating such an incident!” “Arrogant as you are foolish,” Celestia stated. “You can’t defeat the two of us at the same time, Yukari. You've led yourself to your own demise.” With an exchange of silent nods, the two alicorns unleashed a storm of magic toward the border yokai, creating a prismatic cloud of dust in its wake. As the smoke cleared, it seemed as if Yukari had been absolutely vaporized. No trace of her remained, not even her border. However, just as things seemed to be calming down, the gap witch’s laugh filled the air once more. Another rift appeared several feet above them and Yukari dropped to the ground before them, giggling chaotically. "Didn’t you hear me the first time? I am the yokai of borders and boundaries, which means I can be anywhere I want in the blink of an eye, and I can hide within my gap until your futile spells have passed.” Luna stepped forth and prepared charging a spell. “You…insolent little-“ “Ah-ah-ah, there will be none of that,” Yukari interrupted, tossing a paper card at the princess’ horn. “Spell Card: Magic Null Border.” The card sparked to life and a bright flash of light engulfed the area. Everypony looked away to avoid being blinded, but as the glow faded, they looked back and all gasped in shock. Luna herself opened her eyes and glanced upward to see that her horn was now nonexistent. “W-what be this trickery?! What hast thou done to our horn?!” Yukari chuckled, holding her fan before her face. “My spell card simply eliminated the focal point of all your magic. You won’t be able to cast a single spell as long as I reside in this dimension. Now, off I go: more chaos to spread and more residents of Gensokyo to locate.” With a wave of her fan, Yukari created another gap and swiftly flew through it. Celestia and her student, Shining Armor and the rest of the royal guards were left standing baffled as Luna ranted, raved and bucked wildly in what could only be described as a royal tantrum. “HOW DAREST THAT FOOLISH SPIRIT ROB US OF OUR MAGIC! WE SHALL DESTROY THE VILE WENCH WITH EVERY OUNCE OF OUR…of our…ma…magic…she…stole my magic…Celestia, I can’t raise the moon. I can’t even raise a simple glass of cider anymore. I can’t do…anything…” Luna stood completely still. She stared at the ground for several seconds before breaking out into silent sobs. Celestia walked over to her sister and pulled her into a hug with both a wing and a foreleg. “We’ll get through this, Lulu. I promise.” Twilight watched Celestia console her sister, then looked up to her own brother. “What now?” Shining Armor observed the scene and came to the most inconclusive conclusion. “I don’t know, Twily…I really don’t know.” II: Fashion Show - The Perfectionist Tailor vs. The Perfect MaidSince the arrival of Yukari, to Celestia’s surprise, nothing really major had occurred. He and her sister’s horns had returned after a week’s time, but Yukari was still nowhere to be found. Celestia paced back and forth in front of her sister’s chambers, where within, the lunar princess’ angered screams and blasts of magic could be heard. Celestia sighed and walked away, allowing her sister to vent as she turned her attention to another present matter. “So…you mean to tell me you deal with these…’yokai’ all the time, Miss…?” “Reimu, your highness,” replied the earth pony standing before the princess. Her coat was tan, her mane and tail brown and tied with red and white ribbons and a bow, and her cutie mark was a red-white yin-yang orb. “Reimu Hakurei, yokai exterminator of Gensokyo. I followed Yukari through the border, but I was too late to pull her back through. She’s locked herself to Equestria via the other Gensokyians she’s sent through, meaning unless all of them are returned, Yukari has free reign to do what she pleases here.” “And the Countrywide Equestrian Census Count increasing by around one hundred would be those yokai you spoke of, correct?” the princess asked. “That’s probably them,” Reimu said with a nod. “Of course, some of them aren’t exactly yokai. A few of them were humans like me. Still, at least ninety percent of the people I knew from Gensokyo are troublemakers, through and through…including some of my allies.” “This is a bit difficult to wrap my mind around,” Celestia mused aloud, clearly very puzzled. “Humans…spirits…spell cards…it is all very…different than what we are used to here. Only unicorns can really cast ‘magic’ here, but you said those ‘spell cards’ of yours allow you to bypass the need for actual magic?” “Sort of,” Reimu replied. “For some Gensokyians, it is actual magic or sorcery of some kind, but most yokai are born with natural abilities, and when I established the Spell Card System in Gensokyo, they adapted those powers to said spell cards.” “And you created this system because…” “It was to give the yokai a fighting chance against the Hakurei Shrine Maiden,” Reimu replied. “Even weak yokai and humans need to be given a fair chance to fight back.” “Your entire world puzzles me so,” Celestia said, pressing a hoof to her forehead. “But…I must know if I can trust your strength. Give me an example of what you’re capable of. Aim at me, if you must.” “Are you sure?” Reimu asked. “You want me to just…throw a spell card at you?” Celestia nodded and generated a powerful prismatic shield before her. “Hit this with the strongest spell you have.” “That’s asking quite a lot, but…here goes!” Reimu jumped up into the air, floating without wings, as she called a single card to her front hoof. “The powers that lie within the Hakurei…release!” The card shattered as a spiral of colorful orbs formed around her body. “Spirit Sign: Fantasy Seal!” The magic spheres made contact with Celestia’s barrier one by one, and each put somewhat of a strain on the sun princess, but not enough to break the shield. Still, the force alone was enough to make her stagger backwards ever so slightly. After the final orb dissipated, Celestia lowered her shield and chuckled. “Well, that certainly answers my question. I know you are strong enough to help us. Now, I want you to meet with my personal student Twilight Sparkle. You’ll find her at the library in Ponyville. She is one of Equestria’s brightest minds, and although she can always learn more, her magic capabilities are equivalent to mine.” “Equal to yours, huh?” Reimu nodded. “All right, I’ll go meet with her.” The shrine maiden began walking out of the throne room. “Oh, and princess?” inquired Reimu. “I should probably tell you…Fantasy Seal is not my most powerful spell. I only used it at its own strongest manifested level. I don’t like to use my real strongest spells…not against allies.” Celestia froze in thought for a moment, and then smiled. “That kindness is rare, particularly from an outsider who knows nothing of our world. Perhaps there could be a place for you in Equestria should you be unable to return home.” “Perhaps,” Reimu thought aloud. “But I’d much prefer to return home. Home just…feels right. You can understand that, yeah?” The sun princess nodded. “I believe I can, Miss Hakurei.” =GIRLS ARE PREPARING, PLEASE WAIT WARMLY= “Oh, damn it…my uniform is ruined again.” A white-maned earth pony trotted through the town square, simply minding her own business and fussing about the fact that the maid outfit she’d been wearing had taken more than its toll of damage since she’d arrived in Equestria. “There has to be somewhere around here I can go to get it fixed…ah, this looks like the right place.” The maid chief found herself standing before a tall, elegant building with several stunning dresses visible in the windows. “Now, if this person can’t help me fix my uniform, I doubt anyone in this world can.” She pushed the door open, ringing the bell and alerting the owner of her presence. “Just a minute!” cried a voice from within. The maid waited patiently for the shop owner to come forth, and soon enough, the pure white unicorn stepped out of the back room. “Ah, welcome to Carousel Boutique! My name is Rarity. Is there something I can help you with?” “I hope so, Miss Rarity,” the maid replied. “My name is Sakuya Izayoi. I’m the chief maid at my mistress’ mansion, and my uniform, well…” Sakuya turned full circle to show the various tears, shreds and smudges covering the dress. “It has seen much better days, I can assure you.” “Oh, dear, what a mess!” Rarity exclaimed. “I suppose you’d like for me to patch it up for you?” “Actually, I was wondering if I could simply purchase a sewing kit and fix it back up at home,” Sakuya replied. “Not that I doubt your skill or anything…it’s just that this uniform has some sentimental value to me, and I’d rather repair it myself.” “I completely understand, darling,” replied Rarity. “Hold on just a moment, I’ll be right out with a kit.” Sakuya nodded. “Thank you, Miss Rarity.” Rarity walked over to the back room door once again. “Now, you said your name was ‘Sakuya’, correct? That doesn’t sound quite like an ordinary pony name. I take it you’re not from around here.” “That’s right,” Sakuya replied. “I come from Gensokyo.” Rarity fell silent for a moment. “Oh…I see. Well, I’ll be right out with your order.” “Again, thank you very-“ A blue gemstone went flying into the room and grazed Sakuya’s mane. “What in the-“ “I should have guessed you were trouble the moment you set foot in my shop!” Rarity declared, an assortment of gems gripped by her magic circling her. “And now that I know what you are, I’m going to deal with you myself before you cause any destruction!” “Miss Rarity, you’ve got me mistaken with the yokai, I’m not-“ Rarity launched another barrage of crystals at Sakuya, who swiftly bolted out of the way. “Can we not discuss this like civilized-“Another gemstone shard grazed her, leaving another tear in her uniform. “Oh, come on!” “Sorry about the fashion faux-pas, darling, but I cannot allow you to devastate this world the same way your fairy friend did.” “Wait, hold up a minute,” Sakuya shouted, holding up a hoof. “Cirno is no friend of anyone from Gensokyo! She’s just some idiot who lives out on the lake next to the mansion!” “I won’t have any more of your lies! Take this!” Rarity tossed the remainder of her gems at Sakuya, who closed her eyes for a second as if waiting for the end. Then, she opened them, revealing blood-red irises. The gems stopped in their tracks, and from Rarity’s perspective, Sakuya had moved right past them. “Very well then…if I must, then I will use my full power.” “B-but…how did you…I mean, you couldn’t possibly…” Rarity stammered, attempting to get a grip on what just happened. “Oh, did I not mention? I can control the flow of time…stop it and start it again, slow it down and speed it up by a little bit. It isn’t much, but…” Sakuya’s hoof reached into the lining of her uniform and pulled forth a triad of kitchen knives. “It works for what I need it.” “How…how are you holding those?” Rarity asked. “To be completely honest, I have absolutely no idea,” Sakuya replied. “These awkward hooves shouldn’t be able to hold anything, but they are. So…” Sakuya quickly hopped up and tossed the three blades in Rarity’s direction. The alabaster mare barely managed to leap out of the way, only having a few strands of her mane sliced off in the process. Rarity shrieked, “MY MANE! How dare you commit such a crime against fabulosity!? I’ll have to punish you even more now!” “Try me, princess,” Sakuya mocked, readying another cluster of knives at the tips of her hooves. Rarity called forth two chests, one each to her left and right. She popped the locks open and raised several clusters of sharp, pointed jewels. “These refined gems were meant specifically for my newest project, but I suppose if I’m going to clash with your knives, I’ll need to match their luster. I suppose you could say my jewels are quite cutting edge.” Sakuya deadpanned midair. “Puns…really? Are you actually that desperate that you’d-“ Rarity launched a wave of her jewels, forcing Sakuya to toss her own knives in retaliation. The blades and gems met with a ‘CLANG’ and clattered to the floor. No longer holding back, Rarity began to fire wave after wave of her gems, which Sakuya was forced to dance through. Though the chief maid was used to enemies who fought with speed, Rarity’s technique was different than what she’d ever seen before. It had more of a pattern to it, and yet it was still able to baffle her. ‘I suppose Marisa’s stupid book was right,’ Sakuya thought. ‘It’s the most beautiful Danmaku that wins a fight.’ Lost in thought, Sakuya barely managed to freeze time as a series of gem points were inches away from her eyes. She descended to the floor and set up a circle of blades around Rarity, unfreezing the world around her soon after and allowing the blades to hover for a few seconds. “Now…I believe this battle is quite finished, Miss Rarity.” “You’re quite right, darling,” Rarity replied. “It is over.” Sakuya felt a slight poke at her back and turned to see a tidal wave-sized wall of gems ready to crash down upon her. The maid chuckled a bit. “Well…it would seem we’re both quite the tricksters.” “That’s a little quirk I managed to pick up from some dear friends of mine,” Rarity replied. “As have I,” said Sakuya. “So…what did you think of my performance?” “As elegant as I hope mine was dearie.” “Indeed it was, Miss Rarity. Would you care to discuss this like rational individuals over a cup of tea, perhaps? I always keep a few packs of my mistress’ favorite, earl grey.” “Ah, that sounds delightful Miss Izayoi. And I do apologize for launching my merchandise at you. I never thought that anyone from the same place as that horrid ice fairy could be so…graceful.” “I suppose we were both wrong about each other,” Sakuya added. “Now, if you’d kindly guide me to where your teapot is, I’ll start brewing.” “Oh, please don’t trouble yourself, my dear,” Rarity replied. “I’m perfectly capable of brewing tea myself.” “But I feel as if I owe you for all the trouble I’ve caused,” said Sakuya. “I’m the one who caused you trouble, darling! Making the tea is the least I could do.” “What do you say we do it together?” inquired the chief maid. “You fill the pot and Ill prepare the brew.” Rarity nodded and smiled. “Now, that sounds like a lovely plan.” III: A Test of New Magic – The Obsessive-Compulsive Librarian vs. the Anemic Magician“And that’s just about everything you need to know about Spell Cards, Miss Sparkle,” Reimu finished. Twilight held the set of cards before her eyes, examining each one both visually and by magical capacity. “These things are amazing, Reimu! I’m impressed that such power can be contained to a mere card, but after seeing the intricate spellweaving process used, I can see its potential. I’ll have to test it with some other possible spell-holding artifacts...” “I’d recommend against that, Miss Sparkle-“ “Please, call me Twilight. You’re already friends with the Princess, so it’s not as if we have to be so formal.” “I…suppose you’re right.” A smile formed on the shrine maiden’s face. “After all, we’re going to be working together to send the residents of Gensokyo back to whence they came.” “Speaking of that…how many of them exactly are, to put it simply, ‘against us’?” “Along with Yukari simply trying to cause trouble, there are a few that actually want something out of Equestria.” Reimu drew forth a few cards and laid them down on the table. She pointed to the first, showing a girl in a red dress, strawberry-red hair and a white cross sword in her hands. It changed to a red unicorn pony with similarly-colored hair and the white cross as her cutie mark. “Yumemi Okazaki is the first. She was a scientist that came from the world of humans to research Gensokyo, and learned to create artificial Danmaku, which makes her exceptionally dangerous, because she doesn’t need magic to fight us. And as a unicorn, she’ll be even more deadly with real magic at her disposal.” The next card showed two individuals: one a green-haired, bat-winged woman, and the other another green-haired woman, but this one wore a flower-pattern dress and wielded a sunflower parasol. They shifted into a Unicorn and Earth Pony respectively, the first having a pentagram sigil as her cutie mark and the other a sunflower. “The ghost Mima and Yuka Kazami, two of the first foes I faced in Gensokyo. Mima was my friend Marisa’s teacher and is beyond excelled when it comes to magic. Yuka is a talented illusionist and can conjure multiples of her to trick her foes, but she is partial to using focused beam strikes from her parasol. Marisa also happened to steal this technique from her, adapting her ‘Master Spark’ she took from Mima into a ‘Double Spark’.” “This Marisa seems just as dangerous as these two,” Twilight noted. “Are you sure she won’t join her teacher’s side?” “Mima would never take her back after she stole the Master Spark.” Reimu thought for a moment. “But Marisa’s just as deadly on her own…very cocky.” “Rainbow Dash will probably butt heads with her, then,” Twilight chuckled. “Someone just as cocky as Marisa?” asked Reimu. “Constantly practicing stunts, trying to beat other ponies in competitions, races-“ “Yeah, if they don’t butt heads, I’d be surprised.” Reimu flipped over the last cards. “Now, onto the last few, which I believe to be the most dangerous…” The first of the remaining cards showed a white-haired witch with a winged scepter. She transformed into an alicorn with bat wings right before their eyes, and Twilight audibly gasped at this. “This is Shinki…the creator of the hell realm of Makai. Judging by the fact that she is an alicorn in this universe, you can already understand why she’s one of the greatest threats. She possesses magic beyond even Yukari and Mima combined…She is a god among those residing in Makai. Even Yuka fears her. However, she isn’t immortal like I assume your princesses to be. If not immortal, then they would still pass her in power by far. At her maximum power, she built Makai from the ground up…but not even Shinki can command celestial bodies.” The next card showed a masked individual. The white mask shifted to show a blue-eyed, pink-haired girl with a fan in one hand and an indiscriminate mask in the other. She turned into a Unicorn with a triad of masks as her cutie mark. “This is Hata no Kokoro, a demon that only appeared in Gensokyo recently. She may not be aggressive, but her unstable nature could cause trouble for us. She can manipulate emotions, and on the odd chance one of the others attempts to use her, she could incite a civil war across all of Equestria.” The cards fold up and return to Reimu’s holster. “And those are all the ones I am certain followed Yukari through.” “I’ll keep an eye out for them…but in the meantime, I’d like to test out these Spell Cards…Y’know, see how well I can really use them.” “I don’t think it’d be a good idea for me to test you myself, considering you know the potential of my spells. I think you should face someone you’ve never met before…someone who’d be a good match for your spells…someone like-“ “Excuse me…is this the library? I’ve been looking for a quiet place to read for quite some time now, and...Reimu, is that you?” In walked a unicorn with a pinkish-purple coat and a lavender mane with two pigtails, one on each side, and the rest of it flowing freely and reaching down to her knees. She wore a cape of slightly lighter lavender than her mane, which barely covered her cutie mark: a four-pronged violet star with four crystals around it: one red, one green, one blue and one yellow. “Just the magician I was looking for, Patchouli.” Reimu smiled. “My new friend Twilight here was looking for someone to train with. You see, I’ve just helped her create a few Spell Cards.” Patchouli stared in disbelief. “Are you really giving these ponies their own spell cards now, Reimu? Do you really think they can handle that kind of power?” “Excuse me?” Twilight scoffed. “This pony can more than handle herself without spell cards!” “As could I, Miss Twilight.” Patchouli assumed a battle stance, her horn already sparking with magic. “And I can prove it right here and now. Would you care for a demonstration?” “If you think you’ve got what it takes to face my magic, then bring it on!” Reimu stepped back and sat on the nearby couch, where Twilight’s number-one assistant had been ready with a bag of popcorn the whole time. Reimu tossed a hoof-full of the treat into her mouth, ready to see how the fight plays out. Twilight grinned cockily. “Your move first, Patchouli.” “Very well.” Patchouli flashed a grin that showed equal overconfidence. “Then let’s start with the simplest of the classic elements.” A pure white aura lit up atop Patchouli’s horn and a flurry of fireballs went flying in Twilight’s direction. The unicorn quickly jumped to the side to evade and watched the fire dissipate as it touched the floor behind her. Twilight’s cocky smile turned to one of pure excitement. “Excellent form, but how did you know my library had a protection spell inside it?” “I sensed it the moment I walked in,” Patchouli replied. “And as soon as you issued the challenge, I knew I could accept and hold nothing back.” The Gensokyian librarian smirked. “Now, let’s kick things up a notch.” She reared back and summoned forth a swarm of ten firebirds that soared at Twilight with great haste. Without even a second thought, Twilight evaded the first half and quickly conjured a bubble around her to absorb the impact of the other five. “That’s quite a shield spell.” The Gensokyian librarian closed her eyes in thought. “Perhaps I did underestimate you at first. You’re a very skilled spellcaster…but I want to see everything you’ve got. No more dodging or blocking. Send a spell my way this time.” “All right, you asked for it!” Twilight focused her magic and generated an orb of pure arcane energy, then split it up into a barrage of magic missiles that flew in Patchouli’s direction. The enemy librarian used a few quick jets of flame to rise up into the air and avoid the first flurry, but Twilight had thought ahead, and a few of the magic projectiles happened to be waiting just above Patchouli. Caught off guard, the Gensokyian mage was forced to take the remaining attack head on. She fell back to the ground and dropped to her knees. “Well…that was…unexpected…” Patchouli was taking deeper breaths, and Twilight noticed it. She began to slowly approach the magician. “Are you okay, Patchouli?” Twilight walked over to her opponent. “That didn’t hurt you too much, did it?” “Don’t tell me you’re fatigued already, Patchy?” Reimu sighed, walking over to her and placing a hoof on her shoulder. “Did you actually forget to take your medicine today?” “What medicine?” Twilight asked, “Is she sick?” The shrine maiden nodded. “In a way, yes; Patchouli is anemic. And despite having the medicine our Lunarian friend Eirin gave her, she tends to get so wrapped up in her studies that she forgets to take it. That’s why Eirin gave a few of us some backups in case she decides to go out and leaves her pills behind.” Reimu pulled a bottle out of the pocket on the right side of her outfit and popped it open. “In fact, if she didn’t have somebody bringing her meals on a daily basis, she’d forget to eat too.” Twilight flushed slightly, realizing that Reimu’s descriptions of Patchouli fit herself to a T as well. “Yeah, I’ve, uh…been down that road once or twice before too.” “More like twice a day sometimes.” Spike shot Twilight a judgmental glance. “You really get obsessed when it comes to studying. It’s like I can’t even pull you away from your books sometimes!” “Looks like…we’ve got a lot more in common than we first thought, Twilight.” Patchouli took a few deep breaths as she finally swallowed a small pill that Reimu had handed her. “What do you say…we take a little break?” Twilight nodded. “It sounds like a good idea. My number-one assistant can whip us up something to eat.” “Certainly…and I’ve got my number-one assistant waiting just outside. I’ll call her in. Koakuma! You can come in now!” “Coming, Lady Patchouli!” cried a rather young female voice as a baby dragon with a red and tan body, crimson spines down her back and a pair of black and grey bat-like wings sprouting from her back scampered through the door. Spike’s jaw dropped as the newcomer entered the library, and he quickly shuffled from his seat and rushed over to her. ‘Come on, Spike. Form some words this time that aren’t ‘humanahumanahumana.’ “Uh…h-hey, my name’s Spike. So, you’re…Patchouli’s assistant?” “Yes, that’s right!” Koakuma exclaimed happily. “I am Mistress Patchouli’s one and only assistant! So, Lady Patchouli, what do you need me to do?” “Help Spike make some snacks for all of us. And don’t forget, you’re a dragon here, not a devil. You’ll have to eat whatever Spike usually does.” “So, what is it that dragons eat anyway?” asked Koakuma. “Lady Patchouli doesn’t have any books in her library about Equestrian dragons.” “Well, unlike whatever dragons you might be used to,” Spike replied, “Equestrian dragons not only hoard jewels, but we eat them too!” Koakuma gasped, “Really? That’s so cool!” “I’ve got a couple in the kitchen that we can munch on while we’re cooking up something for the girls. C’mon!” Spike and Koakuma bolted off into the kitchen. Twilight couldn’t help but giggle a bit. The anemic librarian looked at her with a confused expression. “Is something amusing?” “Oh, nothing really,” Twilight said. “It’s just Spike going after yet another girl.” “He’s…’going after’ Koakuma?” Patchouli tilted her head, remaining awfully confused. “Well, Spike has never seen another young dragon before, and although she’s not normally like this, Spike is jumping at any chance he’s got. Heck, he’s tried going after a friend of mine before, Rarity. But try as he might, he’s a dragon and she’s a unicorn.” “Sounds like an interesting story, Twilight.” Patchouli smiled brightly. “You’ll have to tell it to me while we’re waiting.” A wide grin spread across Twilight’s face. “Telling stories is what I’m best at! So, first, I should probably explain a bit about Rarity. She runs a clothing store just a few blocks down the street, and-“ Patchouli held up a hoof to interrupt. “Hold on just a moment. She wouldn’t happen to be sour over the incident with Cirno, would she?” “Well, a lot of us are, but I guess Rarity has had tendencies to hold a grudge more often than my other friends. Why?” Patchouli sighed, “Oh dear. A long-time friend of mine, Sakuya, went in there to have her dress repaired after a clumsy trio of fillies rushed past her on some sort of odd contraption. And Sakuya is a bit of a gossiper, and might let it slip that she’s from Gensokyo. I’m not sure about your friend’s magical capabilities, but I know what Sakuya can do…we should probably go check on them.” “That might be a good idea…” Twilight looked to the shrine maiden. “Reimu, do you think I could trust you to watch the library with Spike and Koakuma while we’re out?” Reimu nodded. “I’ll make sure nothing gets destroyed. I’ve kept my shrine intact against all manner of yokai. A young dragon and a devil-turned-dragon shouldn’t be too much of a hassle…right?” Twilight nodded with a flat smile. “Right. Shouldn’t be. Unless the Cutie Mark Crusaders show up early for their playdate with Spike. Good luck, Reimu.” “The Cutie Mark…who now?” Twilight and Patchouli were already out the door, and Reimu was left with a small streak of worry crossing her expression. “Come on, Reimu…you’ll be fine. Besides, she said ‘playdate’. They have to be children, and you’ve beaten gods, demons, saints and all manner of destructive yokai…how bad could three little kids be?” “Miss Izayoi, please don’t hurt Rarity!” “Miss Rarity, I assure you, Sakuya isn’t…huh?” As Twilight and Patchouli gathered their bearings after nearly busting down Carousel Boutique’s door, the two magicians take notice to the fact that the maid and fashionista were seated at a table in the center of the room, casually drinking tea. “Ah, Twilight, how lovely to see you…” Sakuya nodded at Patchouli. “Good to see you out and about, Miss Patchouli.” Rarity lifted the pot with her magic. “Would you two care for a cup? I was just about to make some more.” The librarians looked at each other with the most confused expressions. The two simply sighed together, and then spoke in unison again. “Two spoonfuls of sugar, please.” Author's Note Okay, my little Gensokyians, the time has come. It is time for you to decide who fights next. Will it be: A: The Brash, Overconfident Pegasus versus the Cocky Black and White Magician? B: Ponyville's Troublesome Trio versus Gensokyo's Troublemaking Three Fairies? C: Ponyville's Resident Musicians (Lyra, Octavia and Vinyl) versus the Phantom Ensemble? The choices are yours and yours alone!
I - Opening the BorderSeveral days after the invasion of the ice fairy from Equestria, Celestia and Luna had called forth a meeting of Canterlot and Ponyville’s most brilliant minds, as well as the Canterlot guard. The sun princess used the palace’s old, dust-filled war room. Its last use was in the era before Nightmare Moon, when Discord’s chaotic forces marched across the land. An argument had risen forth in relation to how to handle Cirno and Gensokyo as a whole. “I believe this ‘Gensokyo’ could become a greater threat if we do not strike it down immediately,” declared the voice of a gruff earth pony stallion with a grey coat, black mane and tail and a pair of crossed swords emitting sparks on his flank. The guard around the table seemed to acknowledge his plan with great fervor before Princess Luna interrupted their praise. “Still thy tongue, Sterling Sword,” said the night princess. “We do not want to act so harshly if but one of this world’s residents hath caused us strife. Dost thou wish to start a dimensional war?” “But Princess Luna-” “My sister is right, Sterling,” Celestia interrupted. All eyes moved to the sun princess as she began to speak. “Cirno is the only one from Gensokyo to come to Equestria and attack us. We should at least try to discover how she managed to get here before we act on anything. Twilight Sparkle, have you and the research team discovered any dimensional gaps in Ponyville or Canterlot?” “Possibly, princess,” Twilight, who sat next to her mentor, replied diligently. “Night Augur informed us just a few hours ago that he found some form of disturbance in Ponyville, behind the library.” “Is this anything like the previous disturbances?” Celestia inquired. “Not at all,” replied the lavender mare. “The last ones were just a few sparks. Night Augur claims to be seeing a flow of energy rising up from the ground.” “Is that so?” asked the sun princess. “If that is the case, then I would like for you to meet with Night Augur at the disturbance site. The library, and Ponyville, is your home, after all.” Twilight nodded happily. “Of course, princess!” “As for you, Sterling,” Celestia continued, turning to the silver stallion. “I would like for you and your guards to keep an eye on both Ponyville and Canterlot. If this disturbance turns out to be a way point from Gensokyo to here and vice-versa, you will need to be at the ready in case something more dangerous than Cirno presents itself.” Sterling gave a proud salute and his troops followed suit. “Yes, ma’am!” “Meeting adjourned,” Celestia proclaimed blankly, rising up first from her seat and exiting out the door behind the chair. As Twilight and the guards exited out the other doors, Luna followed after her sister, recognizing her tone of voice as one of worry. “Sister, what did thou not tell the guards and Twilight Sparkle?” she asked. The sun princess remained silent, but Luna was persistent. “We know thou hast something on thy mind, sister. Thou art never this silent unless thou hath conflicted thoughts.” Celestia sighed. “You read me like a book, sister. I am admittedly a bit worried about this entire situation.” “Thou hast put Twilight Sparkle and Night Augur in charge of the investigation. Dost thou doubt two of Equestria’s brightest minds?” “Not at all,” replied Celestia, who immediately went silent again, delving into her thoughts once again. “Sister…” Celestia remained absolutely silent, which slowly drove her night-blue sister to the brink of rage. “Sister, speak!” Luna shouted, breaking her sister from her trance. “I...apologize, Luna...It isn’t that I doubt Twilight Sparkle and Night Augur...it’s simply that...I am still thinking about Cirno’s storm. It blocked our access to the sun and moon, and it weakened our magic.” “So thou noticed it as well. Whoever conjured the storm for that pest must not have told her that it weakened our magic. She was most likely told that it blocked the celestial bodies above from sight, and therefore she believed that she was simply stronger than us.” “It only makes sense,” Celestia murmured. “But if that is true, how powerful was the one who magician who created the storm to begin with?” “We shall find out sister,” Luna reassured her. “Have faith in thy student and her friends. They have never let thee down.” Celestia smiled and gave her sister a small nod. “Thank you, Luna. You’re absolutely right.” “Of course I am,” Luna said, returning a smile. “After all, what are sisters for? Now, let us retire to our room for now whilst we await a report from Twilight Sparkle.” “Miss Sparkle, come take a look at this.” Twilight trotted over to the light-blue unicorn stallion and examined the area around which he stood. “What is it, Augur?” “Do you feel anything…different?” the arch-mage unicorn asked. “I do feel a bit strange standing in this particular spot…but I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is that bothers me about it.” “Try to explain,” Night Augur said. “Do your best to describe the feeling.” Twilight thought about it for a moment, taking in the essence of the area around her. Her hooves tingled in the grass in a way they normally wouldn’t. She came to a basic conclusion regarding the situation. “It’s sorta…overwhelming,” the young scholar began. “Like…something is pulling at me and pushing me away at the same time, and it’s definitely some kind of magic.” “I think it’s a planar field.” Twilight looked to Night Augur and tilted her head in confusion. “A…planar what now?” she asked. “I didn’t think Celestia would have taught you about that just yet,” he replied. “To put it simply, it is a field of powerful magic, usually generated by somepony such as the princesses, used to travel between different worlds.” “Wait a minute…you mean it’s possible? Interdimensional travel is…well, I guess it’s a bit redundant to seem confused by that at this point, considering Cirno, but the idea that we might be able to-“ “Don’t even think about it,” Augur interrupted, putting a hoof over Twilight’s mouth. “We need to report this to the princesses immediately. Only they have enough magic to close the breach.” Twilight nodded instinctively. Of course Celestia and Luna would be powerful enough, but why bother them? She knew that even she had just as much power as the princesses. After all, she was the Element of Magic. What could the princesses do that she couldn’t? Taking a deep breath after realizing the risks of taking action without consulting her mentor first, she stepped forward and began to channel her magic to her horn. “Twilight Sparkle, what do you think you’re doing?” Night Augur asked, stumbling back in surprise as the sparks shot up from the lilac unicorn’s horn. “Celestia chose me as her student!” Twilight exclaimed. “If the princesses could do this with no problem, then all I need to do is throw in a little bit more effort than usual!” “Miss Sparkle, you’ve never even dabbled in extraplanar arcana! You could rip the hole right open and let more of those freaks into Equestria!” “If it’s something that needs sealing,” Twilight said, struggling to bring a little extra magic to the tip of her horn, “then all I need to do is amplify my fail-safe spell with everything I’ve got!” Twilight’s purple magic began to form a circle around her hooves, and as she grinned confidently for the last time that day, she felt something go horribly wrong. The arcane power that she had focused to her horn backlashed, filling her entire body with unstable energy. Her eyes shone the same color as her spell and her magic began to spark wildly around the entire area, singeing grass, disintegrating the leaves off of trees and even lighting her own library ablaze at the base. Night Augur stared as he realized the gravity of this calamity. “By the Sun, she’s Overcasting! I’ve got to contact the princesses immediately!” Celestia looked out to the sky from her room to see it being filled with violet lightning. The alicorn princess bit her upper lip as a pair of unicorn guards came barreling into the room. “Your highness, a field report from Night Augur has just come in! It is incredibly urgent and he insisted that you-“ The sun princess snapped up the report with her golden spell and unrolled it immediately. She eyed it as quickly as possible and dropped it to the ground, immediately taking off out the window towards Ponyville. At that very same moment, Luna burst through the doors with a silver platter of sweets. “Dearest sister, I have brought the sugary snacks thou hast requested and-“Luna looked out the window at the lightning-filled sky, then to the note and then to the two guards. “What has happened here? Where is Celestia?” The guards levitated the report before Luna, who set the tray of treats down and took hold of the note. ‘Night Augur reporting in: Element of Magic Twilight Sparkle has attempted to seal a dimensional breach located directly behind the Golden Oaks Library where she normally resided, and in doing so, she drastically overcast her custom Fail-Safe spell, sending her into a Level Three Arcane Nova. If it is allowed to continue, her magic may very well open the breach before we even have a chance to examine it further. Your presence is necessary, Your Highness.’ Luna tossed the note aside and spread her wings. “I must not let Celestia go alone. This does not bode well for Equestria…” The lunar princess flew out the window, headed toward Ponyville as well. The two guards looked at one another and then proceeded to devour the tray of pastries the moon princess had left behind. The clouds above slowly started to dissolve into vapor as Twilight’s magic spell began to grow even more out of control. “H-help me, please!” she cried, trying desperately to reign her own power back under control, to unfortunately no avail. Royal guards approached from all sides, raising a glowing ward to try and contain the unstable spell. Shining Armor, former captain of the guard and Twilight’s older brother, led the troops onward with a powerful shield spell of his own. “Hang on, Twily! I’m coming to get you! Now, boys! Push with everything you’ve got!” The unicorn soldiers unleashed the blunt force of their magic, sending the ward down from a large dome to a containment field around Twilight Sparkle, whose magic continue to fluctuate out of control. The violet lightning struggled against the shield, making it crack in multiple locations and forcing it to grow once more. The soldiers stumbled back, still attached to the magic making the shield up. Shining Armor gasped and grunted, his own spell rivaling his sister’s unstable force. “Twily, you need to try and fight against it! It’ll only get worse if you let it take over!” “I…I’m trying!” Twilight screamed back, her body shaking violently as she fought to take it back from the magic nova’s control. “You need to try harder! Think about what you’re doing! Think about what will happen if you don’t reel this in!” Her brother’s words banged against the drum of her subconscious where Twilight’s mind raged to break free. The spell kept a tight lock on her, but the encouraging shouts from Shining Armor was all the extra strength she needed. Regaining enough control to perform a quick flick of her horn, the Element of Magic launched the spell across the ground in a shockwave, merely knocking down ponies across all of Ponyville instead of burning the town to a crisp. By the time the wave had subsided, Twilight was a half-unconscious heap on a patch of incinerated grass and dirt. Shining Armor rushed over to check on his sister. “Twily, are you all right? Is there any of that unstable magic left?” “I…don’t think so,” Twilight replied, managing to rise to her hooves with her brother’s help. “That was really stupid of me…I’m sorry, Shiny.” Shining Armor pulled his sister into a hug with one foreleg. “It’s not the first time you’ve gotten in over your head like that.” “And I’m certain it won’t be the last,” announced the regal voice of Princess Celestia as she hovered into the general vicinity. Moments after her, Princess Luna landed beside her sister. Twilight immediately broke the hug with her brother and bowed as low to the ground as she could. Celestia looked to Shining Armor first. “Thank you for coming on such short notice, Shining. I know how important it is for you to be by Cadence’s side, especially after recent events.” “With all due respect, Your Highness,” he replied, “as soon as I heard Twily was in trouble; I had no choice but to help.” Celestia nodded. “But of course.” She then turned her attention to her faithful student, now practically groveling in the dirt. “Twilight Sparkle…I am slightly disappointed in you. You knew how important it was for us to find and properly close any extraplanar breaches, but you went ahead and attempted to fix the problem on your own, once again.” Twilight began to tremble, as her voice did in turn. “I-I’m s-so s-s-sorry, P-Princess Celestia…I just thought…t-that I could do it on my own and prove myself to you.” Celestia stepped forward and, as opposed to Twilight’s thoughts of punishment, draped a wing over her student. “Why would you think you needed to prove yourself to me? You’re already my student.” “But,” Twilight started, sniffling and on the verge of tears, “I got beaten so easily by Cirno, so I thought that you thought I was slipping up, so I wanted to try and do something I’d never done before, and before I knew it, everything was completely out of control, and I was hurting ponies and-“ Celestia silenced her student with a soft, tender ‘shh’ and slowly began to stroke her mane. “Nopony saw that travesty coming…not even myself or Luna. You have no right to blame yourself, Twilight. You need to calm down so we can address this problem properly.” Twilight wiped her eyes and looked up to Celestia with a hopeful smile. “You’re right…Thank you, Princess. You always know just what to say.” “Not always,” Celestia admitted. “But thank you for the vote of confidence, my faithful student. Now, let us deal with the problem at hand.” “What you consider a problem, I see as a newly-presented opportunity,” a new, mocking voice echoed out. Everypony glanced around, searching for the source of the voice. Their futile efforts were met with a childish giggle. “Ah, you ponies are interesting creatures indeed, I must admit. I’ve never seen anything like any of you…even the ones without spells have such interesting magic.” “Show yourself, whoever you are!” demanded Celestia. “Oh, hold your horses,” replied the voice, laughing once more. “Oh, that was a good one. I’ll have to remember that one. Anyway…here I come!” A black rift appeared out of thin air. It seemed to be held together with red ribbons and was filled with purple mist and a cluster of prying eyes. Even Celestia stared at this strange gateway in confusion. Suddenly, a figure appeared out of the dimensional gap, sporting a white and purple dress accompanied by a white and red bonnet. She had blond hair, blue eyes, and a butterfly-pattern fan in hand and was most certainly from the same universe as Cirno, as she was nothing close to a pony in any way, shape or form. The woman rose up out of the gap completely and sat on it as if it were a hammock. “Identify yourself, creature!” Luna shouted at the strange figure, assuming the Royal Canterlot Tone. “You are invading Equestrian soil!” “Oh, but your sister’s little student was the one to open the breach first,” the odd woman stated. “So technically, you invaded Gensokyo first. This is simply retaliation.” “Give your name, spirit!” Celestia yelled. The woman sighed. “Fine, if you won’t shut up until I do. I am Yukari Yakumo, yokai of the borders of Gensokyo. Normally, I couldn't be bothered to even come here, but considering the fact that you have one of our own held prisoner…” “How could you possibly know about that?” asked Celestia, staring down Yukari. “Oh, I've got eyes everywhere…I manipulate borders and boundaries to see everything and everyone in every single world: Every…Last…One.” “You planned this, yokai!” Luna proclaimed. “You sent your puny field agent as bait so you could invade with a bare sliver of an alibi!” Yukari gasped and held her fan to her chest, barely covering her breasts. “Now how could little old me do something such as that? I mean, an all-powerful dimension-altering yokai like me wouldn't dare dream of creating such an incident!” “Arrogant as you are foolish,” Celestia stated. “You can’t defeat the two of us at the same time, Yukari. You've led yourself to your own demise.” With an exchange of silent nods, the two alicorns unleashed a storm of magic toward the border yokai, creating a prismatic cloud of dust in its wake. As the smoke cleared, it seemed as if Yukari had been absolutely vaporized. No trace of her remained, not even her border. However, just as things seemed to be calming down, the gap witch’s laugh filled the air once more. Another rift appeared several feet above them and Yukari dropped to the ground before them, giggling chaotically. "Didn’t you hear me the first time? I am the yokai of borders and boundaries, which means I can be anywhere I want in the blink of an eye, and I can hide within my gap until your futile spells have passed.” Luna stepped forth and prepared charging a spell. “You…insolent little-“ “Ah-ah-ah, there will be none of that,” Yukari interrupted, tossing a paper card at the princess’ horn. “Spell Card: Magic Null Border.” The card sparked to life and a bright flash of light engulfed the area. Everypony looked away to avoid being blinded, but as the glow faded, they looked back and all gasped in shock. Luna herself opened her eyes and glanced upward to see that her horn was now nonexistent. “W-what be this trickery?! What hast thou done to our horn?!” Yukari chuckled, holding her fan before her face. “My spell card simply eliminated the focal point of all your magic. You won’t be able to cast a single spell as long as I reside in this dimension. Now, off I go: more chaos to spread and more residents of Gensokyo to locate.” With a wave of her fan, Yukari created another gap and swiftly flew through it. Celestia and her student, Shining Armor and the rest of the royal guards were left standing baffled as Luna ranted, raved and bucked wildly in what could only be described as a royal tantrum. “HOW DAREST THAT FOOLISH SPIRIT ROB US OF OUR MAGIC! WE SHALL DESTROY THE VILE WENCH WITH EVERY OUNCE OF OUR…of our…ma…magic…she…stole my magic…Celestia, I can’t raise the moon. I can’t even raise a simple glass of cider anymore. I can’t do…anything…” Luna stood completely still. She stared at the ground for several seconds before breaking out into silent sobs. Celestia walked over to her sister and pulled her into a hug with both a wing and a foreleg. “We’ll get through this, Lulu. I promise.” Twilight watched Celestia console her sister, then looked up to her own brother. “What now?” Shining Armor observed the scene and came to the most inconclusive conclusion. “I don’t know, Twily…I really don’t know.”
II: Fashion Show - The Perfectionist Tailor vs. The Perfect MaidSince the arrival of Yukari, to Celestia’s surprise, nothing really major had occurred. He and her sister’s horns had returned after a week’s time, but Yukari was still nowhere to be found. Celestia paced back and forth in front of her sister’s chambers, where within, the lunar princess’ angered screams and blasts of magic could be heard. Celestia sighed and walked away, allowing her sister to vent as she turned her attention to another present matter. “So…you mean to tell me you deal with these…’yokai’ all the time, Miss…?” “Reimu, your highness,” replied the earth pony standing before the princess. Her coat was tan, her mane and tail brown and tied with red and white ribbons and a bow, and her cutie mark was a red-white yin-yang orb. “Reimu Hakurei, yokai exterminator of Gensokyo. I followed Yukari through the border, but I was too late to pull her back through. She’s locked herself to Equestria via the other Gensokyians she’s sent through, meaning unless all of them are returned, Yukari has free reign to do what she pleases here.” “And the Countrywide Equestrian Census Count increasing by around one hundred would be those yokai you spoke of, correct?” the princess asked. “That’s probably them,” Reimu said with a nod. “Of course, some of them aren’t exactly yokai. A few of them were humans like me. Still, at least ninety percent of the people I knew from Gensokyo are troublemakers, through and through…including some of my allies.” “This is a bit difficult to wrap my mind around,” Celestia mused aloud, clearly very puzzled. “Humans…spirits…spell cards…it is all very…different than what we are used to here. Only unicorns can really cast ‘magic’ here, but you said those ‘spell cards’ of yours allow you to bypass the need for actual magic?” “Sort of,” Reimu replied. “For some Gensokyians, it is actual magic or sorcery of some kind, but most yokai are born with natural abilities, and when I established the Spell Card System in Gensokyo, they adapted those powers to said spell cards.” “And you created this system because…” “It was to give the yokai a fighting chance against the Hakurei Shrine Maiden,” Reimu replied. “Even weak yokai and humans need to be given a fair chance to fight back.” “Your entire world puzzles me so,” Celestia said, pressing a hoof to her forehead. “But…I must know if I can trust your strength. Give me an example of what you’re capable of. Aim at me, if you must.” “Are you sure?” Reimu asked. “You want me to just…throw a spell card at you?” Celestia nodded and generated a powerful prismatic shield before her. “Hit this with the strongest spell you have.” “That’s asking quite a lot, but…here goes!” Reimu jumped up into the air, floating without wings, as she called a single card to her front hoof. “The powers that lie within the Hakurei…release!” The card shattered as a spiral of colorful orbs formed around her body. “Spirit Sign: Fantasy Seal!” The magic spheres made contact with Celestia’s barrier one by one, and each put somewhat of a strain on the sun princess, but not enough to break the shield. Still, the force alone was enough to make her stagger backwards ever so slightly. After the final orb dissipated, Celestia lowered her shield and chuckled. “Well, that certainly answers my question. I know you are strong enough to help us. Now, I want you to meet with my personal student Twilight Sparkle. You’ll find her at the library in Ponyville. She is one of Equestria’s brightest minds, and although she can always learn more, her magic capabilities are equivalent to mine.” “Equal to yours, huh?” Reimu nodded. “All right, I’ll go meet with her.” The shrine maiden began walking out of the throne room. “Oh, and princess?” inquired Reimu. “I should probably tell you…Fantasy Seal is not my most powerful spell. I only used it at its own strongest manifested level. I don’t like to use my real strongest spells…not against allies.” Celestia froze in thought for a moment, and then smiled. “That kindness is rare, particularly from an outsider who knows nothing of our world. Perhaps there could be a place for you in Equestria should you be unable to return home.” “Perhaps,” Reimu thought aloud. “But I’d much prefer to return home. Home just…feels right. You can understand that, yeah?” The sun princess nodded. “I believe I can, Miss Hakurei.” =GIRLS ARE PREPARING, PLEASE WAIT WARMLY= “Oh, damn it…my uniform is ruined again.” A white-maned earth pony trotted through the town square, simply minding her own business and fussing about the fact that the maid outfit she’d been wearing had taken more than its toll of damage since she’d arrived in Equestria. “There has to be somewhere around here I can go to get it fixed…ah, this looks like the right place.” The maid chief found herself standing before a tall, elegant building with several stunning dresses visible in the windows. “Now, if this person can’t help me fix my uniform, I doubt anyone in this world can.” She pushed the door open, ringing the bell and alerting the owner of her presence. “Just a minute!” cried a voice from within. The maid waited patiently for the shop owner to come forth, and soon enough, the pure white unicorn stepped out of the back room. “Ah, welcome to Carousel Boutique! My name is Rarity. Is there something I can help you with?” “I hope so, Miss Rarity,” the maid replied. “My name is Sakuya Izayoi. I’m the chief maid at my mistress’ mansion, and my uniform, well…” Sakuya turned full circle to show the various tears, shreds and smudges covering the dress. “It has seen much better days, I can assure you.” “Oh, dear, what a mess!” Rarity exclaimed. “I suppose you’d like for me to patch it up for you?” “Actually, I was wondering if I could simply purchase a sewing kit and fix it back up at home,” Sakuya replied. “Not that I doubt your skill or anything…it’s just that this uniform has some sentimental value to me, and I’d rather repair it myself.” “I completely understand, darling,” replied Rarity. “Hold on just a moment, I’ll be right out with a kit.” Sakuya nodded. “Thank you, Miss Rarity.” Rarity walked over to the back room door once again. “Now, you said your name was ‘Sakuya’, correct? That doesn’t sound quite like an ordinary pony name. I take it you’re not from around here.” “That’s right,” Sakuya replied. “I come from Gensokyo.” Rarity fell silent for a moment. “Oh…I see. Well, I’ll be right out with your order.” “Again, thank you very-“ A blue gemstone went flying into the room and grazed Sakuya’s mane. “What in the-“ “I should have guessed you were trouble the moment you set foot in my shop!” Rarity declared, an assortment of gems gripped by her magic circling her. “And now that I know what you are, I’m going to deal with you myself before you cause any destruction!” “Miss Rarity, you’ve got me mistaken with the yokai, I’m not-“ Rarity launched another barrage of crystals at Sakuya, who swiftly bolted out of the way. “Can we not discuss this like civilized-“Another gemstone shard grazed her, leaving another tear in her uniform. “Oh, come on!” “Sorry about the fashion faux-pas, darling, but I cannot allow you to devastate this world the same way your fairy friend did.” “Wait, hold up a minute,” Sakuya shouted, holding up a hoof. “Cirno is no friend of anyone from Gensokyo! She’s just some idiot who lives out on the lake next to the mansion!” “I won’t have any more of your lies! Take this!” Rarity tossed the remainder of her gems at Sakuya, who closed her eyes for a second as if waiting for the end. Then, she opened them, revealing blood-red irises. The gems stopped in their tracks, and from Rarity’s perspective, Sakuya had moved right past them. “Very well then…if I must, then I will use my full power.” “B-but…how did you…I mean, you couldn’t possibly…” Rarity stammered, attempting to get a grip on what just happened. “Oh, did I not mention? I can control the flow of time…stop it and start it again, slow it down and speed it up by a little bit. It isn’t much, but…” Sakuya’s hoof reached into the lining of her uniform and pulled forth a triad of kitchen knives. “It works for what I need it.” “How…how are you holding those?” Rarity asked. “To be completely honest, I have absolutely no idea,” Sakuya replied. “These awkward hooves shouldn’t be able to hold anything, but they are. So…” Sakuya quickly hopped up and tossed the three blades in Rarity’s direction. The alabaster mare barely managed to leap out of the way, only having a few strands of her mane sliced off in the process. Rarity shrieked, “MY MANE! How dare you commit such a crime against fabulosity!? I’ll have to punish you even more now!” “Try me, princess,” Sakuya mocked, readying another cluster of knives at the tips of her hooves. Rarity called forth two chests, one each to her left and right. She popped the locks open and raised several clusters of sharp, pointed jewels. “These refined gems were meant specifically for my newest project, but I suppose if I’m going to clash with your knives, I’ll need to match their luster. I suppose you could say my jewels are quite cutting edge.” Sakuya deadpanned midair. “Puns…really? Are you actually that desperate that you’d-“ Rarity launched a wave of her jewels, forcing Sakuya to toss her own knives in retaliation. The blades and gems met with a ‘CLANG’ and clattered to the floor. No longer holding back, Rarity began to fire wave after wave of her gems, which Sakuya was forced to dance through. Though the chief maid was used to enemies who fought with speed, Rarity’s technique was different than what she’d ever seen before. It had more of a pattern to it, and yet it was still able to baffle her. ‘I suppose Marisa’s stupid book was right,’ Sakuya thought. ‘It’s the most beautiful Danmaku that wins a fight.’ Lost in thought, Sakuya barely managed to freeze time as a series of gem points were inches away from her eyes. She descended to the floor and set up a circle of blades around Rarity, unfreezing the world around her soon after and allowing the blades to hover for a few seconds. “Now…I believe this battle is quite finished, Miss Rarity.” “You’re quite right, darling,” Rarity replied. “It is over.” Sakuya felt a slight poke at her back and turned to see a tidal wave-sized wall of gems ready to crash down upon her. The maid chuckled a bit. “Well…it would seem we’re both quite the tricksters.” “That’s a little quirk I managed to pick up from some dear friends of mine,” Rarity replied. “As have I,” said Sakuya. “So…what did you think of my performance?” “As elegant as I hope mine was dearie.” “Indeed it was, Miss Rarity. Would you care to discuss this like rational individuals over a cup of tea, perhaps? I always keep a few packs of my mistress’ favorite, earl grey.” “Ah, that sounds delightful Miss Izayoi. And I do apologize for launching my merchandise at you. I never thought that anyone from the same place as that horrid ice fairy could be so…graceful.” “I suppose we were both wrong about each other,” Sakuya added. “Now, if you’d kindly guide me to where your teapot is, I’ll start brewing.” “Oh, please don’t trouble yourself, my dear,” Rarity replied. “I’m perfectly capable of brewing tea myself.” “But I feel as if I owe you for all the trouble I’ve caused,” said Sakuya. “I’m the one who caused you trouble, darling! Making the tea is the least I could do.” “What do you say we do it together?” inquired the chief maid. “You fill the pot and Ill prepare the brew.” Rarity nodded and smiled. “Now, that sounds like a lovely plan.”
III: A Test of New Magic – The Obsessive-Compulsive Librarian vs. the Anemic Magician“And that’s just about everything you need to know about Spell Cards, Miss Sparkle,” Reimu finished. Twilight held the set of cards before her eyes, examining each one both visually and by magical capacity. “These things are amazing, Reimu! I’m impressed that such power can be contained to a mere card, but after seeing the intricate spellweaving process used, I can see its potential. I’ll have to test it with some other possible spell-holding artifacts...” “I’d recommend against that, Miss Sparkle-“ “Please, call me Twilight. You’re already friends with the Princess, so it’s not as if we have to be so formal.” “I…suppose you’re right.” A smile formed on the shrine maiden’s face. “After all, we’re going to be working together to send the residents of Gensokyo back to whence they came.” “Speaking of that…how many of them exactly are, to put it simply, ‘against us’?” “Along with Yukari simply trying to cause trouble, there are a few that actually want something out of Equestria.” Reimu drew forth a few cards and laid them down on the table. She pointed to the first, showing a girl in a red dress, strawberry-red hair and a white cross sword in her hands. It changed to a red unicorn pony with similarly-colored hair and the white cross as her cutie mark. “Yumemi Okazaki is the first. She was a scientist that came from the world of humans to research Gensokyo, and learned to create artificial Danmaku, which makes her exceptionally dangerous, because she doesn’t need magic to fight us. And as a unicorn, she’ll be even more deadly with real magic at her disposal.” The next card showed two individuals: one a green-haired, bat-winged woman, and the other another green-haired woman, but this one wore a flower-pattern dress and wielded a sunflower parasol. They shifted into a Unicorn and Earth Pony respectively, the first having a pentagram sigil as her cutie mark and the other a sunflower. “The ghost Mima and Yuka Kazami, two of the first foes I faced in Gensokyo. Mima was my friend Marisa’s teacher and is beyond excelled when it comes to magic. Yuka is a talented illusionist and can conjure multiples of her to trick her foes, but she is partial to using focused beam strikes from her parasol. Marisa also happened to steal this technique from her, adapting her ‘Master Spark’ she took from Mima into a ‘Double Spark’.” “This Marisa seems just as dangerous as these two,” Twilight noted. “Are you sure she won’t join her teacher’s side?” “Mima would never take her back after she stole the Master Spark.” Reimu thought for a moment. “But Marisa’s just as deadly on her own…very cocky.” “Rainbow Dash will probably butt heads with her, then,” Twilight chuckled. “Someone just as cocky as Marisa?” asked Reimu. “Constantly practicing stunts, trying to beat other ponies in competitions, races-“ “Yeah, if they don’t butt heads, I’d be surprised.” Reimu flipped over the last cards. “Now, onto the last few, which I believe to be the most dangerous…” The first of the remaining cards showed a white-haired witch with a winged scepter. She transformed into an alicorn with bat wings right before their eyes, and Twilight audibly gasped at this. “This is Shinki…the creator of the hell realm of Makai. Judging by the fact that she is an alicorn in this universe, you can already understand why she’s one of the greatest threats. She possesses magic beyond even Yukari and Mima combined…She is a god among those residing in Makai. Even Yuka fears her. However, she isn’t immortal like I assume your princesses to be. If not immortal, then they would still pass her in power by far. At her maximum power, she built Makai from the ground up…but not even Shinki can command celestial bodies.” The next card showed a masked individual. The white mask shifted to show a blue-eyed, pink-haired girl with a fan in one hand and an indiscriminate mask in the other. She turned into a Unicorn with a triad of masks as her cutie mark. “This is Hata no Kokoro, a demon that only appeared in Gensokyo recently. She may not be aggressive, but her unstable nature could cause trouble for us. She can manipulate emotions, and on the odd chance one of the others attempts to use her, she could incite a civil war across all of Equestria.” The cards fold up and return to Reimu’s holster. “And those are all the ones I am certain followed Yukari through.” “I’ll keep an eye out for them…but in the meantime, I’d like to test out these Spell Cards…Y’know, see how well I can really use them.” “I don’t think it’d be a good idea for me to test you myself, considering you know the potential of my spells. I think you should face someone you’ve never met before…someone who’d be a good match for your spells…someone like-“ “Excuse me…is this the library? I’ve been looking for a quiet place to read for quite some time now, and...Reimu, is that you?” In walked a unicorn with a pinkish-purple coat and a lavender mane with two pigtails, one on each side, and the rest of it flowing freely and reaching down to her knees. She wore a cape of slightly lighter lavender than her mane, which barely covered her cutie mark: a four-pronged violet star with four crystals around it: one red, one green, one blue and one yellow. “Just the magician I was looking for, Patchouli.” Reimu smiled. “My new friend Twilight here was looking for someone to train with. You see, I’ve just helped her create a few Spell Cards.” Patchouli stared in disbelief. “Are you really giving these ponies their own spell cards now, Reimu? Do you really think they can handle that kind of power?” “Excuse me?” Twilight scoffed. “This pony can more than handle herself without spell cards!” “As could I, Miss Twilight.” Patchouli assumed a battle stance, her horn already sparking with magic. “And I can prove it right here and now. Would you care for a demonstration?” “If you think you’ve got what it takes to face my magic, then bring it on!” Reimu stepped back and sat on the nearby couch, where Twilight’s number-one assistant had been ready with a bag of popcorn the whole time. Reimu tossed a hoof-full of the treat into her mouth, ready to see how the fight plays out. Twilight grinned cockily. “Your move first, Patchouli.” “Very well.” Patchouli flashed a grin that showed equal overconfidence. “Then let’s start with the simplest of the classic elements.” A pure white aura lit up atop Patchouli’s horn and a flurry of fireballs went flying in Twilight’s direction. The unicorn quickly jumped to the side to evade and watched the fire dissipate as it touched the floor behind her. Twilight’s cocky smile turned to one of pure excitement. “Excellent form, but how did you know my library had a protection spell inside it?” “I sensed it the moment I walked in,” Patchouli replied. “And as soon as you issued the challenge, I knew I could accept and hold nothing back.” The Gensokyian librarian smirked. “Now, let’s kick things up a notch.” She reared back and summoned forth a swarm of ten firebirds that soared at Twilight with great haste. Without even a second thought, Twilight evaded the first half and quickly conjured a bubble around her to absorb the impact of the other five. “That’s quite a shield spell.” The Gensokyian librarian closed her eyes in thought. “Perhaps I did underestimate you at first. You’re a very skilled spellcaster…but I want to see everything you’ve got. No more dodging or blocking. Send a spell my way this time.” “All right, you asked for it!” Twilight focused her magic and generated an orb of pure arcane energy, then split it up into a barrage of magic missiles that flew in Patchouli’s direction. The enemy librarian used a few quick jets of flame to rise up into the air and avoid the first flurry, but Twilight had thought ahead, and a few of the magic projectiles happened to be waiting just above Patchouli. Caught off guard, the Gensokyian mage was forced to take the remaining attack head on. She fell back to the ground and dropped to her knees. “Well…that was…unexpected…” Patchouli was taking deeper breaths, and Twilight noticed it. She began to slowly approach the magician. “Are you okay, Patchouli?” Twilight walked over to her opponent. “That didn’t hurt you too much, did it?” “Don’t tell me you’re fatigued already, Patchy?” Reimu sighed, walking over to her and placing a hoof on her shoulder. “Did you actually forget to take your medicine today?” “What medicine?” Twilight asked, “Is she sick?” The shrine maiden nodded. “In a way, yes; Patchouli is anemic. And despite having the medicine our Lunarian friend Eirin gave her, she tends to get so wrapped up in her studies that she forgets to take it. That’s why Eirin gave a few of us some backups in case she decides to go out and leaves her pills behind.” Reimu pulled a bottle out of the pocket on the right side of her outfit and popped it open. “In fact, if she didn’t have somebody bringing her meals on a daily basis, she’d forget to eat too.” Twilight flushed slightly, realizing that Reimu’s descriptions of Patchouli fit herself to a T as well. “Yeah, I’ve, uh…been down that road once or twice before too.” “More like twice a day sometimes.” Spike shot Twilight a judgmental glance. “You really get obsessed when it comes to studying. It’s like I can’t even pull you away from your books sometimes!” “Looks like…we’ve got a lot more in common than we first thought, Twilight.” Patchouli took a few deep breaths as she finally swallowed a small pill that Reimu had handed her. “What do you say…we take a little break?” Twilight nodded. “It sounds like a good idea. My number-one assistant can whip us up something to eat.” “Certainly…and I’ve got my number-one assistant waiting just outside. I’ll call her in. Koakuma! You can come in now!” “Coming, Lady Patchouli!” cried a rather young female voice as a baby dragon with a red and tan body, crimson spines down her back and a pair of black and grey bat-like wings sprouting from her back scampered through the door. Spike’s jaw dropped as the newcomer entered the library, and he quickly shuffled from his seat and rushed over to her. ‘Come on, Spike. Form some words this time that aren’t ‘humanahumanahumana.’ “Uh…h-hey, my name’s Spike. So, you’re…Patchouli’s assistant?” “Yes, that’s right!” Koakuma exclaimed happily. “I am Mistress Patchouli’s one and only assistant! So, Lady Patchouli, what do you need me to do?” “Help Spike make some snacks for all of us. And don’t forget, you’re a dragon here, not a devil. You’ll have to eat whatever Spike usually does.” “So, what is it that dragons eat anyway?” asked Koakuma. “Lady Patchouli doesn’t have any books in her library about Equestrian dragons.” “Well, unlike whatever dragons you might be used to,” Spike replied, “Equestrian dragons not only hoard jewels, but we eat them too!” Koakuma gasped, “Really? That’s so cool!” “I’ve got a couple in the kitchen that we can munch on while we’re cooking up something for the girls. C’mon!” Spike and Koakuma bolted off into the kitchen. Twilight couldn’t help but giggle a bit. The anemic librarian looked at her with a confused expression. “Is something amusing?” “Oh, nothing really,” Twilight said. “It’s just Spike going after yet another girl.” “He’s…’going after’ Koakuma?” Patchouli tilted her head, remaining awfully confused. “Well, Spike has never seen another young dragon before, and although she’s not normally like this, Spike is jumping at any chance he’s got. Heck, he’s tried going after a friend of mine before, Rarity. But try as he might, he’s a dragon and she’s a unicorn.” “Sounds like an interesting story, Twilight.” Patchouli smiled brightly. “You’ll have to tell it to me while we’re waiting.” A wide grin spread across Twilight’s face. “Telling stories is what I’m best at! So, first, I should probably explain a bit about Rarity. She runs a clothing store just a few blocks down the street, and-“ Patchouli held up a hoof to interrupt. “Hold on just a moment. She wouldn’t happen to be sour over the incident with Cirno, would she?” “Well, a lot of us are, but I guess Rarity has had tendencies to hold a grudge more often than my other friends. Why?” Patchouli sighed, “Oh dear. A long-time friend of mine, Sakuya, went in there to have her dress repaired after a clumsy trio of fillies rushed past her on some sort of odd contraption. And Sakuya is a bit of a gossiper, and might let it slip that she’s from Gensokyo. I’m not sure about your friend’s magical capabilities, but I know what Sakuya can do…we should probably go check on them.” “That might be a good idea…” Twilight looked to the shrine maiden. “Reimu, do you think I could trust you to watch the library with Spike and Koakuma while we’re out?” Reimu nodded. “I’ll make sure nothing gets destroyed. I’ve kept my shrine intact against all manner of yokai. A young dragon and a devil-turned-dragon shouldn’t be too much of a hassle…right?” Twilight nodded with a flat smile. “Right. Shouldn’t be. Unless the Cutie Mark Crusaders show up early for their playdate with Spike. Good luck, Reimu.” “The Cutie Mark…who now?” Twilight and Patchouli were already out the door, and Reimu was left with a small streak of worry crossing her expression. “Come on, Reimu…you’ll be fine. Besides, she said ‘playdate’. They have to be children, and you’ve beaten gods, demons, saints and all manner of destructive yokai…how bad could three little kids be?” “Miss Izayoi, please don’t hurt Rarity!” “Miss Rarity, I assure you, Sakuya isn’t…huh?” As Twilight and Patchouli gathered their bearings after nearly busting down Carousel Boutique’s door, the two magicians take notice to the fact that the maid and fashionista were seated at a table in the center of the room, casually drinking tea. “Ah, Twilight, how lovely to see you…” Sakuya nodded at Patchouli. “Good to see you out and about, Miss Patchouli.” Rarity lifted the pot with her magic. “Would you two care for a cup? I was just about to make some more.” The librarians looked at each other with the most confused expressions. The two simply sighed together, and then spoke in unison again. “Two spoonfuls of sugar, please.” Author's Note Okay, my little Gensokyians, the time has come. It is time for you to decide who fights next. Will it be: A: The Brash, Overconfident Pegasus versus the Cocky Black and White Magician? B: Ponyville's Troublesome Trio versus Gensokyo's Troublemaking Three Fairies? C: Ponyville's Resident Musicians (Lyra, Octavia and Vinyl) versus the Phantom Ensemble? The choices are yours and yours alone!
