1772/GENESIS: Hinoiri Kirara

GENESIS: Hinoiri Kirara
Date of Scene:	20 July 2024
Location:	Penguin Park
Synopsis:	After a chance meeting, Keaka finally offered a prospective hero the power to be themselves. And Hinoiri said yes. What happens when you disable safeties and hack the Abhorrent Weapon generation process to create an Abstractum instead, and then target it at someone who an Abstractum can't be made for? You get a Hinoiri youma, apparently!
Cast of Characters:	Keaka Hoshiko, Hinoiri Kirara, Rashmi Terios, Sequoia Maybach, Sugata Shindo, Takuto Tsunashi

---

Keaka Hoshiko has posed:
    Clarthas is meeting Hinoiri in the park, as promised. He looks around for any interruptions, and then holds his left arm in front of him. "Sarida."

    The gauntlet makes a sound as if clearing a throat, and the abstract 'eye' shape moves its pupil-dot towards Hinoiri. "Right. So. The Genesis Drive itself is rather simple. If your 'concept' is shaped properly, and if you give consent, you can have your concept gripped. Genesis Drive then moves the concept along the Abstract axis. Side to side, so to speak. It takes the candidate user and strikes this reality with them, by shifting them along the abstract axis. That creates a 'concept mold'. Then, the conceptual material of an Abstractum is filled in by the existing Abstractum into that mold. Then, with the consent already established, the Abstractum exists pre-procured, so to speak."

    "Does that make any sense?"

    There is probably a blank look or a "What?"

    "Ah... I can provide an explanation in more traditional terms." Sarida continues, plaintively. "If being some mighty warrior were in your identity, your concept, your essential soul, then that's what it would give you. But you're a woman of reason and knowledge, or at least that's the impression I've gotten. I'd hold some confidence that beyond your Abstractum giving you some basic power to fight, it will more concern itself with giving you mental benefits of knowledge and thought, or the ability to apply your knowledge beneficially to the world."

    "There's no small print. You agree to help against the world-- err, in this case, against Us, but that's not really a contract that's enforced." There's a bit of a prideful look from the 'eye'. "Our network takes pride in not cursing the bloodlines or haunting or punishing or anything like that, if someone feels like they got in over their head and wants out. If you find that helping us-- err, your world in the conflict is something you can't do, you just violate the contract and go, and you even keep the Abstractum, if that's what you want."

    "Wait, really?" asks Clarthas, surprised.

    "What am I gonna do, sue you? I am a glove. The worst I can say would happen is that the Abstractum helps you more indirectly, or that what you think you need isn't what you really need. We exist purely for the sake of our Users and helping them."

    "If you go through with this, you will be more of yourself, essentially. All we do is amplify our User's concept, their identity. Essentially we are designed to make what you do be closer to who you are. And if that's what you'd like, we can provide it. All that's required is explicit consent, from my User and from you."

    After consent is given, Sarida looks to Clarthas and speaks less formally. "You know the drill, right? Do you consent to giving her an Abstractum? Even though it means we'll have another enemy?"

    Clarthas suddenly remembers something, and pulls some folded papers from his coat pocket and hands them to Hinoiri. "Oh, uh, here. This might help explain the process visually." There are extremely concerning hand-sketched diagrams suggesting that he plans to... cut off a piece of cthulhu to empower Hinoiri, somehow?

Diagrams: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DLexrXTUNbodaZPzPGYGLE_r7AyZD-Euf9vEZX_lp2Q/view

    As Hinoiri takes the folded papers, he looks back to Sarida and nods. "Of course. It's wrong that she doesn't have the power to be herself. I have the power to correct that. I will use it."

    As soon as he says "Of course", Sarida's 'eye' goes wide, and the crystal begins to glow with a soft, grey-blue flickering light. In the tone of someone checking off boxes:

"Powering Genesis Drive."
"User explicit consent confirmed."
"Candidate User explicit consent confirmed."
"Drawing resonance."

Keaka Hoshiko has posed:
    A building whirring noise comes from within the gauntlet. There's a burst of wind and Sarida continues speaking, now in the tone of automated announcements:

"ASSEMBLING CONCEPTS."
"AMPLIFYING PARADIGMS."
"DETERMINING IMPRINT."

    If Hinoiri is having second thoughts, Clarthas is concerned and alarmed but can only say, "We can't stop it now!"

    Then Hinoiri feels a sensation like being gripped tightly, but... in directions perpendicular to physical space, somehow?

    "NOW!" shouts Clarthas, and suddenly he fades away, and then fades back in again, now with an armblade extended from the gauntlet, dripping with ichor. "Got it. We should be good." he speaks, as Sarida continues,

"FORMING."

    Hinoiri then feels as if whatever's grabbed her struck her against reality, with the sensation of leaving an imprint or mold in it. When she's 'struck', there's a bright shockwave of light and a swirling rush of wind around her, stirring up light debris. Finally, that 'grip' releases her.

"CONCEPT MOLD ESTABLISHED."
"ERROR: UNABLE TO ENGAGE FULL GENESIS."

    Clarthas, who was looking hopeful but nervous, looks even more alarmed. "WHAT?!" Sarida continues:

"ERROR: GENESIS DRIVE ABORTED."
"ERROR: UNABLE TO CONTACT NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR."
"ERROR: UNABLE TO SEND ERROR REPORT."
"PLEASE CONTACT THE NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR FOR ASSISTANCE."

    Finally, Sarida stops speaking in the automated tone. "I-I don't know! It won't, uh..." Then the academic mode of speech returns, "By your description of the process, it seems that the Abstractum-to-be is not fitting in the mold." "So what happens to it?" "...Unknown."

Keaka Hoshiko has posed:
    And that's when it fades into existence nearby: A unicorn, although with strange proportions compared to human expectations -- four feet tall, standing, large expressive eyes and short thick limbs (but not to the point of stubbiness), and a short and not particularly pointy horn -- with golden yellow fur, a blonde-and-red-striped mane and tail, and bright sea-green eyes. Hinoiri has seen her in the mirror countless times before. Although something stands out to her immediately: the sun-shaped Cutie Mark is off slightly. While it's still part-red, the 'corona' is regularly-shaped, exactly like it is on Sora's, and the red in the center is eclipsing a thin sliver of yellow rather than making a yin-yang shape.

    It... no, she lifts her head and looks over Hinoiri and gives a short, dismissive equine snort. "You're supposed to be me? Ooh, I know that anger well. But I won't stop my plans, even for me. If you're really a me you'll understand..."

    She looks around at the assembled group. Despite her rudeness, she's... strangely difficult to hate or get mad at, or hurt? Like punching a kid for pretending to be a villain. Or interrupting a play to stop the villain. Everyone's mind rationalizes this in its own way, but noticing this -- or the conflict between the rationalization and her troublesome actions -- can be part of pushing past it. Once someone does (Original-Flavor Hinoiri may already be past the point of caring), the spell is broken and everyone can without issue.

    "Alright. Allow me to introduce myself: I am Hinoiri Kirara, Sora's greatest student... and I will be her sunset, by surpassing her." As she speaks, a strange effect begins to spread out from her hooves over the park. The grass, plants, and other features become more vibrant and colorful. Wildlife too. It looks friendly and welcoming, despite the attitude of the one at the center of it. It's a look that is very familiar to Hinoiri, or at least, can be remembered from any occasion that called for her to interrupt her studies and go outside. "I will make a new KiraKiraFantastica here, and as its ruler surpass Sora. You are all welcome to be my subjects. What do you say, strange... creatures?"

    The one who is the strange creature here looks at Hinoiri with just a bit of uncertainty. "...You can all talk, right?" she lowers her voice to a stage whisper and asks conspiratorially, "I didn't just, come to a universe where everyone's animals and I'm a bipedal shaved monkey, right?"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara had, just a bit, had her eyes glaze over as Clarthas talked. She... was, well. Pretty smart, as things go. She did a lot of studying. And the idea of other dimensions, even concepts, tended to not be outside the realm of what she could understand. But a lot of this felt... weird.

But, what she could understand? It magiced someone up a device and drew it from some non-dusk zone aether. Kind of a magical miracle thing, that she had been desperately wanting. It was fine. Of course she consented.

Until the diagrams explained things in a way she could actually understand. She stared at them for a moment, opened her mouth... then shook her head. "Wait, no, STOP!" she yelled firmly. "This isn't at *all* what you said! What in the world is this?! You were talking about... this isn't some kind of *device*. I'm not getting attached to-- STOP! I SAID STOP!" she yelled, but it was too late.

She screamed as the magic took hold and... and cthulu grabbed her, or whatever it was! And then... then it was released. She was released. She reached down, gripping herself, making sure she was still, well... her...

And then turned to this mockery. Then turned towards Clarthas, saying in a very, very annoyed voice. "Of course we can all bucking talk. And you're already a pipedal, shaved monkey. But yes, where I'm from, that's what I look like, mostly, and... wait. HEY!" And there she was, annoyed again, glaring at Clarthas.

"This isn't *at all* what you told me! And are you saying *that*, the snide little student I was, is the best I could be? This is some kind of... oh. Ohhhhh buck."

Because Hinoiri was many things. Right now? She was distinctly, ohhhh so distinctly aware... of how much of a pain in the flank she could be. And worse. How powerful she was.

She was mad at Clarthas. But she was, admittedly, a little scared of who she had been. She backed away, slowly from it. "Uhhhhh... you... can dismiss it, right? Because you should do that. *Now*." Would it kill anyone? HA! No.

But she was aware there were worse things than death.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Back from the hell that was Paris By Night, and only *today* released from classes, Rashmi decided to do something... calming.

Yes, patrol is calming. Flying about Tokyo, entire hours of finding nothing wrong, maybe beating up a vending machine youma... After the literal life-or-death struggles for the fate of the world? Yes.

Patrol is *calming.*

Or it was.

    << *BONG!* >> << ALERT. MASTER. ALERT. ANOMALOUS DIMENSIONAL INCURSION BEGINS. >>

"Wait... what?" Rashmi says, summoning Nicomachea to her outstretched hand. The book helpfully generates a holoscreen, scrolling with sensory readouts, little of which actually makes sense to the young Mage. "...What?"

Following the signal, she drops to hover a couple inches above the ground, staring at the assembly. Hinoiri. Strange Person she remembers seeing somewhere else. Unicorn Hinoiri?

"...What?!"

Sequoia Maybach has posed:
    The park is nice. The park is always nice. Even if it's where Sequoia Maybach ended up cutting her teeth into the magical world in a RUDE introduction to youma and monsters just a few days ago.
    So here she is, walking along with her friends Atsuko and Emi, the trio chattering excitedly about this, that, and other stuff.
    That's when the pendant handing from her backpack suddenly snaps awake.
    <OFFIZIER.> The Device chimes in a deep masculine voice. <ANOMALIE ERKANNT.>
    "Ah..."
    There's a beat worth of pause as Sequoia considers whether or not she should get involved AT ALL before realizing... 'someone could get hurt by whatever it is'...
    Quickly saying bye to her friends and shooing them in another direction and starts heading the way her Device indicates and...
    That is a unicorn.
    "Wh..."
    That is an honest to goodness unicorn.
    "..."
    And it's talking.
    Sequoia very much considers just... Turning around and leaving this one up to chance.
    <AHEM.> Her Device verbally jabs her.
    "What am I supposed to *do*? That's a freaking *unicorn*!" She pouts back at her Device as she grips it in hand.

Sugata Shindo has posed:
Honestly, at this point, Sugata just expects things to go wrong when he's around Penguin Park. The only good thing that's ever happened here was meeting Bass-chan and seeing the start of her rivalry with Wako.

The only good thing.

This is why he's not too surprised to be in the middle of buying ice cream (that he'll actually get to eat for once, how... honestly disappointing), Tiger at his side, talking about finales (easy) and plans for the summer (revamping the kendo clubs training schedule and whatever else random nonsense happened in Tokyo) when the world starts going... colorful and strange.

Vaguely adorable, friendly and sweet, inviting. It's horrifying.

"Tiger-san, head back to the car, this is going to be worse than usual," he says grimly, and hands off his ice cream.

(He didn't get to eat the ice cream. All is almost right in the world.)

Before the world and everything else, he transforms into Ginga Kingu, plunging into the transformed world until he sees -

...right.

    Sugata Shindo texts: you're never going to believe this one.
    Sugata Shindo texts so just come see for yourself. if you're fast enough.
    Takuto Tsunashi texts: Obviously brt

And... wow, he knows absolutely none of these people.

"Who lost their mutant horse?" He asks casually, taking a picture for Wako.

Keaka Hoshiko has posed:
    > I'm not getting attached to--
    "What? No! You're not getting attached, I'm gonna cut--" but there isn't really time to explain as the process is already underway.

> This isn't *at all* what you told me!
    At the same time, Clarthas is saying: "What is going on? No, I've got it..." He strokes his chin. "The piece of the Other we cut off and tried to mold to Hinoiri's concept didn't fit in the mold, so now it's... this?" Ah yes, excellent job Clarthas, that explains things clearly to everyone!

    "What? no! It didn't work, didn't you hear?! This is like... we were supposed to get something that makes you more you, but it didn't fit into the mold right, this has never happened before!"

    AUnicorn Hinoiri, meanwhile, narrows her eyes as people talk about her like she's not here. She glances at the arrival of Rashmi and mutters. "A world of magical bipedal shaved monkeys... Whatever. I can work with this."

    Clarthas replies, "Not easily, I need prolonged physical contact..."

    "You think I can be dismissed?" Unicorn Hinoiri snaps, stomping a forehoof. "Is this the dimension where I'm an idiot or something?!"

    Clarthas turns to her and holds up a hand. "Actually, I have a lot of questions." he smiles awkwardly. "Asking questions is how we learn!"

    "Do you think I'm a foal?!" the unicorn glares around. "That I don't see you all gathering to fight me? Tall Hairless Me over there must not be doing a very good job if you don't understand who you are dealing with!" Her horn begins to glow with a mint-green magic aura. "So I'll just have to SHOW you!"

    And she throws her head back as the magic around her horn blackens and crackles with black-and-green energy, and then the dark energy quickly ripples over her form as she transforms.

    And then, hovering in the air before you all, is a six-feet-tall quadruped, clearly of the same kind but lankier proportions, a unicorn with wings of flame. Besides the wings, it's now wearing a few costume armor pieces -- possibly a golden crown and peytral with inset gems and four golden horse-slippers, but if Hinoiri ever imagined herself in Sora's place, it's the royal regalia she imagines she would wear, although the details are slightly off like the Cutie Mark -- And now her eyes are limned with dark flame, her horn is long and sharp, and her mane and tail constantly ripple such that Hinoiri knows who it's imitating and also that the effect is clearly being achieved by manipulation of hot air here.

    She doesn't actually come with Boss Titles. She's not a Witch or anything. But for the benefit of the viewers, our heroes now face the story of:

              HINOIRI KIRARA, (Fallen) ANGEL OF KIRAKIRAFANTASTICA              

    "I am Sunset of Sora." the creature intones in a familiar voice. "Last chance. I am generous! I will still accept subjects."

    The strange affect is spreading over more of the park now, already dozens of feet from her. Some people were starting to look, although the cute unicorn getting bigger and growing wings of flame has given pause any children who were going to approach.

    Her head whips around to glare at Sugata. "WHAT?! I am a Unicorn! Soon to be alicorn!"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara groans. Oh buck. She's going to be more of a headache than normal. For herself, even. Not just for the sparkles. And then groaned more when the unicorn started going off like... "Oh buck is *that* what I sound like? Oh buck. Wait, don't--"

And then... "OH THAT IS JUST OFFENSIVE!" she yelled, glaring at Clarthas. "Do you have *any* idea what you've done? I am *not* taking the fall for this! I said *stop*!"

Then she glanced to Kingu and Rashmi and... sighed. Almost of relief. "It's a youma. Made from me, not *by* me. This... person screwed up whatever they were trying to do. Which I *did* say no to!" she said firmly. "I do not want Cthulu touching me or having it put into me like, like some kind of cookie mold! I am not a COOKIE! I DON'T WANT TO BE A CTHULU COOKIE! COOKTHULU!" she snapped, her anger to the point of practically bristling with uncontained rage. "GAHHH! AND DON'T TAKE PICTURES! THIS IS EMBARRASSING ENOUGH WITHOUT THERE BEING EVIDENCE!"

She then glared to Clarthas. "Well?! You made this thing! Help them fix it!" she snapped, her cheeks burning with barely contained shame.

Takuto Tsunashi has posed:
There's thunder!

Wait, it's not thunder, it's just the sound of wind buffeting everything as Takuto overshoots the right part of the park and has to turn around and come back. And then he's crowing at Sugata in midair, "I told you I could be fast-- enough... what the hell?"

The Ginga Bishounen, red-and-gold-haired just like Hinoiri, wearing a long white military-esque coat with a lot of gold braid and stars and some truly well-placed red accents, hovers in the park in a blue-white nimbus of power, staring at the six-foot-tall soon-to-be-alicorn. He edges around toward Ginga Kingu, listening to Hinoiri.

He says reassuringly, "But you're super cute as a four-legged unicorn, Sugata-kun just wants to show Wako-chan."

Then he glances back to Sunset of Cookie and asks uncertainly, "We won't fight you if you just go do this in a different dimension, would you be willing to do that? I mean we already have a system of government that works okay..."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
The unicorn certainly *acts* like a more infuriating version of Hinoiri... And the strange person is acting like this isn't supposed to be happening? So, a mad-science project gone awry, and somehow he's roped Hinoiri into it?

"Hi," she says to Sequoia with a tired, cheerful smile, her voice dripping with teenage world-weariness. "That's a nice shield! It looks like we're gonna have to fight... *whatever is going on*... until *someone* can *put the accident back in the box.*"

Every stressed word, a verbal dagger thrown at Clarthas.

She takes a moment to look around at the spreading, Disney-esque wonderland around her, nodding absently at True-Hinoiri's assurances that she had nothing to do with this...

And then not-Hinoiri does the Sunbreaker thing, and gets angry enough to assume her Final Form.

"Nope."

    << *BONG!* >> << TIME-SPACE BARRIER >>

A staticky green-black shell of energy spreads rapidly out from her location, the Barrier pushing *everything* in its bounds half a dimension to the left, in the hopes of containing the magical incursion, *and* filtering out bystanders.

"You must be Kingu," she says to the boy. "I'm Otome's roommate, good to meet you!"

And Bishounen shows up! Excellent! *Two* Star Drivers!

*So* glad everything that's about to happen is under a Barrier...

Sequoia Maybach has posed:
    Maybe... Maaaaaybe Sequoia can walk away from this way. Just chalk it up as a wash and walk away from the unicorn before it becomes a problem.
    Unfortunately, the unicorn becomes a problem very fast.
    "Uh."
    Between the unicorn, various other magical types showing up, and her Device just YELLING AT HER IN SPACE GERMAN, for a moment she seems at a loss for what to do.
    Before she just gives up.
    This is her life now.
    "This is my life now."
    This is Sequoia Maybach's life now.
    Raising her shield shaped charm up.
    <ANFANG!> It declares and there's a flash of white light. In an instant, Sequoia is clad in her Knight Armor, her Device, a huge riot shield clasped in her hand.
    "Right so. What's the plan? Does someone have a plan? Anyone?"

Keaka Hoshiko has posed:
    "I can't stop it! It's -- she's her own independent thing!" Clarthas objects. "And you weren't being filled with it, a you-shaped mold was pressed into reality and then going to be filled with-- argh!" He finally snaps a bit, angrily. "Why are people always like this whenever I explain something to them?! I thought you'd be able to understand! Did turning good make you dumber?"

    "Oh." Fake(?) Sunset is standing on the ground again and glances at Clarthas, and then looks down her nose at Hinoiri. "So that's it. This is what friendship has done to me?" She shakes her head. "That explains a lot."

    "Actually," Clarthas raises his hand again, "She was the second-most-powerful villain we've ever had. She replaced the sun and everything. Almost ended the world."

    "Almost only counts in fireballs and throwing-shoes."

    Clarthas looks at Rashmi sheepishly. "It's um... actually the problem is it wouldn't fit in the box to begin with? It's not from the box, it's from Outside--"

    Everyone is talking at once. We already have a perfectly fine government. "I can do better." AU-icorn Sunset looks up at the barrier. "Ooh, interesting spell... But there's one little problem with doing that. I'll give you a few seconds to figure it out."

    She steps towards Hinoiri, looming. "Since you love friendship so much, you and your friends should look how you sound, and be the first subjects of my new KiraKiraFantastica!" She leans over to point her horn at the former unicorn, and it glows... no color at all, and yet also red and blue and green and colors that don't exist...

    "What is that? Oooh, I haven't seen Resonance used this way before... can she naturally channel it?" the gauntlet excitedly comments, and then...

    Ponies. It starts with Hinoiri, but then it starts spreading, an aura of that same color-but-not hopping from one person to the next. Eye level is suddenly about a foot lower. Hooves can somehow grip things. There may be wings or horns with telekinesis. There are marks on the flank indicating something about you.

    For some it may last only a moment and then fade (Player choice.)

    Clarthas is a black unicorn with red mane and tail, and a Cutie mark of a mountain with thunderclouds around the top. He looks confused, then fascinated as he looks at a hoof, and then around at the others. Sarida, some kind of hoof-gauntlet, goes "Ooooh. Fascinating..."

    New Spicy-Flavor Hinoiri, meanwhile, has taken to the air and started flapping those flame-wings, ascending. "So, did you figure it out? The problem is... now I don't have to worry about messing up my nice new kingdom." She lifts her head and forehooves towards the sky. Somehow the angle is just right that it looks like the sun is between her hooves. Energy crackles around her horn and a beam of fiery energy strikes the ground below her before sweeping towards Rashmi, instantly replacing a strip of the newly vibrant park with scorched earth.

Takuto Tsunashi has posed:
"'Blah blah I'm better' of course that's your answer," the Ginga Bishounen says, rolling his eyes, "boring."

He lifts his arms and that same blue-white energy starts growing around his paired fists--

--which were already white because gloves but which lose the 'hands' part, starting a wash over Takuto's whole form which leaves a small white alicorn with Hinoiri hair and a big gold star cutie mark.

He's still in midair! For a hot second, which ends up with him flapping awkwardly and falling before making a cute pony face and making his dex save. "SUGATA-KUN am I cute???" he yells out before charging his front hooves again.

"TAU GALAXY BEAM!!!"

A big bright bolt of blue-white energy slams forward from those paired hooves, pointed directly at Not-Hinoiri!

Sequoia Maybach has posed:
    You know, if things couldn't get any weirder.
    The aura spreading from alt universenicorn Sunset is uh.
    Why does Sequoia suddenly have hooves?
    It only lasts a moment, but where the Belkan Knight was, there's a white pony with white mane and white and black barding, with... That's a shield mark on her flank.
    "What the hay..." Weisser Ritter bemoans.
    But then the angry unicorn unleashes a beam of searing energy.
    That's no bueno.
    Especially as it goes careening towards another mage.
    "--Look out!"
    She goes galloping at top speed and takes a vaulting leap...!
    When she lands she is, thankfully human again, and in front of Rashmi, riot shield raised.
    <SCHILD WAND!> The Device declares, a blooming wall of energy forming in front of it to expand its protective range and strength as the fiery beam slams into it. It hits with enough force to make the Belkan Knight grit her teeth, sweat beading on her brow as her boots skid back several inches on the ground.
    "... Hi. You good?"

Sugata Shindo has posed:
"He's right, I want to show it to Wako-chan," Ginga Kingu confirms, and then one of the two girls confirms that she's actually Wako's roommate, and he looks at her again with that in mind, actually nodding in greeting. "Sugata Shindo, or, Ginga Kingu. Good to meet you, Otome-chan's roommate."

He knows her name, but, he's also been advised that plenty of their fellows prefer to keep their identities a secret. It strikes him as very Glittering Crux, but they have their reasons.

Anything else that would be said is covered in what Takuto said - they have a government, and they don't particularly want a horse-themed replacement -

A barrier goes up, very useful -

And then, taking his eyes off the enemy was a mistake. Even if she was horse-themed, with wings and tail and vague armor, because there's a pulse of light and the world is decidedly stranger.

The ground's too close, and he's on his hands and knees - no, he's not. He's on his hands and his feet, only they're both hooves. Trying to get his bearings makes wings flap, and jerking his head to look around just flaps strands of hair - mane? - around, resulting in them tangling around a protrusion from his head -

And his jacket is still on. And his cravat. And his tail is flicking around.

Takuto's voice breaks through the distraction, causing eyes to jolt up to his position -

"To the surprise of no one, you are," he says dryly, and lifts a hoof to his chest.

"STAR SWORDO, DIAMANT!"

The gleaming white sword is drawn from his chest, and the small blue alicorn's horn glows, sending the sword flying for the larger alicorn with a rush of pale blue magic.

"Star Crash!"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara blinked a few times, before shaking her head. "We are NOT sending that back to Kirakirafantastica! I got banished from there already and the last thing Sora needs is me coming back like... well, that! Imagine if it got a hold of dark energy!" she yelled, the fuming filling her voice.

She then glared back at Clarthas. "Because maybe you're just bad at explaining things?! The pictures? THOSE DID IT WELL! They made sense! Do more of those, less of words, it's not your forte! And you BETTER fix it! Before-- GAHHHH!" she gripped her head, ruffling her hair in frustration. SHE HAD SO MUCH RAGE AND ANGER AND SHE FORGOT TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE OTHER SUNSET!

And now she was a pony. And blinked. Blinked a few times. "Wait, I'm a unicorn again?" she asked. Her horn glowed for a moment and, very slowly, a grin formed on her lips. "Oh. It. Is. SO ON!"

She turned towards the other pony. "Okay, fake! Let's see-- HOW ARE YOU A BUCKING ALICORN?!" she asked, pointing a hoof accusitarily at Bishounen.And then Kingu. and... "HOW ARE YOU BOTH ALICORNS?! THERE'S ONLY... YOU.... You can't just..." And she was going to need a moment.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"No wait--!"

It's too late; the not-color out of space strikes Rashmi, and the others, and where the Pagemage floated there was now... A pony. An earth-pony, with brown fur and a long, long red mane, barded in gold and green with a long taffeta skirt covering her flank, and a dimly glowing canister strapped to her back. Golden, dragonfly-like wings of magical light still keep her alont, fluttering delicately on either side of the canister.

"...What the *what?!*"

So distracted is she by her sudden transformation, she notices too late the BEAM OF SCORCHING DEATH FAST APPROACHING.

Luckily, she has her very own White Knight to tank the attack. "Little weirded out," she says in answer to the Belkan's question, "but okay. Here's the plan: Overwhelming force. I-- oop, they've already started."

    << *BONG!* >> << DELTA ACCEL -- BOOST UP >>

With Nicomachea being an Intelligent Device, actual hands are, thankfully, less important than a working mind, and in a moment's notice a trio of foxfire wisps of energy surround her, streaking out to Kingu, Bishonen, and Weisser, filling them with energy and the desire to *move.*

    << *BONG!* >> << TELEPATHY >>

<< It only lasts a little bit, >> Rashmi's voice speaks from the back of her allies' minds. << Use it while you've got it! Pretty sure mobility's gonna be key! >>

And with that, Rashmi touches hoof to head in a pony salute to the Belkan, then wings up into the air, flitting to and fro in case Nonset of Sora tries to target her again.

Keaka Hoshiko has posed:
    Clarthas, who still has the coat but shaped in a way that works for a pony somehow, with a red sash diagonally across the chest underneath, looks at the others, then himself. "Okay, hang on, I gotta check..." And then suddenly they are shaped slightly different. Still just as tall, but with a slimmer chest and legs, the snout is smaller and rounded with a less prominent jaw. "Huh." Hinoiri recognizes Keaka's voice, now. The henshin didn't drop, though, for veil purposes it's still the Clarthas identity. "I'm not sure what I expected."

    New! Crystal Flavor Hinoiri (*not actually a crystal pony) glances at Ginga Bishounen and turns her head as a curved shield of red magic blocks the beam (she did have to stop her own beam, though...) She grunts with the effort of shielding it. "Rrgh... did you seriously shout that you were doing an attack before you cast it?! This IS the idiot worl-- wait, why are you an alicorn?!" She looks just as shocked as the real Hinoiri does. "Who are you?!"

    She turns, pouring energy into the shield as it takes the sword, holding it back for a split second before it breaks through and strikes her, knocking her back. "Oof! TWO of you?!" Her horn glows with flame. "Why do you get to be alicorns?! I worked so hard..."

    The flame isn't anger, but a spell. Several large flames, as if from a giant candle, appear around her in formation and her horn and the flames both start raining down smaller flames every half-second like some kind of danmaku attack.

    Clarthas takes to the sky herself, hovering this way and that to dodge around the flames. One or two graze his coat and have to be tamped out. "Look! In other circumstances I'd be happy to see if we can reach some kind of agreement... but this is my fault. Today I promised I'd help Hinoiri -- our Hinoiri -- and I am a person of my word! I lied. I can put you back! Sarida!" She points the hoofboot-thing at Sunset. "World-Breaker's Hoof!" The device chimes. "Huh? But that won't-- oh, I see! It's worth a shot! Powering Void Drives!" The unicorn's eyes become the dark of night and falling stars, and a ray of same shoots out from the device towards the fake-icorn, cleaving right through the shield and then sort of... splashing over her like water? It drips off like goop and turns part of the ground into void. Don't step there.

    It has just been. One ridiculous thing after another. For both Hinoiris. The flying one says, "What was that?! Also, can all ponies fly in this universe?! What the heck, do you know how hard it was to learn flight magic?!"

    "Why didn't it work?" asks Clarthas. "I have no idea! All of this is unprecedented! You normally can't target people with it anyway, and she's from Outside... I just don't know!"

Sequoia Maybach has posed:
    Overwhelming force.
    Sounds like a solid plan. There's just one problem.
    "Is this a bad time to mention I'm not a fan of violence?" The White Knight replies to ponyRashmi.
    That's absurd isn't it?
    A Belkan that doesn't like using gratuitous amounts of force.
    Haha what a joke right?
    No. No she's dead serious as she says that.
    A Belkan that doesn't like force is apparently a thing, now.
    But that can be a topic of discussion for later as Rashmi's speed buff hits her.
    This is good, because in her heavier Knight Armor, Weisser Ritter is not exactly the fastest person on the face of the Earth. But the boost is more than welcome-- and more than helpful when the flames start pouring down.
    That's bad.
    She's not going to as how a pony draws a sword from their chest. She's... Not going to worry about that right now as she lunges in front of Pony Kingu and brings that heavy riot shield to bear against the flames that rain down, the Device rapidly growing hot in her hands, but she grits her teeth and bears it.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara opened her mouth, then sighed. Deeeep breathes. slow. Deep. Breaths. "Okay. First of all. Not a REAL alicorn. Nope. Obviously it's this... magic," she said firmly. Slow, deep breath. "Second of all... There is one thing, one tiny, almost forgettable thing that you fail to understand, fake-me. I know I can't likely defeat you as I am, in a magic duel. Especially if you're some imagining version of me. However, I have magic now. And you know what I've learned since coming here?"

"The value of playing dirty. The sparkle skirts have mastered it. Sutasuwaru annoying spell bucker!"

She cast the spell and... COUNTERSPELL! Via dropping a bucket of water(with the full metal bucket) on the other Sunset's head. That was right. The most ANNOYING of magical attacks. Counterspells while her allies beat on her. "*Nopony* can beat me in a duel of magic as nopony could ever hope to *possibly* compete with me! And in a mirror match, the one with friends has people to punch with while she doesn't have magic! Take THAT!"

Takuto Tsunashi has posed:
"Hey!!" Takuto sounds offended now, too, still hovering, flying with wings now instead of a blue-white nimbus of power, "you think we didn't work just as hard to be where we are today? I trained for years before I apprivoised!"

And there's fire getting in his hair and on his jacket and his wings and everything! He whinnies angrily, looks momentarily taken aback, then gets back to the anger and charges the blue-white nimbus back up.

Takuto hovers in midair with his wings spread for a moment, power keeping him aloft, then yells out "TAU MISSILE!!" and charges Fake!Hinoiri, aiming for a flying tackle falcon punch thing at the speed of way-too-fast.

Beam equals no? USE FISTS.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
<< ...?! >> That is the thought that answers Weisser Ritter at first, a feeling of the ground falling away under one's preconceptions, but Rashmi rallies in the time it takes to draw in breath. << I mean sort of, but that's okay! We can work with it. How *big* can you make your shields? Does your Device know anything that can turn her magic back, or away, so it doesn't have to just *take it?* >>

    << *BONG!* >> << SOLAR SHIELD -- BLAZE SHIFT >>

In answer to the high-volume stream of fire shots, Rashmi envelops herself in a swirling ball of golden flames. The bubble adds torque to the fire that hits it, angling its momentum *away* and mostly *out* from her position, and she sweeps through the air, trying to carve holes in the bullet formations the others can use for a breather.

Then she turns, holding both hooves out toward not-Sunbreaker as a seal spreads out under her.

    << *BONG!* >> << SOLAR BARRAGE -- GLACE SHIFT >>

A rapid-fire stream of, magical clumps of ice lances out to impact upon the Great Annoyance.

This variation doesn't do much in the way of real *damage,* but, the ice is cold, and sticky, and the more barrets impact her, the more it builds up, hampering movement and reaction ability. The perfect way to keep her in place for a Ginga Torpedo.

Sugata Shindo has posed:
While the sword flies off, Ginga Kingu does something else with the magic he's controlling by sheer will and sense of 'hey do this' - telekinetically grabs his cellphone and snaps pictures of everyone.

Wako is never going to believe this without pictures. They are promptly texted to her, a little blurry, not the highest quality, but undeniably pictures of ponification.

That taken care of?

He scoffs and scuffs his hoof, causing Diamant to disappear.

"The better question to focus on is why aren't you an alicorn?" It's said with so much disdain that you could forget that he learned what an alicorn was not even five minutes ago. Clearly it's a rank, and obviously they've achieved it because of their hard work and effort. The flaming horse pigeon over there should be focusing on herself, instead of on them.

<<Pacifist - if you can raise a shield large enough for all of us in a few moments, I have a stronger attack you'll need to help shield yourselves from, should it be necessary.>>

He's being cooperative and not even just dropping a King's Pillar on them without a word. Takuto should be proud.

Then? Then he charges in alongside Takuto, not going for a Tau Missile but instead once more pulling Diamant and outright just trying to cut the horn off.

"Star Swordo, Diamant!"

Keaka Hoshiko has posed:
    It's this... magic. "Resonance." Clarthas supplies, unhelpfully.

    "We already played dirty." Asserts the Not-icorn to her doppelganger. "What is a sparkle skirt?"

    COUNTERSPELL!

    "Agh! What--" she sputters from within the bucket as it puts out not only the flame on her horn, but the ones raining flames on the group. Also her mane is now a wet bedraggled mess and no longer billowing regally. (It does nothing to the wings, turning to steam when it hits them. Huh.)

    No one expects a splash in the face during a magic duel.

    "You..." Other-Hinoiri is infuriated, but while she's telekinetically pulling the bucket off of her head, GINGA BISHOUNEN rockets into her with a CRACK, knocking her to the side.

    It's not clear what cracked exactly. Bones? Reality? For an instant, the landscape flickered back to its old self, and they could swear they all saw human Ginga Bishonen punching her.

    Clarthas makes a mental note to be prepared for buckets if Hinoiri ever finds magic again. She lands beside the other unicorn, eyes normal again. Well, normal for her. "I have two ways to give you temporary power. One you do not want," she shakes her head, "and the other will leave you dark-sick for a few minutes or hours. I'm truly sorry I have nothing to help you be more yourself." The tone of voice indicates she assumes Hinoiri's not accepting dark-sickness. She looks up at Not-oiri. "Follow her plan, Sarida. Death Blossom while she's distracted."

    The hoof-gauntlet chimes, "DEATH..." and a magic circle appears, slowly rotating, under the black unicorn's hooves. Two more circles appear over her... withers? Aimed upward at an angle, clearly gathering angle. It could not BE a more telegraphed 'charging up for a big attack'.

    The punch hurt but the King's words might hurt her even more. The two can see it in her eyes. "I'M WORKING ON IT! Soon! Soon I'll have--" And then he does something no pony would ever think to do. Amy warned Hinoiri! Fake-oiri realizes in horror and turns her head just in time, the sword grazing the tip of her horn and making reality flicker again.

    She looks at the two with outrage but more than a fair bit of horror. "You...!"

    The horseshoes are off. Strike them where it hurts. She teleports several feet behind Hinoiri and Clarthas and fires another beam at them.

    (It may possibly be off-target and accompanied by strange curses if Hinoiri's put another bucket on her head.)

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
'You think we didn't work just as hard to be where we are today? I trained for years before I apprivoised!'

Oh... oh those words just echoed in her head. Like a gong.

... Because he was an alicorn. She'd never made it. She'd dedicated her entire life, every day to study, to work, to more study. To being the best. She'd sacrificed everything she could, everything she was, to becoming... that.

And she had never, ever been good enough. No matter what she did, no matter how hard she tried, she was never enough.

She could never be enough.

And these two? In a matter of years, apparently... they had. And her head sunk slightly... She wasn't enough. And she'd never be enough. They were alicorns... Sailor Moon would probably be an alicorn... Who knew how many others would be alicorns... apparently, for them, hard work had been enough.

But her? She was... just... never going to be good enough.

And then? Kingu said the very words that were echoing in her head. Sure, he was probably talking to the fake her. Didn't make the words hurt any less. And unlike the fake her, she couldn't hide behind the 'knowledge' that 'one day' she'd earn it. She knew that possibility was gone. "Forget it," she said to Clarthas. "Just... forget it. I don't--" And she never got a chance to finish that sentence, as it was then that she was blasted in the back by the other her. Hitting the ground and just kind of... rolling a bit. A few tears going down her face. In a flash of light, she just... poof. Disappeared.

Sure, she teleported behind a tree not that far away and just... laid down... crossing her hooves. But it was the thought that mattered. She couldn't just... teleport OUT of the zone, after all, she'd be a human again. But they'd finish it. She was sure.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
<< HINOIRI-- WAIT STILL HAS MAGIC?! BUT IT WON'T BE ENOUGH, >> Rashmi shouts into Weisser Ritter's mind -- and by extension, the Gingas -- as she spots the teleport, and the charge-attack aimed at the last two in this fight who really need targeting-- one person, oh good the real Hinoiri's gotten to safety. Out of line of sight, at least. << Um! Weissritter? Help me protect him, I don't think I can take that on my own! >>

    << *BONG!* >> << SOLAR FLASH >>

The red-maned pony becomes a flicker of golden light as she darts to the ground, *stomping* to earth in front of the pair of confused lumps, as the armored book floats pages-out before her.

    << *BONG!* >> << SOLAR SHIELD -- GLACE SHIFT >>

It begins as a disk of golden light, twice the size of a normal human. Then, with a screeching *CRACK* it becomes an irregular, spiked cone of golden ice, its topography calculated to break up coherence and the fluid-dynamics of fire, spreading the effect out and dissipating its energies... a little *less* harmfully.

<< Put your shield behind mine, and get behind me! It *ought* to be enough! >>

Takuto Tsunashi has posed:
"Ow..." Takuto mutters, rubbing at his hoof and then shaking it out, and then he SIGHS. "Okay, okay, Tauburn, yes, I see what works already, you can stop--"

And a tiny robotic alicorn in a glowing iridescent bubble pops into existence next to Takuto and waves a sword around at him, and then thumps his chest with the other hoof expectantly. Takuto SIGHS.

Finally, the Ginga Bishounen stands proud on his hind legs -- perhaps wobbles slightly after too long like that, but that just means it's time to hover again -- and puts one hoof to his chest, calling out "STAR SWORDO... EMERAUDE!" and pulls out a green energy sword. Then he puts the other hoof to his chest and yells, "STAR SWORDO... SAAAAPHIRRRR!"

One sword in each front hoof, he yells out "FLAIR!" and then charges fake-Hinoiri again, this time slicing one sword after the other from above, making a big glowing blue-and-green X in the air over the alicorn's head. "GALACTIC! CROSS! SLASH!!!"

And then he gets the hell out of the way.

Sequoia Maybach has posed:
    <<Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.>>
    Oh hey that's a good question as the flames die down and Weisser Ritter shakes her hand out to clear the burning feeling away.
    Wow her shield really yells at her in Belkan for just soaking that fire though, there's a cringe as much space German is shouted in indignation, but then she replies to Rashmi: <<I have no clue, I just started all THIS like just this week. But I'll give anything a shot at this point.>>
    Ginga Kingu apparently has a plan though.
    "Hey." She looks down at the Device in her hand. "CAN we do that?"
    The stalwart shield unflinchingly replies: <JA!>
    <<Okay!>>
    It's when Rashmi asks for backup that Weiss Ritter heeds the call. Thankfully she's still speed boosted as she blitzes to the red-maned pony-- this whole experience is just absolutely surreal-- and when Rashmi raises her Solar Shield, Weisser Ritter raises her Device.
    <RUSTUNG SEELE!> Her Device declares, suddenly forming a double layer with Rashmi's raised shield.

Sugata Shindo has posed:
The enemy goes for the apparent weakest link, as cowards often do, and Sugata does what's necessary - between he and Takuto, they could handle this with their Star Swords, he believes this to his core, but perhaps not in these odd bodies.

So after the Galactic Cross Slash staggers the enemy, after the shields are up and the others protected -

Ginga Kingu rears up onto his hindlegs, the tip of his horn glowing brightly.

"King's Pillar."

The light flashes, a small spark flying up, and Ginga Kingu flaps his wings hard to get into the air and soar towards Ginga Bishounen, spreading his (entirely too small for flight, really, who designed these things) wings over him, because they don't know how durable these bodies are -

The others might have an instant where they think he was just being dramatic. Where the enemy might laugh that overconfident antagonist laugh.

Then the wall of light falls from the sky, an orbital strike that if not for the barrier would be seen from miles away, filling nearly the entire scope of the barrier. It's pressure and power and force that crushes down the things in it's path - trees are compressed to splinters, metal into lumps of compressed scraps, the three Hinoiri is hiding behind is sheared in half.

When it's over, there's a dusty, sloping crater where there had been a perfectly nice section of park. Good thing for the barrier.

Takuto has, at worst, one (1) tiny scratch on a hindleg, where Sugata wasn't helping to cover him.

Keaka Hoshiko has posed:
    It's not that Clarthas isn't ready for such tricks in a duel, but she assumed Not-Hinoiri would teleport behind the Gingas, or above or below them. She is caught completely off guard as she's cooked a bit. Mixed in with the smoke is Darkness pouring out of her.

    For a moment, it's so much easier to assume the worst of everyone. And Everyone's judgement presses down upon you in turn.

    Which is probably especially not great for Hinoiri right now. Or ever.

    Rashmi's shield begins to weaken and scatter the beam, making more manageable heat wash over a wide area; Weisser Ritter steps in and together they block it completely.

    The feeling of paranoia and judgement passes as, with the beam blocked, Clarthas stops leaking, though burned and scorched. She grits her teeth and turns, slowly, the magic circle swiveling with her. Muttering, "I have an idea. The distance between where she is and where she's going. Remove it." Sarida chimes. "...BLOSSOM..."

    The Star Drivers come in.

    Hinoiri Kirara, Fallen Angel of "KiraKiraFantastica", stops her beam and looks up. Still horrified at the people trying to chop her horn. But there's also a bit of 'are you stupid?' look. She teleports again and then a whole lot of things happen at once.

    "...CANNON!Poweringvoiddrive!" Clarthas's eyes and Sarida's crystal go night-and-falling-stars again as twin beams of magic bigger and flashier than anything seen so far today fire.

    Ginga Bishonen cuts where the unicorn was but he feels the blades make contact--

    Ginga Kingu calls down the King's Pillar, putting the Death Blossom Cannon to shame.

    Hinoiri, KiraKiraFantastica's Angel, teleported in front of the Hinoiri we all know and love, but it doesn't matter what she was going to do because all the attacks hit.

    She collapses. Now normal unicorn-shaped again. Burned, and with her mane and tail burned and zapped. Somehow even the wings of fire (she still has those?) manage to look bedraggled.

    And the world un-KKFs, the plants and squirrels and birds their normal, less-hyper-vibrant selves again. The ponyfication starts wearing off (but maybe it takes longer for some, if it results in good RP!)

    There's a sense that something is ravening out of her. You blink and she seems gone, then back again, it all doesn't feel real.

    She groans and stands. "You... haven't seen the last of me..." She tries to summon magic to her broken horn for a teleport, but it just sparks, and she winces in pain. "No... No! I'm the real one! I'm real! No!" As she starts to disappear like she's in a timetravel movie and someone stopped her parents from meeting, she's frantically trying to think of a trick to get out of it. She touches a hoof to her chest, muttering, "No... maybe..." She looks at Hinoiri. "Be my minion! No, that won't work..."

    She looks up at the tree Hinoiri is hiding behind and her horn glows with the strange power again. "Don't let me go! I order you!" It obediently lowers branches to her but as she fades away she just slips through its leaves. "No, no, nooooo!" She wails, then her expression hardens as the fading reaches her head. "I exist! I will surpass Sora!"

    And with those words she's gone.

Sugata Shindo has posed:
"Mmm," Sugata smirks at the vanishing unicorn, "But do you though?"

Takuto Tsunashi has posed:
Takuto, a second ago, was shielded under Sugata's wings. Now that neither of them is a pony, this somehow translates to a position where the Ginga Bishounen can lean up and surprise-kiss Sugata, eyes twinkling.

"That was fun! Everybody okay?" he calls cheerfully, not moving just yet. After all, there's a scratch on him, it's terrible. He can't possibly move.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
The shields go up, and Rashmi throws a thought of wordless encouragement at Weisser Ritter.

There is a terrible ghastly noise.

THere is *another* terrible ghastly noise, and then the world seems to heave.

There is a terrible ghastly silence.

With the Belkan's shield and hers supporting each other, when the redheaded *person* cracks her eyes open, she's relieved to see the damage to the ice was... relatively minor, considering what happened the *last* time she had to tank a blast of that magnitude.

Golden ice is cracked, chipped, and much of its mass is just missing, the rest sublimating into golden steam. Raising her head, she looks around, blinking owlishly behind her glasses. "What the what was *that?!*" she calls out, staring around at Clarthas, at the Kingi.

<< Good work, >> she thinks to Weisser Ritter. << *Seriously* good work. So I'm Rashmi, I'm in grade 10 at Radiant Heart, and wanna swap numbers? If you're this new there's stuff that's a lot less embarrassing to be told, rather than figuring out on your own. Trust me on that. >>

A broken branch clatters to the ground from the cloven tree, and her head pops up. "Hinoiri-chan? Are you okay?!"

Sugata Shindo has posed:
After that snarky, absolutely unnecessary jab at a defeated enemy, Sugata realizes that they're human again, and that what had been wings protecting Takuto is now just him, with his regular arms, leaning over Takuto and he starts to pull back -

But not in time to stop the surprise kiss. (Not that he would.) The smugness falls off his face, and Ginga Kingu looks at Ginga Bishounen with the most undeniably soft fondness for a moment, as if the world were just the two of them.

Then Takuto calls out to the rest of them, making him remember that there is a world, and he rolls his eyes and settles beside him, looking at the minor scratch.

"What a terrible battle wound," he murmurs, "But sadly it won't get you out of kendo practice."

Then, louder, as the sheltered ones emerge, Ginga Kingu says, "That was my finisher. King's Pillar."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara just sighed and waited and--

Oh, the square thing. Her horn glowed and a small, red dome appeared over her and...

IT didn't touch her, so her shield was probably a waste, anyway. Still. The buck. She'd have been more annoyed... Except she got to watch the fake her, instead, be destroyed. Utterly. Helplessly. Then, finally, the magic before to fade out and she was a human, a normal human girl. She just gave a sigh and got back to her feet. "You'll never surpass Sora," Hinoiri muttered to the disappearing fake. "That's never what we wanted, anyway."

She then stopped and glanced to Rashmi. Finally... "No, I'm really not. But that doesn't matter." She then glanced Clarthas and... "Thanks. For trying. I guess. Just... whatever. But don't... touch me with that stuff again. I'm going to go... I'm going to just... go," she muttered, just a hint bitterly, stuffing her hands into her pockets and trying to leave. But she, well... still needed Rashmi to bring the barrier down. She was a normal person and all.

Sequoia Maybach has posed:
    That... That was intense.
    When everything dies down, Weisser Ritter slowly lowers her Device, huffing softly. Watching the false Hinoiri vanish is kind of... Sad, after the grand explosion of the King's Pillar.
    But she heaves a sigh and just... Kind of flops back onto her butt with a soft and tired grunt.
    "Geeze..." But then she blinks.
    <<OH. You're Rashmi? I ran into Zephyr Windstar-- she told me to get in contact with you and Chrono Harlaown, said you could... Help with... All this...>>
    Yeah the poor girl is in over her head at this point and it doesn't help that her Device won't stop yelling at her in Belkan.

Keaka Hoshiko has posed:
    And she's human again. Or whatever. Not exactly human, perhaps. "That was interesting," Clarthas mutters, holding her gauntlet close to her face. "Did you catch that Rotation?" "Maybe? Not like I can replicate it. Yet."

    She dusts herself off and smiles. "Well uh. Good work, Heroes. You have, uh, proved your strength, and--"

> What the what was *that?!*
    Her shoulders slump, defeated. "Would you even understand if I told you? Everyone just... I try. I really tried to help!"

    She turns to face Rashmi and glares. "It's wrong! It's wrong that she has no power, after everything she's been through! Can't you see I was trying to fix that?!"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
With the kind of sigh that only an aggrieved teenager can produce, Rashmi bends to collect the scattered papers... And read them. Having been an inveterate bookworm for life, reading is something she does very quickly, doubly so when it's mostly illustrated. For a moment, the look on her face is purest outrage. Then, she closes her eyes, looses a long, ragged breath.

"There is," she begins, "something weird with our planet. There is a civilization that uses magic to *routinely* travel through time-space and dimensional barriers, in *actual starships.* When one of those starships got too close? IT EXPLODED IN SPACE AND TIME. THERE'S PROBABLY STILL SHRAPNEL THAT HASN'T FALLEN YET BECAUSE IT BLEW UP FUTURE-WARDS."

Pausing, she closes her eyes again, takes a few calming breaths, and continues in a much more, forcedly, level voice. "...Did your calculations account for that interference, when you pulled in a bit of Cthulhu to cut off and make a new whatever?"

Pointedly, she rolls up the papers and stuffs them into the gem at the center of Nicomachea's book, turning away. "I am going to drop the Barrier in a little bit," she calls out. "Anyone who doesn't want to be out in the open ought to take steps."

<< I do know Agent Windstar, and I'll be *happy* to help you out. How's lunch on the roof sound, tomorrow? >> she sends to Weisser Ritter, then moves to find an out-of-the-way place to de-henshin, and drop the barrier.

A few hours later, Hinoiri will get a simple text message:

    TXT from Rashmi -- If you want to talk about it? That's what friends are for. I'll buy the udon, even.

Sugata Shindo has posed:
The fool who created this situation spouts off about why this happened - and Wako-chan's roommate (this one is Rashmi-chan or Chiyo-chan, but the whole, magical veil situation is making it impossible to tell) fires off about space ships.

Well, maybe that explains why no one remembers any of what happened with the Cybodies outside of Southern Cross Island.

Either way? The villain of the day's excuse is poor, to put it bluntly.

"Power is a responsibility, not a right," he says flatly, in the voice of one born to great power and all the suffering it would entail. "If she's meant to have power, it's hers to find and deal with. You might have tried to help, but considering the results? Maybe you should have started with someone less known for trying to destroy the world."

And then he'll be heading off with Ginga Bishounen, to share the story and the pictures with Wako.

Keaka Hoshiko has posed:
    Clarthas's expression is... kind of bewildered? Rashmi mentions the 'civilization' and "Yes. I know. My own ship is still there and will be there and in the past and all that! You think I don't know?!"

    Did her calculations account for that interference? "...YES!" Exasperated, she taps the gauntlet with her other hand. "THIS was made by a similar process, and I've done many tests! The Dusk Zone messes with a lot, but it does not prevent Unshift from occcuring, the, the 'bit of Cthulhu' reaches us just fine!"

    She steps closer to point at the notes, tapping at the part where the doodle of her is cutting the tentacle. "I went there and saw it and cut it myself, just now!"

    She then taps at the drawing of the 'mold' filled-in with eldritch stuff. "The process failed here. It didn't go into the mold properly. I don't know why. It's not like she already has an Abstractum so no other power can exist in that conceptual shape!"

    Sarida chimes in, sharing Keaka's strong desire to explain misunderstandings and only take blame for what was actually their fault. "There were no internal errors generated during the process. All of the abstract machinery functioned properly. The extension of 'Them' was real. It is precisely as if she already possesses an Abstractum; She does not, therefor, indeed, no such Abstractum can exist in the world."

    Clarthas looks down at the gem, the lines inside it drawing that 'eye' looking up at them as it speaks. "...But why?! That's not fair!"

    "I do not know." the eye closes for a moment. "The world is wrong."

    Ginga Kingu doesn't care. Clarthas growls and turns. "That's just it! This power would be hers! It helps her be more her! Just because she tried to destroy the world, she doesn't get a chance to be herself?! I thought you heroes were kinder than that, considering she gave all that up for you."

    She starts to float upward, coat and scarf billowing as she gets ready to fly off. "What do you even see in this world, that you'll fight so hard for it to stay the way it is?"

Sugata Shindo has posed:
"If the power was to be hers, it would be hers."

Ginga Kingu sheathes his diamond sword in his chest as he turns to leave, looking over his shoulder. "But it wasn't hers. She didn't take the power. It didn't make her more herself. Why don't you consider what it means, that the power you think would have made her herself was rejected by her?"

He doesn't fully understand Clarthas' power, of course, how could he? But he can see an obvious error in logic when he sees one.

"This is our home. Just because you hate it, doesn't mean we do."

And then he really is gone with Ginga Bishounen.

Keaka Hoshiko has posed:
    Clarthas continues to look pissed at being blamed for things that simply didn't happen. "She did not reject it." The crystal 'eye' frowns, too. "Getting consent is part of the process."

    Just because you hate it, doesn't mean we do.

    Her expression grows colder. "I see. Of course. I should have known." Of course those with power don't hate the world. She duskports.