A Certain Unexpected Visitor

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6

Chapter 1

A Certain Unexpected Visitor

Chapter 1:

As things go in Ponyville, it was a perfectly normal day...which is to say that after a massive burst of magical energy was unleashed in the center of town, accompanied by a sound like that of breaking glass, a mysterious creature appeared out of thin air, dropping unconscious to the ground in seconds. Given the spectacular manner of its arrival, it was only natural that the town's inhabitants quickly gathered to survey the unexpected event; a crowd that included the Night Court's local representative.

"Let me through! Let me through!" shouted the blue mare as she shouldered her way through the clamoring throng. Oh how I wish I could teleport like Twilight Sparkle. "The Great and Powerful Representative Trixie demands that you let her through!"

"Easy does it Trixie." A mint green unicorn mare joined alongside Trixie, a golden aura lighting her horn as she helped clear some of the other ponies aside.

"This is no laughing matter Lyra," snapped Trixie, "That thing came out of nowhere. We have no idea what it is. And these nincompoop townsponies are packing around it just asking for trouble."

"Here," said a familiar voice, the other two mares shifting away nervously as they saw a familiar jasmine-colored pegasus step up next to them, "Let me take care of it."

Raindrops looked forward, squared her shoulders, and sucked in a large breath before roaring at the top of her lungs. "EVERYPONY MOVE!!!"

And they did.

Trixie and Lyra shared an impressed glance as Raindrops preened slightly, looking a little pleased with herself. The crowd had parted, forming a perfect corridor leading to the source of the perplexing phenomenon. Coughing and taking a moment to regain her composure, Trixie stepped up and walked towards the site of the incident, Raindrops and Lyra following along behind her, Raindrops' presence being enough to keep everypony in check.

Trixie's eyes found the source of the problem quite easily, as it was ringed by the watching townsponies. However, what she saw caused her to take an involuntary step backwards. "Wha-wha-Just what is this?"

Lyra's normally mint green coat went pale as she stared at the strange creature on the ground before them. There was no denying that it was an odd thing. However, to both Lyra and Trixie, it was all too disturbingly familiar in a way. "This isn't possible," she gasped, "What is that thing doing here?"

Raindrops blinked and directed a pair of confused glances at her comrades and stepped forward to get a closer view of the strange creature. It's body was light and somewhat gangly. It had surprisingly little fur, leaving its pinkish skin visible, save for its head, which was covered by a spiky black mane. She couldn't tell what color the creature's eyes were, seeing as they were closed. Its forelegs ended with hands, each decorate with five fingers.

Most of the rest of its body was obscured by some kind of clothing, a white shirt and black pants. Each of its feet were also covered by some sort of strange clothing that was a combination of cloth and rubber.

From the rise and fall of its chest, Raindrops could tell that it was still alive. But it seemed that the mysterious creature was unconscious. She directed a confused look at her friends, both of whom looked as though they were reliving a bad memory. "Anypony want to tell me what this thing is?"

My little pony, My little pony
Ahh ahh ahh ahhh...
My little pony
Friendship never meant that much to me
My little pony
But you're all here and now I can see
Stormy weather; Lots to share
A musical bond; With love and care
Teaching laughter; It's an easy feat,
And magic makes it all complete!
You have my little ponies
How'd I ever make so many true friends?

Alternate opening.

A certain high school student slowly opened his eyes. The ceiling above him was white. There was definitely something familiar about it. He wasn't exactly sure what had happened. But, looking around, he noticed that he seemed to be in the hospital...again. That was strange. He couldn't recall doing anything that warranted a trip to the hospital. He didn't even feel injured.

Lets see, what was I doing before? I remember that I was with Index and we were shopping. Misaka was there too. Weren't they getting in an argument or something? What happened? Did GREMLIN attack? Maybe I was hit by some rogue esper.

Nothing he recalled in his memory quite matched up with any speculation he could generate. The only thing he ultimately remembered before finally blacking out was finding himself in some sort of rural-looking town. He remembered seeing some sort of creatures, something like small, brightly colored ponies. He even thought he remembered hearing them talk before blacking out completely.

Nah. That can't be true. It must be some kind of hallucination from Misaka hitting me on the head or something. This is clearly a hospital room. There's no way I can have been whisked off to some strange world filled with talking horse things. Just you wait. Any moment, that frog-faced doctor is gonna come through the door and explain how I just hit my head really hard...or something.

Even as he thought that, he knew his heart wasn't in it. It was practically his fate to experience bizarre things like that. There's no way his infamous luck would allow him to escape from this situation with a perfectly rational ending like that.

And, as though in answer to his thoughts, the door swung open slightly. He caught sight of an unquestionably equine muzzle covered with with a coat of yellowish fur. As the head pushed in further, he noticed a greenish-blue mane and similarly colored eyes. The strange creature pushed its head all the way in and looked at him. In spite of its inhuman nature, the creature's face almost struck him as strangely familiar, humanlike in certain characteristics that allowed him to note its emotions to a certain extent. To his surprise, he didn't exactly find this disturbing. The expression the pony bore, he noted, seemed to be one of concern. However, as its eyes met his, it burst into a radiant smile.

"Oh, you're finally awake," it said in an unquestioningly feminine voice. Perhaps it was female then. He decided to reserve judgment until he found just how strange this place was. Knowing his luck, this was what males probably sounded like here. "I'll go let the others know."

It ducked its head out, letting the door swing back shut. The boy slumped back into bed, a slightly vacant expression on his face as he stared at the ceiling. That certainly hadn't been a certain frog-faced doctor he had been hoping for. Faced with a situation like this. There were only two words that he could find to describe his feelings.

"Fukou da..."

Author's Note

Okay. I was in a bit of a rush when I wrote this, so it's not going to be as fully developed as it probably should be. Most of the rest of it is done and I'm just working on fine tuning the remaining chapters. With that said, enjoy this crossover with Toaru Majutsu no Index.
Oh and basically this is set sometime after Volume 6 of New Testament, if you're curious.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

"Now lets get this straight," pressed Lyra, "Are you absolutely certain that you had nothing to do with this? You haven't been playing around with zebra magic again, have you?"

"For the last time, NO!" snapped Trixie irritably, "I don't even have that stupid book anymore. They're still working on providing a proper translation on it."

With a sigh, Lyra sagged back onto her seat, sitting in that bizarre posture that was practically her trademark. "I'm sorry. It's just...when that thing appeared, I started getting flashbacks."

"You think you're stressed," Trixie retorted, "I thought I'd never see one of those things again. And I've had to tell Princess Luna about this. She'll probably think it's my fault and then she'll strip my knighthood and banish me and..."

"Trixie!" Lyra jumped out of her seat, grabbed her friend's shoulders, and began shaking her vigorously, "Snap out of it!"

The violent shaking snapped the blue mare out of her horrified daze. Trixie slumped of Lyra's grip. "I already got a letter from Princess Luna. She's on her way down."

"Don't get worked up," said Lyra encouragingly, "She'll probably be able to fix this problem right away. She'll take care of it and it'll be like it never happened."

Trixie gave her friend a sidelong glance. Their track record with having Princess Luna being able to just magic their problems away had not exactly been a very good one. About the only time she had saved the day had been when Corona's pet phoenix had gotten loose and gone on the rampage.

They sat together in an uncomfortable silence for a little longer. Then, finally, Lyra decided to fill it. "So...did the doctor have anything to say."

"Well...he couldn't identify it anymore than we could. He was able to determine that it's a mammal. From the layout of its teeth, it's probably omnivorous..."

"So they really do eat plants and meat," Lyra groused, "I knew it."

"...and," Trixie finished, a touch of red coloring her cheeks, "It's a male."

Lyra blinked and looked over at her. "Really. How does he know."

Trixie's blush intensified. "He checked its...equipment. It's definitely a male." She pulled the brim of her magician's hat over her eyes. "I was there."

"Was it really that bad?" asked Lyra.

"Now I understand why that thing wore those clothes," groaned Trixie, "It's not like our stallions at all. It doesn't have any kind of sheath. Its...thing is just hanging out there...for everypony to see."

"Oh," was all Lyra could muster. Trixie was graduating from looking embarrassed to looking physically ill.

At that moment, the sound of hooves coming down the hall drew them out of their reverie. Looking up, they saw Raindrops approaching a strangely happy smile gracing her face. "Hey girls," she said, "He's awake."

With a sigh, Trixie got to her hooves, making sure her cape wasn't wrinkled as she headed down the hall, Raindrops falling in beside her.

"So what are you gonna do?" she asked.

"I suppose I'd better see if it can communicate," Trixie said, "Maybe it can tell us what it's doing here."

It only took a few minutes of walking to reach the room where that creature was staying. Poking her head in, Trixie saw it staring up at the ceiling with a slightly forlorn expression in its gray eyes. Her heart softened in spite of herself. Whatever this creature was, it was clearly far from its home in a place where it didn't belong. Trixie entered the room, careful to keep her eyes on the strange creature. It remained staring at the ceiling, apparently not noticing she was there. After a few more awkward seconds, Trixie cleared her throat.

The creature lowered its gaze and met Trixie's eyes. "Um..." it said after a moment, its voice scratchy and definitely masculine.

Trixie opened her mouth and then realized she wasn't exactly sure what to say. They simply stared at each other, neither really knowing where to begin.

Finally, Trixie closed her eyes and got her head back in the game. She was a representative of the Night Court. She was here to investigate this strange creature and determine whether or not it was a threat. She had a duty to Equestria. "So..." she said, "Can you understand what I am saying."

The creature reached one hand out from under the bedsheets and scratched its head. "Um...yeah. I'm not sure how though."

Trixie blinked at that as the creature continued muttering. "I mean...I've clearly been zapped into some strange place that's home to some strange creatures. There's no real reason we should speak the same language. It's like some sort of unexplained convention an author would come up with because he doesn't want to have to deal with characters crashing into the language barrier or something like that."

Trixie coughed importantly to get his mind back on track. "Um..well, yes. Anyway, can you tell me what you are?"

It focused its attention on her. "I'm a human. Do you have those here?"

"Um...no...not really..." Trixie looked away.

The human narrowed its eyes slightly. "I don't quite think you're being honest with me."

"Um well...once, I tried a spell and...it turned my friend into something like you...we didn't know it was called a human though."

For a moment, the human was silent, clearly deep in thought before its mind latched onto something. "Wait! A spell...like magic?"

Trixie looked back at him and nodded. "Yes. Magic. You do have magic where you came from don't you?"

"Yeah," replied the human, "I've dealt with it a lot."

"Can you do magic?" asked Trixie, her eyes narrowing. If this creature was hostile and could do magic of some sort, then it could be incredibly dangerous.

"No," replied the human simply, "I can't do magic. The only thing I do have is this right hand of mine."

"Right hand?" Trixie blinked and looked at his hand. It looked ordinary...at least by the standards of what nonexistent experience she had with these "humans."

"Yeah. My hand has the power to destroy any supernatural power it comes in contact with," explained the creature, "It doesn't matter whether its an Ability, a magic spell, or even a miracle of God. This hand can negate it completely."

"Really?" Trixie frowned darkly. "Do you mind if I test that?"

She didn't even wait for an answer before charging up her horn, the aura lifting her magician's hat clear off her head. When the human saw what she was doing, his eyes widened in a panicked look, waving his hand in front of his face. "Hey wait a moment, you aren't really..."

He never got to finish his exclamation as Trixie let fly with a bolt of telekinetic force. It was a fairly basic spell, not holding much destructive power. But it would be a suitable test of this human's abilities.

Indeed, the moment the bolt left her horn, the human's expression changed in a flash. To Trixie's stunned surprise, the look of panic vanished and his eyes narrowed, his face adopting an expression of grim determination. His right hand reached out and intercepted the incoming attack perfectly. With a sound like shattering glass, the bolt of magic flared out of existence. Trixie stared in stunned awe, not sure which surprised her more, the human's ability or the strange change that had come over him when he had been attacked. His movements had been immediate, almost instinctual, like he had been attacked much like that many times before.

A sharp intake of breath behind her drew Trixie's attention to the door of the room. Raindrops and Lyra were leaning in, watching the whole affair attentively. "So cool," whispered the jasmine pegasus before turning her eyes on Trixie, "And you..."

Raindrops' expression hardened as she stepped into the room, her hooves nearly cracking the floor with each impact as she advanced on the trembling representative. "After being unconscious for three hours, one of the first things you do to him is attack without provocation."

"Hey!" exclaimed Trixie, trying to back away, "He said his hand could nullify magic. I had to test it!" Unfortunately, the limited confines of the hospital room left her little space to work with and she was quickly back against the wall.

"So you figured the best way to test was to try and blow his head off!"

"It was a small kinetic bolt. It probably wouldn't have done more than bruise."

"That doesn't excuse you attacking him!" Raindrops advanced until her snout was within inches of Trixie's, her turquoise eyes glittering with fury.

The two mares froze as a cough from the human echoed throughout the room. They turned towards the creature with bemused expressions. To their surprise, he seemed embarrassed, his cheeks coloring as he scratched his head nervously. Then they both realized that the sheets of his bed had fallen down to expose his bare torso.

"Um," said the human nervously, "Can I have my clothes please?"

"We're here!" greeted Cheerilee as she came through the front entrance of the hospital, Carrot Top and Ditzy Doo following in her wake. Riding on Ditzy's back, between her wings, was nestled the small shape of little Dinky Doo, smiling widely as she looked out at her mother's friends.

"I'm sorry it took so long," said Cheerilee, "It was hard explaining things to the foals when I didn't really have any idea what was going on."

"And I had to whip up a tonic to revive Lilly, Daisy, and Rose," said Carrot Top, looking more than a little irritated, "I swear, those three would keel over if a bunch of rabbits ran through town."

Five pairs of eyes turned expectantly to Ditzy, who grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I was just doing my rounds. I had no idea what happened until I got back to the post office."

They all turned to look back at Trixie. "Princess Luna's inside right?" asked Cheerilee.

Trixie nodded. "She just went in a few minutes ago. She's speaking with the human now."

"Oh, so it's called a human?" said Carrot Top.

"Does it have a name?" asked Dinky.

Everypony froze for a moment before the new arrivals looked at Trixie, Lyra and Raindrops, who all blushed. "Um well..." hedged Trixie, "Things got a little complicated and...we forgot to ask."

Silence reigned for a few moments as they tried to think of where to go from there. Trixie explained to them a little about the human, keeping the question of how they had known its gender from being asked while Dinky was in the room. Everypony was shocked to hear about the strange ability that allowed him to negate magic. It seemed surreal to believe that such an ability could exist, particularly since magic was such an essential part of daily life in Equestria.

Eventually, the sound of hooves told them that Princess Luna was retuning from her interview with the creature. The Elements of Harmony and Dinky turned and bowed to the Princess as she approached. Luna nodded silently, bidding them to rise.

"Well Princess?" asked Trixie nervously.

"I have spoken with the human," said Princess Luna, "And as far as I can tell, he is not a threat to Equestria."

"Really?" asked Raindrops, leaning forward eagerly.

Luna nodded. "We have discussed at length the ramifications of his situation and I will be returning to Canterlot to discuss with my mages how we might go about returning him to his home. However, this is not seeming to be a problem with an easy solution. His ability, he calls it Imagine Breaker I believe, is every bit as comprehensive as he claims."

"What do you mean?" asked Trixie, scarcely believing what she was hearing.

"After a little experimentation, I have determined that his power is effective against the unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony magic. I also suspect that it can eliminate magic from any other source as well. Any means we devise of returning him to his home will have to take that into account."

"I see," muttered Trixie. It was too bad that Twilight Sparkle was still on the run. Perhaps she, of all ponies, could have come up with a way around this strange situation. "Have you learned anything else?"

"His power is contained in his right hand," said Princess Luna, "But only his right hand, ending at the wrist. He did not seem to remiss at parting with this information, a point in his favor. It means he does not perceive us as enemies, in spite of some rough treatment." She shot a reproving look at Trixie who had the decency to at least look abashed. "The other thing I have learned is that he may be from beyond the boundaries of our plane. His description of where he came from does not match anyplace in this world and indeed seems to be fundamentally different from ours in many respects. We have talked a bit about the world he came from, but the complexities of his home situation would have taken a great deal more time than I can afford right now."

"So what should we do?" asked Ditzy, "It sounds like he's going to be staying here for a while."

Luna closed her eyes as she pondered Ditzy's question. "I'm afraid that I must ask you to make arrangements for him to stay here in Ponyville for now. Bringing him to Canterlot would cause too much of a stir right now, especially given that ponies are still quite agitated over the Gala. Please make his stay as comfortable as possible until we are able to come up with a solution." The Elements of Harmony nodded in response to her request.

"How is he taking things?" asked Carrot Top, "I can't imagine that it must be easy waking up in a completely unfamiliar environment with alien creatures all around me."

As they watched, Trixie swore she could see Luna's eye begin to twitch. "He has already acclimated surprisingly well," said the Princess, "But his attitude disturbs me in other ways."

"How so?" asked Luna's student.

Luna's twitch seemed to be increasing in frequency and severity. "He is apparently used to getting swept up in strange and unusual situations. He claims to be quite misfortunate in this respect and has more or less resigned himself to his fate." She let out a loud sigh. "To be honest, I don't know if I should applaud his fortitude or have him put on suicide watch for possible depression."

Raindrops raised a hoof. "Can we go see him now?"

Luna blinked in surprise at Raindrops' eagerness, but nodded. "You may. It seems to give him comfort to have somepony to speak to."

"Um..." everypony paused as Ditzy spoke up, "Did you get his name Princess?"

As their eyes turned back to her, Luna slowly nodded. "He said his name is Kamijou Touma." She stepped aside to allow them to pass, but reached out with a wing and stalled Trixie, pulling her close for a brief moment.

"Be careful," she whispered to Trixie.

"Is something wrong with him?" she asked.

"Other than that power of his, I could not say that there is anything evil about him. However, I also examined the site of his arrival in order to try and find more about the spell that brought him here."

"And...?"

"I recognized it immediately. There is no question that my sister's magic was what brought this Kamijou Touma to Equestria."

Trixie froze, her eyes widening with alarm. The human's presence was Corona's doing! What did this creature have to do with the agenda of the Tyrant Sun?

"My queen, I must know," said Zecora as she looked up at the imposing alicorn, "How did your spell go?"

The blazing white mare narrowed her blank white eyes as she stared into space. "I don't understand," she said, her voice almost a snarl, "Why hasn't it begun yet?"

The zebra stared expectantly and cocked her head, waiting for Celestia to continue.

"My spell should have summoned the most dangerous beast from another world," mused Celestia, "By now, all of Equestria should be in a blind panic."

That had been the plan after all; summon the mightiest beast from another realm and set it loose in Equestria. Once her ponies saw how ineffectual Luna's efforts were at stopping the monster's rampage, Celestia would step in and remind the ponies of Equestria why they needed their queen, save them from certain destruction, and be welcomed back to her throne with open arms.

Zecora frowned as she watched Celestia stew in her thoughts. It wasn't that she doubted her queen, but calling a creature from another world was a dangerous proposition. And though she never even once doubted that Celestia would be able to vanquish such a beast, she still couldn't help but be nervous about the unknown factors in play. What kind of horrific monstrosity had Celestia's spell summoned anyway?

Author's Note

So yeah. If you find a lot of details missing, that's because this story was written fairly quickly since it's a minor thing I wanted to get done for the contest before I go back to the fic most of my readers are expecting me to be working on (seriously, my work ethic sucks). I may revisit this chapter later and add Touma's conversation with Luna.

As for Celestia/Corona, this was a bit tricky. I'm not entirely sure that this is the sort of thing Canon Lunaverse Celestia would do. But given how upset she was with the fact that ponies feared her instead of rejoiced upon her return struck me as something that might give rise to this sort of scheme. The question being whether she would willingly go so far as to put Equestria itself in danger to gain popularity points; especially since it was her going out of her way to protect Equestria in the past that helped drive her over the edge. That said, since this is decidedly non canon, I'm just going to handwave it for now.

Just as a warning for the next chapter; expect it to mostly gloss over the details of Touma acclimating to life among ponies. There are a thousand-and-one HiE fics that cover the topic better than I could, so I just wanted to skip to the meat (so to speak) of the story.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Touma, as he liked to be called, had surprisingly little difficulty settling into Ponyville. It seemed that he was actually quite accustomed to strange situations. His personality was pleasant and upbeat, allowing him to get along with many ponies, in spite of his strange appearance. To their relief, he seemed not to require meat in order to live and was actually able to subsist on a diet of fruit, vegetables, and baked goods (although, he had grumbled about missing something called "yakiniku," whatever that was). All told, he seemed quite comfortable amongst ponies.

Truly, the only real oddity about him, besides his Imagine Breaker, was his incredible streak of bad luck. No matter what he did, things often seemed not to go Touma's way. He'd had a flower pot fall on his head, he'd tripped into a ditch, gotten attacked by a swarm of bees, and generally been subjected to a host of minor disasters.

Something else that amazed the townsponies was that the pony who seemed to take to Touma the most was none other than Raindrops. When she wasn't working with the weather team on their latest storm or spending time with her family, she was showing the human around, helping him understand the norms of Equestrian life and generally just get used to being around ponies. More importantly, the past few days had seen a marked improvement in the notoriously surly pegasus' mood as she was often seen trotting side by side with Touma, an uncharacteristic grin on her face.

"It's weird I tell ya!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash as she and Trixie headed out from the latest town council meeting, "Raindrops hardly ever snaps at me anymore. It's like she's turned into a completely different pony." The human had been a point of discussion for many in the council. Quite a few ponies were understandably suspicious of him, Applejack in particular, but most seemed mollified by Princess Luna's assurance that he was not hostile. However, Trixie had opted to keep what Luna had told her about the spell that brought him here to herself.

Trixie frowned as she mulled the problem over. "I don't think it's that bad," she said, though her tone was still uncertain. As much as she wanted to be happy for her friend to have finally found something that helped her control her temper, she was bothered by the memory of the last time Raindrops' had seemingly dealt with her anger control issues. At least the Element of Honesty seemed more like her actual self this time, just...cheerier. She resolved to talk with her friends and see what their thoughts were.

"Well," said Ditzy after taking a bite of her salad, "I think she's having fewer problems because Touma gives her an outlet for her anger issues."

"Really?" asked Trixie, looking up from her lemon curd-gazpacho.

"Yeah," said Ditzy, "I actually saw them once..."

"TOUMA!!!"

Ditzy flinched at the sheer rage she heard in Raindrops voice. Quickly flying over, she saw the jasmine mare advancing steadily on the poor human, who seemed frozen in place, trembling in fear as she approached.

"How dare you touch me like that!" snarled Raindrops as she closed with him.

"I'm sorry," protested Touma, backing away from her and raising his hands in supplication, "I didn't know that was bad. Please forgive me!"

Sadly, such forgiveness did not seem to be in the cards. Ditzy winced as she saw Raindrops' hoof lash out and the cry of "Fukou da!" echoed around her.

Looking back at the confrontation, Ditzy saw that Touma was now laid out flat on the ground, his spinning eyes staring upwards while Raindrops turned away with an angry snort, before freezing, apparently realizing what she had just done.

Spinning right back around, she rushed to Touma's side. "Oh my gosh! Are you okay? I'm so sorry!" Her voice was tinged with panic, eyes wide with horror. Raindrops was terrified that she had just ruined her friendship with the human.

Slowly Touma managed to sit himself back up before shaking his head. "Uh yeah," he replied sheepishly, "I'm fine. I'm sorry I offended you like that."

Raindrops froze, shocked by his response. Ditzy was surprised too. This was not the first time that she had born witness to one of her friends' infamous explosions of temper. Usually, the object of Raindrops' ire was left traumatized and with a lingering fear of the jasmine pegasus' bad side. But Touma seemed to brush it off as if it were nothing.

"Um..." she said nervously, "You aren't mad at me?"

Touma blinked in confusion. "Why would I? I obviously did something wrong by touching you there."

"Well it's just..." Raindrops averted her gaze slightly, "I shouldn't have hit you like that. You didn't know what that meant. I just got angry and then everything went blank..." She looked up at Touma with tearful eyes, "I keep losing control like that and keep doing things I regret. Every time it happens, ponies are afraid of me and then they keep their distance from me."

Touma laughed softly. "Believe it or not, I'm used to this sort of thing," he said, "I'm just unlucky that way. So it's not really your fault."

Ditzy watched in awe as Touma continued to calmly talk Raindrops out of her depression, at one point resting his hand on the top of her head and then beginning to slowly comb his fingers through her mane. As their voices grew softer, it became harder for Dtizy to hear what they were talking about. Deciding that she had eavesdropped enough, she returned to her rounds, her heart feeling lighter than before.

"And he just took it!" exclaimed Trixie in shock.

"I don't think that was the first or the last time either," said Ditzy pensively, "The funny thing is, he didn't seem at all afraid of her after she hit him. Maybe that's part of the reason. Even among those of us who are her friends, ponies tend to be afraid of Raindrops' temper, especially after being on the receiving end of it."

Trixie nodded. After all, she had plenty of experience with Raindrops' anger management issues. Even though she considered the Element of Honesty to be one of her closest friends, it didn't change the fact that she treaded just a little more lightly when Raindrops was around.

Ditzy continued. "But Touma doesn't seem put off by it at all. After it was over, he just went back to talking to her like everything was normal. It's like he didn't mind at all. Either that, or that kind of thing happened to him a lot back in his world."

Trixie grimaced. Just what kind of life would Kamijou Touma have to have lived to make a patented Randrops explosion seem normal to him?

"So you don't have any control over the weather in your world?" asked Raindrops, stunned by the revelation. In her mind, and the minds of most ponies, the thought of a place where the weather wasn't under control was abhorrent to them, which was why the Everfree Forest was regarded with such trepidation.

"Not really," replied Touma, "I mean, humans can do things to affect the weather, but it's usually a side effect of something else they're doing." He went on to explain about phenomena such as acid rain and global warming. Raindrops listened intently, the mechanics of weather having always been a source of fascination to her.

"So if everything is so chaotic, how can you get anything done?" she asked. How did humans grow their crops when they couldn't schedule storms regularly? How did they change their seasons?

"It's not all that chaotic really," said Touma, "Actually, it's more like a giant equation with a huge number of variables. We can predict what's going to happen by plugging in known values for the variables and the only inconsistencies that occur are because of the variables we haven't found yet. For example..." he went on to explain how the tilt of the Earth's axis affected the seasons in his world and how they predicted weather by reading the fluctuation of pressure and temperature in the atmosphere.

"...In fact, in Academy City, they created a powerful computer and then installed it on an orbiting satellite, where it could read the movement of air molecules to perfectly predict the weather. In fact, the Tree Diagram was such a powerful computer that it can be used to run calculations for complex scientific experiments. It's incredible but..." Touma trailed off, a shadow falling across his face.

"But what?" asked Raindrops, leaning closer to him.

"But humans can become too dependent on machines like that. If the machine makes a prediction, scientists would try to follow it for the sake of their research, even if that prediction required them to do something horrible, like order one esper to kill twenty-thousand others in order to increase his level." Touma clenched his fist in anger.

Raindrops paled and gulped. She couldn't imagine such a horrible thing. Touma had already explained about his hometown and espers as best he could, though it was quite a ways above her head and even a ways above his own head, seeing as he was what he referred to as a Level 0, or someone with no power whatsoever. It seemed that the system employed by the place he called Academy City didn't recognize the strange power of his right hand.

In Raindrops' mind, she had difficulty thinking that even Corona, in all her madness, would do something as hideous as order the extermination of twenty-thousand ponies just for the sake of increasing the power of one pony. But then again, she'd seemed perfectly happy to inflict death on even larger scale for much pettier reasons at times, so perhaps it wasn't so far fetched.

During their time together, Touma had explained the nature of magic in his world as well, though it seemed quite different from how magic worked in Equestria. If anything, Raindrops and Touma thought that Equestrian magic tended to more closely resemble the esper powers he had described among the inhabitants of his hometown.

Seeing that Touma was troubled by his recollections, Raindrops gently leaned against him, rubbing her head against his shoulder. She didn't really like Touma's more pensive moments, when he seemed troubled by the problems he had faced in his world, or worried about the situation he had left behind. Even though he seemed somewhat anxious to get back, Raindrops found herself sometimes wishing that he could stay. If she was honest with herself, and she usually was, she understood that that wish was as much for her own sake as it was for his.

She'd never felt so at ease around anyone as she felt around Touma. Sure, he did stupid things that got on her nerves and caused her to blow up at him, as did almost everypony she knew, but he was different in how he handled her explosions. Touma never seemed to hold Raindrops' anger control issues against her. Instead, he'd lament his own misfortune a little and continue on as though nothing had happened. He explained that he was used to making girls angry and getting punished for it. Just having someone who could deal with her so easily made Raindrops feel all that more at peace.

Even now, the two of them were seated in the shade of a tree at the park. Touma had rested his back against the trunk, staring out, watching a group of foals at play. He'd been an object of intense interest to them. The foals had spent a great deal of time asking the strange human questions about himself, his world, and his own life. Touma had answered as best he could, though some questions he felt required answers that the foals should probably ask their parents for. Dinky in particular seemed quite enamored with him, having been one of the first foals to make his acquaintance.

Touma chuckled to himself as he relaxed. It was ironic, for all the differences between ponies and humans, he kept finding familiar things and situations in this strange new world. Several cities and towns had names that appeared to be variations of the cities and towns in his own world, for example. Even ponies weren't all that different from humans. Raindrops' description of the machinations of the Night Court vaguely reminded Touma of the things the leaders of Academy City were capable of.

Sometimes, the similarities were downright uncanny. When Touma had been speaking with the orange pegasus filly and describing some of the incredible powers people in his world had exhibited, she had excitedly pressed him for more details, getting more friendly with him all the time, to the point of sitting in his lap even. While that wasn't strange in and of itself, what really struck Touma was the glare he had received from the pink earth pony filly watching them. Her behavior reminded him quite firmly of a certain twin-tailed teleporter girl of his acquaintance whenever he was seen getting to close to Misaka. At least the pink filly hadn't gone as far as kicking him in the face.

His thoughts turned to the pegasus leaning up against him. Raindrops was unquestionably the closest friend he had in this world. While many of the other ponies, especially Ditzy, Cheerilee, and Carrot Top had been quite friendly and polite with him (Carrot Top even going so far as to allow Touma to stay in the guest room of her house), Raindrops had gone the extra distance, spending a great deal of her free time with him. She had put all her efforts into helping Touma learn to deal with ponies. He was surprised by all the little nuances that went into their social interactions. It was nerve-wracking when he had touched Raindrops between the wings at one point, only to have her snap and hit him. It had been the first of many instructions of where ponies considered physical contact appropriate.

What struck him as one of their oddest social traits was their habit of seeking shelter at around noon. When the sun rose to its zenith in the sky, Touma had been surprised to see the entire town grind to a halt, ponies closing up their stalls in the market, or quickly heading into their homes for an hour before coming out again. When he had asked Raindrops about it, she told him the story of Corona and even the story about how the madmare in the sun had returned not too long ago and tried to take over Equestria again. Raindrops and her friends had defeated Corona, but the crazed alicorn had escaped to recover her strength.

Having met Princess Luna for himself, Touma was fairly certain that the story was not an exaggeration. He wondered what could have driven the powerful and once benevolent princess to become a tyrant. The way Raindrops had described it, it sounded as though she had become so overburdened with protecting her country that she had eventually snapped under the strain. There was something strangely familiar to him in that story, but Touma couldn't quite place what it was.

Leaning back, he turned his thoughts homeward. He had been gone from his world for quite some time. Was everyone alright? Surely GREMLIN had taken advantage of his absence. Was anyone remembering to feed Index? Touma pictured returning home after being gone so long to find her waiting for him...hungry. That thought almost always seemed to cure his homesickness a little.

"Thinking of home?" asked Raindrops.

"A little," admitted Touma, "I just remembered that I have a very dependent freeloader staying with me. If I don't fix her meals, she gets hungry and then she gets angry."

"Angry how?"

Touma turned his gaze upward. "Well...usually she'd start with this low growl. Then if I asked if she was angry that I hadn't fed her yet, she'd usually start saying something ridiculous about her being a devoted follower of God or something like that, and that it was ridiculous for her to be tempted with thoughts of food. And then, if I joked about not having to feed her then, she'd get this ugly look in her eye and start going 'Tooooooooouuuuuuuuuma!' And then...CHOMP!"

A snort exploded out of Raindrops before she could stop herself. "You're kidding right?"

Touma raised his right hand in a self-righteous pose. "Kamijou Touma would never lie about the hardships he has suffered living with that crazy freeloading girl. Not only that, he has people telling him stuff about how it's supposed to be a man's dream and that I should be rejoicing to be in such a situation." He slumped back down. "Fukou da." He let out a despondent sigh. "At least she wasn't as bad as Birdway."

"Who?" asked Raindrops, coking her head slightly.

Touma seemed to be ignoring her. "She's always torturing me for no real reason than for the fun of it. First she..." His voice trailed off inaudibly as his body quivered and his skin paled. "And then she..." He began to shiver. "And there was the time that..." Touma curled up into a quivering ball on the ground, no longer seeming to remember where he was. "I don't care if you are the leader of the largest golden-style magic cabal. A twelve-year-old shouldn't be waving around a flintlock pistol and bragging about it all the time! No! Please! Not the white bunny thing! At least give me the kind of death that'll be talked about in cheap bars and make girls fall in love with me!"

Raindrops couldn't help herself. She keeled over laughing harder than she ever remembered herself doing. That was something she liked about this human. Even though he was earnestly complaining about the indignities he had to put up with, he did so in such a way that it always made her feel much better about herself. Moreover, even though he complained, she could see, from the nostalgic look in Touma's eye, that he really did care about the people he was complaining about. He was worrying about them even now. It was one of the many things that drew her to him, this strange creature from another world.

Author's Note

Yeah...not so sure about how well I got Raindrops' characterization. She's...She's a tricky one to say the least, to say nothing of the fact that one of the central fics regarding said characterization, InsertAuthorHere's Eye of the Hurricane isn't finished yet. So my apologies if I flanderized her a little.
This chapter was mostly for transition purposes 'cause I couldn't simply skip ahead and have Touma hanging around with ponies like nothing was out of the ordinary, but I didn't feel like spending three or four chapters going into detail about his adjustment process. Plus, there were some parallels that were just too fun to draw up.
Next chapter, things pick up a bit.

Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Carrot Top winced as, with a slight yelp, Touma successfully pulled the carrot from the ground, but in doing so, overbalanced and tumbled into the dirt. In the passing days, Touma, having had substantial experience with freeloaders himself, had tired of being a freeloader and had started trying to do odd tasks to make himself useful; the key word being trying. While his nimble hands made him quite adept at many fine tasks that most ponies normally found difficult without magical assistance, he was, as always dogged by that streak of bad luck that seemed to follow him everywhere.

"Fukou da," muttered the human as he pushed himself back to his feet, brushed what little of the loam he could off his clothes, and moved on to the next carrot. Carrot Top sighed as she watched him crouch down to take the next one. While his hands allowed him to get an effective grip on the orange taproots, which made pulling them out easier, the tradeoff was that the human's tall posture forced him to crouch down in order to reach them. It made his efforts quite awkward, with his high center of gravity often causing him to overbalance. But having someone to work alongside her made it worth her while, so she didn't mind in the slightest.

In any case, work was soon forgotten as Carrot Top's ears picked up the thunder of hooves against the road leading up to her house. Lifting her head up, her eyes widened at the sight of Trixie, her cape billowing behind her as she ran, charging straight for them. Carrot Top didn't like the panicked look on her friend's face in the slightest.

"Trixie! What's wrong?"

As Touma noticed the commotion, he straightened up, using his forearm to wipe the sweat off his forehead, not even realizing he left a streak of dirt behind.

"It's terrible!" exclaimed Trixie, looking mortified, "I was at the town council meeting and we were talking about Touma and how Princess Luna was trying to find a way to send him back and I..." she looked down, "...I let it slip that the spell that brought him here was Corona's and..."

Trixie cast a terrified look over her shoulder. Touma shaded his eyes to see what she was looking for. But then he noticed points of light coming from the town. "Uh...did they form a mob?" he asked.

"Yes," sobbed Trixie.

Touma let out a loud sigh. "Fukou da." Vaulting over the fence, he cast an almost bored look in the direction of town. "I guess I need to be going then."

"Where?" asked Carrot Top, "Why are you leaving anyway?"

Touma gave her a sad smile. "Well, they know I'm staying with you. So if I stay here, they're sure to come and find me. If that happens, then your house and fields could be damaged. I'd better be gone before they get here."

"But..." stammered Trixie, "...But what will you do?"

Touma shrugged. "I'll have to run away for now. I suppose I'll have to wait somewhere else while the Princess looks for a way to send me home." He turned around and set off at a light jog while Trixie and Carrot Top looked on aghast. They were stunned by the human's behavior. Even though it was his life on the line, his first thought was for their wellbeing.

"We have to do something," said Carrot Top.

Trixie ducked her head, trying her hardest to think quickly. The sounds of shouting could already be heard as the mass of angry ponies surged in their direction. Finally, she looked up, her eyes widening. "I have an idea!" she exclaaimed.

"What?"

"Distract them for as long as you can," said the showmare as she turned to look at the crowd of angry ponies in the near distance.

"What?" exclaimed Carrot Top, "That's your plan?"

"I just need you to buy some time," replied Trixie quickly, "Meanwhile, I'm going to find Cheerilee and Ditzy." She broke into a run, making sure to take a path that would allow her to skirt around the mob rather than try to run through it.

"What?" Carrot Top wanted to know more about just what her friend was planning. But Trixie was already gone. With a dramatic sigh, she turned to look at the mob that was nearly on her doorstep. How do I distract this lot?

Celestia's head snapped up, her blank white eyes focusing in the distance. Zecora did not know how Celestia was keeping track of events, but it was clear that she knew something.

"At last. My plan has borne fruit," she declared, "My ponies are showing signs of unrest. Clearly the beast has begun its rampage. It is time for me remind those foals why I am meant to rule."

With a flash of light, Celestia vanished, leaving Zecora behind herself. The zebra lifted a hoof to her face and groaned. "I know not how I can tell. But I truly feel this won't end well."

Touma finally came to a halt, gasping for breath. He was fortunate that he had quite a bit of practice at running. His habit of trying to help people had gotten him into trouble before. And though Kamijou Touma was confident of being able to win one-on-one and maybe two-on-one, when the odds were three against one, it was best to run. Of course, since an entire mob was after him, the last thing that Touma wanted to do was stand and fight. It didn't help that he had no desire to hurt these ponies. So running really was his best option at the moment.

Regaining his breath a bit, Touma straightened and looked around. The area around him was barren and devoid of any sign of civilization, pony or otherwise. It was bare, even of vegetation, with only a few bits of scrub growing here or there. Looking at the looming cliff nearby, Touma saw signs of excavation and guessed that this place was either some sort of quarry or mine. Either way, it seemed an ideal place to hide out while he waited for the stormy situation to pass. And speaking of stormy situations...

"Touma!" The spiky-haired human looked up in surprise to see Raindrops swooping down towards him, her eyes wide with fear. Before he could react, she slammed into him, knocking him off his feet and onto his back, wrapping her forelegs around him and holding tight. "I was so worried!" she said, rubbing her head against his collarbone, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," replied Touma, smiling slightly as he reached up with his hand an gently ran his fingers through Raindrops' mane, a gesture he knew tended to calm her down.

"It's terrible," she said, "Ponies were saying that Corona was the one who brought you here and that you needed to be driven away or even destroyed."

"It's true, I think," said Touma, prompting a mortified look from Raindrops, "About the spell," he added quickly to clarify, "At least, that's what Princess Luna told me."

"I know," said Raindrops. Trixie had told them about Corona being the one to cast the spell that brought Touma to Equestria. Raindrops had always thought that the mad alicorn had botched the summoning somehow, ending up with Touma rather than what she had intended. However, many of the other ponies in Ponyville didn't seem to share that sentiment. "But how did they find out?"

"Trixie said that she accidentally let it slip during the council meeting," explained Touma.

"What?" Raindrops' voice was a snarl as she lifted her head, glaring in the direction of town. "Why that little...I'm gonna...!" Her articulation seemed to fail her as the jasmine pegasus' mind ran free with thoughts of how she would express her anger.

"R-Raindrops?" stammered Touma, looking more than a little troubled that her temper was getting the better of her. She had already climbed off him and was beginning to stalk back in the direction of town.

"That Trixie," hissed Raindrops, ignoring Touma's voice, "She's screwed up. She ruined everything."

"Raindrops..." Touma tried to make his voice firmer. However, it had no effect on the irate mare, who carried on with her angry mutterings. Touma sighed. He had to do something before Raindrops decided to take action. He slapped two hands together in fervent prayer. Forgive me Raindrops and please have mercy on this poor soul! Reaching out, he gently grabbed the leading edge of Raindrops' wing.

She froze instantly, her body going completely rigid. Touma immediately let go, but the damage had been done. Whirling about to glare at Touma, her cheeks flushed a vivid scarlet in rage and embarrassment. The boy let out a weary sigh. Oh well...

"TOOOOOUUUUUMAAAA!!!"

THWACK!

"FUKOU DA!!!"

When Raindrops' senses returned, she realized she was standing over the prone human, her body trembling with rage, which quickly evaporated when she saw the welt on the side of his face. "Oh no!" she exclaimed, "I did it again didn't I?"

Rubbing the side of his face, Touma groaned and sat up. "You did," he admitted, "But I kinda deserved it this time."

Raindrops blinked as she remembered him grabbing her wing. She also remembered what she had been about to do when he had done that. She had been prepared to fly off, to find Trixie and then... A choked sob escaped her. She'd been so angry over what happened, she'd been about to attack one of her best friends over a simple mistake. It had happened again. Touma had stopped her by focusing her ire on him rather than let her go and do something she'd regret. Come to think of it...

Looking back, Raindrops realized that this wasn't the first time Touma had done something like this. In the past few weeks, during the times they had been together, whenever she had been on the verge of losing her temper, Touma had stepped in and either said or done something stupid, which simply made her lose her temper at him. And when it was over, he'd go straight back to the way things were, as though it had never happened. Every time...

Touma blinked as Raindrops dropped down on his chest again, tears streaming from her eyes. Gently, he wrapped his arms around her neck and began to stroke her mane.

"Why?" she choked, "Why am I always so angry. I try and try and try, but nothing I do ever seems to work. Even when you stop me, it's always because you make me redirect it at you."

"There's nothing wrong with being angry," said Touma gently.

"There is," said Raindrops, "When...when I was just a filly, I...snapped. This colt had been teasing me about being such a slow flyer. All that frustration that I'd had to deal with just came out..."

Touma held her just a little bit tighter.

"When I came to my senses...I'd beaten him to a pulp. They'd had to take him to the hospital. And now, no matter how hard I try, whenever I try different things to deal with my anger, they never work. My own friends and family are afraid of me. My brother gets teased at school because ponies think I beat him at home."

For a moment, Touma seemed to be thinking about something. Then he lowered his eyes and looked gently at Raindrops. "Are you angry at yourself."

"Yes!"

Lifting a hand away from her mane, Touma reached up and brushed the tears away from her eyes. "Well that's part of the problem. If you think about it, the reason that you're always angry is because you're angry with yourself."

"But...I..." Raindrops' voice trailed off, unsure of where Touma was going with this.

"Let me ask you this; will being mad at yourself change what you did?"

Slowly, Raindrops shook her head.

"And your friends? Are they mad at you for all the times you snapped at them?"

Again, Raindrops shook her head. "But they are nervous around me, because they're always afraid of setting me off again."

"You can change that," said Touma, "Not right away. But you can change so that they won't have to be afraid of you anymore."

"How?"

"You have to stop being angry at yourself. You have to forgive yourself for what you've done."

Her eyes widened in shock. "How could I do that? All the ponies I've hurt...After what I've done! I don't deserve forgiveness."

To her surprise, Touma chuckled. "Actually, you remind me of someone back home. He did something terrible...something so awful that it makes your outbursts look like nothing. When he realized what he had done, he felt like he could never atone for it. He tried to leave it all behind, to walk the "path of the villain" or something silly like that, feeling that he didn't deserve happiness after the things he'd done. But...

"But all the same. There were people who loved him, people who were happy and wanted to share that happiness with him. And ultimately, I think he came to the conclusion that if he was always trying to pay for the crime he'd committed, he'd never be able to truly move forward.

"It's like that with you. You have friends and family who love you with all their hearts, who are happy to forgive you when you do something wrong. They don't want you to pay for something you did in your distant past, they don't want you to spend the rest of your life atoning for a few mistakes." Reaching up, Touma brushed her mane away from her eyes. "They want to share their happiness with you. And they want you to be happy too."

Raindrops sat back, uncertain of how to proceed. She'd seen countless ponies, counselors, psychiatrists of every type, to try and find a way to control her anger. None of the methods they had proposed to her had worked. But, considering what Touma had said, was the problem really so simple. Was the reason she had so much difficulty controlling her anger the fact that she was always angry at herself?

"Don't worry too much about it," said Touma, "It's not like you can change your habits all at once. That guy I told you about; to be honest, he hasn't changed completely. He's still bad-tempered, antisocial, and has a hard time getting along with others. But he's still come a long way. And he did it a little at a time. So you can too."

Raindrops relaxed a little. "Okay, I'll try," she said before smiling earnestly at him, "Thank you Touma."

Touma was about to open his mouth to answer when he saw Raindrops' ears twitch and her body go tense. A few seconds later, he realized why. Now he could hear the sounds of a large number of approaching ponies as well. With a groan, Touma got to his feet. "So they're still coming eh. I guess I'd better get going."

"No!" snapped Raindrops, jumping in front of him before he could get started, "I won't let them do anything." She turned to face the sounds of the approaching mob. "You told me that you'd fought to save a lot of people back in your own world. But now, I'm going to save you."

"Um Raindrops," said Touma nervously, "I don't really want anyone to get hurt. It might be better if I kept away."

"You don't deserve to be run out like this," snapped Raindrops, "You're staying right here."

Touma looked up and gulped. He could see the shapes of ponies moving through the underbrush at the edge of the quarry. At this range, the only direction he could really run without getting cut off was towards the sheer wall at the back of the quarry. And the precious time he would need to scramble up the near vertical slope would allow them to catch up to him in no time.

The bushes parted to reveal Carrot Top as she sprang out onto open ground, galloping for them as fast as her hooves would take her. She ground to a stop before Touma and Raindrops, panting. "I'm sorry," she said between gasps, "I tried to distract them for as long as I could."

Winged shapes burst out of the treetops as runners rushed up from the undergrowth. Several pegasi soared above, looking ready to swoop down and attack at any moment. Numerous earth ponies, with Applejack at the lead, moved forward, forming a line that curved in front of the three. Behind them, unicorns could be seen, many already lighting their horns in preparation for spells.

In reality, the situation didn't seem as bad as all that. While the ponies at the front, Applejack in particular, certainly looked like they were spoiling for a fight, the ranks behind them appeared to be composed of indecisive bystanders who had been swept along by all the hubbub. Even the pegasi hovering above were keeping their distance, most of them content to watch the situation warily. Though that may have had more to do with the jasmine mare crouched in Front of Touma, as the members of Ponyville's Weather Team had quite a bit of experience with Raindrops' temper and strength.

Carrot Top and Raindrops stood their ground, keeping Touma behind them. Raindrops glared out at the crowd, as though daring them to come any closer. Quite a few ponies balked at her expression and the fearsome reputation that preceded it. However, no one retreated. Applejack in particular snorted and stepped forward.

"Stand aside you two," she growled, "We ain't lettin' one 'o Corona's monsters get away."

"He's not a monster," Raindrops growled back, "You're not going to hurt him."

"Raindrops, if ya don't move, Ah'm gonna make ya move."

"I'd like to see you try."

The two mares lowered their heads, glaring at one another, each daring the other to make the first move. Touma and Carrot Top eyed the rest of the crowd nervously. A fight between Applejack and Raindrops was one thing, but getting charged by that mob was a whole other. If the rest of the crowd joined in on the fight, they wouldn't stand a chance.

Then the front ranks of the mob parted to allow a well-dressed earth pony to advance. "Please," begged Filthy Rich, looking imploringly at both Raindrops and Applejack, "Ladies, lets not get violent. We should at least try to solve this peacefully."

Though Touma couldn't agree more, he noticed the emphasis that Filthy Rich had placed on the word "try." To make matters more disheartening, he couldn't help but notice that nobody had addressed him yet. The spiky-haired boy got the distinct feeling that he was more the object of the discussion rather than a participant in it.

"Look," continued Filthy Rich, "There is no reason for us to fight. All we want is for that creature to be taken out of Ponyville as soon as possible. If we can agree to that, then we have nothing to fight over."

"I'm not agreeing to that," said Raindrops, training her glare on Filthy Rich now. The stallion flinched and took an involuntary pair of steps back. "Touma's a good person. More importantly, he's my friend. He's never done anything to harm anypony. All he's ever done is try to help."

"None 'o that matters," shouted Applejack, "That lyin' snake was brought here by Corona, which mean's he's one 'o her minions. He's probably just bidin' his time, waitin' fer the right moment to strike."

"That ability of his is a matter of concern," remarked Filthy Rich, "A great deal of our infrastructure is maintained by magic or with the assistance of magical energy. If he touches the wrong thing, that human could do unthinkable damage. He doesn't have to be an aggressive monster. One act of sabotage could bring the entire town to its knees."

"So that's it," snapped Raindrops, "You're just going to condemn him on the basis of something that he might do. By that logic, why haven't you thrown me out of town?" She lunged forward, causing everypony to take an involuntary step back. "I know what you think about me. I know what you say behind my back. You think I'm dangerous. Hay! You spread rumors that I beat my own family. Why aren't you coming after me huh?" To emphasize her point, Raindrops lifted an angry hoof and slammed it into the hard ground, cracking it open.

Touma looked up and saw several pegasi backing off. He recognized some of them as the ones he saw Raindrops working with on occasion, including her manager. It seemed that her tirade had caused several members of the weather team to rethink their position. Some of the ponies on the ground seemed to be wavering as well. However, Applejack still looked determined.

The apple farmer turned her eyes on Carrot Top. "Ya understand don't ya?" she asked "We can't trust this thing enough to let it live in Ponyville."

Carrot Top rolled her eyes in annoyance. "In case you haven't been paying attention, he's been staying in my house. Do you understand? I let him into my home. Do you honestly think that I think he's some minion of Corona's."

The dissension among the members of the mob was starting to spread, several of them appearing to rethink their positions. After everything she had gone through and done to support the town, many ponies couldn't help but admit that they trusted Carrot Top's judgment. But Applejack wasn't having it.

"Ah ain't buyin' it," she said, "Carrot Top, Ah know yer always helpin' out. But ya'd let Corona herself sleep on yer couch if she asked nicely enough. Ah don't care how well-behaved that thing is, it's a threat and Ah'm doin' somethin' about it."

Carrot Top's eyebrow twitched in irritation. "Of all the stubborn..." she muttered angrily under her breath.

"Then you'd better do something about me!" yelled Raindrops, falling into a crouch, "'Cause that's the only way you're getting him."

"Fine then," growled Applejack, matching Raindrops' posture, "If that's the way ya want it..."

"STOP THIS AT ONCE!!!"

Everypony...and Touma...jumped in shock at the sudden intrusion of the very loud voice. Turning as one, they saw a dust cloud raised by dozens of hooves. Several ponies rushed in, placing themselves between Applejack's mob and Touma's little group. When the dust settled, they saw Trixie, along with the rest of the Elements of Harmony, as well as several other ponies, including Cheerilee's entire class of foals.

Applejack rocked back on her hooves at the sudden arrival. "What the hay are y'all doin' here." When she examined the new arrivals, her jaw dropped. "Apple Bloom? Big Macintosh?"

The little yellow filly waved cheerily at her sister, while the eldest child of the Apple Family replied with a simple "Eeyup."

"What in the hay are y'all doin' here? And why in Luna's name did ya bring the foals. This ain't no place for 'em."

"Because Touma's our friend," announced Dinky, "He's a nice person and shouldn't have bad things happen to him just because he got taken from his own home and thrown here."

"EXACTLY!" Boomed Trixie, who then froze when screams (and one muffled whine of "Fukou da!") erupted around her, causing the mare to realize that she'd accidentally left her voice amplification spell on. "OOPS! SORRY!"

As one might expect, her apology was greeted with even more exclamations of dismay. Ponies fell to the ground clutching their ears. Trying to fix her mistake, Trixie lit her horn and tried to undo her own spell...but encountered some difficulty. "STUPID SPELL. WHY WON'T IT SHUT OFF? MAYBE IF I..."

"Trixie!" snapped Lyra, looking up from her prone position next to Bon Bon, who looked ready to murder Trixie on the spot, "Work it out, but do it without talking."

Trixie opened her mouth, but cut herself off when everypony flinched away, glaring at her. Her jaw snapped shut and she spent a silent moment fuming as she worked to undo the spell. After a moment, she seemed to succeed. Coughing carefully, she whispered something that sounded like "Testing...testing," before clearing her throat and turning back to the mob.

"As I was about to say," she said, "As you can see, there are plenty of ponies who are willing to put their trust into Touma. I understand you might not consider that as proof in and of itself, but consider this...one of those ponies is Princess Luna herself. She was the one who asked us to allow him to live here in Ponyville, knowing full well that the spell that brought him here was Corona's."

The ponies forming the mob seemed to fall back. Many clearly did not want to be part of a riot with the foals' eyes on them. Even Applejack seemed to be losing her resolve, the likely reason being that her sister and brother were now part of the barrier keeping her from the human. "Ah still think..." she said.

"Applejack, please?" pleaded Carrot Top, "You can trust Princess Luna."

The orange mare's mouth worked up and down a few times as she tried to come up with some response. Then, with a final huff, she lowered her head mournfully. "Fine."

The tension seemed to evaporate into the air. Their reason for being there having been stripped away, most of the ponies began to turn around and leave for Ponyville, leaving behind Touma, the Elements, and a few others. Trixie slumped in relief. "Thank goodness. I wasn't sure we were going to make it."

"Yeah about that..." Trixie froze at Raindrops' words. The jasmine mare's icy tone made it clear she wasn't happy. Suddenly the tension, for Trixie at least, redoubled. Turning around, her eyes widened as she saw Raindrops stalking towards her.

"All of this happened because you messed up," she growled, "You were the one who let the cat out of the bag."

"I'm sorry," whined Trixie, covering her eyes, "Please!"

"You!" The next thing Trixie knew, an arm was around her and she was pulled into a crushing hug. "You're also the one who got us out of trouble," said Raindrops, her tone much more gentle now, "Thanks."

Trixie let out a sigh of relief. But then Raindrops' arms began to tighten. The showmare turned representative let out a startled squawk, even as her bones began to creak. "That doesn't mean you're out of the woods entirely," growled Raindrops, her tone actually a little playful before she let Trixie drop. The mare slumped, limp to the ground.

Turning her head, Raindrops gave Touma a playful wink. "Baby steps right?"

Touma scratched his head a moment before chuckling. "Yeah. Just a little bit at a time."

The rest of the present ponies watched the interplay between the two for a moment, trying to figure out what had happened between them. It was Bon Bon who broke the silence. "Well, I don't know about you, but I've had enough excitement for one day. We should head back."

"Right," agreed Trixie, "You know, we were pretty lucky to have that end without anypony getting hurt."

Before she could even blink, Touma grabbed Trixie's shoulders and shook her violently. "Please don't say that!" he yelled frantically, "That's the kind of thing you say before things get really bad!"

"What are you talking about?" demanded Trixie, her voice warbling with each shake Touma gave her.

With a groan, Touma stopped shaking her and slumped, his head dipping down to point towards the ground. "You know how unlucky I am. A line like that is destined to cause trouble."

"Oh come on," said Lyra, rolling her eyes at Touma's dramatics, "This isn't some kind of cheap fiction. There's no way that-"

Lyra's voice was cut off by the sound of an explosion from behind them. Turning as one, the group looked up at the top of the quarry wall, where a blast of fire bloomed like a monstrous flower. The explosion seemed to swallow the sky before coalescing upon itself and taking the form of a very familiar and most unwelcome figure.

"TREMBLE IN FEAR FOUL BEAST! FOR TODAY, THOU FACES THE SUN HERSELF IN ALL HER GLORY!" Corona's voice boomed across the flat expanse of the quarry. Her wings flared dramatically as a halo of fire swirled around her.

Touma took in the sight of the mad alicorn rather calmly, before directing a dour look at his friends, who gave him an apologetic look back. Then, Touma slumped again, a sigh like the sound of air escaping from a balloon leaving his lips before he groaned out two words. "Fukou da."

Author's Note

It seems that medical professionals with years of education behind them have nothing on Shonen psychiatry. Yeah, if only it was that easy. Once again, I hide behind my banner of non-canon for any mangling of Raindrops' character that may have resulted from this chapter.

Poor Applejack. As if the Lunaverse hasn't abused her enough, she's become my go-to character for knee-jerk reactionary behavior in response to unwelcome revelations. Oh well...

And finally, the thrilling climax of the story...next time...

Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

For the longest time, Corona seemed to completely ignore Touma and his friends, her eyes sweeping the surrounding landscape, looking for...something. "COME OUT AND FACE ME CREATURE!" she boomed, "THOU CANNOT HIDE FROM MY JUDGMENT!"

Nopony moved or said anything. Ultimately, they could only stare at the Tyrant Sun and wonder what the hay she was doing. She was still looking around, apparently expecting something to happen. When nothing did, she blinked and looked down, seeming to finally notice Touma and the others. The ponies cringed away when Corona's blazing white eyes swept over them, trembling in fear. The Tyrant Sun, it seemed, had regained much of her power in the time she had been away.

Lyra clung tightly to Bon Bon, as did Ditzy with her daughter. Corona's reappearance had brought up the all too unpleasant memories of what she had done the last time she'd appeared before them. Poor Dinky was terrified, shaking like a leaf as she buried her head into her mother's chest, sobbing as quietly as she could, afraid that the slightest sound would draw Corna's attention and she would be wrenched from her mother's arms again.

Looking back at them, and seeing his friends' fear, seeing their tears and their trembling, Touma grit his teeth. His right hand clenched tightly into a fist.

"This is bad," whispered Trixie, her voice quavering, "She's here and we don't have the Elements."

"What about Princess Luna?" asked Lyra softly, "She can't have failed to notice this. She'll be here from Canterlot any minute now. She'll bring the Elements with her, right?"

"I hope so."

They went silent as Corona's gaze focused on them, then narrowed its focus to Touma, who seemed the least frightened of the group. If anything, the human seemed duly resigned. Her eyes narrowed. Surely this couldn't be...

"What manner of creature art thou?" she asked.

"I'm a human," replied Touma flatly, "And I'm the one that you called here with your spell."

"What?" exclaimed Corona, throwing her wings back, waves of flames billowing with every movement, "My spell was meant to summon the most fearsome creature from another realm. How didst thou manage to be called instead?"

"Like I know," groused the human, "What were you thinking anyway? Why in the world would you try and summon something dangerous?"

"Silence mortal worm!" shouted Corona, thankfully restraining herself from amplifying her voice any further, "Thou art meant to be defeated by me. Thou shalt serve as a reminder to my ponies that they need my power, my strength, my rule. Thy death shall be the glorious prelude to my return. Already, thy presence has thrown those foals into a panic. And now, by defeating thou, I shall restore order."

It took a few seconds for Touma to come up the words to describe his feelings on the matter. When he did, it was short and succinct. "You're an idiot aren't you?" he deadpanned.

"What?" gasped Corona, enraged at having been insulted by such a lowly creature.

"Everyone here knew you were behind that spell from day one," said Touma, "In fact, the only reason that panic happened was because the rest of the town found out." His expression became a fierce glare. "Don't you understand? More than anything else, these ponies are afraid of you!"

"LIES!" exclaimed Corona, "My ponies only fear me because my treacherous sister hath spent the past thousand years spinning her web of deception, until I was nothing but an object of fear to them. When I return to my rule, they will see. They will love me." Her eyes narrowed and her next words emerged as an angry hiss. "I will make them love me."

"How?" snapped Touma, "By calling up monsters to put them in danger? By threatening there lives. You can't win love by hurting the ones you're supposed to protect."

"SILENCE!" roared Corona, the waves of power rolling off her body a palpable force in and of itself. The ponies behind Touma cringed away. But the human remained unbowed. The Tyrant Sun continued her tirade. "These ponies are mine! Mine to do with as I please! They are weak! They are frail! They are gnats! They have no right to question my rule!"

"If that's what you think ruling is about," growled Touma, "Then I'm just gonna have to break that illusion of yours." His right hand clenched all the tighter tighter.

Light blazed from the tip of Corona's horn, congealing into an orb of fire that hovered above her head. "It is convenient that thou have joined with the corrupted Elements," she remarked, "Now I can eliminate all who might oppose me easily."

Touma looked over his shoulder at his friends. "When we start," he said softly, "Run. I'll deal with her."

They all stared at him aghast. "How!" exclaimed Raindrops, "She's an alicorn. She's too powerful!"

Touma gave her a gentle smile. "Don't worry." The fireball launched itself towards the group. Not even looking away from his friends, Touma casually raised his right hand. The ball of flame slammed into and flared brilliantly before a sound like breaking glass echoed across the quarry. The flames vanished in an instant. "I've fought worse."

He turned back to Corona, who was stunned that her attack failed. "How?"

"I'll show you," said Touma. He estimated that their must have been something close to thirty meters between him and the edge of the quarry. The real difficulty would come when he had to scramble up that slope. It would be difficult, but not insurmountable. Taking a deep breath, he began to run towards Corona.

The mare's mane and tail transformed into tendrils of blazing flames that lashed out at the human. The flame from her mane circled around to his right, while the flame from her tail came at his left. The fire arrived on his right first, which Touma easily reached out with his hand and blocked. The flames scattered, even billowing around Touma and intercepting the attack on his left enough for him too slip past unscathed.

"Impossible!" shrieked an enraged Corona, her horn blazing with blistering light, enough to nearly outshine her own sun, "I doth not know what manner of power this is, but thou shalt not reach me."

"We'll see," grunted Touma as he continued to move forward.

The light from Corona's horn flickered and then scattered into a dozen bolts of superheated magic, converging on the human from different directions. Touma threw himself forward, dodging some. As one managed to close in, he whipped out his arm, catching it and neutralizing it. Even as he did so, his forward momentum stopped as he turned to block some of the bolts coming in from the side.

Gritting her teeth in anger, Corona gathered her will and unleashed a blazing lance of fire the width of a telephone pole straight for the human. Touma barely got his right hand up in time. This time, the attack did not vanish instantly, but continued to press Touma, Corona pouring power in as fast as he could neutralize it. To keep from being pushed back, Touma used his left hand to brace his right. However, Corona's attack was keeping him pinned in place and stopped him from advancing.

A smug sense of victory ignited within Celestia's chest. "It seems as though there art limits to thy power," she observed.

With a growl, Touma forced his fingers inward, gritting his teeth and straining. Instead of simply trying to crush the power in his hand, he instead forced it to the side. Corona's beam tore a molten swath through the ground, throwing up superheated stones and splattering the surrounding area with liquified earth. Fortunately, Trixie and the other seemed to have followed his advice and had run while he occupied the Tyrant Sun's attention. A battle like this would be impossible to contain to a small area. They would have gotten caught in the crossfire and hurt if they'd remained behind.

Again, Touma moved forward. Corona's horn flared, sending another lance of energy surging forth. Instinctively, Touma's hand reach out for it. However, at the last second, Corona dipped her head, sending the lance into the ground at the human's feet. Touma was catapulted backwards as the earth in front of him erupted in a massive explosion, burning shards of rock tore through his skin and scorched his flesh. The shockwave made his bones creak and knocked the breath from his lungs. Kamijou Touma landed on his back, sliding a short distance before coming to a rest.

"Ah," observed Corona, "Another discovery. It seems thy right hand thou art so proud of is useless if the attack thou faces is not magical."

A grimace flickered across Touma's face. It was true that there were limits to what his right hand could do. Though his hand could make magical fire disappear, it was useless against the smoke and ash such a fire produced. Mundane phenomena produced as a secondary effect of the supernatural power he faced were something his hand could not counter. But even so...

"It's not like that's enough to stop me," said the human as he got back to his feet, "You're hardly the first opponent I've had figure that out. I've fought plenty of people who thought that just figuring out the limits of my hand was enough to beat me. If that were enough, I would have never been alive to come to this world in the first place." Again he started forward.

A cruel smile lit Corona's face as her horn flared again. This time, she didn't produce fire or plasma or radiation. Instead, she used on of the most basic skills that any unicorn could do, telekinesis. Her magic ripped chunks of stone from the cliff face. Any one of them would be enough to crush the human flat, to turn him into a bloody paste beneath the unforgiving stones. She launched them, sending the chunks of earth flying in lazy arcs.

And still, Touma rushed forward. Even as the boulders descended towards him, he continued his mad advance, as though unafraid of his own impending death. He sidestepped one stone, not even caring that the shrapnel blown up from its impact cut bloody lines along the left side of his body. His charge allowed him to pass under the arc of a second rock before lit landed. The shockwave of its impact blew Touma forwards and knocked him off his feet. But he managed to turn his fall into a roll, regaining his feet without losing any of his precious forward momentum.

Even though his right hand was useless against this kind of attack, Kamijou Touma continued forward without hesitation. Any one of these rocks would be enough to end his life instantly if they hit him full on. But still, he pressed onwards. Even though he was battered and bleeding, Touma took one step after another, each one bringing him closer to the mad godlike being he was fighting against.

How? marveled Celestia, He is naught but a maggot, crawling upon the ground. He should be trembling in terror before me. His power is nothing compared to mine. I can make the heavens shake, the earth crumble. I can make fire rain from on high. I am the sun! And yet, he shows no thought of cowering. Is this the manner of creature I have summoned? Is this the shape of the "most terrible beast" from another world? If that is the case, it is most pitiful. But still...

The ground, weakened by Corona's attacks, gave way beneath Touma's foot, causing his step to falter. At that moment, a massive boulder dropped straight towards his head. Even if he managed to throw himself clear, he wouldn't be able to escape injury. In the end, the enemy that would do him in was that which had struck him down most often in his life...simple misfortune. But still...

With a yell that seemed to tear its way forth from his lungs, Touma flung himself forward as hard as he could, the movement carrying him clear of the stone. At the same time, Corona saw her opportunity and struck. Her horn blazed with light, sending a whip-like stream of plasma lashing out faster than mortal eyes could track.

Touma seemed to sense the attack coming. He shifted to dodge. But his stumble earlier cost him precious seconds. Though her blow did not end his life, it still struck its intended target. Pain seared through Touma's shoulder. His right arm went flying away. Distantly, at the edges of his awareness, Touma could hear a voice crying his name.

There was no spray of blood. The fiery blow that cleaved his arm off at the shoulder had also cauterized the wound shut. Corona smiled. In her moment of victory, it wouldn't do to have her enemy succumb to his wounds before she was finished administering the punishment this lesser creature deserved for daring to defy her.

Spreading her wings, Corona glided down from the cliff, coming to rest before her victim. "Thou truly art a foolish creature, thinking that thou couldst defeat me with something so tiny. Thy hand was nothing more than a parlor trick. It is useless before the full might of my unveiled power."

To demonstrate her point, Corona flared her wings again, calling forth a searing solar wind that swept Touma off his feet and sent him sprawling backwards. A strangled cry erupted from Touma's throat as he hit the ground, tumbling before being left face down in the dirt.

Corona laughed. "Yes! That is where thou belongs. This is the purpose thou hast been summoned here for, so that I may crush thee down, so that my ponies may see the power that is meant to rule them. Now, beg for my mercy. Plead for forgiveness, though thou shalt not receive it."

Touma did not respond with words. Instead, he reached out with his left hand and pressed it against the ground. With a low groan, he forced himself up onto his knees. Then, he set one foot on the ground, then the other. Finally, the human known as Kamijou Touma stood upright on his own two legs. His head hung, his face expressionless, eyes glazed over, but still he stood. Before Corona, before the Tyrant Sun, before the power that had once ruled Equestria since time immemorial, he stood. Though his right arm, his only weapon, was gone, though he was battered, bruised, and bleeding, he stood.

Corona's eyes narrowed into slits. "Thou art helpless before me and yet thou still continues to offer such defiance. I had planned to make this last longer, but I cannot suffer such impudence any further." Power gathered at her horn. A blazing inferno came into being over Corona's head. The flames from her mane and tail were swept up into the burning orb in the sky above, a recreation of the sun in miniature. Its power would not even leave the human's ashes behind.

"THOU HAST SERVED THY PURPOSE INSECT!" she roared, "NOW OFFER UP THY WORTHLESS LIFE TO ME!" The radiant orb above her rushed out at Touma, who did not even look up as his doom approached. The ground around him began to glow as the sheer heat given off by the sphere slammed down upon it like a hammer. He would likely die before it even made contact.

And then it was gone. The ball of solar flames was sliced in two vertically, slashed apart and dissipating into steamers of harmless light. In an instant, that mighty attack had been erased from existence, swept away in a single motion, as though...as though by an invisible right arm extending from the human's shoulder.

A shiver ran down Celestia's spine as she took an involuntary step backwards. Even though Kamijou Touma's right arm, his only weapon, was gone, he had still somehow stopped her attack. Even as she watched, she could feel an invisible power swirling around the stump where his right arm had been severed. Though her eyes could not perceive it, she could somehow sense the eddies of a power that made everything she had pale in comparison.

An unheard growl made her bones vibrate. Unseen eyes glared at Celestia as power continued to gather at the boy's right shoulder. In an instant, their positions had been reversed. Now Celestia was powerless, trembling before the invisible force at Touma's side. There is...

There is something...

There is something there.

Against this unknown force, this invisible thing, Celestia felt as helpless as a newborn foal, as useless as...as useless as a mere mortal pony. A horrifying thought crept into her mind. The most powerful beast from another world? Was this human nothing more than a container for the real monster my spell was supposed to call? She tensed as she felt the gathering force prepare to attack.

Touma's head lifted up. It was a simple motion. There was nothing dramatic or impressive about it. His head lifted, with eyes that seemed not to be looking at anything in front of him.

Celestia's body tensed as her mind was flooded by a single overwhelming realization. It is coming!

"You again?" Touma's question was not addressed to Celestia. Rather, even though his expression or his eyes hadn't shifted in the slightest, it seemed as though he was addressing the invisible thing gathering strength at his shoulder.

"I told you once already," continued Touma, "I don't know what you're trying to do. But..."

In that instant, an even greater power erupted from within Touma. Without prelude or warning, it crushed the mysterious force that had been lingering where his right arm had been, swallowing it up.

"...Don't get in my way." There was a crackling and then a slithering sound. Then it appeared. Celestia wasn't sure how or when, but there was Kamijou Touma's right arm, hanging there as though it had never been touched. It surprised her to see this human reclaim a lost limb so easily. But something else shocked her even further, penetrating all the way to the core of her being.

She had felt the power that Touma had used to crush the invisible thing, that unseen force that made even her power seem like nothing in comparison. With that kind of power, he could have exterminated Celestia in much the same way she had planned on killing him. He could have crushed her even more effortlessly than the invisible thing. However, once his right arm reappeared, that power vanished without a trace. There was no sign of the overwhelming force that Touma had wielded only a few seconds ago.

The most powerful beast from another world...

What rocked Celestia to her center was not the awesome power she had seen within Kamijou Touma. It was not the overwhelming force of the invisible thing. Even if she hadn't believed it was possible, she could still at least conceptualize or imagine a power greater than hers...

But for an enemy to throw that power away, all for the sake of taking back a much simpler and weaker power...It was a move that Celestia couldn't comprehend. The very idea eluded her understanding. For Celestia, whose entire life had been consumed in the struggle for power, it was an action so indescribably alien that her mind ground to a halt.

"Thou," she whispered, "Why hast thou cast away thy power."

Touma's spine straightened. His eyes had cleared and he met Celestia's gaze without hesitation. Slowly, he raised his right hand and clenched it into a fist. "I have everything I need right here."

"MADNESS!" shrieked Celestia, the flames from her mane and tail billowing in her display of rage, "Thou hast power beyond measure. Why would thou cast it away solely to reclaim such a useless weapon as that hand?"

Touma smiled. "Because..." He looked down at his hand, opening it again. "Because I know you."

"Thou...knows...me..." For a moment, it was all she could do to make words. "Ridiculous! Thou hast no knowledge of me. I am Celestia! I am the sun! I have protected Equestria since its infancy! I am absolute! I have guarded this nation against darkness and chaos for millennia untold. Thy claim is nothing more than a crude jest. With thy meager power, what can thou claim to have saved?"

"I know you," persisted Touma, "I've fought someone like you before. He was someone who wanted to save the world, even though he might wipe out all of humanity in the process. He was consumed by this twisted idea of something called 'the world.' You're no different.

"You've been caught up in defending this thing called Equestria that you've forgotten what's really at stake." Touma's smile widened. "You grew so obsessed with it that you didn't even realize what you trampled. I know...because I've seen it over and over again..."

The pause hung in the air as Celestia waited impatiently for him to finish.

"...The moment someone's world was saved. To protect and save those who are suffering right before my eyes, to reach out my hand to them..." He extended his right hand towards Celestia and clenched it into a fist. "...I don't need anything more."

A blazing nimbus of flames erupted from around Corona. A swirling orb of fire appeared in an instant and rushed towards Touma like a missile. With his right hand, he batted it aside and charged forward. Corona withheld none of her power. Arrows of plasma rained from above. Shining lances split from her horn and thrust at him from all directions. Her wings beat up a scorching solar wind to sweep him away.

Touma's right hand reached out and caught the first beam lancing towards him. With a twist, he altered its course, sending it sweeping across and cutting off the others coming at him from other vectors. Lifting his hand up, he stopped the first of the falling arrows, turning it into scattering spheres of light that got in the way of the others, setting them off and filling the air above him with explosions. The combined force of those explosions turned into a shockwave that buffeted the blistering winds aside. With only two moves, Touma had already completely cleared the path ahead of him.

Corona's magic conjured a brilliant, spinning disk that whirred towards her opponent like a circular saw. Then she lashed out with her flaming tail at Touma's left side. The human simply reached out with his right hand and caught the sun disk, pulling it across him so that it became a barrier between his left side and the jet of flame from her tail, causing it to splash harmlessly against the improvised shield. All the while, Touma continued to press forward.

Enraged, Corona's horn blazed with enough light to be a miniature sun in its own right. She threw all of her power at Kamijou Touma. Fireballs, blades and spears of light, flaming arrows, radiant pillars, she filled the entire space between her and the human with magic that a hundred unicorns could not match. It was power that could wipe a city off the map, level mountains, gouge valleys, reshape the land itself.

But that right hand made it all meaningless. Even when he couldn't negate it outright, he twisted her attacks so that they collided, canceled one another out, and opened the way for him to advance. Touma seemed to be able to read her attacks, to the extent of seeming to know what she planned even before she launched them. Each step brought him closer and closer.

"How!" exclaimed Corona, falling back before the oncoming human, even as she launched attack after attack at him, "How can thou keep coming? Thou should have died a thousand times."

"Because you're weak," said Touma, "Because you have nothing."

"NOTHING!" raged the fiery mare, "I have defeated adversaries thou cannot imagine in thy worst nightmares! I have the power to lay low the greatest foes Equestria has ever seen! Nothing thou has can even begin to compare!"

"But..." said Touma without a second's hesitation, "You're alone aren't you?"

The onslaught came to a sudden halt. Touma's words stung her heart. Celestia's eyes widened. "L-lies! I am the ruler of all Equestria. I am never alone!"

"Really?" asked Touma, "Ponies are mortal. They're frail. They're weak. They're gnats. What kind of company does the Queen of Gnats have?"

"What art thou speaking of?"

"Because you've always fought alone," continued Touma, "You've gone out to battle again and again, by yourself, all alone. That's why you're weak." His expression became surprisingly warm. "You don't have the strength to trust others, to believe in your friends."

"FRIENDSHIP!" roared Corona, "Again with that drivel. I have already heard it before!" Even as she shouted, she suddenly remembered a way to turn things back in her favor, to retake the advantage in this battle. Kamijou Touma had thrown his power away for the same right hand as before. The weakness was the same.

Her telekinesis ripped up chunks of rock once again. "If thou hast such faith in friendship, then where are thy friends now? Have they not fled? Have they not abandoned thee? See how thy faith in such frailty has cost thee!" She lobbed one up to come at Touma from above, then fired the other straight at him like a bullet. Even if he dodged one, he would come into the path of the other, she was sure of it.

In the face of the oncoming boulders, Touma didn't even flinch. Instead, he smiled lightly. He did not move to dodge. Nor did he raise his right hand. He simply continued moving forward.

A streak of jasmine descended from above. Raindrops' hooves slammed into the boulder over Touma's head, crushing it into pebbles and knocking the whole thing away from him.

At the same time, a mingled gold and blue aura wrapped around the rock Corona had fired straight at him and pulled at it, jerking it to the side so that it missed Touma's body by bare inches.

Even though he didn't look behind him, Touma knew they were there. Raindrops hovered protectively above him. Trixie and Lyra were arrayed behind him. Cheerilee, Ditzy, and Carrot Top were there too, each of them prepared to do what they needed to help him. Touma grinned.

"I'm an idiot who always rushes into things without thinking about them," he said simply, "I keep getting sent to the hospital because I get beat up until I puke blood. I went in alone against a force of over two-hundred enemies just to save one person. I traveled into a hostile country in the middle of a world war just to stop one man.

"And if I hadn't had my friends, I would have never won anything." Touma continued to close in inexorably. "You're weak because you don't have the strength to put your trust in anyone. You have to do everything yourself. Deep down, you're just a child crying out of loneliness."

Corona fell back before him, but Touma still advanced, keeping the distance the same. "So wait right there," he said, "Because Kamijou Touma is going to use his right hand to shatter that illusion of yours." He charged.

Corona attacked again. She hurtled stones stones, sent waves of flame rushing at the human, struck at him with orbs of plasma. Touma's right hand extinguished the flames. Raindrops' hooves shattered the boulders. Trixie and Lyra caught the debris in their magic and used them to intercept the orbs of plasma while Ditzy, Cheerilee, and Carrot Top called out directions for which attacks to intercept.

Touma closed in. The distance between them was less than five meters. With a beat of her wings, Corona launched herself upwards out of his reach, dipping her head so that she could direct a lance of flame straight at Touma's chest.

Touma's right hand intercepted the lance. Without the slightest hesitation, he twisted it and changed its course...straight into the ground at his feet.

The resulting explosion launched him upwards on top of a rock that he used as a platform. Even though the flames from the explosion scorched his clothes and the shrapnel cut new wounds in his body, Touma didn't falter. His gray eyes locked with Corona's blank white ones. His mouth opened out in a battle cry.

"UUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!" Kamijou Touma pushed himself off the platform of stone. Corona, taken by surprise, had no time to retreat. She could only watch helplessly as his right hand clenched into a fist, which he swung with all his might.

BAM!

It was nothing to be impressed with, a simple punch with his right hand. There was no secret technique, no special method behind it. Back in his own world, many trained fighters would scoff at such a sloppy attack. It was not a fist that could shatter stone or dent steel, just a simple blow with his right hand.

And yet, to Celestia, at the moment of its impact, it seemed like something so much more. Even as she felt the Imagine Breaker's mysterious power sweep away her magic like so many cobwebs, the sensation of the blow went beyond the mere cancelation of her magic. At the moment of impact, Celestia felt...something...slam through her. It wasn't something she could describe with words. It was as though, within that simple punch that Kamijou Touma had wielded in so many battles, swinging his fist for the sake of others, an action performed time and time again, there was a force that went beyond the mere strength of his arm and the weight of his body behind it.

It was, Celestia found herself musing in the strange dilation of time that always seemed to take place in such situations, perhaps related to the strange power that seemed to animate this creature's body in spite of the wounds he had taken. He had been cut, beaten, battered, bruised, and burned. He was knocked to ground, had his arm severed at the shoulder; and yet, he rose and continued to move onward, seemingly possessed by a force beyond his own mortal strength.

What is it that drives him forward?

Celestia had no answer to her question as the wind vanished beneath her wings, the strength washed from her body, and even the awe-inspiring power of the sun itself vanished. Suddenly, there was nothing. The realization struck Celestia with the force of a hammer. She had lost.

Following the impact of Touma's fist against the side of Corona's face, a sound like breaking glass echoed across the ruined expanse of the quarry. Corona fell. Her wings could no longer bear her weight. The flames of her mane and tail were extinguished. The light issuing from her eyes dimmed. The aura of overwhelming power around her scattered. Corona, the Tyrant Sun, fell to earth with a mighty crash.

Touma plummeted as well. But a pair of forelegs wrapping around him arrested his fall. Gently, Raindrops lowered him to the ground. Once his feet returned to earth, Touma gave her a grateful smile and a nod, prompting her to let go of him as he turned back to Corona.

The Tyrant Sun had shrunk. Her mane and tail were no longer projections of living flame, but composed of pink strands of limp hair. Her blue eyes, no longer obstructed by the nimbus of power that normally surrounded her, gazed up at the human with unadulterated terror. Touma stood over her, his face stern and impassive.

"You called your ponies weak. You think they're powerless. But if that were true, wouldn't have Equestria been destroyed during your thousand years of imprisonment? But it's still here. Even without you, they are still here. And even when you returned, these supposedly weak, frail, mortal ponies beat you.

"At the end of the day, you have no one. Right now, you have no one to support you, nothing to hold you up. You're at the mercy of those you dismissed as less than nothing." Touma raised his fist. "Do you see now how weak you are?

"I've faced powerful enemies." He took a step closer.

"A man who could wave his right hand and pluck stars out of the sky..." Another step...

"A little girl who, somehow, managed to be head one of the world's most powerful magic cabals..." Another step...

"A specialist who never used the same spell twice..." Another still...

"A certain Number 1 esper in Academy City who's supposed to be completely untouchable thanks to his power to control any vector..." Closer still...

"The defense mechanism for a library of over a hundred-thousand magical grimoires..." One step more...

"A spoiled ojou-sama who gets all sparky and throws lightning at me when she's angry..." Touma now stood within easy reach of Corona. His voice fell on her like nails being pounded into a coffin. "...And others besides...so many more. You don't even come close to any of them."

Corona did not respond with words. Instead, she lunged forward, aiming the tip of her horn for the human's heart. Kamijou Touma's right hand was useless against this kind of attack. Even so, he didn't show the slightest trace of fear. He simply reached out with his left hand and caught Corona's horn. A slight tug pulled her thrust off course. As Corona stumbled from the counter, Touma's right fist slammed home on the side of her head, knocking her to the ground once again.

Her body trembling from exertion, Corona forced herself to stand up again. This time, she did not face towards Touma. Instead, she turned her back and fled, taking quivering, limping steps, trying her hardest to get away from this terrifyingly incomprehensible existence. With just two blows, he had done what Discord, Tirek, Grogar, or even Luna could not. With that right hand of his, he had done as much damage against her as the full force of the Elements of Harmony had done before. Desperately, Corona tried to escape, summoning as much magic as she could produce. It was agonizing, pulling together the tiny traces left over from her once mighty reserves. She gathered enough, just as Touma reached out a hand after her.

Corona vanished in a flash of light.

Kamijou Touma looked forlornly at the space the Tyrant Sun had once occupied, his hand still extended. Even though he had succeeded in stopping her, Touma a sense of failure still weighed down on him.

"Touma."

A soft voice called his attention to his side, where he saw Raindrops smiling up at him, tears in her eyes. In a single movement, she leapt up and chopped her hoof down at the top of his head.

THWACK

With a gurgling grunt, Touma dropped into a crouch, holding the top of his head, where he was certain he could feel a lump already forming. Raindrops touched back down, in front of him this time. "That's for trying to do everything yourself!"

"Fukou da," groaned the human for a moment.

By the time Touma managed to gather enough awareness to regain his standing position, a flash of silvery light announced the arrival of a dark-blue alicorn with a billowing starscape mane and tail.

"Princess Luna!" exclaimed Trixie, running to her teacher, who bent down to give her student an affectionate nuzzle.

"Thank goodness," breathed Luna, "When I sensed that my sister had returned, I tried to come as quickly as I could."

Touma scratched his head nervously. "Sorry Princess. I tried to help her, but it looks like she wasn't ready."

Luna let out a sad sigh. "Then we will have to wait until she confronts us again. It saddens me, but I hold out hope that Tia will someday let the walls around her heart fall."

Touma gave her an encouraging smile. "Well, as long as I'm here, I'll help as much as I ca-" Touma's speech cut off as the world tilted sideways at an alarming rate.

The Elements of Harmony and Princess Luna watched in stunned shock as Kamijou Touma collapsed silently to the ground, completely unconscious.

"Touma!" yelled Raindrops, rushing to his side and nudging him gently with her head. She looked up, her panicking eyes locking with Luna's. "He's not moving!"

"Let me see," said Carrot Top, coming up and leaning down to inspect him. She put an ear to his nose and mouth, noting that he was still breathing. She carefully looked over his body up and down before turning to the others. "It looks like his injuries caught up to him," she explained, "He'll need to go to the hospital. Some of those cuts need stitches. He actually has debris embedded in some of those wounds. There are plenty of burns, a few of his bones may be broken and he'll have amassed who knows how many internal injuries."

Luna let out a despondent sigh. "I'm afraid this is my fault for not getting here sooner."

Trixie directed a questioning look at Luna. "What did take you so long Princess?"

"It is strange," said Luna, "Though I came with all due haste, something kept me from getting here until the battle was over. It did not feel like a barrier in the sense that I understand them. I can only assume that it was some new magic my sister has created."

"Actually, that was me."

A sound like a bursting balloon echoed across the supposedly empty quarry. Trixie dropped to the ground. There was no sign of any attack, no indication that she had been struck by anything. She simply lost consciousness and fell over.

The noise sounded five more times. The other five slumped to the ground before they could even react. As Luna stared in stunned shock, all six of the Elements of Harmony were knocked out without the slightest warning. Before she could even blink, it was already over. Shocked beyond belief, she turned her head in the direction of the voice. When she saw its source, her eyes widened...

Author's Note

Sorry if I butchered Corona's dialogue. My Shakespeare courses were a long time ago.
Next chapter is the final one.

Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Long locks of golden hair swirled about pale skin and white garments that covered the body entirely. Outwardly, its form was human, not unlike that of Kamijou Touma, who lay unconscious on the ground. But it was obvious that it was not human. Its figure was thin, almost frail-looking, the shape of its body and face appearing more feminine than anything else. Its figure was too vaguely luminous to be mortal. Its expression seemed composed of many emotions at once and yet gave the sense of emotions that the Princess could not understand, instead just giving off a sense of overbearing calm above all else.

"Hello," it said.

"W-who-who are you?" stammered Luna, her mind faltering as she tried to piece together all the incomprehensible things that seemed to be happening at once.

"Let me explain," it said, before pausing slightly, "No, there is too much. Let me sum up. I am not certain what word in your world you might use to describe me, but among humans I am generally known as an skldjfANGELwncdu...I mean angel. Damn..."

Luna's ears flicked as she heard its voice distort strangely.

"I apologize," it said, "I'm afraid I cannot articulate that level of meaning in this world. In that sense, both your world and the world Kamijou Touma came from are on the same level. I will try to keep this understandable, but it will be...difficult.

"Suffice to say, I am an aneisEXISTENCEakcur...I mean existence that was called forth into Kamijou Touma's world by a magician named Aleister, who sought certain knowledge from me. You may call me Aiwass."

Luna's eyes narrowed. "But why are you here? What reason do you have to interfere in this world?"

Aiwass tilted its head, as though it didn't quite understand the question. "Is that not obvious? I came because Kamijou Touma is here, or rather, I have come to rectify that fact, to remove the foreign element I introduced to this world."

"What do you mean?"

Aiwass spread its arms. "Ah, but it is obvious when you think about it. Imagine Breaker, the power contained in Kamijou Touma's right hand, is the power to 'negate any supernatural phenomenon it comes in contact with.' Its capacity is effective even against the magic of this world, including the magic of your sister, whom he defeated. What then then is the essential question?"

The gears within Luna's mind clicked into place at the exact moment the words left Aiwass' mouth.

"If his power nullifies all forms of magic, how then did Celestia's magic bring him to this world without being neutralized itself?"

Luna's jaw dropped as she wondered how such an obvious question had escaped her. The time she and her mages had spent trying to find a way to return the human to his home had been stymied by that single fact lying in the secret of his right hand. And yet, for some reason, the question of how that had not hindered Corona's summoning of him in the first place, had evaded her.

Aiwass continued. "The answer is, because I enabled it to."

Luna blinked in confusion. "Why?"

"Because I was bored." There wasn't even the slightest hint of hesitation in its voice. "I sensed Celestia's intrusion into Kamijou Touma's world. I also sensed her magic try and bring him to this world. I was interested to see the effect the entity known as Kamijou Touma would have if he were to come to this world, so I prevented his power from destroying the spell."

Simmering anger gathered in Luna's gut as Aiwass spoke. It had allowed an innocent human to be displaced from his home and get thrown into a battle in which he had no reason to be involved solely for its own amusement. However, her temper was kept in check by the unfathomable strength that Aiwass had used to render Trixie and the others unconscious in an instant without the slightest hint of an attack.

Aiwass blinked and, for the first time, a truly recognizable expression appeared on its face, one of surprise. "This is intriguing. You are not reacting as I calculated. I had thought that when you heard that, you would have attacked me and been knocked down already. Perhaps that is the limit of my understanding in this world."

Luna frowned. "So what do you intend to do now?"

"Now that the diversion is over, I will bring Kamijou Touma back to his world. Since the timelines between your world and his are not enaciSYNCHklskn I mean linked, I will be able to return him to the exact moment he was taken without difficulty. I might have done otherwise, but Aleister does not want me to play around anymore, I will have to do as he wishes."

"So that's it?" asked Luna in frustration, "You throw this poor boy into this world for your own amusement. And when you've had your fun, you simply take him back as though nothing happened? Do you have no compassion for the lives he has touched?"

Aiwass frowned. "I would like to explain it to you fully, but I cannot remain in this world indefinitely. At best, I can wait until Aleister is finished before I will have to leave. You see, I am not actually 'here' in the sense that you understand it.

"I could technically say that I have aneifnAPPEARamvd...I mean appeared in the same manner that I have in Kamijou Touma's world, but that is insufficient." It sighed. "It is hard, compensating for the language; but I will try harder. Because I have been made to appear in Kamijou Touma's world, my...body...no...my form was derived from the concentrated AIM Diffusion fields in Academy City using the form of...well...you don't really need to hear that part. I have not actually appeared in this world. Rather, what you see before you is more akin to a projection, like using a prism to bend the path of light so that it can be directed to a different place.

"Suffice to say, I have had to utilize something in this world as a prism to allow me to...manifest...before you. To accomplish that, I used the...what word would work here...fragments, I suppose...yes, fragments in your possession right now."

Luna's horn glimmered, calling into being before her an ornate chest, tightly locked. Within were the weapons she had brought to allow Trixie and the others to fight Corona, the Elements of Harmony. "Are you saying that you used these to come to this world."

"A bit overly simple," said Aiwass, "But close enough to be considered correct. It surprised me to find something like this. In Kamijou Touma's world, those would most likely be considered spiritual items. But it is surprising to find such items that would allow one to wield power from the dkaieAEONcifscxif of Horus, even though the wielders are from Osiris' time."

"I don't understand," said Luna as Aiwass' attempts to explain again seemed to be stymied by the limitations of Equestrian language.

"I do not have the time to explain in full. Suffice to say that it is a higher order of power than what even you or your sister can command. How it operates is currently beyond your comprehension, though you may have ideas. It is at the same level as Imagine Breaker. There is also another in this world who possesses the same power. I believe those fragments may be what contained it."

Luna gulped, realizing just who Aiwass was referring to.

"To give you an example," Aiwass continued, "I would refer to Kamijou Touma's actions. His behavior here is not unique. He has done similar things back in his world. Though his power is considered to be nothing more than 'the ability to neutralize any supernatural phenomenon that comes into contact with his right hand' the things that he manages to accomplish seem impossible to one who possesses such a limited ability. Rather, he often accomplishes his goals, however impossible they may seem, through a unique confluence of circumstance, opportunity, and the actions of others. Some would simply call this phenomenon 'luck.' However, it could also be described as an extension of Kamijou Touma's true ability."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "True ability?"

Aiwass seemed to flinch, cocking its head as though it was listening to something or someone that Luna could not hear. "Ah. I am nearly out of time, so I had better finish what I can. The basic way of explaining it is that Imagine Breaker is not merely an ability that neutralizes supernatural phenomena. Rather, that is a secondary quality of its true nature. When powers clash, the power of a higher order will naturally erase a power of a lower order. This can be countered somewhat through the application of sheer volume, as your sister attempted during their battle. However, Touma perceives nullification to be his ability because he does not realize the true nature of Imagine Breaker."

Aiwass lifted its arm, hefting Kamijou Touma by the back of his shirt. Though it had not moved an inch from the spot where it had first appeared, it had picked up Touma as though it had been standing next to him all along. "I will have to leave it there, as my time is up. I will leave you with this. Should Kamijou Touma realize the truth of Imagine Breaker, even returning to this world would not be beyond his capability. Even without my interference, you may yet see him again. Moreover, if your ponies come to truly understand how to use the fragments, the inverse may be possible as well.

"Aleister wishes for me to erase Kamijou Touma's memories to prevent them from affecting his calculations. But forcing Kamijou Touma to endure further damage to his brain would also be problematic, so I will compromise instead. I shall partition Kamijou Touma's memories of this incident and take them into the kmcjrtRECORDrnaosl, where they will remain sealed until he has obtained wjislaACCESSklejfha. Accomplishing that should fulfill the criteria that is needed for Kamijou Touma to return to this world. It is not much, but I will leave you what little hope I can."

Aiwass' lips curled in an acceptable approximation of a smile. "Farewell. It has been...interesting."

And then, Aiwass was gone, and Kamijou Touma with it. There was no fanfare, no breaking apart of their forms like scattering dust. One second they were there, the next, they simply...weren't.

Luna looked at the prone forms of her ponies in concern. They were beginning to stir now. She wondered how she would break the news to them. They had all become quite attached to the human in the time he had spent in Equestria, Raindrops in particular. She had the feeling that they would not take Touma's abrupt departure very well at all.

Even as Luna appeared before Touma and the others, Celestia managed to return to her temporary lair. She slumped to the ground, her body exhausted from the magic she had used. Zecora, upon seeing Celestia's arrival, moved to help her. Looking around at the modest trappings of her temporary home, Celestia let out a sigh of relief. She was safe.

"That maggot!" she gasped, "That vermin! How could such a creature best me in open battle with nothing more than his primitive fists?"

"It is not so difficult to imagine. That hand once struck down a foe who could legitimately have been said to have reached the level of La Persona Superiore a Dio. Compared to that, a strength such as yours is a paltry thing."

DON!

Celestia let out a cry of pain as she slammed into the stone wall of the room with enough force to crack the rock, leaving an imprint of her form in the wall. Zecora whirled about, unsure about whether to run to her queen's side or strike at her attacker, but was spared the decision when another attack batted the zebra across the room, knocking her unconscious in an instant.

With a low groan, Celestia lifted her head to look at her attacker. It was another human, but completely different from Kamijou Touma. His body had the appearance of a man, yet also a woman, that of an adult, yet also a child, that of a saint, yet also a sinner. His silvery hair cascaded down past his shoulders and his body was clothed in a plain green gown. Celestia realized in an instant that, in her condition, she was no match for this interloper. No! She realized, even if she were at the peak of her strength, she would be no match for the human before her.

"Wh-what do you want," she managed to gasp.

"I have come to fetch that which you have taken," said the man simply, "Actually, Aiwass is taking care of that, I suppose. So instead, I have come to impress upon you the importance of not reaching beyond your station. The Imagine Breaker that you stole from me is an important piece in my plans."

"That right hand? Or is it that thing within the arm?" asked Celestia.

"It is not something you need concern yourself with," replied the man easily, "One such as you is fixed to this world's equivalent of the Aeon of Osiris. You have no hope of grasping the truth in your current state."

"What do you want with me then?"

"I had thought to completely relieve you of the memory of your encounter with Imagine Breaker. However, if I did that, I imagine that you might be motivated to meddle with my world once again. You are fortunate that he can be returned to the same time he was taken, so your actions will not alter my calculations once the proper steps have been taken. It is only for that reason that you remain alive. Instead, I will make certain that you are unable to breach the boundaries between our worlds again."

He lifted his hand, as though grasping an invisible staff. Even though she could not see anything, Celestia could feel the presence of something that did not exist in the same sense that she did, something that gave the illusion of a silver staff.

"And so, Celestia Equestris, I shall leave you with this final impression, that you might confine your antics to this world from now on."

"Who are you?" asked Celestia as the man raised the staff.

"You may know me as Aleister Crowley. There is nothing more to be said." He swung the staff and Celestia knew pain like she had never known before.

It was cool in the shade beneath the tree. Raindrops' blank stare settled at a vaguely upward angle, as though she was contemplating the empty sky. The battle had only been a few hours ago. Fortunately, because the quarry was a safe distance away from town, no damage had been done to Ponyville. The ponies had resumed their lives with little fanfare, content in having escaped Corona's wrath yet again. Some, like Applejack, seemed even more at ease, knowing that Touma was no longer living among them.

Raindrops hadn't said a word. She had simply gone to the tree where she had spent many an hour with Touma, watching the world go by, and sat. Nopony bothered her. Given her reputation, nopony wanted to provoke her either, so they let her be.

As it was, she was barely conscious of the warm body settling at her side. Trixie rested next to her, leaning up against the jasmine pegasus lightly. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, slowly, Raindrops lowered her head and rested it against Trixie's shoulder. The tears leaking from Raindrops' eyes were few and far between and her sobs were almost inaudible, but they didn't escape Trixie's notice.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

"We woke up," said Raindrops, her voice choked, "And he was just gone. I...I...I didn't even get to say goodbye!"

Trixie reached out with her foreleg and pulled Raindrops against her. "He really was important to you, wasn't he?"

"He was the first pony-I mean the first person in a long time to really get through to me," she said, "I don't think I've felt that anypony understood me as well as he did."

"So what will you do?" asked Trixie.

Raindrops' gave one last sniffle before lifting her head and smiling at Trixie. "I'll see him again someday," she declared, "And when I do, I'm going to show him that he was right about me, that I can change."

"Will you wait for him?"

Raindrops shook her head. "Nah. He wouldn't want me to waste my life just waiting around. Besides, I won't be able to change anything if I just do nothing. No. Someday, I'll find him and show him what I've made of myself."

"I'm glad to hear that," said Trixie, "We'll all help as much as we can."

"Thanks Trixie," said Raindrops. Together, they turned and relaxed, watching the sky as the day went by around them. Even though he had appeared in their lives abruptly and disappeared just as quickly, there was no question of the impression that Kamijou Touma had left upon the world. Even though he was gone for now, he had left behind the hope that gave them the strength to move forward.

Author's Note

Yeah, I know it's a bit of a cheap trick to have someone show up and restore the status quo with a wave of his hand, but I'd been planning this from the word "go." Besides, Aiwass is best Deus Ex Machina, particularly since, in the Toaruverse, he technically ranks higher than God.

And so, this is it for the story, for now. I might throw some omakes in later on down the line, some "what if" bits purely for comedy value.