Chapter 11

When Ranma was roused by a knock on the door, followed by the one responsible for said knocking entering the room and opening the drapes, it took her a few seconds to recall where she was — and why — as she squinted her eyes in response to the now-sunlit room. After she glared at the maid responsible for offending her freshly-woken eyes with sunlight, who prompted her to rise from her bed because of her impending meeting with Celestia, she grumpily acknowledged the instruction and began to follow it.

Her mood did a one-eighty once she was fully awake, however, since she would soon be seeing the only individual that she knew of — in the foreign world that she had been sent to — who might be able to provide her with the kind of aid that she desired. Her eagerness to see Celestia was only tempered by the maid's insistence to tidy up her coat, which she allowed after some protest since she didn't want to risk doing anything that might lose her the favor of the one that she was going to seek help from.

Once that was out of the way, she encountered a guard who had been waiting for her beyond the door, who had been given the task of escorting her to the throne room. Said guard was of the winged variety, had a white coat, was about as tall as she was, and wore a suit of armor that was either made of gold or painted in that color. He didn't appear to be the talkative type, nor was she all that disposed to engaging in trivial conversation with a stranger, so they traveled to their destination in silence.

She noticed other guards and servants along the way, as well as a few others that she couldn't peg with any particular occupation. While the guards only spared her a glance to acknowledge her presence, the others tended to linger with their gazes. She couldn't be sure about the nature of their attention, although her presence seemed to be worthy of whispering between one pair that she had passed by, as their eyes tracked her progress. It didn't really bother her, though, since she wasn't a stranger to such behavior.

It wasn't long before her destination was within sight. It wasn't so much the large doors that gave it away, but because they were open and she could see something that looked like a throne beyond them. Not only that, but she could make out Princess Luna at the base of the ramp that led up to said throne, who was accompanied by another flying unicorn like themselves. She could only assume that it was Celestia, and she had to admit that she was a bit impressed by the sight of her.

While Luna was no doubt a stand-out figure herself, in a dark, mysterious sort of way, Celestia was bright, colorful and at least a head taller than her sister. Her coat was white, she wore gold accoutrements, and her hair flowed like Luna's and her own, only it was something of a pastel rainbow. It was a rather... girly appearance, overall, though her size, apparent age and bearing belied such a nature dwelling within. Even though she wasn't all that accustomed to the kind of look that she now shared with her and every other horse-like individual that she had seen since arriving in Equestria, she still got the impression that she would be kind and reliable. Of course, whether that turned out to be true or not would remain to be seen.

As she came closer to entering the throne room proper, she was made curious by the pictures on their flanks. She had noticed others with such pictures in that one town yesterday, and she had seen a few since waking up, which accounted for everyone whose flanks hadn't been covered up by something. Were they painted on, a tattoo, or did they grow in? It made her wonder if she was going to end up with something like that on her flanks, or if it was some sort of sign of how she differed from them despite being so similar in every other respect.

Just before she entered the throne room, Luna and Celestia stopped conversing between themselves and turned to receive her while the guard stepped aside so that she alone would enter. She heard the door close behind her as she moved forward, and she began to feel a little nervous. It wasn't so much that she was intimidated, because she wasn't, but because her fate appeared to be in their "hands." After all, if she couldn't enlist Celestia's aid, then her only other known recourse would depend on Inari, who didn't exactly inspire her with confidence.

Being aware that she was meeting with royalty, she wasn't sure how far she should approach her hosts, but she eventually chose to stand about three body lengths away from them. Upon doing so, she began to feel a bit awkward, since she didn't know how to begin the conversation that she desired to have, or was sure that it would even be a good idea to be the one who engaged it.

She'd had a few ideas on what to expect next, given the circumstances, but she hadn't expected Celestia to casually ask, "Did you sleep well?"

It took a second for her to regain enough of her bearings to say, "Oh, um, yeah — er, yes." She bowed from her neck, since her back wasn't in an upright position. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"You are welcome," Celestia replied, who reciprocated the bow with one of her own before she said, "I am Princess Celestia. Before we address the matter that brought you here, I want you to know that we won't be offended by informal behavior. We can put aside decorum for the time being."

Luna simply nodded her head once to show her agreement.

Ranma was relieved to know that, but the feeling had more to do with getting a glimpse of Celestia's personality than the accommodation being offered. She didn't have a good history with the rich and/or high-stationed, so the consideration was especially promising. There was also the matter of Celestia sounding kind and matronly, which she hoped was a good indication of her character.

"So," Celestia continued, in an inquiring tone, "how might we help you?"

"Well..." Ranma began, as she considered exactly how to go about explaining her situation. Aside from Luna and Celestia being strangers, there were some things that she would rather not mention if she could help it, for one reason or another. The problem with that, of course, was that she couldn't see a good reason to withhold a number of said things, and she didn't think that it would do her any good to be vague about them if she brought them up at all.

In the end, it was with a fair amount of reluctance that she decided to share whatever information that she deemed relevant. She began by revealing how she had been a human up until recently, then she explained the neko-ken and the effect it had on her before she delved into the circumstances that ultimately changed her into her current form. Much to her relief, while it was obvious — by their expressions — that they found some of the things worthy of some kind of comment, such as the neko-ken and the situation surrounding the multiple engagements, they didn't interrupt or judge her.

When she finished, by telling them how Inari had gone about "helping" her, she didn't expect the question posed by Luna, who asked, "Did Inari know of your predicament before your transformation?"

She was about to reply in the negative, but then she remembered a small detail that she had forgotten to mention to them when she had gotten around to the part that concerned Inari: the old priest's prayer. He had probably given that prayer shortly after she had left his company, which had been a few weeks before her transformation.

Since she didn't know the significance of Luna's question, she said, "That old priest prayed to Inari, asking her to help me if I ever needed it, so... Why? Is that important?"

Luna and Celestia shared a look before the latter returned her attention to her and said, "In a manner of speaking. Did you ever wonder why you looked like this, instead of like the ponies that are native to your own world?"

With some embarrassment, Ranma admitted, "Not really. I'm just glad that it turned out like this." Then it occurred to her what was being suggested. "Wait... Are you saying that Inari's responsible for this?"

"Only in the sense that she directed the changes once they began," Celestia gently explained. "Although she may have seemed unhelpful, she has her reasons for helping you in this way. In fact, her behavior is not so far removed from a problem that we are all prone to."

Confused, Ranma inquired, "What do you mean?"

Luna caught Celestia's eye, as if to reaffirm if she were sure about something, before she leveled her gaze upon Ranma and asked, "Do you swear to keep what you are about to hear to yourself?"

Ranma blinked her eyes at that, having not expected such a request. It must have been a fairly serious matter, considering the expectant stares that she found herself on the receiving end of, and since it sounded like the aforementioned problem might also apply to herself... "I swear."

They appeared to accept her at her word, even if Luna appeared to be less convinced than Celestia, who said, "We are all kami. Although our origins may differ, we are susceptible to the same problems by nature." She paused before adding, "And one of them is worship."

"That's a problem?" Came Ranma's puzzled response.

Luna nodded her head. "For kami who come into being due to faith, they can perish without it. Otherwise, it can influence and change us if we don't have the will or strength to fight it. The reason why we keep our nature to ourselves, and maintain a position where we're simply admired or respected instead of worshipped, is to avoid the sway of their thoughts and feelings."

"The reason why Inari sent you to us," Celestia added as an example, in sympathy to the one being spoken of, "is because she has been getting a lot of mixed signals from her worshippers for the past few centuries, and it has caused more than enough instability with her character to limit contact with me. It's my guess that she didn't trust herself enough to take care of you personally, so she entrusted you to me."

Ranma mulled that information over, as she began to understand exactly what was being said. She wasn't especially knowledgable about Inari, but it was difficult for her to not know a few things, between the kami's popularity and having traversed so much of Japan over the years. For instance, she knew enough about Inari to know that she hadn't always been associated with kitsune, or worshipped for so many reasons before she became popular and widespread. In fact, she couldn't rightly say — with much confidence — exactly what she wasn't worshipped for, especially where the local level was concerned. On top of that, she also remembered spending the night at a shrine a few years ago, where Inari had been composed of multiple kami, not just one. She could only imagine what it would be like to be influenced by people who thought her to be more than one individual. She didn't even think that Inari's gender was established as a single entity, come to think of it...

After she was given enough time to fully comprehend what she was being told, Luna picked up where she had left off. "However, it's not just the thoughts and feelings of others that you have to worry about, but your own as well." She paused, with the expression on her face not giving any indication as to why, but Ranma noticed Celestia spare her sister a glance that was tinged with something akin to concern or sympathy. "If certain thoughts become prominent in your mind, or your feelings strong enough, they can... consume you, if given the time and opportunity."

That sounded rather ominous to her. "Th-they can?"

Luna nodded her head solemnly. "You shouldn't need to mind yourself at all times, but try to be aware enough of what you're doing so you can center yourself whenever you seem to be preoccupied by certain thoughts or feelings for any notable length of time."

"I guess I can do that..." Ranma said, with some of her doubt entering her voice. While she was usually — and sometimes unjustifiably — confident that she could handle anything, now she had to worry about what might happen should she rely on that confidence too much. Ordinarily, she might not have taken this particular problem seriously, but she had some idea of how someone could end up being dictated by emotion. For instance, while she couldn't remember anything while she had been under the koi rod's influence, she had heard enough about how much her behavior had changed, based on the simple fact that her artificial love for Ryoga had been rather substantial.

"A more immediate problem," Celestia began, as she regarded Ranma with a measure of scrutiny, "would concern an innate lack of control to begin with. A change of environment should be beneficial, while you focus on unlearning your inherited response to certain problems, but — until you can attain a measure of control — you still run the risk of responding with the 'war' in your name, and should you happen to be consumed by that particular trait..."

Since Ranma didn't want something like that to happen, and got the impression that a solution had already been thought of, she asked, "What should I do?"

Celestia regarded her with a look of approval. "Since your name is what your spirit defaulted to when cats weren't involved, going by a different name should suffice until you feel that you have gained sufficient control over yourself. That way, should you find yourself in a situation where you would normally be compelled to respond with one of the aspects of your real name, you can direct your actions during the confusion that will be caused by your assumption of another name."

With a dubious expression on her face, Ranma queried, "Will that work? I mean, since I'll still know that this new name isn't my real one?"

Celestia nodded her head and explained, "It will require a spell to mask your real name for the duration, but it will work since your spirit is no longer a separate entity, which means that there is only one source for a name. In addition to that, it will help to use a name with a meaning that isn't so straightforward to express, or problematic should it be expressed despite your efforts."

Ranma mulled that over for a few seconds, mostly due to being made uneasy by the nature of the spell. She didn't have many experiences with magic that were worthy of anything higher than a low regard, and she had only just met Celestia and Luna, so she was hesitant to accept their idea outright. Still, they seemed to know what they were talking about, and it wasn't like she had access to anyone better — as far as she knew — while she was a world away from anyone else that she may have accepted help from.

With a sigh of resignation, she looked between the two sisters and asked, "Did you already have a name in mind?"

"We do," Luna stated, who looked a little proud of herself. "We decided on: Midnight Bliss."

"Mayonaka Shifuku?" Ranma repeated questioningly, as she heard it through the translation spell.

Luna nodded her head in confirmation. "I was inspired by the timing of your arrival. Midnight is the period when one day transitions into another, and this will be a transitional period for you. Bliss suggests that the process will be enjoyable. Overall, however, they're not too easy to express, and the easiest of the two — in that regard — should be fairly harmless if you can't control yourself."

Ranma wasn't sure what to think about the name, but it wasn't like she had any noteworthy names of her own coming to mind, and she didn't realize that it might actually sound like a girly name outside of her native language, so... "I guess it's okay..."

Celestia smiled warmly and said, "Wonderful. Since the spell that we will cast is not of a nature that we cared to commit to memory, we will send someone to retrieve the book that contains it. In the meantime, were there any other issues that we might address, or any concerns in general?"

Ranma shook her head. "Not really..." However, something caught her eye, so she amended that by adding, "Well, except for that," she gestured toward the image on Luna's flank with a nod of her head, since it was the only one within view right then. "I won't look out of place without one of those, will I?"

Luna and Celestia turned to look in the direction that she had indicated before turning toward each other, where they appeared to communicate with each other silently. They returned their attention to her before long, with somewhat inscrutable expressions on their faces, and it was with some reserve that Luna said, "There is a bit of history behind these marks... If you'd like to hear about it, I would suggest finding more comfortable accommodations."

Ranma's interest was piqued, and it wasn't like she had other plans, so she nodded her head and said, "Okay. Where to?"


Author's note: Yes, it's that Midnight Bliss. I got a lot of mileage out of the name, I must say. It's a fighting technique, and Ranma's a martial artist. It can change someone's sex, and Ranma has a sex-changing curse. It sounds like a name that a pony could have. (Or is it just me?) It has a practical use in the story. It's also suggestive of something about the story, too.