Delta Guardian: Heart of the Dragon
by Gale the Anarchist
First published
What happened to this girl was a tragedy. What is going to happen is a horror. What these lead to? Well that's just a mystery...
With what Zoey Kazoku had gone through already in her life, being locked away in a mental asylum seemed to be the cherry on the proverbial sundae.
Three years passed, and still she was stuck in those padded walls. Testing, therapy, food, washing, sleep, rinse, repeat.
But what this poor, unfortunate young woman doesn't realize quite yet... is that Fate has other plans for her...
And not all of them are for the better...
The Reboot of Delta Guardian is here - behold, the Heart of the Dragon!
I'm gonna try and focus more on my own story with this one, reduce crossovers, keep the world to my control, that sorta thing.
As with it's predecessor, Delta Guardian: Heart of the Dragon is a Displaced story.
Also as with it's predecessor, Delta Guardian: Heart of the Dragon is a Crossover between MLP:FiM and the Pokemon franchise.
Edited by SnapDrakeGames
0 - Prologue
Diary and Journal of the Delta Guardian
Friday 14th of October, Year 43 AD (After Darkness)Wow. I can’t believe it’s been forty-three years already… and yet, according to the others, I don’t look a day over twenty. Guess that’s the benefits of being a Draconid, longevity and all that.
Hello to anyone reading this. Not sure why anyone would be reading my journal, but who knows, maybe it became some valuable museum piece in the future, maybe people are studying me.
Hope their pants aren’t too tight. Heh.
Anyway, yeah, hi. As you can probably tell, I’m Zinnia. Well, as this is the first entry I suppose I should start at the beginning, best way to tell a story and all. So yeah, where to begin… Oh, yeah! How did I come to Equestria?
Well, it went a little something like this. To begin with, my name wasn’t always Zinnia...
Pleasant Hills Memorial Mental Health Asylum, built on the border of the small town of Goldfield. While to the general populace it was a place of care, meant to help those with damaged psyche to heal and recuperate, it meant something different to any unlucky enough to find themselves as patients.
To them, it was just a little slice of Hell.
A loud banging sounded out in one of the many cells within the hospital, the distinctive sound of a doctor’s fist impacting with the metal barrier ringing in the ears of the young woman within.
“Patient 2615525, I am entering your cell!” A man’s voice called out with a deep, authoritative tone. “Remain distanced from the door!” A few moments of silence followed before the doctor gave another loud thud on the door. “Patient 2615525!”
“I heard ya!” the woman shouted back sharply from her position on the small, padded-metal frame bed, her back to the door. She sighed as the familiar sound of the three individual locks on her door - which she was assured were for her own safety - sliding open, sitting up as her long, raven-black hair fell around her face and looking around the room.
Just the same as every other day, the only things that met her vision were the pristine, white, padded walls of the cell, the cold steel door set into one wall (padded on her side, of course), and the single other piece of furniture in the room - an uncomfortable three-legged stool, the colour of old, rotted wood but yet still apparently good enough for her. As the door swung open, the young woman turned her scarlet eyes to him, a glare forming on her brow.
“Hello again, Patient 2615525,” the doctor said as he stepped in. A tall, skinny man with neatly brushed brown hair and a pair of simple black spectacles resting upon his nose, the doctor made his way into her room with all the confidence in the world, his neatly pressed lab coat ruffling only slightly in the breeze it felt from his movement.
“Don’t call me that,” the woman grunted, refusing to meet his gaze as she allowed her unkempt fringe to cover her face. “You know my name. You know everything about me, it’s all in those charts of yours. I wasn’t allowed any shred of privacy in your screenings.”
“Come now, Patient 2615525,” the doctor sighed, straightening his glasses with his palm. “You know full well by this point that that was a necessary process in order to best judge the actions to take with your recovery.” The woman just grunted again, turning away from him as much as she could in her straightjacket. “Alright then, if it would make you more receptive, I shall call you by your name. Is that more acceptable to you… Zoey?” he asked, pausing to check his clipboard.
“Feh,” Zoey spat, allowing him to see her cynical smirk as she shook her head. “Care so much you had to check your little board… yeah, that’s ‘acceptable’ to me,” she allowed. “So whaddya want?”
The doctor shook his head, turning to a blank sheet in his clipboard and noting something down. “I was merely here to inform you of a new program that we are initiating,” he said after a moment. “The more healthy and well-behaved patients are being allowed attendance to the local gaming convention in a week’s time, and will even be allowed to dress in costume. Patient Identification badges will be distributed of course, but-”
“What?” Zoey demanded coldly, cutting off the doctor’s words. “You’re telling me… you want me to go to a convention?” she continued, turning to him with a silent anger in her eyes. “You know full well why I’m here, and you’re even suggesting that?!”
“I would suggest you calm yourself,” the doctor warned her. “Whilst you are correct that we are well aware of your elder brother’s disappearance at one of these events, the board believes the fastest road to your recovery is to face this problem directly. A costume has already been chosen and purchased for you based on recorded interests and references to your personal appearance.” Pausing for a moment, the doctor once more flipped through the sheets on his clipboard before turning it to Zoey, showing an image of a character all-too familiar to her.
“...Zinnia?” she asked in confusion, blinking twice before a slight smile crossed her face as her anger at the situation seemed to bleed away. “Heh, good times. And I guess I do look kinda like her… I’d need a haircut though, pretty sure I haven’t had one since I… checked in.”
The doctor nodded in satisfaction, pulling back his extended arm and flipping to his notes on the clipboard, once more scribbling across the page. “I have already arranged for Nurse Patricia to provide just that service for you, Zoey. She will be visiting you later today, at precisely sixteen-hundred.”
“Four o’clock,” Zoey deadpanned, rolling her eyes.
“Quite,” he continued, nodding in confirmation as he stood before checking his clipboard once more. “Oh, and you have also been deemed safe enough to remove your straightjacket and have free roaming during the day. Do try not to squander this privilege.” As he spoke, the doctor moved over to Zoey’s side, reaching behind her to undo the clasps on her jacket and allowing it to fall to the floor, revealing her bare, olive-skinned chest. At his stern gaze, the young woman rolled her eyes, lifting the sheets of her bed to cover her modesty. “I would also suggest you work on your social etiquette,” the doctor added before turning and heading for the door, leaving the heavy steel portal open as he strode away.
Zoey looked down at herself, arms finally free again after so long that she barely remembered what they looked like. Slender, olive-skinned, with just the slightest hint of muscle below from her days training for self-defense - you could never be too careful. She smiled as she ran her left hand up her right arm, faltering as her fingertips brushed the tattoo on the back of her shoulder, a simple heart design with ‘Nathan’ written inside in cursive.
Trembling slightly, Zoey fell back onto her bed, curling up as a stray tear fell down her face.
“...I miss you…”
Hours later, Zoey sat on the rotted-looking stool in her room, now clothed in a black tank top with red collar, red claw designs curling around her breasts, and a pair of simple, dark green shorts. A pale brown cloak sat on her bed.
Staring into the large, full-body mirror that had been provided, the young woman couldn’t help but stare at the nurse behind her as her hair was cut and trimmed. The nurse in question was filipino, with skin kissed by the sun to give her the perfect tan. Long, pink hair cascaded down her back, and her uniform clearly struggled to contain her bountiful bust, even considering the amount of cleavage that she showed with her buttons left undone.
“And that should be…” Patricia muttered, leaning in close as she trimmed a few stray hairs on the side of Zoey’s head. “Just… about… it!” Standing straight, the busty nurse took a small brush from the bag at her hip, using it to brush the hairs off of Zoey’s shoulders. “What’cha think hun?”
“It’s…” Zoey muttered, a slight blush on her face as she tried not to stare at the nurse’s reflection. “It’s perfect. I can’t thank you enough, Patty.”
“Hey, no worries,” Patricia shot back with a smile, packing her tools away before pausing. “Y’know, I can’t help but get a sense of deja vu here…”
“What do you mean?” Zoey asked in confusion as she stood, brushing off her knees.
“Oh, nothing dear,” the nurse replied with a smile, waving off any concerns. “So how are you feeling about going to this con?”
“Oh,” Zoey muttered, looking down nervously as she rubbed at her arm. “I… I don’t know… I mean, it’ll be good to get out of this place even for a day, but… going there…”
“Yeah…” Patty sighed, nodding solemnly. “I’m sorry hun, if it were up to me you wouldn’t have to go, but the higher ups do really think it’d be good for you.” Silence filled the room for a time before Patty seemed to brighten up, reaching into into her bag. “Oh!” she cried. “Almost forgot, I got you something for your costume!”
Overcome by curiosity, Zoey turned around, eyes widening as she watched Patty pull a large, metallic anklet out, painted a deep cobalt blue and fashioned to imitate a great, coiling dragon, a gemstone roughly the size of a small marble embedded in it’s head. Raised sections formed a pattern along the body, accentuated by the black lines painted along the surface.
“Oh wow…” Zoey breathed, eyes wide as she took the anklet in her hands shakily. “Patty, I…”
“No thanks necessary,” Patty chuckled, brushing her nails off on her uniform as she headed for the door. “Just try to enjoy yourself where you’re going, alright hun?” With that and a quick smile, the nurse turned the corner, disappearing down the hall.
“I will!” Zoey called after her, a wide smile on her face as she moved to her bed, fastening the anklet to her leg before throwing the cloak on over her shoulder. As she stood before the mirror, however, a thought crossed her mind. “Wait a minute... what did she-”
The sound of an explosion followed by the ground beginning to shake furiously cut her off, throwing the young girl to the ground. Quickly regaining her balance, Zoey pushed herself to her feet, looking up just in time to see the walls of the asylum get torn away by gargantuan, emerald claws, a great hulking beast of a Dragon peering in the newly-created hole, it’s emerald scales glittering in the sunlight that rushed in. Glowing yellow markings covered its serpentine body, matching yellow eyes seeming to study her for a time before the creature seemed to smile, bearing it’s razor-sharp fangs.
The last thing Zoey saw as the Dragon snapped it’s hungry jaws around her form was a bright, rainbow-coloured light…
~ End Prologue ~
1 - The Story Truly Begins...
Diary and Journal of the Delta Guardian
Friday 15th of October, Year 43 ADSo, yeah. Pretty big start to the story, I know. Mental patient who got eaten by a Dragon? Who could believe that!?
Heh, well, lemme tell ya. If by the end of this journal you still think that’s the strangest thing about me? Well, you’re gonna wanna read through this again.
So anyway, what happened next… ah, right.
The next time Zoey opened her eyes, what greeted her was not the padded white walls of the cell she was so familiar with. Instead, what she looked upon was the open sky, a vast expanse of blue that seemed to fill her with a sense of pure freedom. After a moment of just gazing up into the air, the young woman seemed to register that she was lying prone on her back, climbing to her feet and taking in her surroundings.
Ancient, sandy stone seemed to have constructed a low wall around her, no higher than her knees on all sides and built in the shape of a triangle. A raised platform stood in the centre, with a shrine-like stone at the far side. Curiously, Zoey walked to the edge of the area and peered over the wall, practically leaping back when she saw no ground below, only a thick layer of clouds.
“What the hell!?!” Zoey cried out in fear, moving as far from the edge of the apparent tower as possible before spinning in place, eyes darting to every small detail as she tried to process what was happening to her. “Where am I!?”
‘Be calm, child,’ a voice spoke soothingly, deeper than Zoey could even imagine and carrying a sense of authority so great that she couldn’t help but obey, her breathing becoming less ragged as her heartbeat slowed.
“H-hello?” she called out unsurely, looking around herself as she tried to identify the source of the voice. “Who’s there?”
Silence reigned for a moment before a sense of pure, overwhelming power washed over the young woman, practically forcing her to her knees as a massive, emerald-scaled serpent came into her vision. Scarlet eyes locked onto amber, widening as Zoey realised just what had appeared before her, and where she was.
“...you gotta be shitting me…” she breathed in amazement, jaw hanging open as she simply gawked at the Rayquaza before her.
‘Nay, young one,’ the same voice spoke again, the Rayquaza’s eyes seeming to glint as it did so. ‘Thine eyes doth not betray thee. Before you doth stand Rayquaza, son of Arceus and Lord of the Atmosphere.’ After a moment of silence, the gigantic serpent seemed to chuckle bodilly before smiling down at her. ‘Although, thou art not truly knelt before me and mine shrine. Thou art truly unconscious, allowing me to speak to thee in thine mind.’
Zoey nodded slowly, looking around herself as it finally clicked on where she was. “Sky Pillar…” she breathed in awe, eyes wide as she ran her hand over the ancient stone beneath her, dust and dirt sticking to her flesh.
‘Indeed, child,’ Rayquaza chuckled in clear amusement, grabbing her attention once more. ‘I called thy mind here so that I may teach thee, and that I may beseech thy forgiveness.’
“What do you mean?” Zoey asked, confusion once more overtaking her features. Rayquaza merely sighed, allowing it’s gargantuan head to droop momentarily.
‘Tis a long story…’
Jutting out from the side of the tallest mountain in Equestria, with towering spires made of polished marble and sparkling gold throughout its many cobblestoned streets, hangs the bustling capital of Canterlot.
To the north of this gleaming capitol stood the undeniably tallest building, reaching high into the heavens with golden spires perched atop the ivory walls. Lush green gardens spanned the grounds, broken up by flower arrangements, wildlife areas, a hedge maze, and even a statue garden, all of which could be seen from the castle’s main throne room.
Up on one of the many tower balconies, Princess Celestia stood, the ivory mare’s pastel-coloured mane flowing in the ethereal breeze that seemed to follow her around. Robed in naught but a nightgown sewn from the finest silk and as light as gossamer, shimmering pink in the golden glow of her own horn as it flowed over her generously voluptuous curves.
To the general populace of Equestria, the sun began to set on it’s own, as it did every day, and no visible difference occurred with the gargantuan ball of burning hydrogen. To Celestia’s age-old eyes, however, the sun gained an extra golden glow - the colour of her magic - as it wrapped around the celestial body, reigning in it’s burning power for another night as she coaxed it past the horizon.
“Another sunset,” a familiar voice spoke, silky and cultured. This caused Celestia to smile as the moon rose in the sky, surrounded by a silver-blue glow. She turned to her side as her sister stepped up, the Princess of the Night dressed in a regal, midnight blue gown with shimmering silver stars that complimented her onyx regalia perfectly, her star-dotted mane flowing in the same ethereal breeze as Celestia’s. “And another moonrise. I hope you have good dreams tonight, sister.”
“Thank you, Luna,” Celestia chuckled, stepping forward to give her sister a hug, which Luna returned gladly. “I do wish there was more time in the day that we could spend together, but…”
“I know, Tia,” Luna sighed, though a small smile still sat upon her lips. “But we must see to our duties, and be sure we are rested enough to do so. If this means our worlds are connected by but a mere hour in the day, so be it.”
Celestia sighed deeply, shaking her head ruefully. “When did you go and grow up so much, Lulu?” she asked sadly, giving a loving smile. “What happened to my little Woona?”
A dark blush crossed Luna’s cheeks. “I told you not to call me that anymore!” she shrieked suddenly, eyes flying wide in shock as she realised her outburst.
Celestia, meanwhile, merely stood there, staring at her sister for a time before a smirk cracked her bewildered visage. Quiet giggles began to slip past the Solar Princess’s lips before she fell into a peal of boisterous laughter, having to grip the railings of the balcony to keep from falling. Luna stared for a time, baffled at her sister’s sudden change, before slowly beginning to laugh herself, the sounds of both princess’ joy echoing out in the night air.
This continued for a while before, eventually, Celestia managed to regain her composure, taking deep breaths to calm herself as Luna did the same. As time passed, both sisters resigned to merely staring out over the balcony at the night sky, content smiles on both of their faces.
“Your Night truly is beautiful, Luna”, Celestia said eventually, glancing at her sister and chuckling as a dark blush once more graced the lunar mare’s cheeks. “I don’t think you hear that enough.”
“Th-thank you…” Luna muttered, staring out across her creation with a smile, her eyes lingering upon the Moon. “Celestia?” she asked, speaking up after a few minutes of silence.
“Hmm?” the Solar Princess hummed, looking over at her sister. “What is it, Lulu?”
“Do…” Luna began, wringing her hands together nervously. “Do you think that… that They will ever…”
In a single, swift motion, Celestia moved along the balcony, sweeping Luna into a close, loving embrace that made the younger Alicorn blush as her head was pressed gently against her sister’s bust. “It’s okay, Luna,” Celestia whispered soothingly, gently stroking her sister’s mane. “They won’t. We’ll make sure of it.
Nodding, Luna returned the embrace, giving a quiet sigh of relief. “Thank you, sister…” she muttered.
“Of course.”
After a while, the sisters separated, smiles on each of their faces as they turned and moved into the tower. As the doors swung softly shut, however, a light streaked across the sky, emerald green contrails wisping behind it…
“So lemme get this straight…” Zoey began, drumming her fingers on her leg irritably as she sat cross-legged in the centre of Sky Pillar’s pinnacle, staring up at the emerald serpent that hovered before her. “You’re telling me that, due to some multiversal BS, I’m basically dead in my world and now your physical body is bringing mine to some other world?”
‘Correct,’ Rayquaza said, nodding.
“...and there are Pokemon in this world?” the girl continued, causing the Sky High Dragon to nod again. “But it’s not the Pokemon world I know.”
‘Nay, tis not,’ Rayquaza confirmed, shaking his head. ‘Tis a world where those you know as Legendary are that and more. Tis a world with no human presence, instead populated by races reminiscent of Human mythos, with human-like bodies.’
Zoey just nodded, pushing herself to her feet as she moved to the edge of the tower, looking over into the cloud barrier below. “Eh, I’ve heard weirder,” she shrugged, turning her back to the edge. “Y’know a guy in that asylum thought he was being raised by a bunch of sentient gemstones with bodies made of light?”
Rayquaza chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. ‘I hath no doubt that thy strange encounters will continue, child,’ he replied with a laugh. ‘But for now, thou must return to the waking world. Thou hast arrived.’
Zoey nodded, crossing her arms over her bust. “Alright then, how do I do that?” she asked, raising a brow when Rayquaza just seemed to nod at the edge of the plateau. “Jump?” she asked, receiving another nod in response, to which the young woman merely shrugged. “Alrighty then.”
With that, Zoey let her body tip backwards, gravity doing the rest as she fell from the tower, wind streaming past her ears. As she fell, Rayquaza seemed to follow after her, almost seeing her off as he spoke again, the cloud barrier rushing closer.
‘I near forgot,’ the drake said. ‘Thy name is no longer Zoey, tis instead Z-’
2 - Waking Up
Diary and Journal of the Delta Guardian
Friday 22nd of October, Year 43 ADProbably won’t be adding much commentary on my story from now on, unless of course it’s something major, or I think you might need a warning. Just a courtesy, y’know?
But yeah. This part of the story is… I dunno. I guess it’s what you’d expect somepony to do when a flaming meteor crashes into their back yard. Or the equivalent thereof at the time, I suppose.
Trixie was a simple mare, in her own eyes. She had simple wants and simple needs. All she wanted was to be loved and adored by all of Equestria, and all that she needed was the undivided attention of the masses as she went from her jewel-encrusted mansion to the stages that the privileged ponies that booked her built in her honor.
...At least, that was what she used to think she wanted. Certain events had shattered that vision, making her realise that all she really wanted was to make ponies happy with her performances, and all she really needed was her little caravan and the memories she made on the road. Granted, the fame and fortune would be nice, but she didn’t need it anymore.
The travelling showmare had made camp on the outskirts of the Whitetail Woods, a simple resting point as night fell on her journey across the Equestrian wilderness. Of course, with camp came work and she had spent the better part of the afternoon gathering firewood, restocking her water, and being sure her shelter was properly maintained.
After making sure her camp was good enough, Trixie had set about her cooking. A simple rabbit stew that sat bubbling in a pot over a relatively small campfire. While eating meat was a rather large taboo for most of Ponykind, Trixie liked it. There was nothing quite like the taste, especially when it was cooked just right. The juices that splashed across her tongue with every slow, savouring bite… there was just no substitute, and any attempt to make one in the past had left her feeling quite ill.
Trixie was currently lay back on the ground, a blanket beneath her as she stared up at the stars. Hat and cloak alike had been stored away within her caravan, hung from the hook that was their home when not worn, the showmare instead lay in a pair of blue jogging pants and a silver tank top that matched her mane. Letting out a soft sigh, the magician closed her eyes, attempting for a moment to bring her thoughts under control.
“Ponyville…” she began, speaking aloud into the night air, “was a disaster. I know I stretch the truth a little sometimes, but really, what were those colts thinking!? Luring an Ursa Minor into town was just… ugh, so stupid…” Pausing for a moment, Trixie sighed once again, covering her eyes with her palms. “And all my fault… guess I can’t go around telling kids I do all that stuff anymore… and that’s if my reputation isn’t ruined to the point I can’t get a gig anyway…”
With a groan, Trixie pushed herself up slightly, leaning back on her hands as she stared up at the sky once again. “What am I gonna do…?” she asked herself quietly, desperately searching for an answer in the stars. After a moment, the showmare blinked, confused as a streak of emerald green light shot across the tapestry of Princess Luna’s night.
With a wave of her hand and a pink flash of her horn, a small telescope flew from Trixie’s caravan straight into her grip, where she proceeded to point it at the sky above. She peered through. Just as she’d thought, the object streaking across the sky was a shooting star, though the emerald flames that made up its contrails struck her as odd.
Lowering the telescope, Trixie stared at the star as it travelled across the sky, finding that the sight provided her with an odd sense of clarity. After a moment, a memory rose to the surface of her mind, surprising her with its unprompted arrival.
”Remember girls,” a middle-aged mare spoke, smiling down at a young Trixie and a second filly, coloured the same hue as a blue flame, with a two-tone mane of charcoal and white. “Whenever you see a shooting star, make a wish, and one way or another it will come true.”
“Wow!” young Trixie cried, lilac eyes sparkling in wonder. “Is that true Mama? Really?”
“Of course,” the other fillie laughed, pushing the young Trixie lightly. “Ms. Lulamoon never lies!”
“Not to you two, at least,” Trixie’s mother joked, causing both fillies to burst out giggling.
A smile found its way onto Trixie’s face as the memory drew to a close, her gaze lifting once again as she traced the shooting star’s path. Nodding to herself, the showmare clasped her hands together, closing her eyes tight as she thought of the right words to say.
“I wish…” she began, pausing for a moment as her smile faded. “I wish something would change…”
Opening her eyes once more, Trixie looked back to the shooting star, watching it until it disappeared over the horizon, and for a few moments after she stared after it, as though expecting something to happen. When nothing did, however, she sighed, standing and heading back into her caravan, the campfire dying out with an absent water-concentrator spell that drew the moisture from the air.
As she pulled the door to her caravan closed, Trixie cast one last look in the direction of the star… and smiled. Somehow, she felt something very good would be coming soon.
Something very bad had come.
Trixie stared with wide, terrified eyes at the emerald blaze that was tearing through the forest, for once thankful for being woken up in the middle of the night, as that had given her time enough to move her caravan far enough away from the flames to keep herself safe.
Pokemon scurried and galloped and stampeded away from the forest in a panic, some weaving between her legs and others leaping over her abandoned campsite. At one point, she caught sight of a pair of Sawsbuck attempting to escape even as flaming trees crashed down around them. Without a second thought, she sent a pulse of magic their way, blasting the fallen trees away to clear a path for the creatures, both of whom quickly took the chance to flee.
A sharp tugging at her hair managed to pull Trixie’s gaze from the blaze, causing her to spin around with a yelp only to lock eyes with a small, floating Pokemon, coloured a grey-blue with pink highlights at the ends of each of the many hair-like appendages atop its head. Red eyes with yellow sclera stared back at her, a string of five crimson gemstones glittering in the firelight around the Misdreavus’ neck.
“Um…” Trixie muttered, starting to feel a little uncomfortable with how the Ghost Pokemon was just staring at her. After a moment, however, the Misdreavus floated around her, moving towards the still-burning forest and looking back as though it wanted her to follow. When she didn’t move, however, it rolled its eyes before floating back over and grabbing her hair in its mouth, pulling harshly towards the forest.
“H-hey!” Trixie cried, staggering forward from the initial pull before catching herself, pulling her hair back. “What’s wrong with you!?”
“Mis!” the Misdreavus shot back, using its whole body to try and point her into the forest.
“I’m not going in there!” the showmare screeched, eyes wide. Misdreavus shook its head, finally deciding to ignore her as it turned and flew into the blaze itself, making Trixie’s eyes widen in shock. “H-hey, wait!” she called, biting her lip nervously for a moment before throwing up a basic shielding spell and hurrying after the Pokemon, weaving around any still-standing trees as she attempted to keep the Screech Pokemon in her line of sight.
However, focusing on the Ghost ahead of her proved to be Trixie’s downfall, as an unseen root that stuck out of the ground caught her foot, causing the showmare to trip and fall. As she pushed herself up, Trixie froze, a loud cracking sound echoing through the forest. Looking up, she saw a blazing tree branch breaking away from the tree, having time enough to scream before it fell, certain this would be her end.
A wave of psychic energy shot through the branch as it approached the showmare, splintering the wood and sending shards scattering over the ground. Trixie blinked in surprise, heart racing as she looked up to see the Misdreavus floating above her, concern in its distinctly feminine eyes.
“Th-thank you…” Trixie breathed, climbing to her feet as the Misdreavus nodded and continued on its way. She made sure to stick close to the Ghost this time.
Trixie and Misdreavus hurried through the forest together after that, the showmare keeping a magical barrier around them to protect from any other falling debris as the Ghost Pokemon cleared their path with its Psywave attack, blasting fallen trees apart. At one point, Trixie glanced back, managing a smile as she saw that the Pokemon of the forest were using the path they had carved in order to escape faster as well. After a time, the showmare skidded to a halt, eyes wide in shock as she stared down at what lay before her with Misdreavus at her side.
A massive crater, easily the size of a small neighbourhood - if not bigger - and deep enough that, if Trixie were to stand on her own shoulders ten times, she would still only just reach the top. Shaking off those thoughts, however, drew the showmare’s eyes to what lay in the center of the crater. Not a meteorite, or even a spaceship - that idle thought told Trixie she needed to cut down on the comic books - but…
“Is that a person?!”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Trixie leapt over the edge of the crater, sliding down the steep decline on her rear. She had to make sure they were okay. If this person was in the middle of the crater… that did not bode well for their health, to say the least.
Upon reaching the prone figure - a woman, Trixie noticed with a blush as she rolled her over, revealing the burned and charred clothing beneath the tattered brown cloak that had covered her backside beforehand - the first thing that the showmare made sure of was her pulse. Years of working with pyrotechnics had lead to Trixie taking at least a basic course in First Aid, meaning it was almost instinctual as she reached for the woman’s neck, placing two fingers to the flesh just beneath her jaw. After a moment, Trixie released a breath she hadn’t realised she was holding - there was a pulse, and it was a strong one.
Looking around, Trixie resolved that staying in the centre of the impact site was not a good idea. After making sure the woman could breath properly, and that she was adequately covered up - an awkward process, as Trixie steadfastly refused to touch anywhere inappropriately for fear of any repercussions should the strange woman awaken - a gentle purple light surrounded her, lifting both the stranger and the showmare out of the crater before setting Trixie gently on the edge. Looking around for a moment, Trixie allowed herself a smile as her Misdreavus companion floated to her side, nodding silently before moving to clear the path ahead of them. The return trip seemed like it would be much easier.
Zoey awoke with a groan, pushing herself into a sitting position before grabbing her head in pain. Her skull throbbed in agony, the feeling of a truck smashing into her coursing through her head every time she tried to open her eyes.
“One Hell of a hangover…” Zoey muttered, rubbing at her temples in an attempt to reduce the pain. “Fuck, didn’t think they’d let me drink… hope I can have some coffee or something…”
“Trixie placed a pot on the fire ten minutes ago.”
Zoey paused. Cracking open an eye, she glanced at the woman across from her, idly taking in the fact that she was covered in a coarse-looking blue fur and had long, silver-blue hair. A horn also shot out from her forehead. Wordlessly, Zoey looked around herself, recognising the telltale signs of a stereotypical traveller’s caravan.
Looking back to the blue woman, Zoey sighed. “Okay, what drugs did you slip me?” she asked tiredly.
“W-what!?” the blue woman cried indignantly, causing Zoey to flinch as her head throbbed in pain once more.
“Nevermind!” Zoey shot back hurriedly. “Just… keep your voice down… head hurts…”
“Oh, sorry,” the woman replied, being sure to stay quieter. “So, um…”
“Who are you?” Zoey asked suddenly, cutting off the stranger’s words. “And more importantly, where am I? Obviously not the hospital, they would never give me anything this nice…”
“Oh, this is Trixie’s home,” the woman answered easily, gesturing around the space that, while large enough for someone on their own, felt rather cramped at the moment. “Trixie is a travelling magician, bringing joy to the fillies and colts of Equestria.”
“Uh-huh,” Zoey muttered, nodding along. “And… ignoring that you sound crazy, who is this Trixie?”
The woman blinked, tilting her head to the side for a second before seeming to come to a realisation and pointing to herself. “Sorry, I have a habit of slipping into the third person when around others. It's something from my performances that just kinda became a tic. I’m Trixie.”
Again, Zoey nodded, before shivering. It was then that she noticed she was sat covered by naught but the cloak of her costume. “Right… okay then Trixie, one more question. For now at least.” Looking up to Trixie, Zoey opened her cloak, raising a brow as the blue woman’s face erupted into a crimson blush. “Where are my clothes?”
“Th-they were destroyed when I f-found you,” Trixie replied, averting her gaze as much as possible within the small space. “I-I covered you the best I could, b-but… you can borrow some of Trix-” She paused, cursing under her breath before continuing. “Some of my clothes if you like. At least until you get your own.”
Zoey nodded. That seemed plausible enough. Closing the cloak around herself again, she looked around. “So… we’re in your caravan, which is in… Equestria, did you say?”
“Yes,” Trixie replied, chancing a peek before sighing in relief and turning to give Zoey her full attention. “We’re about a week’s travel from Ponyville, and I’m on my way towards Applewood right now.”
Sighing deeply, Zoey shook her head. “Are we moving now?” she asked, receiving a shake of the head from Trixie in answer. “Good. That gives you the option of getting out while I get dressed, I really don’t care if you watch though. Where do you keep the clothes you wear the least.”
Blushing once more, Trixie pointed to a small chest in the back of the caravan, watching in interest as Zoey stood up and moved in that same direction. She promptly vacated the caravan when the woman threw her cloak off, revealing her bare skin without a care in the world.
“Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to strip in front of ponies!” the showmare called over her shoulder, grumbling quietly.
“Nope,” Zoey shot back. “She just told me I was a worthless slut.”
Trixie suddenly decided to cut off her rude comeback.
After a few moments of silence, Zoey eventually stepped out of the caravan, now garbed in simple black pants and a sky blue strapless crop top. “Ugh,” she muttered, tugging at the top that accentuated her curves flatteringly. “I feel like I’m wearing half of a leotard here. Which, normally, I’d be all for, but this is a little too small too.”
“Sorry,” Trixie offered, rubbing the back of her head. “I noticed earlier that you were a little… ahem, larger than me in some areas.”
Zoey blinked, looking over Trixie for a moment before her gaze landed on the mare’s chest. “Oh!” she cried in realisation, slamming a fist into her open palm. “Right, gotcha. My tits are bigger.”
Trixie’s face turned crimson once again in a matter of seconds as she stammered, tripping over her words before sighing. “You don’t beat around the bush, do you?” she asked in resignation, massaging her temples.
“Nope,” Zoey shrugged. Looking around for a second, she blinked. “Holy shit, what happened here?!” she cried suddenly, eyes going wide as she took in the sight of the burned foliage and blackened grass.
Looking up, Trixie blinked. “Oh, that was the fire that I found you in the middle of,” she offered. “Luckily the rain started up not long after I got back, but… yeah. A meteor crashed into the middle of the forest and started a blaze.” Pausing for a moment, she looked around, kicking a loose pebble. “It was strange, though…”
“How so?” Zoey asked curiously, rubbing at her arm worriedly.
“Well, the whole blaze was green.”
Cursing under her breath, Zoey sighed. “Yeah… yeah, that’d do it…”
“Do what?” Trixie asked, raising a brow curiously.
Sighing again, Zoey turned to the stranger that had rescued her. “We’ve got a lot to talk about, I guess. But first of all… I never told you my name, did I?”
“No,” Trixie replied, crossing her arms.
“Well, it’s Zinnia.”
And that there lead to a long, confusing, and quite frankly kinda awkward conversation about what I was and where I came from. Of course, Trixie didn’t quite believe me when I told her that there was no meteor, and that it was just me that had crashed into the forest, but as I explained more - specifically the bit about the chat with Rayquaza - she seemed to open up to the idea.
3 - Breaking Out (The Feels)
Zinnia lay back atop Trixie’s caravan, watching the clouds roll by as the little wooden home-on-wheels trundled along the old dirt path. Glancing over the side, the young woman recalled how the Showmare had surprised her, a simple flare ‘spell’ calling forth a pair of Mudbray from the woods that she proceeded to fasten to a harness clearly meant for pulling the caravan behind them. While it had crossed her mind that these ‘Ponies’ may have encountered the Pokemon of this world at some point, this level of cooperation had left her both confused and impressed. She wasn’t sure just why it had confused her, but it had.
Trixie had been silent throughout the process, though. And as Zinnia peered at the showmare, who sat on the entrance step to her caravan guiding the Mudbray, she idly wondered if it was because she was used to being alone while travelling, or if it was something she had said.
Turning onto her back once again, Zinnia returned to her cloud-gazing, her eyes tracking a flock of Tailow as they passed overhead.
“Hey, Trix?” she called suddenly, stretching her leg out a little.
“Hmm?” Trixie hummed in response.
“You ever wanted to fly?”
The showmare went to answer, a witty remark already on the tip of her tongue… before she paused. Granted, flight wasn’t too far out of anypony’s reach in Equestria, what with a Pegasus’ natural ability to do so and the fact that many Flying-Type Pokemon were friendly enough to ride if trust was built. But Zinnia wasn’t from Equestria - or anywhere on Equus for that matter.
“Trix- I mean, I suppose…” she began, chewing the inside of her cheek as she searched for the words. Looking to the skies, a small smile appeared on her lips. “I suppose anypony would want that,” she allowed. “I mean, there’s always the thought of ‘What if?’ Everypony knows that.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Zinnia muttered, staring after the flock for a time before pushing herself to her feet atop the caravan. Trixie let out a startled yelp as the Draconid dropped onto the steps next to her, taking a seat as if nothing had happened.
“So tell me,” she began, resting her elbows on her knees as she watched the Mudbray plod along. “Where exactly are we going?”
“Well, I need to look for work,” Trixie replied, relaxing in her makeshift seat. “The best place for that in the past has been Manehatten, they seem to enjoy theatrics quite a bit in that city. Especially in Bridleway. Applewood is closer, though, so I’m going to try there first.”
Zinnia remained silent for a few moments before a short snicker forced its way past her lips. As soon as that happened, the proverbial floodgates opened, and Zinnia burst out laughing, a loud, unrestrained cacophony of joyous sound that seemed to spook any birds in the immediate area with its sudden arrival. For her part, Trixie merely sat there, turning to look at the woman with a bewildered expression.
As she managed to calm down, Zinnia smiled widely. “Whew! Wow, those names are bad,” she chuckled, coughing slightly to stop herself falling into another fit of laughter. “Anyway… What sort of shows do you do?”
Trixie took a moment to watch Zinnia, seemingly waiting for another outburst before she answered. “Why, magic of course. The Great and Powerful Trixie puts on the most dazzling spectacles this side of Canterlot or any other!”
Zinnia had to cover her mouth to stop herself from laughing again, taking a breath to steady herself. “So you… what, break out of straight jackets? Do card tricks?”
“Foal’s play!” Trixie barked, her horn sparking to life as her hat flew from within the caravan to rest atop her head. “Trixie astounds the masses with tales of wonder! Visions of creatures they can only dream of, vanquished by the great hero!”
“Oh, so you’re a theatrical storyteller,” Zinnia summarised, nodding to herself even as Trixie seemed to almost deflate.
“Yes, I’m a storyteller,” she sighed, pulling the brim of her hat over her eyes. “Way to make it sound like I’m better suited for children’s parties…”
“Wait, what?” Zinnia asked aloud, eyes widening in slight panic. “Nononononono! That’s not what I meant at all! Everyone needs stories!” Silence fell for a time as Trixie stared at the road ahead, her companion fidgeting nervously in worry, casting concerned glances her way every now and then. After a while, Trixie sighed, sitting up as she waved her hand idly in front of her.
To Zinnia’s surprise, a small, screen-like window of light pink magic appeared, shimmering slightly as pictures seemed to scroll across its surface. Images of what she could only assume was an infant Trixie, running around a large, lush garden with another young girl as an older mare watched on with a smile. What caught her off guard, however, was the differences in clothing. The unknown girl was dressed in high-end, clearly designer clothes, light and decorative. Trixie, however, seemed like she was lucky to have what she did, and even then it was a pair of torn shorts and a top that looked about three years older than herself. And the mare watching - who bore a striking resemblance to Trixie herself - was dressed in a maid’s uniform of all things.
“Trixie always liked stories as a little girl,” Trixie said, staring into the magical screen herself. “They told Trixie of far off lands, where even the smallest of ponies could be the biggest of heroes. They gave Trixie hope.”
Zinnia could only blink as she watched the showmare blink back tears. Looking back to the screen, she saw Young Trixie doing much the same as she knelt huddled on the ground, covering herself desperately as tattered fabrics fell to the ground. The other girl with her moved in a panic as she tried to cover Trixie up with her jacket.
“Hope that Trixie could help,” Trixie continued. “Trixie could live with old clothes. She could live with tears and rips.” Sighing, the showmare turned back to the path ahead as the image zoomed in on the maid in the back, with tears streaking down her powder-blue cheeks. “She couldn’t live with her mother’s sadness.”
Zinnia shifted in her seat awkwardly. “Look, Trixie-” she began, only to pause when Trixie raised her hand again. The window before her rippled, the scene changing to a small, cramped room with a single bed pushed against the wall. Makeshift toys sat lined up along a small chest, ranging from a stuffed blue bear - clearly hand-made - to a magic wand carved from wood.
“That’s why Trixie started telling stories,” Trixie said, carrying on as though her companion hadn’t uttered a word. “Trixie would spin tales of wonder for her mother. She would always bring a smile to her mother’s face before bed, even when mother got… weaker…”
“Okay, stop,” Zinnia cut in suddenly, shooing the magical window away frantically. Turning bodily, she placed a hand on Trixie’s shoulder. “Look, Trixie, you don’t have to tell me all this. I… I’m not even sure why you did, if I’m honest.”
Trixie remained quiet for a moment, staring blankly back at her before letting out a shuddering sigh. “I… I just wanted you to understand…”
“I do,” Zinnia assured her, leaning over to pull the showmare into an awkward hug. “Trust me, I do.”
Nodding quietly, Trixie returned the hug before the two women separated, returning their attention to the road ahead. Silence reigned for the longest time until Zinnia let out an exasperated groan.
“Now I feel like I should share something too,” she groaned, burying her face in her hands.
“Why?” Trixie asked, glancing over curiously. “You’re not required to show your inner demons just because Trixie showed hers.”
“You did it again,” Zinnia muttered idly before looking up, catching the faintest blush on the showmare’s cheeks. “And… I dunno, it feels really awkward now. Like, it's only fair that I do it too.”
“You don’t have to,” Trixie offered. “If you choose to, that’s fine, but don’t feel like you have to.”
Leaning back, Zinnia took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. She remained quiet for a time, fingers drumming on her knees as she searched her mind… and spoke.
“I'm a paranoid sociopathic orphan who spent the last three - maybe four - years of my life in a mental asylum for the safety of the public,” she droned, voice impassioned as she stared into the distance. “My last memories of my parents include my father standing over my mother as she lay in a pool of red - I thought it was weird water back then, stupid me. My brother stood between me and him. Then we were in an orphanage.”
Trixie looked at Zinnia with wide eyes for a time, seemingly trying to judge if she was serious before slowly placing her hand on the girl’s shoulder. “I… I’m sorry…”
Zinnia merely shrugged. “Eh, don’t be,” she replied easily, turning her attention back to the two Mudbray plodding along rhythmically. “That was a long time ago. I came to terms with it.”
Trixie nodded, and the pair fell into silence once again, though no awkward airs fell between them. The sounds of nature soon filled the gap, birds chirping as they flew across the sky.
“Guess we both had pretty bad childhoods, then,” Trixie offered eventually.
“Yeah,” Zinnia agreed, blowing air through her lips.
Silence dropped again, and this time, neither girl seemed inclined to break it. Zinnia leaned back against the caravan’s door, once again staring into the vast sky, crimson eyes darting to every detail that crossed her vision. Trixie, meanwhile, set about gently correcting their course, as the Mudbray had slowly drifted from the road towards a particularly muddy looking patch of dirt and were happily stomping their hooves around as they plodded along.
Lunch came and went with the sun at it's highest point, a shared meal of beans and boiled vegetables, with scraps of shredded meat mixed in for Zinnia’s need and Trixie’s guilty pleasure. During this time, the girls shared a laugh as their four-legged companions found another puddle for a cooling mud bath.
“So about these stories,” Zinnia began, pausing to chew on another piece of chicken from her bowl. “What kinda stories d’ya tell?”
“Oh, fantastic tales of adventure and heroism!” Trixie replies, setting her own empty dish aside and standing as she began to gesticulate wildly with her hands. “Long expeditions into the great unknown! Fierce battles against deadly creatures! Whimsical tales of passion and romance!”
Zinnia watched as Trixie leapt to her hoof-like feet, the powder-blue mare soon pacing around with wild gestures, casting images into the air around them as she seemed to almost fall into one of the stories she so loved to tell. This particular one was of a beautiful, blue-skinned mare with a mane of starlight silver as she tracked down and tamed a rampaging Ursa Major - the image of which caused Zinnia no small amount of alarm when she realised it was a bear the size of a castle that seemed to be built from magic and Stardust.
It was as she stared at the great, imposing image of the star-bear when Zinnia realised that Trixie has fallen quiet. Tearing her eyes from the image before her, Zinnia looked to Trixie, and found herself shocked as the showmare seemed to stare at her own creation with what almost seemed an air of shame.
“Trixie… I messed up, one day…” she muttered, staring at the beast. “I was doing a show in Ponyville… and I started showing off, telling this story…”
Tears formed in Trixie’s eyes, slowly dripping down her cheeks as a choked sob broke from her throat.
“I f-forgot… forgot to tell them… that these were just s-stories…” she stammered. “Two of the k-kids in town, they went of into the w-woods…”
As Trixie fell into quiet sobs, Zinnia’s mind raced. For as much as she played the aloof, disinterested role, she noticed things, and the pieces quickly fell into place from why she’d been told.
“They tried to fight one themselves, didn’t they?” Zinnia asked, staring up at the slowly fading image of the star-bear. Trixie’s sobs only grew. “Hey, Trixie…” she began, before faltering. What could she say to this? Nothing, was the answer. She was new to this world, new to it's struggles and customs. If she tried to push her own views on things… she could just make things worse.
And so Zinnia sat in awkward silence, frozen by fear and awkwardness as her new and only friend in this world cried her heart out over past mistakes, with no idea on how to even begin to help. Minutes passed, and when Trixie grew quiet, Zinnia looked over to find the mare with her head lolling onto her arms, knees tucked to her chin, gently dozing after crying herself to sleep.
Zinnia sighed, climbing to her feet and moving to Trixie’s side. Kneeling down, she scooped the mare gently into her arms, taking little notice of the ease with which she did so as she turned towards the caravan and carried Trixie to her bed inside. She re-emerged moments later, a borrowed purple jacket covering her bare shoulders and the blue top replaced with a black tee shirt. She looked over the campaign tiredly, slowly moving about to tidy everything away and extinguish their cooking fire, bringing the two Mudbray around for their own sleep.
Once finished, Zinnia sat with a heavy sigh on the caravan’s steps, staring once more into the night sky above.
“Like hell I could sleep now…” she mutters darkly, brows furrowed in frustration. She sat there for a few minutes more, simply staring at the stars above, before pushing to her feet with an agitated grunt and storming into the woods.