The next day at school.
"Hey, man," Daisuke said as he walked up to his friend.
"Hey," Hiroshi replied. "So… are we doing this today, or what?"
Daisuke let out a sigh. "Yeah… I don't know. I mean, is this really something we should be messing with? Isn't this somewhat out of our league?"
"It sounds pretty sweet, though," Hiroshi pointed out.
"Well, it always sounds sweeter when you're not the one living it. Isn't that something Ranma once told us?" Daisuke asked.
"Hey guys," Ranma smiled as he sat down next to them. "You talking about me?"
"R-Ranma!" Hiroshi blurted out. "N-nothing! Nothing at all! We were just… um…"
"Talking about how awesome yesterday's guy's night was," Daisuke quickly said. "Right, Hiro?"
Hiroshi nodded. "Right. Guy's night. That's all we were talking about."
"Cool. So, um… sorry I couldn't be there." Ranma sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "You know… fiancee business. As usual. But at least you had fun. You were watching that zombie movie, right? Nabiki told me about it."
Hiroshi blinked. "Nabiki?"
"That's right, boys." They turned their heads to see the notorious ice queen and mercenary girl of Furinkan High, Nabiki Tendo, walk up to them, with her trademarked cocky grin on her face. "So, how was the movie?"
"Tendo-senpai…" Hiroshi frowned a bit. "Why aren't you in your own classroom?" Nabiki being here usually meant trouble for some poor sap.
Nabiki feigned surprise. "Moi? Why, whatever do you mean, Hiroshi-kun? Can't a girl come by to meet some friends?"
"I don't think you've ever been here for friendly business, Nabiki," Ranma intervened. "What is it this time?"
"Oh, nothing much." Nabiki smiled like the cat who ate the canary. "I just wanted to remind Daisuke-kun not to be late when he's coming to paint our dojo. It really needs some fixing after your last battle with Shampoo."
"What? Paint?" Confused, Hiroshi looked over to Daisuke, who seemed a bit glum. "Why are you working for her, Dai?"
"Because," Nabiki said before Daisuke had the chance to reply. "He owes me. I provided him with that excellent DVD yesterday. Blood Moon Rising, golden edition. Weeks before its official release. You two really deserve such an excellent service, but I'm in a good mood. And if you're unable to make it in time, Daisuke-kun… I also accept hard cash as payment. 5000 yen. What do you say?"
Daisuke let out a frustrated groan. "I'll be there, Nabiki…"
"Excellent!" Nabiki smirked. "Now if you'll boys excuse me, I need to find Kuno. I have some pictures of a certain, pig-tailed girl for him he might be interested in…"
Chuckling to herself, she left the room.
"H-hey!" Ranma protested as he jumped to his feet, ready to run after her. "Get back here, Nabiki! I thought we went over this."
"Please sit down, Saotome-san," Miss Hinako said as she entered. "Class is about to start."
While Ranma sat down with a disgruntled frown, Hiroshi scooted over to Daisuke and whispered: "What were you thinking? Why did you get that DVD from Nabiki, of all people?"
"Don't ask," Daisuke groaned. "But you know what? My desire to become Vault Keeper just increased immensely." He clenched his fist. "Nabiki Tendo… shall pay!"
Hiroshi and Daisuke really had no idea how to contact June, the dryad. But they didn't really have to. Right after classes were over and the two boys were by themselves, they disappeared in a flash… and they found themselves back within the Summoning Chamber of the Vault.
"Welcome back, boys." June greeted them with a smile. "I take it you made your decision?"
Daisuke exchanged a quick look with Hiroshi, and the two nodded at each other. "Yeah," Daisuke then said. "We'll do it… we'll be the next Vault Keepers!"
"That's fantastic news!" June grinned from ear to ear. "I'm sure you'll do just great. Now come on, I'll help you get settled in."
"We're still living home in Nerima, though," Hiroshi noted. "We'll just drop in every now and then."
"Right right, I understand that, but remember, it'll have to be at least one hour a day," June said. "Now let me show you how everything works around here."
About half an hour later, June had shown the boys about everything the facility had to offer. They knew what kind of stuff they could find in the storerooms and how the crafting stations worked. She also gave them a small, portable mirror.
"This is your ticket back here," she explained. "You can only use it together. Touch the mirror's edge from both sides and look inside, then you'll be instantly teleported into the Summoning Chamber. This way, you won't have to rely on me summoning you every time. Just make sure you don't lose it, okay?"
"Why do we even need the crafting stations and all that other stuff?" Daisuke asked.
"Oh trust me," June said. "With a job like this, you never know what might happen. Soon enough you'll be happy to have a place where you can mix up potions and craft tools and weapons."
"But we don't even know how to do that," Hiroshi protested.
"That's easy to fix. Use a class orb and become an alchemist, tinkerer or blacksmith. You do remember that they affect you only temporarily, right? Well then… anything else you need?"
"Um, no," Hiroshi said. "I think we're good for now."
June smiled. "Great. In that case, I'll go and write my next report. If you guys need anything, just call me." And with that, she turned around and left the boys alone.
For the first time, Hiroshi and Daisuke were all by themselves in the Vault. For a while, they just looked around and did nothing.
"Well… this is it," Daisuke finally said. "We're Vault Keepers. Kinda cool, huh?"
"Yeah, it is," Hiroshi nodded. "Although a tiny part of my brain still wonders if we did the right thing."
"Just think about the sweet, sweet revenge we'll have," Daisuke grinned. "Nabiki won't know what hit her."
"You mean the revenge you'll have," Hiroshi frowned. "It was you who had the stupid idea of making a deal with her."
"Don't be so nit-picky about it," Daisuke sighed. "Besides, this is a great chance for a test run of our relics."
"I guess there's that," Hiroshi agreed. "And I'd rather have Nabiki as a guinea pig than a family member or friend. So what shall we do with her? I doubt she'll be willing to change her 'class'."
"No, the class orbs aren't going to help us here," Daisuke said. Then he smirked. "I think it's time for Nabiki Tendo to stop being human."
"You want… to use some essence on her?" Hiroshi asked as he followed his friends into the Chamber of Essences. "Are you sure? I mean… that's pretty harsh just for having to paint a dojo."
"Don't you remember how she treats anyone who works for her?" Daisuke growled. "Last summer, when she forced us to dig a new koi pond, she was sitting down in a chair, enjoying the sun, sipping some juice and barking orders. She's a slave-driver, that's what she is!"
"All right, I get your point," Hiroshi said. "But what essence are we gonna use? And remember, she won't remember ever being different."
"That's enough for me," Daisuke grinned. "Knowing myself how she changed will be satisfying either way. As for what essence we'll use… I was thinking about this one."
He pointed at a bottle containing magenta-colored essence.
Hiroshi looked at his friend in surprise. "Essence of unicorn?"
The Tendo Dojo, Nerima.
Kasumi Tendo opened the door with her usual smile. "Oh, Daisuke-kun. What brings you here today?"
Daisuke couldn't help but return the smile. Kasumi was always so polite and sweet, completely unlike her sisters. They were all beautiful girls, but Akane was way too aggressive and Nabiki was a manipulative schemer. "Hello, Kasumi-san. I'm here to fix your dojo." He lifted the pots of paint he was carrying a bit.
"Oh, that's right. Nabiki told me you were coming. That's so thoughtful of you to help us with that, Daisuke-kun," Kasumi said. "The dojo gets damaged so often these days… come on in."
Daisuke followed Kasumi through the Tendo household, past Tendo family patriarch Soun and his friend Genma Saotome, Ranma's father and head of the Saotome school of Anything Goes Martial Arts. They did not even look up from their game of shogi. Finally, they entered the dojo. In one corner, Ranma was sparring with his fiancee, Akane Tendo. On the other side, Daisuke could see right away that the dojo was in a pretty bad shape. Paint wasn't the only thing that was missing, there was also a hole in the wall. He was able to see right through into the garden… where Nabiki was sitting in a chair, sipping orange juice.
"Nabiki-chan? Your guest is here," Kasumi called for her sister.
Nabiki lowered the sunglasses she was wearing and looked at the glowering Daisuke. "You actually came here on time? I'm impressed. Well then, don't mind me or the quarelling couple over there. Just get to work."
"Hey!" Ranma shouted from the other side of the room. "We're not quarelling, we're sparring… OW! Akane, what did you do that for?"
"Your own fault for letting your enemy out of your sight, Ranma," Akane smirked. "I'll beat you yet, just you wait."
As they continued with their punches and kicks, Daisuke put down his cans and grabbed a paintbrush. "Let's get this over with," he sighed as he started painting.
"That's the spirit," Nabiki smiled.
"Would you like something refreshing to drink, Daisuke-kun?" Kasumi asked.
"That would be wonderful, thank you Kasumi," Daisuke nodded.
Nabiki frowned at that. "Couldn't you have brought your own drink?"
"Now Nabiki," Kasumi frowned. "Is that any way to treat a guest? It's pretty hot today, Daisuke-kun needs to stay hydrated."
"Oh fine," Nabiki sighed. "I guess a glass of water won't hurt the budget too much. Oh, and sis? Bring me another glass of orange juice, would you? This one's almost empty."
"In a moment, Nabiki," Kasumi said. "I need to prepare the sake for father and Uncle Saotome first."
Daisuke was quick to jump to his feet. "I can get it for her." That comment made not only Nabiki look at him in confusion, but Ranma as well.
"Buddy, you're just here to paint the wall," Ranma said. "You're not Nabiki's… WHOA!" He barely managed to block Akane's incoming fist. "Oh, you need to do better than that, you tomboy!"
"Grrr… Ranma! Quit teasing me!" Akane shouted as she continued to pummel him.
"How very thoughtful of you, Daisuke-kun," Kasumi smiled. "The kitchen's this way. Glasses are on the table, the juice bottle is in the fridge. See, Nabiki? He doesn't want you to dehydrate, either."
"Yeah…" Nabiki muttered, narrowing her eyes. She had the feeling there had to be a reason for Daisuke's eagerness to please her. But for now, she couldn't see it. She would have to keep a closer eye on the boy.
Daisuke gave her a grin and hurried into the kitchen. While Kasumi prepared the sake behind him, he took the orange juice and poured some of it into two glasses. He made sure Kasumi wasn't looking and quickly pulled the bottle of unicorn essense out of his pocket. Within seconds, the magenta-colored fluid mixed with the orange of the juice, which made a pretty weird combination.
Daisuke prayed to whatever gods might be listening that Nabiki wouldn't notice the strange color and brought the glasses outside. He gave the essence-spiked orange juice to Nabiki, with the friendliest smile he could muster. "Here you go, senpai."
"Thanks," Nabiki muttered. She took the glass, but wasn't quite looking at it. Instead, she was eyeing Daisuke carefully. The boy just smiled sheepishly and went back to work. He was acting a bit strangely, but then again, he was one of Ranma's weird pals. Nothing too unusual, right?
She put her sunglasses back on and took a quick sip of the glass, before setting it down next to her. Then she lay back and continued enjoying the afternoon sun, not being bothered in the slightest by the sounds of sparring and working in the background. She didn't notice when her face slowly started changing color, from a natural pink to a bright teal…
Daisuke secretly looked over to where Nabiki was sitting. When he noticed how a small horn was beginning to grow out of Nabiki's forehead, he quickly focussed back on his work. He started to have his doubts about the plan… but now it was too late. Nabiki had consumed the essence, it was just a matter of time before she finished her transformation into a unicorn pony. And that's what he wanted, right?
He allowed a small smile to appear on his face while he painted the wall. Oh yes, Nabiki Tendo, he thought to himself. Soon enough, all that's left of you will be nothing but a small, adorable, colorful unicorn. Who would ever take her seriously as a business partner like that? How could she hope to intimidate anyone at school with her threats?
Meanwhile, Ranma and Akane had decided to take a little break from their spar. "Phew…" Ranma wiped his brow. "If anything, that was a great workout. Thanks, Akane."
"Whatever," she grumbled. "I still say I would have beat you, if we had just continued a few minutes longer."
Ranma grinned as he took a sip of water from his bottle. "You keep telling yourself that, Akane." He walked outside. "Yo Nabiki. Just how long are you planning on sitting there? I say it's time you gave me those pictures."
This is it, Daisuke thought. Now we'll see how threatening Nabiki can be in this new form. He inconspicuously looked over to them… and nearly dropped his paintbrush. He had expected some changes, but this was pretty radical.
Nabiki was much smaller than before. If Daisuke had to take a guess, she was only about the size of a rottweiler… but a lot cuter! From her face and haircut… or was that manecut now… she was still easily recognizable as the same Nabiki. But she now had a cute snout, floppy ears and a short, spiraled horn. She also had four legs that ended in tiny hooves. Her entire body was covered by a think layer of teal fuzz, except for her brown mane and the brown tail that was now growing out of her backside. And to top everything off, she had a weird mark on her flank, which for some reason resembled a yen sign. Daisuke almost couldn't believe it. This adorable little thing was supposed to be the ice queen of Furinkan?
Nabiki looked over the edge of her sunglasses, which were still sitting on her cute pony nose. It was the only remaining article of clothing that was left on her.
"Seriously, Saotome?" Her voice hadn't changed at all. "You expect me to just hand them over to you? When I can still use them to get some easy money out of Kuno-baby? Come now, you at least have to make me a good offer first."
Now Daisuke was confused. She still acted like a money-grabbing schemer? Surely, Ranma wouldn't let himself be bullied around by a colorful little unicorn. On the other hand, it was pretty surreal how Ranma just accepted the fact that Nabiki was now a small pony. It really was like the dryad had told them… everyone now believed that this was her normal appearance.
Ranma gritted his teeth. "Cut it out, Nabiki. You know pretty well that I don't have any yen left after you made me pay for that meal at the Nekohanten."
"Then I suggest you better try and dig up some more." The unicorn smiled Nabiki's very own, patented Nabiki-smile. "But I'd hurry if I were you. Demand is steep, and I certainly don't want to keep my customers waiting."
Ranma clenched his fist. This is it, Daisuke thought. I know he's not going to stand for this. He's too proud.
But he was shocked to see that Ranma simply sighed… and turned around to leave. How did that make sense? How could a prideful martial artist like Ranma Saotome stand being manipulated by a candy-colored, miniature equine?
Daisuke had to talk to Hiroshi about this. He certainly didn't feel like finishing his job now, as much as he hated to disappoint Kasumi. So he simply dropped his paintbrush and turned to leave, just like Ranma did.
"And where do you think you're going?" Nabiki asked. "You haven't even finished half of your job." She shook her pony head disaprovingly. "You really think you can ignore our little business arrangement after I so graciously helped you get that DVD, do you?"
"I've had it, Nabiki," Daisuke grumbled. "I'm not doing any business with you anymore. The movie wasn't that good to begin with. Paint the dojo yourself… I'm done here." And he started walking away.
Ranma raised his hand in concern as he saw that. "Um, buddy? I wouldn't do that if I were you…" Akane stared at Daisuke in disbelief as well. What was wrong with those two? What did they think Nabiki could do to him, that…?
In the middle of his thoughts, Daisuke froze. But not willingly… it was as if his whole body refused to obey him. He managed to look down and realized that his body and limbs were frozen stiff… and they were surrounded by a strange aura of glowing, pink energy. "Wh-what the hell?" he muttered, as he tried to break loose. It didn't work.
"Really now, Daisuke-kun." Nabiki chuckled as she leapt out of her chair and slowly trotted over to him on her four hooves, as if she'd done so all her life. "You didn't honestly expect that to work, did you?" She walked around him so he could see her face… and the little horn on her head, which was glowing in the exact same color as the energy surrounding him. She chuckled. "I may not be a very powerfull spellcaster, but I still know the basics. And a simple paralyze spell, focussed on only one target, is as basic as it gets. You should know better than to mess around with a unicorn."
She sat down in the grass and looked up at him with that adorable pony face of hers. "Now how about we make this easy? You go back to your job, finish painting the dojo… and as a bonus, maybe you can fix that hole while you're at it… and I release you from that spell and we can forget the whole thing. Deal?"
Daisuke gritted his teeth. He wanted nothing more than just tell Nabiki to stuff it and get out of here, but it was no use. He couldn't move at all. He got very afraid when he realized that not only did he make Nabiki Tendo a lot cuter and cuddlier… he also gave her even more tools to force other people to listen to her!
Finally, he quietly said: "F… fine."
"There you go," Nabiki smiled. "I knew you'd see reason sooner or later. Now be a good boy and get back to work." And after she said that, her horn stopped glowing and the aura surrounding Daisuke's body vanished. He stumbled forward as he was released from the spell's grip.
Ranma caught his friend before he fell down to the ground. "I really hate to say this, buddy, but…" He sighed. "I told ya so."
Daisuke looked back to the teal unicorn pony as she sat down on her chair and used her magic to levitate the glass of juice towards her mouth. The only thing he could think was: I've created a monster!
Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.
The Dryad (NPC) and everything Terraria belongs to Re-Logic.
My little Pony belongs to Hasbro.
