Scene #873: A Horse Is A Horse, Of Course, Of Course

Owner	Pose
Adora Rainbowfist	It's a nice Sunday afternoon, edging into evening. The sky above Shinjuku is just beginning to fade to the purples and oranges of sunset, as the lights of the city start to come on. Like usual there will be no stars. That's okay, though. Adora grew up on a world without stars. Even with the Big Meeting in the shed, Adora is in a good mood. A very good one, in fact! While a 'normal' person would hardly call the previous evening with Catra a huge step, nobody has ever accused Adora of being 'normal'. Her Catra plushy sits snug in her bed back at the school. Knowing her horse needs attention, though, she'd come down to the park to tend to him at the stables, and go on a nice ride. After the first few visits, Swiftwind had stopped accompanying her down here. He said the horses were just terrible at holding a conversation. Now Adora meanders back towards the bus, taking her time on the long, winding paths through the trees.
Hinoiri Kirara	Sunbreaker had.... been waiting for Adora. Why? Because she'd been BUSY, okay! Life, other things, her girlfriend, the whole heist, then there was all the stuff with her other plans, the ones that fell through, now there was a leyline thing, her girlfriend was in two halfs, she needed to leave town and just... SOOOOO much to do, only one Sunbreaker. So she, at least, was sitting on the branch of a tree, arms folded behind her, one donut in hand and... a second one in a small, paper bag. When Adora passed by... she called out in that same tone that Catra loved to use. "Hey Adora." It wasn't Catra, at least. But Sunbreaker wasn't so... well... "Here, catch," she said, before tossing the bag to her! "You better appreciate that, it's literally from out of this world." She'd then drop down to the ground and... Yes. If she ate it... it was likely the best donut she'd ever had. One straight from kirakirafantastica, the kind of magical deliciousness you'd EXPECT from a world of unicorns and fairies where things like 'calories' meant a whole lot less. "... Right. Do the whole... spinny... spin thing you do. With your sword. Become all... She-ra and whatnot. I don't really... want to fight a civilian," she admitted, grousing just a little bit.
Adora Rainbowfist	Her eyes widen when she heard the magical words, but also immediatly noticed it wasn't the familiar voice of her Catra. She took a deep breath and glanced up in time to catch the bag. "Huh?" The blonde opened the bag and blinked at the donut inside. She eyed Sunbreaker for a moment before pulling it out and taking a bite. Immediatly hert hand covered her mouth and she let out a surprised sound of yumminess. She then made very quick work of the rest of the donut before she turned to face the girl. "...And why do you suddenly wanna fight She-Ra?," she asked, clearly confused. She put one hand on her hip and cocked it, watching the other girl suspiciously. "Did Catra put you up to this or something?" The golden bracelet that was her sword WAS arounhd her wrist and visible.
Hinoiri Kirara	Sunbreaker nodded and... "See?! SEE? That's what I've been saying for MONTHS! Nobody in this stupid planet knows how to make a gosh darn proper donut!" To be fair, Pastry Patty's were like. The ingredients alone were proof of sparkleness. Then again, her world didn't have korma. "Wellll... I less want to fight She-ra... and ummmm... it's..." She trailed off, a little red in her cheeks. Finally, she just sighed. "Your horse, okay? Swiftwind. I want to talk to Swiftwind. And don't think I won't knock your butt from here to Tokyo Bay in order to get what I want. Fortunately for you, unlike some people I'm willing to talk things out rather than escalating to the point where I have to crater you."
Adora Rainbowfist	"Crater me, huh?" The blonde crossed her arms over her chest and considered the other girl for a long moment. She was wondering if that challenge was enough to ruin her good mood and bring her swinging. Thankfully, it wasn't. Sunbreaker had found her when she was cheerful. "Okay, sure. I'll bring him here. I don't need to henshin for it, though..." She brushed her fingertips along the bracelet, tracing the First Ones glyph that summoned her steed. "He will be here in a few minutes," Adora said. "He's a very fast flyer, even when he's not full-sized." Not full-sized?
Hinoiri Kirara	Sunbreaker nodded. "Yeah. Like, there's a reason I approached you out here. I figured you'd do what I want, or I'd just like... start draining people, you'd have to She-ra to fight me. But then there'd likely be like... four sparkle skirts popping into existence. Like daisies. Really obnoxious the way you lot do that. Back home when we had a mage's duel it was one on one. Here it's like... eight on one. Which, I understand. If I was you lot I'd not wanna fight me alone either. But it's also cheating and makes properly gauging my strength difficult. Thanks, by the way. Making this easier and all." However, it was after that, that the last thing she said clicked. "Wait. What do you mean... not... full sized? Does... he get bigger?"
Adora Rainbowfist	She sighed softly. "Sunbreaker...I'm doing what you want. Stop with all the threats, all right? It's like a knee-jerk reaction and just...not needed, okay? Just say thanks." "DID SOMEBODY SAY SWIFTWIND??" It wasn't as loud as it was the night in the alley, and now resplendent alicorn appears. Well, he does...but he's smol. The cat-sized alicorn flutters down with his rainbow wings and flies a few loops around Adora before he spots Sunbreaker. "Ahhhh! The girl with the pretty horn! Hello, pretty-horn-girl! I am SWIFTWIND!" He'd fly over to Sunbreaker, moving to land lightly on her shoulder. "This is what he looks like when I'm not henshined. Saves me a lot of money on apples, trust me..."
Hinoiri Kirara	Sunbreaker sighed, rubbing the back of her head. "Yeah... yeah. Sorry. A lot of you girls try to kill me when I'm polite, so I am a little... antsy about it now," she mumbled gently. "It... kind of is a reaction at this point, I guess. With you lot, I never know what I'm going to get. Sailor Moon and her 'rah, I'll protect you even if we hate each other!' or the axe girl with her 'Now I'll kill you for daring to hurt my friend in battle! Rawr!'" And then the words. Sunbreaker LIT UP, in a non fiery way. Her eyes were stars for a moment. "I did! Me! I said it!" she said, like an excited teenage girl at a boy band concert. And... and there was an alicorn ON HER SHOULDER! Best. Day. Ever. There-- Then she held out her hands, palms up, so he could move onto them. Then... she glared at Adora. "What did you do? And wait. APPLES? You'd dare to deny an alicorn all the apples he demanded? What is WRONG with you?"
Adora Rainbowfist	Swiftwind fluttered from her shoulder to land in her hands. His little hooves clip-clopped against her palms as he looked up at her, his wings folding into his sides. "Hey, I didn't -do- anything. This world made him like this when he found his way here. And I offered him a whole basket but-" "Buuuuut I tried to eat too many and made myself sick," he replied with a chuckle. "She gives me whatever it is I need, pretty-horn-friend, don't worry. She's a good friend!" Meanwhile, Adora leans back against a tree to watch, a slightly amused and very curious smile on her face.
Hinoiri Kirara	Sunbreaker nodded knowingly, staring at Swiftwind like... well. Like Adora had the first time she'd ever seen a horse. "Ohhhhh. I see. That must be very hard. When I came to this world I went from a unicorn to this form, but at least my size wasn't... well, actually I think I'm taller like this. Definitely lighter, though. Humans are so light." "You know, you are very majestic, even with the tiny size. And I'm so sorry to hear about you getting sick. Sora sometimes got a little queesy when she ate too many pastries, but she had a spell for that. You really think my horn is pretty? I tried to make it just like the one I had back home, but I could only do so much without my proper magic. Oh! Right! I am H--" Then stopped and shook her head. "I am Sunbreaker of Kirakirafantastica, Unicorn, future alicorn, prote... former... student of Sora, raiser of the sun. A pleasure to meet you, Swiftwind." She... semi-curtsied. She couldn't use her hands for it, though, because holding Swiftwind.
Adora Rainbowfist	"Oh, wow! You made it? Well, it's lovely!" Swiftwind fluttered up long enough to tap his horn to hers in a sign of affection before he dropped back to her hands. "That's a lot of titles! Well, let me try my hoof at that, too. I am Swiftwind of Etheria! Faithful Companion and Steed to She-Ra, The Princess of Power! Defeater of the Horde, Kicker of Soldiers, Breaker Of The Chains Of Abused Horses, Eater Of The Most Apples, and now...your friend!" Adora reached up to adjust her ponytail, smiling softly.
Hinoiri Kirara	Sunbreaker flushed and nodded. "Y-yeah. It's modeled over the one I had back home when I was, well, a unicorn. I uhhh... you know. Portal magic. Some people it turns human. Other people it turns into... it shrinks. I wonder if Sora would shrink if she came through here?" There was a thought. "And I was actually turned into an alicorn plushy recently, so I was about your size so trust me, I understand the struggles. It--" Then, record screech. "Steed? She.... rides... you? You're... proud... of this?" she asked. "Wait, abused horses?!" And oh, the look she was giving Adora could have burned wood. But then something shocked her out of her anger. "W-what? Friend? Yours?" she asked, turning back to Swiftwind. "I-I'm not, I couldn't, I mean... you have friends? Sora never had friends," she said all that in a hushed tone, trying to make sure Adora couldn't hear... but it was quiet and Sunbreaker was so excited her voice carried. "She always told me to get friends, but she didn't even have one. Only students and fawners and servants..."
Adora Rainbowfist	"Ooooh. I've never met a unicorn before! Well, I'm happy to do so!" The alicorn beamed up at her, offering a horsey smile and whiney. He cocked his head a bit when she said she turned into a plushy, and his horse swishes a bit. "Oh, wow! Well...I've never been a plushy before. Adora just got a Catra one, though, and I swear she already takes it everywhere!" Adora overhears that and flusters a bit, glaring. She then blinks at the sudden glare from Sunbreaker, and is about to respond when Swiftwind does for her. "I do! And I am! We were made for eachother. We can sense eachothers actions before they happen, and when she rides me we can take down any enemy! It's not like...it's not a bad thing. It's us working together, and it lets her fly to fight her many enemies. We're partners!" Another proud whiney. He blinks a few times at her sudden, hushed whispers, and he nods. He whispers back, though he is unsure why they are whispering! "I do, yes! Well, I had a lot of friends back home, but only a few here. Catra was even my friend in the end, before Adora got pulled her. She was -insanely- worried about her girlfriend. But...I'm preeeeeeetty sure we're never, ever getting back there. So, now we have to do it all over again with -this- Catra." He sighed. "But...yes. I have friends. And now -we- are friends, Sunbreaker!" He doesn't appear to take no for an answer.
Hinoiri Kirara	Sunbreaker actually snorted at that. "Really? A catra one? Well... I guess that's not surprising. My roommate has this pink alicorn stuffy and every so often I'll borrow it and just hug it because it's soft and it kind of reminds me of Sora and--" And then went scarlet. And glared at Adora. "If you EVER tell anyone I said that I will burn everything in your life. Everything." Her face was literally steaming. She then turned back to Swiftwind and sighed. "Really? Well... I guess... that can make sense. So long as she properly respects you. I can see why having an alicorn helping her makes sense. Frankly, I can only assume she is the most important, powerful and well respected warrior on her planet to have earned the right to fight besides an alicorn. You are quite generous to help make up for her shortcomings in battle." "And... yeah. Catra... is... yeeeeah... she's... unique. Capable, but kind of a drama queen." Says the girl LITERALLY on fire. "But, um, I could see about trying to get you home. Once I ascend. I uhhhh... uhhhh..." "... You... you do know I'm one of the bad guys... right? Like, I'mmmm... the... the people She-ra fights? Has she mentioned me to you?"
Adora Rainbowfist	"She actually IS all of those things! With the help of her friends...including Catra...She-Ra saved the world! Heck, she saved a bunch of worlds! Prime had an intergalactic fleet and she tore it apart! She turned the main warship into a giant tree, even!" Swiftwind was proud of her, and it was obvious. Hearing all this made her cheeks flush a bit, and when Hinoiri offered that threat she put a hand over her heart and nodded. "Not gonna tell a soul." Swiftwind glanced back at her, and then turned his attention back to Sunbreaker, looking up at her from her hands. "Hm. I mean...that'd be nice. Going home. But Etheria has a lot of heroes and the Armada is defeated and all..." His wings rustled a bit. "...So I think we kinda want to stay here. For a good while, at least." He cocked his head to the side when she said she was a villain, and he nodded. "Well, so was Catra back home. And now she's not. Anyone can be shown goodness. So...yeah. I don't care. I'm your friend. And so is Adora, because I said so."
Hinoiri Kirara	Sunbreaker let out a low gasp. "She can do floramancy even? I see. I... am not quite sure what an 'intergalactic' is, but... I know what a fleet is. The griffons had fleets of airships in the past and I think the hippogriffs have fleets for the sea. Kirakirafantastica tends to depend more on airships than actual sea ships, though. But turning a warship into a tree... that's pretty impressive. Perhaps she's more than just a... what was it they called you? A... himbo?" That term still confused her. "I see... right. As an alicorn, I guess you must truly crave adventure and glory. I do hope you're enjoying your time here. But uhhhh... friends? With her?" Sunbreaker asked, glancing up at Adora again... but then sighed. "Fine. But only because Swiftwind asked. You better be grateful. So, ummmm, what kind of magic can you do? Can you lift the sun? Re-arrange the stars? Move continents? Create love from the darkest hearts? Shift time? Awaken empires?"
Adora Rainbowfist	"Oh! Uh. Nope. Nope. Nope. Oh, love from the darkest hearts? I do that all the time! Awaken empires?" He raised a forehoof and tapped beneath his chin, mimicing a human thinking gesture. "Hmmmm. Well, I can fly. And I can read Adora's thoughts. Also, I can shoot blasts of energy from my horn that totally decimates enemies! And I can sense First Ones tech! ...I don't know if there IS any on this planet, but...it's super useful if it is!" He glanced between Adora and Sunbreaker, then. Adora stepped from her tree and chuckled softly. "Hey, I'm always happy to have another friend, Sunbreaker. And Swiftwind is a good judge of character. It's just...sometimes the people he's thinking highly of don't exactly know that about themselves yet." "And...what's a himbo? I'll need to ask someone..."
Hinoiri Kirara	Sunbreaker let out a gasp. "So... like Keidensu? Amazing... Blasts of energy from your horn? Oh, I can do that too! Wanna see?" She was almost hopping up and down with excitement at the notion of showing her magic off to an alicorn. And uhhhh... would then shoot off a great red blast of magic in a swirling pattern, before it exploded into a ball of sparkling energy. "And you can read her thoughts? What is she thinking now?" Oh, that is... something Sunbreaker probably wouldn't want to hear. "And my character is amazing. Unique, brilliant, dedicated, ambitious. You'd be lucky to have a friend like me. As for what a himbo is... if I'm correct... it means your heart is pure like crystal and your head is empty like a balloon. Also, it... might mean you're supposed to be hot? I'm still trying to fully understand 'hotness' and uhhhh... let me tell you. Switching races? Realllllly throws off your measurements."
Adora Rainbowfist	"Ooooh! That's -amazing-!," he gushed at Sunbreaker after she fired off that blast of energy. "Well, mine is...less in this size, but check it out!" He hopped up and fluttered aboiut a moment as a blaze of rainbow colored energy began to manifest around his horn, and then with a crackle of energy it shot off. It cut a tree branch in half with a flash of color, the thin branch falling to the grass. He then settled back into her hands. Swiftwind glanced back at a distracted looking Adora, and turned back. "...She's thinking about smooching Catra. She's usually thinking about smooching Catra." "HEY!" Adora stomped her foot, a bit red in the face. She paused, then, hearing the description. "Huh." "Well, she has a pure heart, for sure. And she caaaaaaaaaaaaan be quite the dummie. Also, I disctinctly remember Other-Catra gushing to her about how pretty she was after all the bad stuff was done."
Hinoiri Kirara	Sunbreaker let out a gasp of awe, followed by an ohhhhhh when it hit the branch. "Amazing... even so small you still wield such power." It wasn't THAT impressive, but the way Sunbreaker was looking at it, you'd think he just poked a hole through ten inches of titanium. Thinking of smooching Catra, however, made her laugh. "Oh, wow. You really are obsessed about her, aren't you?" she asked, smirking to Adora. "Like. Wow. I don't know how you got her to turn all goody good back in your world, but here? Catra is deeeeeefinitely... just as obsessed with you. The whole reason she's doing this is because she wants you to notice her." Sunbreaker... didn't know if this was true. But wellllll... She was more than happy to say these things if it got her more alicorn time. "I went dirtbike riding with her, she spent like... half the time complaining about you. You only complain like that about someone if you really, really care about them." "... And in the end, you came for her, didn't you?" Sunbreaker asked with a sigh before, very, very gently... "May I?" She'd move one hand over Swiftwind... and begin to, gently, scritch riiiiiiight behind the ears. In the spot she always struggled to reach when she was a unicorn.
Adora Rainbowfist	"I didn't,...'turn her good'," Adora explains with a soft sigh. "She was hurt and angry and scared, and made a lot of bad decisions. Eventually...she came to understand that herself. THEN came the even harder part, which was explaining to her that, yes, she was worth being loved. She did it on her own." She didn't comment on the dirtbike bit, but it DID make her smile softly. "And yeah, I came for her. Saved her from the Horde. And then, after I was ready to die to save everything...she saved -me-." Swiftwind, meanwhile, is ALL about those scritches. He lets out the happiest little alicorn sounds, and leaned into the scritches.
Hinoiri Kirara	Sunbreaker gave a light snicker. "Yeah, when people are upset they make terrible decisions. Who'd have thunk it?" she asked in a teasing tone. "Oh, and you had to fix her then, right? Well... then maybe you should keep a log of how many bad decisions she made before she turned good on your world. Once she hits that number, see if she's a bit closer to where you want her." "Though, that was then, this is now. It's entirely possible... she'll never do that. I mean, she's with Obsidian now. There are some reallllllly dumb people there. But also lots of dangerous ones. She might go higher. She might get killed. Who knows? Or maybe she'll freak out. Admittedly, I'm one of the more ambitious ones..." She then made a few to Adora, motioning down to Swiftwind and mouth 'Are you seeing this? This is AMAZING!' Then back on topic. "But there are some really nasty people there. Sure, the realllllllly awful ones will never succeed. But Catra might have potential. One day she might even be a real match for you. If she can learn how to wield proper magic. Otherwise... wellllll... maybe you can bring her back, kicking and screaming. Obsidian is likely always going to be there for her. So long as she's useful."
Adora Rainbowfist	"The Horde was always there for her, too. And they were also just using her. Same with Horde Prime afterwards. Same stuff, different faces. I know things might not work out the same. But I'm doing what I can to help her. So far, this is all pretty...pretty much par for her. But I know that a lot of those changes back on Etheria were her reacting to stuff happening outside herself, and...that stuff might not happen here. I think about it a lot. This isn't new information for me." She crosses her arms over her chest. "Obsidian isn't special. It's just like the Horde, or Prime's fleet, or any of the dozen other villain organizations from all these other girl's worlds. In the end...they lose." She steps away from the tree and moves closer. Swiftwind glances up and between the two.
Hinoiri Kirara	Sunbreaker gave a small nod. "Yeah, probably. She's not exactly the hardest girl to read, either. Tough. Useful. Who knows? She makes the right colleagues, she might do well enough she won't need you to save her. It's not going to be easy for you, though." "They're definitely going to lose in the end. Their goals are all about fighting amongst themselves, tearing themselves apart. None of them are actually powerful enough to do what needs to be done to 'win' this little war of theirs. But they're all so focused on backstabbing each other and trying to 'win' that they'll never actually succeed." Sunbreaker was so busy gushing over and scritching Swiftwind that she didn't really notice Adora coming closer. Or maybe she didn't care. Adora wasn't in henshin, what could she possibly do?
Adora Rainbowfist	Adora wasn't going to take a swing or anything like that. But she did get quite close, before reaching down and scritching behind Swiftwind's other ear. He let out a whiney of pure joy, his wings floofing a bit as the two talked. "Kinda got that sense of them. And yeah, if it was easy I wouldn't have a ton of fresh new scars, courtesy of my very own catgirl. But back home the war lasted a few years, and we were at eachothers throats the entire time. I have it in me to fight as long as I need to, like I did then. But I don't have it in me to ...I didn't hate her, but I didn't like her, sometimes. I was scared of her, and furious, sometimes. But she was actively hurting people, like she is now. The difference is that now I know Catra better then I thought I did, then. So...I'll never feel those negative things towards her again. Sad? Absolutely. But I've -never- been a quitter."
Hinoiri Kirara	Sunbreaker literally had an alicorn in the palm of her hand. This was the greatest day of her life even if she DID have to do it with hands now. And seeing him poof up just made it better. "Yeah, she's slashy. Cats are like that, though. One of the students back in school had this kitten she just loooooved. But when she brought it to school and teacher told ehr no pets and tried to pick it up? It went total razor wire slashy. Broke a claw, actually." Pause. "Oh, right, the teacher was a dragon. Scales, you know. They beat kitten claws. But, in the end? Nothing wrong with disliking her. Heck, Sailor Moon hates my guts and she still tried to save my life from some of you sparkle skirts. You don't like who she is, might even hate who she is. Doesn't mean you've given up on her. Until you banish her, at least." "... That's when you've given up on her. I'd advise against that. You have no idea what she'd do then." "Can you do telekinesis here, Swiftwind?"
Adora Rainbowfist	The blonde listens to Sunbreaker's story as she lightly scritches Swiftwind, taking the story for what it is. She nods slowly and sighs. "I love who she is. I don't like who she's convinced herself she is. That's the difference. And a dragon? Huh. ...Cool." The alicorn blinks, shaking himself from his scritching reverie. "Telekinesis? I can't do that. Sounds cool, though! Mabye if I eat enough apples..."
Hinoiri Kirara	Sunbreaker gave a light snort. "You know. Maybe that's part of the problem. Do you have any idea how condescending that sounds? 'Catra doesn't know who she is, only I know who she is. She's tricked herself into thinking she's this way, but I know the truth'. Like. Are you at all able to hear how much of an ass you sound like when you say that?" "This is who Catra is. She might not be happy like it, she might not WANT to be this way. But you dismissing it and telling her she's not who she is is just going to make it worse. Do you even see her? Or are you seeing this idolized version of her that matches who you want her to be, and ignoring everything else?" "... You really can't do telekinesis? Maybe it's just from my world we can do it. Adora! You better make sure you give his fur and wings proper care. A pegasi's wings can get very damaged if not tended to and the feathers straightened, and a unicorn's horn is very sensitive if the base isn't cleaned regularly. And without telekinesis it's not like he can do it himself," Sunbreaker snapped, scolding her a little for not doing it... even though she might have been doing it for all she knew.
Adora Rainbowfist	"I...no. That's not what I meant, though," replies Adora. "I'm -literally- from her future. I DO know things about herself she just hasn't...figured out yet." She shook her head, then, waving it off. "Arguing with most of Obsidian is pointless, though. Just forget it. Dropping it." She arched an eyebrow at the care instructions, and then nodded. "Got it. He's well tended to, don't worry. I'll make sure he keeps being happy. But..." She held her hands out for Swiftwind. He looked up to Sunbreaker and flew up to lightly tap her horn. "It was nice to meet you, Sunbreaker. I look forward to being your friend, and I hope you can find hope again." He then fluttered over to Adora, and the blonde turned away to leave. "I have homework to do, so I need to get going. This was...not terrible. And Swiftwind likes you. You talk about people needing to be worthy of being your friend, but...you need to make sure you're worthy of being his. Be safe." Unless physically stopped, the annoyed Adora would take off, moving down the path towards her bus stop.
Hinoiri Kirara	Sunbreaker blinked a few times. She felt her eye twitched. From her future. That... she shouldn't say anything. She gave a nod to the alicorn. Find hope? She... had hope. Hope was all she had left. ... She disappeared in a puff of fire, appearing in front of Adora a moment later. "One last thing. Get that out of your head. You know what she can be. That's what you need to realize. Every single time you tell her who she can be and act like it's who she has to be, you're going to push her down a path you don't want," Sunbreaker snapped. "If you want to 'save' her, or whatever? Stop focusing on who she was and focus on who she is. Because nobody else is going to. And I'm not telling you this for your sake. But for his," she said, motioning to Swiftwind. "... Next time we meet, we'll likely be enemies. But... don't take it personally. I can't return home, either, until my work is done. And I won't even let an alicorn get in my way." Then, in another flurry of flames, she was gone... disappearing. ... When she got to the bus stop another box dropped on Adora's head. A small one. ... It had a donut. Apple cream. The box said 'For Swiftwind'. But he'd totally share, right?