It started out just like any other day, honestly.
I was just hanging out with my friends and enjoying this oddly-perfect early spring day.
I watched Aiko zip around the three basketball courts, sinking shot after shot as she always does.
I watched Doremi practicing her volleyball serve alongside Onpu, who was currently taking a break from all of her idol business. Hey, being an idol can be tiring, people.
I watched Hazuki reading the latest novel in that new series of mysteries she's been getting into lately (it was thanks to me getting her the first novel for her birthday).
I watched Poppu and Hana taking turns on the nearby swing set, Hana excitedly proclaiming she wanted to go as high as possible. I watched Poppu oblige, pushing Hana forward with all of her might.
I watched Fami teleporting gleefully around a confused Kirino, laughing at how flustered the violet witch was making my sister.
I watched Momoko just lying there on the grass, enjoying the nice weather while it lasted.
...I watched the sky turn an eerie shade of black before everything up there shattered like it had been made of fragile porcelain.
All I could do was watch as strange beams of light thundered from the shattered sky like bolts of lightning, instantly disintegrating anyone they came in contact with.
I could only watch as all of my friends were hit by these beams as well, due to something attacking me and causing me to keel over in excruciating pain.
I could only watch as the city I called home collapsed into nothingness.
I could only watch as one of those beams came streaking for me as well.
...but then, I heard a voice.
"You will not fall to the darkness this day."
(Though the wheel of destiny constantly spins, one truth is always evident. A single human thought can change the world.)
The Blue Time Ranger is proud to present:
Ojamajo Doremi Zero
Story Created: April 7th, 2017
Story Rated: T for Teen (for action scenes, romantic moments, some harsh language, basically my usual fare)
Story Summary: Back to zero, as it were. With just one simple act of defiance, the history of Ojamajo Doremi has been thrown off the rails. Timelines have been changed, events have been altered, and Doremi and friends' history is on the verge of collapse. And as the only survivor of this tragedy, Nick may be their only hope of restoring what has passed. Now, Nick will set out with his new partner Histoire, an Oracle responsible for keeping history in check, to gather the pieces of his shattered history and discover who or what is behind this heinous act if he ever wishes to restore the life he once had...
Author's Notes and Explanations: Here's an idea I've had on the backburner for a while. Funny story, this is another one of those that came to me in a dream (I have extremely weird dreams, people). In it, I was exploring a strange place alongside some of my real-life friends and being guided by Histoire from Hyperdimension Neptunia to go to each of the places we saw and fix something that wasn't supposed to be happening there (hence why she's reprising that role for this story). I know this kind of story has probably been done a lot before, but I just wanted to throw my own hat in that ring.
Theme Song Notes: Since I can't post the opening and ending sequences anymore so as to not get my stuff axed, the opening theme for this story is "Toki no Mirage" by Yuiko Ohara (the opening theme to Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time), and the ending theme is "adrenaline!" by TrySail (the ending theme to Eromanga Sensei).
And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Ojamajo Doremi, Hyperdimension Neptunia, or any of their affiliations. Ojamajo Doremi belongs to Toei Animation, and Hyperdimension Neptunia belongs to Compile Heart and Idea Factory International. The only things of it I DO own are any characters and places created by yours truly for the story. And I am not infringing on any copyrights. I'm just doing this for the entertainment of my readers. Besides, if I did own Ojamajo Doremi or Hyperdimension Neptunia, which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?
Episode 1: A Slip Through Time and Space
"Can you hear me?"
Hey, it's that voice again.
I tried to pick myself up as best I could. After all, that sneak attack really hurt...
...wait a minute. Sneak attack?
Hold on a minute, what just happened?!
I immediately go to summon my wand, only to find that, for some inexplicable reason, it won't come to my hand.
Okay, now I'm starting to get concerned.
"Do not worry. You are safe here."
All right, new question, then: where exactly is 'here'?
I looked around, hoping to get some info from my surroundings. From what I can gather, I'm standing in some strange void where large, planet-like rings are revolving around a central 'sphere' of sorts. Ugh, I'm no good at describing backgrounds. The odd thing is, everything seems to be made of data, like a bunch of zeroes and ones you'd see in a computer system.
"What's going on here?!" I challenged.
I definitely didn't expect the answer to that question to come in the form of a girl who just floated down from the sky. From what I could tell, she had dull blue eyes and soft blonde hair with bangs curling both ways, with two longer curls reaching her chest and the rest of it worn in pigtails held by a pair of purple and gold ribbons. She was wearing a loose purple dress with spiked ruffle lining, gold accents and a loose green tie. To me, though, the most interesting thing about her was the two pairs of butterfly-esque wings popping out from her back.
"There is no need to be alarmed," the girl replied to me. "I promise, I mean you no harm."
"Then maybe you can answer a few questions I have," I replied.
"Follow me," the girl replied before floating off towards another nearby door. Figuring I didn't have anything to lose, I obliged and followed the girl through the doorway into a larger spherical area, where many other guys and girls with odd fairy wings were floating around, some of them stationed at computer consoles and looking through... what, exactly, I have no clue.
"Okay, this is a pretty slick setup," I admitted. "But you still haven't answered my question, miss. What exactly is all of this?"
The girl stopped and turned around to face me, her sunny smile never wavering. "I am an Oracle, one of many tasked with correcting disruptions in the flow of history. My name is Histoire, Oracle 1st Class, and your new personal guide."
A question mark popped to life over my head. "Guide? To what?"
"You no doubt wish to restore what you have lost, correct?"
And just then, everything came rushing back to me. The strange light bursts that annihilated anything it touched, the sky literally shattering...
"Histoire? What exactly happened back there? Before you found me?"
Histoire sighed, as if she knew I wouldn't like what I was about to hear. And, in that, she was definitely on the mark.
"Your history has been shattered," Histoire explained. "You see, as Oracles, it is our duty to oversee the flow of time, and make sure that it does not become corrupted. As you well know, Nick, the power of time travel is an extremely rare gift, granted only to a few select individuals that the Oracles allow to have such power."
"Because someone who can time travel can possibly mess up their timeline by popping back in time and screwing with things they shouldn't be, right?" I answered. "When I went back in time to fight Erika, you guys are who the queen and Majorin had to confer with, right?"
"Precisely," Histoire answered. "Improper use of time travel power eventually creates time disruptions that, if not fixed by an Oracle, can shatter the timeline in question, erasing everything and everyone in it."
And there was the gut punch. Actually, it felt like someone had ripped my damn heart out.
"Thus, it is our duty to... Nick, what's wrong?"
"They're... they're all gone?"
I honestly didn't care how pathetic I sounded there. My voice might have cracked, but I didn't really care, just letting the implications sink in.
And finally, I couldn't control myself any longer, allowing the tears to fall and throwing myself into Histoire's arms. I knew there was no way to just 'go back in time' and fix this, because how can you go back in time if there is no timeline left to travel through?
It seemed Histoire understood just how distressed I was, because she returned my desperate embrace and smiled.
"Nick, your timeline's erasure is by no means permanent," Histoire explained, quickly catching my attention. "Remember, my job as an Oracle is to fix any disruptions and restore shattered timelines to how they are supposed to be."
"W-wait... you mean we can actually fix this problem?"
"Precisely," Histoire replied. "Come with me, and I will show you how to regain what you have lost."
Drying my eyes for the moment, I let Histoire go and followed her through another glowing doorway to a large, arena-style room with many transporter-like devices arranged in a circle pattern. More of what I assumed were other Oracles and their officers were manning the computer stations.
"This place is our base of operations, the Oracle Sanctuary," Histoire continued. "From this room, the Oracles oversee the flow of time and pinpoint any disruptions. Normally, we would send our main officers to fix any anomalies, but in the case of restoring shattered timelines, an Oracle themselves is dispatched."
"Okay, but here's my main question, Histoire," I asked. "How exactly do we fix shattered timelines?"
"That's... the complicated part," Histoire stated, gesturing to one of the nearby monitors. "You see, Nick, every timeline that we oversee has what is called a 'Tome', a special construct that contains every bit of history that has been recorded in that timeline. The other duty of the Oracles is to record history in these Tomes, just in case something ever happens. That way, we can use the Tome to pinpoint what is wrong and fix the disruption."
Histoire then showed me one of the monitors, which was playing what seemed to be a video of another Oracle gathering strange shards of light.
"But when a timeline is shattered, so is its Tome," Histoire continued. "And when that happens, the Tome Fragments left behind are scattered to other timelines and left for us Oracles to gather. Only by reassembling each of a Tome's fragments can we rebuild that timeline and put everything back to the way it was."
"Why do I get the feeling it's not as easy as it sounds?" I quipped.
"Right again, Nick," Histoire replied. "The Tome Fragments possess great power on their own, and in the right hands, people can be empowered by them. But, such power is dangerous to anyone who has not received an Oracle's blessing. If handled improperly, the power of the Tome Fragments can turn people into monsters, leading them to indiscriminately destroy. Often, people corrupted into monsters by the Tome Fragments is the reason a timeline is shattered, because all these monsters know is to feast on the remains."
"Yeesh," I quipped. "And I thought Erika stealing souls was messed up."
"Regardless, that is our mission," Histoire proclaimed. "We must find the Tome Fragments of your timeline and restore it. Maybe then, we will find who has destroyed your history."
A loud, condescending scoff caught my attention. One of the Oracles at their station must have noticed our conversation, because she flew down from her post to glare kinda annoyingly at Histoire.
From what I could tell, this Oracle had long light green hair with a black and green ribbon tying part of it into a ponytail in the back. She had red eyes and was wearing a stylish black mini dress with black bows on both sides and long frills draping off the sides with a bright green coloring under them. Her butterfly wings, which I assumed every Oracle had, were shades of green and yellow.
"Histoire, must you really tell this human everything about our cause?" the new Oracle proclaimed. "I thought it was an unspoken rule that we wouldn't do that anymore."
"Chika, do you honestly expect me to believe that we should just let the only survivor of a timeline fall to despair?" Histoire shot right back. "That is exactly what I mean to prevent when such a situation occurs."
"You don't get it, Histoire!" Chika growled. "Why do you think we adopted that rule in the first place?! You know what happened, you know exactly what happened the last time someone outside our station knew of us!"
"Nick is not like her and you know it," Histoire challenged.
"Ugh, I should have known you'd pull this crap again," Chika proclaimed. "You're far too nice for your own good, Histoire."
I quickly shifted into a fighting stance when I saw Chika summon her weapon, a very long and very, VERY sharp-looking double-edged spear. Ooh, I don't like where this is going.
"I will not risk a repeat of what happened with her," Chika stated. "I do this with the interest of the Oracles and history itself in mind! I'll thrust this spear straight through you, boy, before you even dream of messing with what you don't understand!"
~Chika Hakozaki : In-Your-Face Darling~
Okay, that's it. I flicked my right hand out, this time actually succeeding in summoning my wand and wasting no time in transforming it into Nenshou Hikari. "Oh, what, you wanna go?!" I challenged.
Chika yelled loudly before charging straight at me. I wasn't having any of that, though, juking to the right to avoid that spear of hers before striking back with a quick three-swing combo. I took advantage of my opportunity and lashed out with an upward strike that slashed her spear in half.
I definitely didn't expect Chika to take both halves of that spear and start dual-wielding them like she's freakin' Kirito or something. All of a sudden, I was on the defensive, trying to keep my distance from Chika's wild swings.
On one of those swings, I could actually feel the spear's tip as it passed by me, just barely missing my chest.
"Stay in your spot so I can eviscerate you, boy!" Chika exclaimed.
"Chika, STOP!" Histoire proclaimed rather forcefully.
"Sorry, Histoire, but I'm not taking any chances!" Chika shot back, swinging overhead and actually catching me across the arm. "You know what I lost!"
"Would she really want you to become a Dark Oracle over it?!" Histoire proclaimed. That actually seemed to get through to Chika and she stopped just in time, as that strike had been aiming for my heart.
"Yes, Chika, I understand what you lost, but you know that she wouldn't approve of such meaningless bloodshed."
And Chika finally deflated, dropping to her knees and crying. Honestly, I felt bad for her.
"I-I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Vert! I should have been there for you!" Chika wailed.
"Um... mind if I ask what's going on?" I wondered, hoping I wouldn't accidentally make the situation even worse.
Histoire looked ready to field that question, but, to my surprise, Chika was the one to do it, standing up and drying her tears for the moment.
"A... a Dark Oracle is what happens when one of us is tainted by the allure of darkness," Chika explained. I noticed she was trying desperately to hold herself together, as if the mere topic was a sensitive subject. "It is not a very common occurrence, but... but I..."
"Chika, don't," Histoire proclaimed. "You don't have to tear yourself apart over it..."
"I need to, Histoire," Chika replied. "I just want him to know what has happened. The first Dark Oracle to be born was also the one who destroyed the timeline I was tasked with observing. It was all because she trusted a human who was... well, less than trustful. She fell to her vices and embraced the power of darkness, and eventually became a Dark Oracle, using her newfound dark powers to destroy timelines at her whim. The worst part is... we have been so far unable to restore the timelines she's destroyed because she takes the Tome Fragments with her when she does so. It still haunts me that I was a mere second too late to save my beloved Vert..."
Once she finished her explanation, Chika finally lost it and started bawling again. I did the only thing I could think of in this kind of situation, and walked up and hugged her.
"I know how you feel, Chika," I stated. "I lost everyone I ever knew and loved when my timeline was destroyed. My girlfriend was one of those people. I would never wish the pain of losing a loved one on anyone, not even my worst enemies. That's why I want to help you and the Oracles out in any way I can."
"I... I was just concerned that history was going to repeat itself," Chika admitted. "It still hurts that I couldn't save Vert, and I didn't want to admit that I was hurting... can you ever forgive me?"
I reassured Chika by lightly 'booping' her on the forehead, something Hana had started doing recently as her personal sign of affection. Thankfully, she seemed to understand my meaning and smiled brightly.
"I'll do my best to assist you and Histoire however I am able," Chika proclaimed. "And if you ever find this Dark Oracle, I want you to do me a favor and smack her so far into next millennium, got it?"
"Will do," I responded.
"Well, Nick, shall we begin?" Histoire asked me.
"Wait, Histoire, I have one more question," I stated, realizing something I hadn't before now. "How are we supposed to know which Tome Fragments belong to my specific timeline?"
Histoire gestured to the wide array of monitors that swept around this area. "We're in luck there, Nick, because with you, we can accurately track the energy given off by your time's specific Tome and narrow down which fragments belong to it. Normally, it's kind of a wild goose chase, since a destroyed timeline doesn't usually leave any survivors."
"Hey, yeah, that's another thing I wanted to ask," I quipped. "How did I survive, if that's the case?"
Histoire smiled proudly, and I knew what her answer was going to be. "That would be me. Lately, we have been working on ways to detect the presence of the Dark Oracles so we may counter them if possible. I felt the strange vibrations and realized that another timeline was about to be destroyed. When I arrived to investigate, you were the only one left, so I pulled you to safety before you were destroyed as well. I do regret not being in time to save your friends, though..."
"We'll get them back," I proclaimed. "That much I know. And if I ever find this creep who shattered my timeline, I'm gonna do what Chika said and smack them so far into next..."
My ramblings were interrupted by the sounds of blaring alarms.
"What's going on?!" I shouted, instantly ready for action.
"We're detecting a set of Tome Fragments, Histoire!" Chika proclaimed, pointing towards her screen. "Well, Nick, it looks like it's time to see if you've got what it takes. You ready to set off?"
I grinned, summoning my weapon. "Just tell me where I need to go."
"Stand in the center of the room," Histoire proclaimed, and I did so as Chika typed in the coordinates for my destination. "And off we go."
I once again felt that strange feeling, like I was being disassembled atom by atom until I came back together somewhere else. When I could finally see again, I noticed that I was back in Misora.
Only... something didn't quite feel right. Like something was fundamentally wrong with what I was seeing.
I had to remind myself that this was most likely the Misora of an alternate timeline, so things were indeed going to be different.
"Well, I'm still in one piece," I quipped, checking my body to make sure nothing had gone wrong during the transport. I blame that stupid Star Trek episode and its teleporter accident. "That's a good sign. ...um, Histoire? If you're still with me, give me a sign?"
A little ball of light started floating around my head in response to that. I was tempted to swat it away until I saw the tell-tale sign of Histoire's butterfly wings popping out from it.
The light sphere slowed to a stop at about head-level with me and faded to reveal Histoire, though she was quite different. In this form, she was only about as big as, say, my hand, and looked completely different, now with her hair tied up in two pigtails by teal ribbon, and a purple and white headdress on her head. She was also wearing what seemed to be a purple graduate's gown decorated with orange designs and a teal bow at the top.
"Whoa, how'd you get so small, Histy?" I quipped, that nickname actually causing her to giggle. I guess she liked it.
"I often take this smaller form while searching through a timeline to avoid detection by hostile elements," Histoire explained.
"I know that feeling," I stated. "Okay, so, where should we start looking?"
"You most likely know this location better than I do," Histoire admitted. "Try searching through familiar places. I can usually detect a Tome Fragments from a fair distance, so I will inform you if I sense any."
"Roger that," I proclaimed as I set out into the place I called home.
I was so focused on my mission that I didn't even notice someone watching me from the shadows.
"So, Histoire, you honestly think that this is going to change anything? I'd like to think you learned your lesson from me. Eh, guess we can't all be winners. Okay, enough of the stupid pontificating. Time for me to have some fun."
I turned around the corner of a specific street, and sure enough, right there, on the edge of that street, was the original MAHO-dou. To be honest, I'd never seen it in its original form, as when my adventures with the girls started, the shop was known as the Flower Shop MAHO-dou. My favorite was always the Sweet House MAHO-dou, considering all the chances I'd gotten to work with Momoko...
...ack, Nick, don't get teary-eyed right now. I can cry and hug her forever when I get her and the rest of my friends back.
As I took a tentative step towards the MAHO-dou, I saw very familiar flashes of pink light through the window. Must be Doremi practicing her magic, and from some of the squeaks I heard from her, it wasn't going as well as she'd hoped.
Now, I knew Doremi had improved significantly with her magic, but this must be a time when she had just started as a witch apprentice. Which meant that if anything decided to come after her, I should probably get my behind moving.
"Okay, Histy, I've got an idea," I quipped. "Are Tome Fragments attracted to anything in particular?"
"From what I've seen in my time, Tome Fragments are drawn to displays of strong magic," Histoire explained. "There are quite a number of feats they can perform if using an inanimate object as its host, for example."
I cast a glance at a very medieval-looking suit of armor at the corner of the shop. If I remember what the girls told me once, Doremi had accidentally brought that thing to life after flubbing a spell.
The strange thing, though? This event had happened alongside Hazuki and Aiko, from what I heard, and here, I only saw Doremi.
Could this be a timeline where she's the only apprentice Majorika took on?
"Yes, you are correct, Nick," Histoire proclaimed, flipping through the pages of a book. Is she reading my mind, or were my thoughts that obvious? "According to this timeline's Tome, your friend here was the only one to become a witch apprentice."
"Which means, if that's the only real thing that changed here, certain events coming up might not be enough for her to handle on her own," I quipped. "I hope this doesn't offend you or anything, but... can you do your best plushie impression for a bit? I don't wanna freak her out..."
Histoire just nodded, clutching onto my shoulder and going perfectly still. I walked up to the front door of the MAHO-dou and knocked twice, patiently waiting through the squeal that obviously meant Doremi must have used that spell.
About a minute or two later (obvious cleanup and all), the door swung open to reveal Doremi standing there with a cute smile on her face.
"Welcome to the MAHO-dou! How can we help you today?" Doremi asked.
I had to fight down that urge to hug her, because as much as I wanted to, this wasn't my Doremi. So, I pushed that feeling down and started playing my role.
"I heard that this shop sells some really useful charms," I explained. "And I was looking for something..."
"Ah! Say no more," Doremi laughed, leading me into the shop. "I'm sure we've got what you're looking for!"
As I browsed all the adorable home-made charms, I kept my senses open for any possible sneak attack.
"Is there anything in particular you need help with?" Doremi asked me.
"Well, I really like this girl in my class, but every time I try to tell her, I just clam up and chicken out," I explained. "I figure, maybe if I have something to boost my confidence a little..."
"Oh! We have just the thing!" Doremi giggled. "Who's the lucky lady?"
"Well, I've known her for a few years, but I just recently realized I was in love with her..."
As I regaled Doremi with tales of one of her future friends (whether she knew it or not)...
"Okay. That'll do just fine. Time for my fun."
"Hey, that plushie's adorable!" Doremi laughed, pointing towards Mini-Histy, as I liked to call her in this form.
"Yeah, she is," I admitted. "One of my friends sewed it for me. She's an amazing tailor, honestly."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something fly from the shadows and embed itself into that knight armor. I passed it off as my imagination until the armor began moving.
I believe that was my cue.
As the armor hefted its rather large blade (what exactly was Majorika thinking, keeping that kind of thing in a magic shop?!) and swung it towards Doremi, I was over there in a flash, summoning Nenshou Hikari to block the attack.
"Doremi, what did you do to that thing?!" Majorika exclaimed, flying in on her dustpan.
"Me?! Why are you blaming me for this one?! You saw that spell miss it!" Doremi shouted. "And why are you out here right now?!"
"You two need to get somewhere safe!" I exclaimed. "This thing means business!"
Histoire suddenly abandoned her plushie act and floated off my shoulder, transforming back to her normal self in the process.
"What is it, Histoire?" I wondered. "Are you sensing a Tome Fragment?"
"Yes, inside that armor! That's why it came to life!" Histoire proclaimed.
"Um... d-did, did your plushie just come to life and grow?" Doremi asked.
"No time to explain right now," I quipped. "I need to take this thing down before it causes any more damage."
I turned around to face the armor, brandishing my weapon. "So you just bring it on, metal man."
~Metallic Armor Knight : Why Is It Here?!~
The armor took a few steps forward before slicing through the air with an overhead chop that I easily blocked, then countered with a rising slash that sent it reeling.
That didn't seem to stop this thing, however, as it quickly came back with a diagonal slash that cut through one of the display cases as it came for me. I lashed out with a quick swipe of my own to deflect that monster of a blade, then drew my free hand back.
"Here's hoping this still works. The bow and string of a determined boy, take this! Ojamajo Arrow of Light!" I shouted, thrusting my free hand forward and watching in relief as a burst of emerald-green light erupted from my palm and struck the armor, causing it to crash backwards, right in front of the door that I assumed led to the Majokai.
And, to my surprise, the armor picked itself up and busted through that very door, through a tunnel of rainbow light. Oh, no way in hell was I letting this thing do whatever it wants with the Majokai!
As I dashed through the tunnel in pursuit with Histoire following closely behind, I realized something else: normally, you can only go to the Majokai at night, right? It's the middle of the freakin' day!
I decided to just chalk it up to the whole 'alternate timeline' thing for the moment. Thinking about it for too long makes my head hurt, honestly.
Sure enough, after a few seconds through the tunnel, we came out in the Majokai's throne room. I kinda went flying through the tunnel, but I went into a roll as I hit the ground so I could keep my momentum and slash at the armor before it could make a move against the queen or Majorin.
"Histoire, how do I get the Tome Fragment out of this thing?!" I shouted, deflecting another slash from the armor.
Histoire focused, trying to find where exactly I needed to whack. "It's embedded in the back of its body!" Histoire proclaimed.
With that info in mind, I rushed towards the armor, dodging another strike so I could slide around to its backside. I raised Nenshou Hikari, its blade glowing brightly.
"Let's see how you like this, metal man!" I growled, slashing five times at the back of the suit, each strike forming the shape of a star.
"Brighter than the heavens! Mystic Arte: Extreme Stars!" I shouted, stabbing Nenshou Hikari straight through the center of the star I'd made, piercing through the armor and causing it to explode into many different parts.
Once the dust settled, I saw what appeared to be a glowing, curved piece of paper with ancient writing engraved on it floating where the armor had just been.
"Histy, is that...?" I wondered.
"Yes. That is a Tome Fragment," Histoire replied. "And yes, it is one from your timeline's Tome."
"Good. We're on our way, then," I quipped, taking the Tome Fragment and handing it over to Histoire. She probably knew what do to with it, after all.
It was just then that I realized that the queen and Majorin had seen everything that had just happened.
Before I could make a move to explain, however, Histoire floated up to the queen and nodded a couple times, the queen doing the same in response. At first, I was confused, but it quickly dawned on me that the Majokai must know about the Oracles, even in this alternate timeline.
I mean, that's what I'd do, after all, have a few contingency plans in case something goes belly-up.
"I guess we have to fess up now, huh?" I quipped once we'd returned to the MAHO-dou.
"Yeah, 'cause I'm seriously lost," Doremi replied.
"I can't explain much, but I will say that I'm on a mission," I explained. "I'm trying to find the things that made that armor come to life, because they're dangerous. You obviously saw what happened."
"We would very much appreciate it if you kept this a secret," Histoire continued. "The more people who know of our mission, the better chance they would have of sabotaging it."
"Oh, okay," Doremi quipped. "Na-i-sho, right?"
"Pretty much," I replied, unable to fight my smile at that little thing we all used to do. "It'll just make it easier for us if this thing stays under wraps for a while. That way, we can find whoever's responsible for this and take 'em down without any more fuss."
Histoire waved her hand and opened a portal back to the Oracle Sanctuary, gesturing for me to walk in.
"Well, we gotta get going," I stated.
"Hey, will I ever see you again?" Doremi wondered.
I couldn't help myself; I walked up to Doremi and gave her a gentle pat on the head.
"You just may," I quipped before making my way into the portal.
"Ooh, I should have known she'd be there to ruin my fun. My question is, who's that boy that fought off the armor? Eh, no matter. I'm gonna have to figure out something. Can't have this wacko ruining my plans before they've even started."
"How'd the mission go, you two?" Chika asked once we'd returned.
"Tome Fragment get," I quipped. "But I'm pretty sure that's only the beginning of this crazy roller coaster ride."
"No kidding," another Oracle stated, jumping down from her station. This Oracle appeared to have short silver hair and cobalt blue eyes, and was wearing a black suit with a blue tie and black shorts instead of pants. Her butterfly wings were colored black and blue with silver linings. "If only you'd seen the last time we had to repair the damage a Dark Oracle did."
"It's not fun, I'll tell you that," Chika responded. "Do you have any updates, Kei?"
Kei, the silver-haired Oracle, nodded twice. "I'm still detecting more Tome Fragments in this timeline, but no sign of any Dark Oracles. The odd thing is, I'm detecting an Anchor there, too."
"Update, please? What's an 'Anchor', in this case?" I asked. This business got pretty complicated at times, I noticed.
"When it comes to alternate timelines that spawn thanks to other shattered timelines, usually, there's a Tome Fragment that keeps that timeline anchored. Without it, that timeline would cease to exist," Kei explained.
"Usually, it's because someone's holding that fragment," Chika continued. "You'd need to take back that fragment in order to undo the problem."
"Then I guess we're heading back," I proclaimed. "After all, I've still got friends to find."
"I would expect nothing less from you, Nick," Histoire giggled. "Let us make haste, then."
"Oracles, we're dispatching!" I proclaimed in a rather dramatic voice.
"ROGER!" many of the Oracles around us resounded. Guess they share my enthusiasm.
Before we could zap back to the timeline, however, I heard an odd voice getting louder by the second.
"Um..."
"MovemovemovemovemoveMOVEMOVEMOVEMOVEMOVE"
Before I could even ask what that was about, a portal of pink light opened in front of me, and who else but Fami Harukaze herself came flying out, bowling me over in the process.
"Ouch..."
"I told you to move, silly," Fami giggled. "I can't control how fast this thing sends me through it."
Just then, the rest of my brain caught up to what I was seeing, and I snapped right back to my feet in shock.
"W-wait, Fami-chan, what's going on here?! How did you survive that?!" I exclaimed. "I thought you'd all been erased by those beam things!"
Fami just winked at me, her smile never fading. "I'm a time traveler myself, silly. I saw what happened to the others, and I saw one of them coming for me, so I popped out of that time before everything went belly-up. The only thing I can't answer is how I'm still here, since I know the whole paradox rule..."
"Perhaps being here in the first place is protecting you from fading away," Histoire wondered. "After all, the Oracle Sanctuary technically exists outside of the time stream."
"Outside of time?" Fami quipped. "I didn't think that was possible. Ah, well, just happy to be here!"
Fami turned around, gesturing to her still-open portal. "Oh, by the way, Kelly-kun, I brought some backup."
My expression quickly brightened when I saw Kirino walk out of the portal. "Whoa, what's with all the high-tech?" Kirino wondered even as I threw myself at her.
"Ack, easy, onii-chan!" Kirino exclaimed, even as she hugged me back. "I'm still here. You don't need to worry."
Histoire smiled at the exchange. It seems I was right about him, Histoire thought.
"Shouldn't we get going?" Kei asked. "After all, you're the one who was so gung-ho about fixing your timeline?"
"Good idea," I stated, glancing back at Fami and Kirino. "I'll explain everything I know on the way. Time's literally of the essence here."
Chika typed in the coordinates for us, and we were quickly zapped back to the timeline we'd just been to.
As we made our way through the tunnel of light, I saw flashes of all of my friends cheering me on, steeling my determination to find them again.
Don't worry, girls, I'm on my way, I thought. I reached out to Fami and Kirino, and they both took my hands as we approached our destination.
To be continued...
Histoire waved to the camera, signaling that it was time to start.
"Hello, everybody, and welcome to Nepstation!" Histoire proclaimed once all of the required cameras were recording. "For those of you just joining us, this is a program where we talk about events and other things related to the story you just read. Normally, Neptune would be the one hosting this show, but since she is currently indisposed at the moment..."
"Hey, I'm not indisposed! I'm just off-screen!" Neptune's voice resounded from far-off.
"Despite what the story may have said about Neptune's timeline being erased, we can assure you that the Neptune you just heard has nothing to do with the story," Histoire stated. "We won't break the fourth wall that much here. I hope..."
"Anyways, this particular incarnation of Nepstation is here to explain to any new viewers and readers some of the background information that may not be seen or expanded on in the main story," Nick explained. "Like, for example, what story my Zero self comes from. You see, the author has been doing this kind of thing for a long time, over fifteen years. FIFTEEN?! Holy crap, has it really been that long?"
"We should probably get back to the main topic," Histoire stated.
"Oops, sorry, just... memories," Nick sighed. "Anyways! My incarnation in Ojamajo Doremi Zero comes from the author's first Ojamajo Doremi series (not the first story he did of the series, that's for later), Ojamajo Doremi Diamond and Pearl. More specifically, a new remixed version he started about five years later, Ojamajo Doremi Diamond and Pearl: The Final Cut! Yeah, the author likes to redo older stories of his now that he's better at it. I get what he's feeling. I can't stand looking at some of my old work without wanting to redo it..."
"Here's a comparison of the beginning of that story, first from the original, and then from The Final Cut," Histoire stated, gesturing to the gigantic viewscreen to the left of the main Nepstation desk. "Let's see just how much the author has improved since then..."
~Original Diamond and Pearl, circa 2007~
Nick was thinking hard on his way home from school that Friday afternoon. Not too surprisingly, most of those thoughts were about Momoko. He found that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake his thoughts off of the blonde American.
'I guess my mind's been stuck on her ever since that day back in 4th grade,' Nick thought. 'But when should I tell her about my feelings?'
Nick took a look at his house, which was only a couple blocks away from Momoko's (and was in his sights). Suddenly, Nick made a decision.
'I'll just meet up with my parents, and then I'll go tell Momoko how I feel about her.'
His mind made up, Nick broke into a sprint, only a couple feet from the door.
"Okaa-sama! Otou-san! I'm home!"
Nick chuckled a bit at that; even though he was living in America now, he still couldn't shake off calling his mom and dad "Okaa-sama" and "Otou-san" as he had back in Japan.
He opened the door, only to see his parents already waiting there for their son.
"Hey, mom and dad! What's..."
That was when Nick noticed the odd looks on his parents' faces. His dad's fist was even raised.
"Um... is something wrong?"
The next second, pain exploded through his entire body...
...and then, there was nothing.
As Nick faded into unconsciousness, he heard one last voice, a girl's, shouting his name.
~Diamond and Pearl: The Final Cut, circa 2012~
Sixteen-year-old Nick Kelly was thinking hard on his way home from school. Something was on his mind, but he couldn't quite put a finger on what it was.
He brushed a bit of his spiky brown hair out of his face, his similar-colored eyes blinking a few times as he searched his mind for what was bothering him.
Nick often believed that trouble tended to find him no matter where he went, so he knew to stay alert when he felt that something was bothering him.
Every now and then, Nick's mind would flash back to the adventures he'd had with his best friends and fellow former witches.
Nick had met them for the first time at nine years old as an exchange student, quite literally bumping into Doremi on the way to gym class. The two had become fast friends, but when Doremi hastily excused herself from the class, Nick realized that something was up. After school that day, he'd discreetly followed Doremi to the Flower Shop MAHO-dou, meeting the other members of Doremi's group and baby Hana as well. Becoming quite taken with the cute little infant, Nick had spent the day there and helped the girls take care of Hana.
But when Majorika, the girl's mentor, had busted in and started talking about the Majokai (not even realizing that Nick was there), the proverbial gig had been up. Rather than freak out about the situation as Doremi had expected him to do, Nick had stayed calm and agreed to keep their secret if he could help out with Hana on occasion. After a conference with the queen, she'd agreed on the deal. Nick had been given magical powers like the girls, but tended to be more restricted on what he could do with his own magic, due to Aiko treating him more like a "magical slave" (Aiko's term and idea) than an actual apprentice. The girls had placated Nick with the fact that it was only to make sure he would keep his promise, one of Nick's defining traits being that he never broke a promise.
Nick's first shining moment came during the final battle between the Ojamajos and the FLAT 4. When Oyajide had attempted to use a powerful electricity attack to finish Hana off, Nick had stepped up to try and repel the attack, willing to face the consequences if it meant saving the life of the little baby he'd grown so enamored with. Thankfully, Nick's bravery had been rewarded by the queen after the battle by allowing him full access to his magical powers.
Nick also managed to come through when the former witch queen had possessed Momoko Asuka, a girl Nick was pretty sure he had a crush on, to bring Hana to the Cursed Forest. Nick had bravely stepped up to buy the queen valuable time, dueling the possessed Momoko until the queen could purge her of Majotourbillon's influence.
And when Doremi had locked herself in the MAHO-dou after graduating elementary school, Nick had helped Doremi come back out by reminding her of all the times they'd bonded with everyone, hoping that Doremi wouldn't throw it away.
After all had been said and done, he had accompanied Momoko back to New York with his own family, getting letters from the girls on occasion. (In one of the more memorable ones, Aiko had actually apologized for treating Nick like a "magical slave" so long ago. And everyone knew how tricky it was to get Aiko to apologize for something like that.)
His mind snapping back to the present, Nick saw his house coming up quickly. Suddenly realizing what today was, he broke into a sprint.
"I'd better not keep Momoko waiting," Nick stated to nobody in particular as he continued to run.
Nick always had a sleepover with Momoko for one weekend out of every month. This was due to a monthly trip that his parents had to take for their job (they both worked for a technology company just outside the city). When Nick had been younger, this trip had always left him in the care of a babysitter, or some of his other relatives as he grew up. But when he'd become better friends with Momoko, Nick's parents had allowed him to stay with the Asuka family when they went on their trip.
That time had come, basically. Nick's parents were getting ready for their trip, and Nick was on his way home to get his gear for the weekend. Nick was never very patient for anything. Most of the time, his impatience had led the Ojamajos straight into trouble, but Nick had always managed to get them out of it in the end. So, Nick liked to consider his impatience both a strength and a weakness.
After finally reaching the front door, Nick brushed some dust off of his clothes (the dirt road he usually tended to take as a shortcut home from school had been extra dusty today for some odd reason) and knocked twice on the front door.
"Mom! Dad! I'm back!" Nick exclaimed, reaching for his key and heading inside. Then, he noticed something that seriously irked him: his parents hadn't responded to his call yet. Normally, whenever he called for his parents, they'd respond within five seconds. Now, nothing had happened for almost a minute, and Nick was starting to get worried.
"Eh, they're probably getting ready for their trip," Nick noted, laughing softly to himself as he headed for his room.
But as he started up the stairs, some unseen force slammed into his stomach and sent him tumbling back to the ground floor.
"All right, who's the wise guy?!" Nick shouted.
Nick quickly picked himself up, only for something to strike him in the back, causing him to crash back to the ground.
"Okay, whoever's playing a joke on me, this isn't funny!" Nick shouted, instinctively going for his wand, only to realize that he didn't have it.
Unfortunately for Nick, that moment of distraction cost him dearly, as something hard impacted the back of his neck the very next second, instantly knocking the consciousness right out of him.
The last thing Nick saw as his vision closed down was a familiar figure approaching him.
"See?" Nick quipped. "Final Cut's much more descriptive, it's longer, and less cluttered. See what a few more years of experience will do for your writing skills?"
"It's kinda like what Felistella did with the Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth games!" Neptune exclaimed, hopping into camera view to wave to the viewers.
"Pretty much," Nick laughed. "Oh, nuts, I think we're out of time for this episode."
"Awww, it's over already?" Neptune groaned.
"Either way, we hope that everyone reading this enjoyed our first segment of Nepstation," Histoire proclaimed. "Please tune in again at the end of the next episode for more."
"We'll see you all then," Nick stated. "And we hope you enjoy the rest of Ojamajo Doremi Zero!"
"BYE-BYE!" Nick, Neptune, and Histoire all proclaimed at the same time.
On the next episode...
Nick: Well, we're off on another adventure. Have I ever mentioned how I hate that trouble always finds me?
Fami: It's kinda a given by now, Kelly-kun.
Kirino: After everything we've been through, onii-chan, I figured you'd be used to it.
Nick: That doesn't mean I have to like it, right?
Fami: Whoa, what's going on here?
Nick: Well, in this timeline, Doremi-chan's the only one who became a witch apprentice. And considering what I'm pretty sure is about to happen, she might need some help.
Fami: Oh, because of Onpu-chan, right?
Nick: Pretty much. Next time on Ojamajo Doremi Zero, "The Wheels of Change"! Hope to see you there!