Chapter 3 – It Begins... with a Bang!
"No, Twilight! I don't like this idea at all! I'm against it!" Rainbow protested for what seemed like the sixth/seventh time much Twilight's annoyance and Mina sighing heavily. As it turns out, the brunette came along with the librarian regardless of being told to remain upstairs until she returned.
Right now though, tensions were rather heavy due to most of them coming from Rainbow who was still acting like a stubborn donkey.
"Like it or not, my decision has been made Rainbow. Mina has no place to go and she already agreed to staying with me in my house. I don't see the problem with this." Twilight explained as Rainbow crossed her arms and made out a 'Hmph' sound. "The problem that I have Twi… is that 'Mina' if that is her real name could be hostile and attempt to probe our brains for information like the alien that she is!" She explained as Twilight's eyes widened before she sighed heavily and shook her head.
"You've been reading way too many comics from the looks of it." Mina commented much to Twilight and Rainbow's surprise. Needless to say, the girl with rainbow-colored hair didn't find that sentence amusing and instead glare at the brunette.
"No one asked you, alien girl! I don't trust you one bit since for all we know you might be on a top-secret mission from your outer world masters who are all planning an invasion of Equestria to probe our brains for information and then take over our planet!" Rainbow declared much to Mina's surprise before it turned to anger completely.
"Whoa! Back up, Skittles! I don't know what your deal is with me but back off now!" Mina demanded as Rainbow grinned and got closer into her face. "Oh, yeah? What are you gonna do about it, Vampire Girl?" She asked in mocking tone as Mina gritted her teeth.
"I'm not a vampire or an alien!" Mina protested.
"Could have fooled me!" Rainbow snapped back as she glared at the brunette.
At this point, Twilight had enough and got in between them. "Alright, enough! Both of you! Mina, I know that Rainbow is being difficult right now but the last thing we need is more arguments and violence! Rainbow, I asked you to stand down – honestly, ever since Mina arrived you've been acting like a child! Now both of you stop this and calm down!" The librarian ordered as the brunette and the rainbow-haired girl continued to glare at one another but didn't progress further with their little 'stand-off'.
Eventually, Rainbow released a sigh before huffing. "Fine, Twilight… you win. I still don't like this at all though." She said as Twilight rolled her eyes yet again. "Your concerns are appreciated, Rainbow… I'll be fine though." The librarian assured.
"Hmph… if you do anything to hurt Twilight, I swear-" Rainbow's threats towards Mina was cut off by the brunette making a face that said 'Seriously? Twilight told you to back off and you continue to act like a retard?'
"I believe Twilight already explained that everything will be fine. Knock it off with the threats please." Mina requested as Rainbow crossed her arms before making out another 'Hmph' sound.
"Rainbow, nothing will happen. Relax and take a deep breath… for me." Twilight requested but Rainbow continued being a stubborn person with her arms crossed. Eventually though she released a sigh. "Fine… I'll try and stop acting like a jackass if it will make you feel better. I gotta head off now – lots of training and sprinting to do. You wanna come and join?" The rainbow-haired athlete asked only to receive a head shake from Twilight.
"I'm gonna be a little bit busy for the rest of the day. Sorry, Rainbow… maybe next time." Twilight apologized with a small smile as Rainbow slumped in disappointment.
"Aww, man… you really need to lay off the egghead stuff, Twi. You don't know what you are missing out in the real world." Rainbow told her only for Twilight to groan in annoyance due to being called an 'egghead' once again.
"I'm not an egghead, Rainbow. I enjoy reading books because I classify it as a hobby." Twilight explained yet Rainbow simply blurted out a 'Meh' sound.
Mina stared at the two as she watched them converse and bicker with one another without getting involved although there was a small smile of amusement plastered on her face.
Eventually, Rainbow decided that the conversation was enough for one day and called it quits. "Alright, Twi… you say 'hobby' but I say 'egghead'. Well, I gotta head off now. Training and such… come and find me whenever you are free so that I may show some of my stunts/moves." The rainbow-haired girl told her as she bolted out of the door without letting Twilight say a word.
All this conversation made the librarian bookworm sigh heavily. "Sometimes I have no idea why I bother with that stubborn mule." She admitted as Mina began to giggle.
"You two seem rather close with one another." The brunette admitted with a smile as Twilight turned to look at her. "What makes you say that? Are you implying something?" She asked suspiciously.
Mina whistled innocently before answering. "Nope. Wouldn't even dream of it." The smile was still there though.
Twilight's eyebrows arose and wondered what Mina was trying to say. Something involving the librarian and Rainbow?
Mina continued to act innocently though the smile was still there. "Alright, jig is up. Why are you smiling?" Twilight asked only to receive a shrug from the brunette.
It made Twilight sigh. "Mina… I know you were going to say something which involves me and Rainbow. I ask again – why were you smiling?" She asked.
"Ooh, just a little something-something I noticed. Seems like you and Rainbow are very good friends with one another." Mina replied as Twilight's face morphed into a confused one.
"So?" Twilight asked to which Mina replied immediately. "Are you two by chance… very close with one another?" The brunette questioned as Twilight's confusion increased.
Huh… what did she mean by- Wait, WHAT!?
Upon realizing what Mina's true question was, the librarian began to blush heavily. "W-what!? No, no, no, no! It's not like that! I m-mean Rainbow and I are just friends! And even if we were, what my preference for romance is none of your business!" Twilight stated with a glare – plain and simple.
"Okay, okay! Sheesh! I was just asking since you two seem really close… sorry for asking a dumb question." Mina apologized as Twilight crossed her arms while glaring at her.
"Yeah… it was dumb." Twilight admitted before she sighed and continued. "Next time, please be mindful of what you say. I was really caught off guard with that one. Really sneaky too."
Mina smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry again." She apologized once more which made Twilight sigh. "It's fine… just be mindful of your questions next time." She told her.
The brunette nodded just as a small growl came from no other than Mina's stomach. "Sorry." She apologized with another sheepish smile.
"I'm not deaf, Mina. Truth be told, I am feeling a bit hungry at the moment. Any preferences for lunch?" Twilight questioned as Mina went silent for a minute or two to think.
"Hmmm... I have a couple of favorite food selections – grilled toast, pasta, pizza, sandwich, salads as well. Anything that you are offering, I'll enjoy eating." She answered as Twilight nodded.
"Alright… I supposed some grilled toast wouldn't hurt us both along with juice. We'll eat downstairs since the kitchen is in my basement where my lab is." Twilight answered.
"Wait… your basement features both a lab/kitchen combined? How does that work?" Mina asked in an astonished tone but that question made Twilight smirk. "My trade secret, Mina… I'll probably explain how I managed to fit everything all in the basement one day. For now though, let's get some malnourishments." She told her visitor who nodded.
"Don't need to tell me twice." Mina answered as she followed Twilight downstairs to the basement.
'Okay… so far everything is going to plan though I still have to keep the upper hand if I want to figure out what Mina is hiding from me. The only way to do that is to win her trust even more but without her finding out about my intentions. Kind of selfish of me in a way but can you blame me? Our conversation from earlier definitely convinced me that she lied about her arrival to Equestria. I just need to win her trust and then I can get her to tell me the truth. Slow but firm approach, Twilight.' Twilight thought in her mind.
(Later…)
"I hope you like the juice I picked for our luncheon – sorry if I didn't ask you for a preference earlier." Twilight apologized as she placed a box of cherry juice onto the prepared table.
Mina didn't mind if she wasn't asked for a preference since she had a particular weakness for cherry-flavored juice. "It's fine. I like cherry anyways so I'm satisfied… though I'm still surprised that your lab and kitchen are linked together. How do you perform experiments and cook?" The brunette questioned.
"It's not really that hard… though I mostly leave the cooking to Spike since he is a master chef. Speaking of my assistant I gotta check up something with him later… In the meantime, let's chow down." Twilight said as she placed the utensils onto the table before grabbing the plates with the grilled toast sandwiches and placing them down.
Next, she poured juice into the glasses and finally took a seat. "Well, Mina… dig in." She ushered as the brunette took a fork and knife with Twilight doing the same.
Both cut their toast into medium-small pieces and then proceed to enjoy the meal. As Mina chewed, her expression went from neutral to amazed at how well cooked the sandwich was.
After swallowing the pieces and drinking a small portion of her juice, Mina spoke. "Yummy. You managed to make the toast crunchy and well-cooked." She complimented with Twilight smiling upon hearing those words.
"I'm glad that you enjoyed it… not the greatest chef as I stated a little bit ago but I do try my best." Twilight admitted as she ate another piece of toast and chewed it.
"Well, yeah… it is good to try out new things. Even if you aren't the best at some of them. Say, you mentioned that you like to read a lot?" Mina asked as she ate her next piece while the librarian nodded.
"I do. When I came to Ponyville, my mentor assigned a library home for me to stay while I focused on studying the magic of friendship and such so in my spare time, I often indulge in reading different titles and such." Twilight explained.
"I see. Though you do make time for your friends and other activities, right?" Mina asked as Twilight nodded while taking a sip from her juice.
"Of course… I maybe a book lover (please don't be like Dash and call me a bookwork though) but I do go out and socialize with my friends. Oh, shoot! I nearly forgot that I still have to introduce you to them as soon as possible." Twilight explained while cursing herself for forgetting that minor importance.
"Are they as stubborn as Rainbow Dash?" Mina asked amusingly which made Twilight giggle a bit while shaking her head. "Nah. Well, most of them in a way but they are all friendly. As for Rainbow Dash… well… she'll need some time to adjust to your 'unexpected' arrival. She'll come around one of these days – I hope. In the meantime, I'll introduce you to Pinkie, Fluttershy, Applejack and Rarity as soon as possible." She explained as Mina nodded and took another bite from her toast.
"Besides your hobbies, do you have a job?" Mina inquired while sipping her juice and listening to Twilight who spoke once again. "Whenever I'm not reading or socializing, I'm the town's local librarian. As for my friends – Applejack is a farmer, Rarity is a fashion designer, Pinkie Pie helps out over at the bakery and is a party planner, Fluttershy is a caretaker while Rainbow is an athlete."
"Wow… seems like a busy town filled with interesting people." Mina commented and took another bite from her toast while Twilight nodded. "Yeah… even though it's a complicated and somewhat crazy place to live in, it's home. Speaking of busy… what do your parents do for a living?" She asked.
"My mothers have different jobs – one of them is a florist while the other is a caretaker. As for my sister and I, both of us are in high school currently." Mina explained with Twilight nodding.
"Huh… if I ever meet your parents, I should definitely introduce them to- Wait… mothers? Your parents are both women?" Twilight asked in an astonished tone and Mina's answer was a nod. "Mhm. You aren't gonna start discriminating, right?" She asked.
Twilight shook her head. "N-no. Of course not. It's just… surprising to hear that. We do have same-sex relations here in Equestria as well – albeit minor. Don't worry about any discrimination. Say, where are your parents and sister at this time?" She asked.
Mina took a sip from her juice and thought about it. "Hmmm… good question. At this moment, we're split up due to the meteor shower and we might have ended up in different parts in Equestria. Hopefully we'll reunite as soon as possible." She explained.
Twilight nodded though she made a note about the 'meteor strike' thing. It's obvious that Mina was still sticking to that story and not telling the full truth. The sapphire-blue haired girl had to wonder if the plan in which she was gaining the brunette's trust was working. There was still so much more that she wanted to know but was the plan truly in the works or was it already a failure?
It couldn't be! Mina was keeping something from her and she had to find out if she wanted to trust her fully… not that there was anything wrong with the brunette. From the looks and sounds of it, Mina didn't seem like a bad person to her at all though she shouldn't make judgement yet since this could all be a trap.
Maybe after finding out her secret, one way or another, she would pass judgment and see who the real Mina really is. For now though…
The rest of meal passed with minor conversations about hobbies, likes and dislikes with Twilight making mental notes in her head. All-in-all it was a pleasant luncheon and the two managed to learn a couple more things about themselves.
Once the lunch was done, Mina assisted Twilight in cleaning up the scraps from the table and helping her wash the dirty dishes/glasses. The sapphire-blue haired girl appreciated the assistance and agreed to it. A minute or two later, everything was put away and the clean but wet utensils/plates were put to be dried on Dish Drying Rack.
The two girls walked upstairs while continuing their conversation. "So… I don't really have a lot for you to do for now, Mina… but if you want, you can pick out a book to read." She suggested as the brunette shrugged.
"Only thing I can do in this situation… no offense." Mina apologized with Twilight nodding. "None taken… I'd recommend 'History and Knowledge of Equestria – Volume 1/2/3. You'll no doubt need the information for the foreseeable future." She said.
"Yeah… the last thing I need is to make a mistake while I remain in Ponyville. Any plans for the afternoon, by the way?" Mina questioned as Twilight thought about it. "Hmmm… other than checking up on Spike, nothing else. Might lay down to read again… not sure though." She answered.
"If you say so… say, you still plan to introduce me to your friends, right?" Mina asked with Twilight nodding.
"Of course! Tomorrow though – at the earliest. I still have to introduce you accordingly." The librarian explained to a confused Mina. "Huh?" The brunette questioned.
"Just a formality. Nothing too serious… now then, let's get that book, kay?" Twilight asked a relieved Mina who nodded upon hearing her words.
"Sure, I'm eager to learn anyways." Mina replied with a small smile on her face.
(Late at Night…)
He had been staring at the village for over the next seven hours and studying the inhabitants from left-to-right even though his entire face and body were covered by a black coat. A soft chuckle was heard as he flipped a single gold coin in the air before it landed gently onto his gloved hands.
"Light… a pure light… I sense it… how long has it been since the great war between the light and darkness… Ah, the thrill of a fight. So long…" The figure commented as another chuckle was released.
Focusing on all his might he channeled the darkness inside his heart and conjured an orb before slamming it gently onto the ground. A puddle was formed from which black-colored ant-like creatures arose – their distinctive features were a pair of antennas on their heads and golden eyes that displayed nothing but coldness and hunger.
The figure chuckled once more which soon turned to laughter. "Ah, what a fun new war this will be… I'm going to enjoy this. Heartless, stand to attention and prepare yourselves… we have a pure light to hunt down." He declared but they only twitched in response which was a sign of 'agreement'.
Satisfied, the figure turned to look at Ponyville from the mountain that he was residing on and had only one thought on his mind:
A declaration of war in which the light and darkness would clash once again… and that made him very amused and intrigued by its foreseeable end.
Author's Notes: Aww, hell! I knew I had forgotten to do something before posting the third chapter of the story... my bad, guys and gal! I forgot to add the lines to seperate the parts! I apologize for that.
So yeah - Here it is! Chapter 3 of the Crescent Key where Rainbow still doesn't trust Mina while Twilight does albeit minorly - soon though it will all make sense and the distrust will be cleared up... the truth will come full circle in the next part of the story... shit will get serious!
Also, cloaked guy ain't Xehanort or a Seeker of Darkness - instead its someone else. Someone much more bat-shit crazy than our favorite old coot. As the story progresses you'll find out. I hope you enjoy the appearance of this antagonist!
On a side note, thank you all for supporting the story. I'm glad to see some people taking interest in it - like I said, all of you can fave and follow along with comments but no harsh and cruel criticism. I'd like to avoid that due to the thing... Speaking of which, do inform me if I'm rushing quickly with my story - would like to avoid the mistakes for the near future.
That's all for now I think - open for suggestions and idea on how to improve my story! Please share if you have any!
Whelp, it's time to sign off on this and let you read in peace! Enjoy the 3rd Chapter of the Crescent Key and happy reading! Until next time and farewell!