This story is intended to be wholesome and for most viewers. However…
*This story contains others’ properties that aren’t my own. Credits are given at the end of the story.
*This story features LGBTQ characters, with a transgender main character.
*This story touches on themes of transphobia and xenophobia.
*This story has some mild profane language.
*This story includes a scene of gun violence and attempted assault, and a fight sequence involving other weapons (no fatalities).

Embra and the Old World

The rain was battering them both. Sam wasn’t sure what lead up to it, but suddenly, the whole town had turned against them… Save for one. This young child wanted to be a boy, but he wasn’t born that way. He always looked up to Sam, who, despite being a half-genie, never felt comfortable being fully a girl. They were somewhere in between. The young trans boy – calling himself Andy – loved that his guardian could tell people who they were, that it wasn’t unheard of for someone to be different than the way they were born…

Unfortunately, that’s why they both had to flee. It had been fine for years, but suddenly, after the arrival of some mysterious people, the town became hostile to them both being trans – and to Sam being a half-genie. Sam feared if they both stayed, something terrible would happen to them…

So, they grabbed what they could carry, and they fled in the middle of the night. Sam would have to figure out how to return one day and sort out this mess. For now, though, it was about getting both of them to safety.

“How much farther?” asked Andy.

Sam looked through the storm. With their Seer Magic, they could gaze through the harsh conditions. They could see the wall of the town not too far away.

“Soon, another hour, I think,” Sam answered.

They had heard rumors about a town that stood up to a group trying to spread hate against half-genies. It had three half-genie guardians of its own now, and it might now be a safe haven from those trying to hurt half-genies. It was a city built around fishing called Scuttle Town. It’s said a couple of other half-genies have fled to the town as well in the past two weeks.

What was going on with the world, Sam didn’t know.

Sam and Andy made their way to the city gates. The guard took notice and looked them over. Sam was covering Andy with their body. They were muddy and shivering from the rain. “What do you need, travelers?” he asked.

“We need a safe place to stay,” Sam answered. “Our town isn’t safe for us anymore.”

The guard looked them over again and noticed Sam’s ears. “Are you a half-genie? You don’t look all that girly…”

“Yes, and there’s a reason for that, but it’d take a while to explain. We’re cold and hungry. Please, let us through!” Sam pleaded.

The guard stepped aside. “Okay, you may pass.”

“Thank you!” both Sam and Andy said at the same time.

They stepped through the gate to see little activity in the city, people darting from place to place to stay out of the heavy rain. They didn’t expect anyone to say much to them – especially not from the canal next to them.

“Hello there!” shouted an excited voice from the water.

Sam jumped and moved Andy behind them. “Who are you?!” they exclaimed. “Are you a mermaid?!”

“Sorta – more like a half-genie with Hydro Magic, so I get to turn into a mermaid in water as a bonus! Name’s Misty!” She looked at Sam and Andy. Andy was clearly a boy (or maybe a trans boy, like she was a trans girl), but she couldn’t quite peg Sam. “Err, I don’t mean to be rude, but…”

“I’m a half-genie, like you. It’s just I don’t feel like a girl, so I bind my chest and keep my hair short. But I’m not all guy either. I’m in the middle… If you don’t mind, calling me ‘they’ or ‘them’ really helps my self-esteem.”

“Okay!” Misty said enthusiastically. “I used to be a boy myself, then I got a magic crystal from a Guardian Genie, and I became a girl, just like I wanted!”

“Oh, you’re like me, but reverse!” said Andy, happily.

“I think we’ll get along just fine,” Sam said with a smile and a nod. “Aren’t there other half-genies in town?”

“Oh, yeah, most of them are taking shelter from the rain. There’s a workshop near the western edge of town. That’s where you’ll find Shantae and Elaina, the town’s other half-genies. They’re trying to investigate the towns that have suddenly rejected their guardians. You’ll probably want to talk to them.”

“Thanks, Misty.”

“You’re welcome!” Misty said with a wide smile. She sank back into the water and swam away. Sam and Andy explored the town, wandering around the clearly several-times-rebuilt city until they found a building with a lot of devices and such around it. Inside, they saw two more half-genies looking over a map on a table, with some others nearby.

“Uh, hello there?” Sam asked, trying to get their attention.

The group looked that them. They immediately noticed Sam’s pointed ears. “You’re another half-genie, aren’t you?” the darker-skinned half-genie asked.

“Yeah. I’m Sam, and this is Andy, a friend who needed protecting.”

“Sam? Is that you?” the boy in the group asked.

“Bolo?!” Sam exclaimed. “I haven’t seen you in a while, not since you left Water Town.”

“I know, kinda moved to Scuttle Town after a while. Sky, Shantae, Elaina, this is Sam, they’re a half-genie I knew from a while back!” Bolo explained, introducing each of them to Sam.

“Yeah, he trained me in martial arts, as Seer Magic isn’t really much to lean on when you’re fighting monsters…”

“Did I just hear ‘they?’” Sky asked.

“Oh boy…” Sam explained everything, from their gender identity to what was going on in the village they had been protecting, with Bolo filling in a couple of details from when they met a few years ago.

“It’s got all the markings of Cliff Town’s interference yet again…” Shantae grumbled.

“Cliff Town?” Sam asked.

“I don’t know all the details myself, but they’re a dangerous bunch. They live out of a bunker in the mountains farther inland. The few that have gotten close to them have some serious scars from their encounters…” Elaina explained. “I used to be able to get close to the gates as a human, but when I became a half-genie, they started attacking me for getting close. Not that I want to get close to that place anymore; that bunker has some seriously unpleasant vibes when you’re sensitive to magic.”

“Some other half-genies have tried to figure out what they’re doing, and only one has been in there and seen what they’re up to: Embra Huntsman. She’s the original Shade Magic half-genie,” said Shantae.

“I heard of her!” Sam exclaimed. “Where is she now?”

“Siren Island,” Sky answered. “As far as we know, she’s been stuck there for the past couple of weeks, trying to figure out what to do about Cliff Town. As far as we’re aware, she hasn’t left the place…”

“In the meantime, we’ve been trying to figure out how to investigate the towns and villages that have expelled their half-genies. They seem ready for us, and they push us away when we get close…” Elaina explained.

“It looks like we have another one to look into… Sorry, Sam, it might take a while,” Shantae said, apologizing.

“That’s okay… Just, can I get a place to stay so I can look after Andy here?” Sam asked.

“Sure, I can help you with that!” Bolo said. He guided the two out and back into the rain.

“They’re the fifth one so far… It’s going to get a lot worse, isn’t it?” Elaina asked.

Shantae nodded. She faced down their cruel leader just before Embra fled to the Sirens. She hoped Embra was hard at work, figuring out how to fight back against Victor Marin. She felt like time might be running out…

=== Siren Island. ===

“Hey, Embra, you missed coming for your dinner,” Star said as she opened the hatch door to hers and Embra’s two-floor suite. “I brought it up to… You…”

Star gazed upon the mess the room was in, littered with lined-out sheets of paper and crumpled up balls. Notes, theories, plans, all over the place. Star knew the situation with Cliff Town was starting to get to Embra, especially as Vera received letters from Scuttle Town, telling them what was happening on the mainland.

“Thanks, Star. Put it on the table over there, will you?” Embra asked, not even bothering to look over her shoulder, too absorbed in her work to even sneak a glance at her sister.

Star tip-toed her way through the room, trying not to disturb the “order” of things (if there was even a rhyme or reason to the disaster zone this room had become). She carefully moved some stuff out of the way to put the plate down, then she slowly made her way to Embra.

“Are you okay, sis?” Star asked. “It looks like a tornado demon came through here…”

“I…” Embra looked down. “No. I keep hearing about things getting worse on the mainland. We got a letter earlier today about another half-genie who had to flee town.”

“I know. Vera showed me.”

“There was a little trans boy too. Guardians above, the kid was only 8. And they ran him out of town! And all because of Victor and his agents. I have to figure out how to stop him! I have to make the perfect plan to deal with him, I-“

Star twirled her around and hugged her. “Embra, I know that can’t be easy for you, but you can’t burn yourself out worrying about it. Shantae and the rest have them covered for now.”

Tears were streaming down Embra’s face. “B-but, who else is going to stop him, make things better now?!”

“Oh, Embra, I know how much you care. You’ll figure out how to beat that soulless monster to a pulp one day! Knowing you, you’ll probably also figure out how to fix all the damage he’s caused too. But you’re not going to figure it out if you keep obsessing over it like this.” Star started rubbing Embra’s head. “Just relax, girl. Eat, take some time to rest. Recharge. You know Lumina would say the exact same thing if she were here right now.”

“Y-you’re right. I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be! I know you want to make things better, and you’re fighting so hard for it right now! No matter what anyone might say about you, you’re a hero! Just, you need to take care of yourself once in a while, okay?”

“O-okay…”

Star kept Embra in her embrace for a little while longer, rubbing her back and head to help calm her younger sister’s nerves.

=== The next morning. ===

Star was right. Embra really needed a night to rest and recharge. She woke up feeling lighter than air! She pulled herself up and stretched.

Strange, it feels like I’m still sleeping, she thought.

She pulled herself out of bed… Not even realizing she hadn’t even gotten out of bed yet! Her mind was literally wandering now, as her body continued to peacefully sleep in her bed.

Still “waking up,” Embra’s disembodied spirit walked over to the bathroom. She lazily reached down for her toothbrush… And couldn’t grab it!

“Huh?” She felt herself touch nothing. “Did I mi-“

That’s when she saw her hand was see-through. She had indeed grabbed for the toothbrush, but her phantom hand had simply passed through the tool and the sink!

“Wh-wh-WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME?!” she screamed, loud enough to startle Star awake in the bedroom below. Embra lost whatever was keeping her feet “solid” and she phased through the floor. She fell down into Star’s room, face-planting into the floor (having been fortunate enough to not keep going).

“What the?! Embra?!” Star screamed.

“I don’t know what’s going on! I woke up, but I didn’t wake up!”

“Okay, this is a new level of crazy! We need to get someone to look at you right now!”

Star quickly got herself ready and called for Sirens to assist. Aurora came to their aid, as she was a student of magical study, studying all sorts of magic even before the fall of the Empress at the hands of Harmony’s mother. She was the most qualified person on the island to investigate Embra’s condition.

Embra’s disembodied spirit was sitting on the side of her bed, next to her sleeping body. Aurora looked her over. It took only a few seconds for her to reach a conclusion.

“Well, Embra, congratulations on your first astral projection!” she said with a smile.

“My what? Why are you so happy about this? I’m freaking out here!” Embra exclaimed.

“Oh, sorry, astral projection is a way for one to leave their body as a spirit and explore the world without moving. As long as your body is safe, you’ll be just fine,” Aurora tried to reassure her.

“But I don’t have any control over it!”

“From what I understand, the first time can be intense. Strange, I would have thought a half-genie such as yourself would have known all of her powers by now…”

“Well, Embra is fairly new, having only been a half-genie for a few months now,” Star explained.

“And Lumina told me a while back that I would develop a new ‘magic-mortal quirk’ in time. Is this it?” Embra asked.

“Must be,” Aurora answered. “I’ve heard of other half-genies getting astral projection. They usually have it happen when they’re very young, so they go through it all with child-like wonder. You, on the other hand…”

“Well, at least she’s going to make it through alright…” Star sighed, relieved.

“Now, it’s just figuring out what kind of astral projection she’s got…”

“Wait, what?” Embra asked.

“Oh, yeah, there’s regular old projection, and there’s the more powerful-“

Embra let out an “Eep!” as she suddenly was sucked into a point and disappeared. Star and Aurora looked at each other, shocked.

“Err, Star, you wouldn’t know how to get ahold of Lumina, by chance?”

=======

Embra dropped onto the hard ground face-first. She brushed herself off as she got up and looked around. That’s the moment she realized she was solid again!

“Woah, wait, what’s going on?! Why am I suddenly solid again?!”

“….ra? Embra? Don’t shout where you’re at, but I think you can hear me, can’t you?” she could hear from Star’s voice.

“Well, even if she could, you couldn’t hear her. That’s something only a full-fledged Guardian Genie could do,” said the voice of Aurora. Embra realized she was hearing them talk to her body, wherever it was relative to her. “Embra, if you can hear us – and I’m fairly certain you can – you have ‘dimensional astral projection,’ the more powerful version of the ability. Sit tight; we’re getting Lumina right now. She will be able to tell you more!”

Okay, so I have dimensional astral projection… Embra thought as she looked around. She was in an alley between two large buildings. It was pretty dark, even though she could tell it was day. This doesn’t look like anywhere in my world… The closest thing is Siren City, and the towers there are round, not rectangular. So I must be in a different one – a different dimension. She looked down at her body. She was wearing her traditional genie outfit that Lumina gave her, even though her body back home was wearing pajamas. I must still be a projection based on what I’m wearing. I’m solid here, so I’m guessing this is a magical effect…

“That’s correct, my daughter…”

“Wait, Lumina?! I can hear you!”

“I know you can, but you need not speak for me to hear you. I’m listening to your thoughts. Only you can hear me, as I’m speaking to your body…”

“O”-okay. What’s going on?

“As you have surmised, you’re in another world. With your new ability, you can travel to any world in the multiverse with your projections. For the most part, you are safe from real harm, although your projected form can feel pain and ultimately be destroyed. But as long your spirit isn’t harmed, you will be fine and return to your body.”

Okay, good to know. Anything else?

“Right now, you have no control over this. You’re stuck riding this out until it’s done. Also, as a half-genie, it’s unlikely you can use magic of any kind in this state. As a half-genie, it’s bound to your blood – which you don’t have any in that world at the moment. As such, your current form is basically human.”

Okay, thanks for the heads up. I can make that work. I was a human for most of the last nineteen years anyway. How hard can it be to remember how to be human again?

“Heh, well, your appearance matches your current form and the outfit you’re used to wearing. It may be harder to pull off than you think. But I know you’re clever, so you could figure something out.”

Thanks, Lumina!

“For now, explore the world you’re in. I am gathering you’re in a variation of the old world…”

“The old world?!” Embra could hear Star shout. “As in, the one lost a long time ago!? How is she there?!”

Star, it’s- Embra began.

“Hang on, I have this. It’s not our old world, but a different one, one that could have a different future than our past.”

“Oh, okay…”

“Anyway, Embra, you should be safe to explore. I can relay your thoughts to the others as needed.”

Okay, thanks for being here, Lumina!

“Any time, my daughter!”

Embra slowly stepped out of the alley. There were people everywhere! This was a city of the old world – clearly, a time with a lot more people. Scuttle Town and even Northern Light had nothing on the cities of old…

She walked along the pathways on the sides of the road, clearly meant for people, while the center of the road was for large vehicles. They were called “cars” in this time, weren’t they?

As she walked by people, she noticed they were staring at her. Some had looks of disapproval, others confusion, others still… Well, she’d rather not think what was on their minds (but she could guess). It was making her conscious of the outfit she was wearing, clearly not something considered “normal” by any stretch of the imagination. Where before she felt a certain pride in herself, she was now feeling exposed, standing out when she would rather blend in.

As she approached an intersection, she saw the path crossing the road. She looked around and saw lights indicating who could do what. The sign on the other side of the road had a red upward hand. She guessed this meant “do not cross,” and she stood there, waiting for the light to change.

She felt someone touch her back. It sent shivers down her spine. “Look at this pretty piece of meat here…” said the man giving her a look down. Embra spun around. He was a particularly large man, one who probably trained regularly. “What an adorable outfit. You’re practically asking for it…” he said as he reached for her.

Embra slapped his hands away. “Eww, no! You’re not even my type!” Do I even have a type?

“Hey, you big lunk, get away from her!” yelled another woman. “Don’t make me pepper-spray you!”¹This character is putting effort into projecting a certain voice; the difference between this and a character speaking in the mind is the fact the quotation marks are not italicized she warned, reaching into her purse.

The man threw his arms up and walked away without another word. The woman came up to Embra. “Sorry you had to go through that. Men, am I right?”

“Eh, I’ve been through worse,” Embra stated. Seriously, that’s not the first jerk like that, and he’s nothing compared to a criminal overlord, a monster of dark magic… Or Victor.

“I hate to say it, but you’re probably attracting a lot of unwanted attention with that getup. Were you at a con or something?”

Embra began spinning the gears in her head quickly. Con… I don’t think she means a crime of deceit. Perhaps she means something else? Con… Vent? Vention? Oh! “Convention!” Some special gathering, perhaps…

“Oh, yeah, I was at one recently. But umm…” Think, Embra! “My car was stolen. I’ve been wandering around just trying to think of another plan.”

“Oh, you poor thing! You lost your phone too, I take it?”

Embra nodded. She saw the rectangular device in the woman’s hand like the one she had while infiltrating Cliff Town. In fact, it seemed a lot of people had one in these times… She still technically had it, but given that was with her stuff at home – and she didn’t have magic to reach it – it was technically lost to her at the moment.

“Look, I don’t know what kind of situation you’re in, but perhaps it would be best for us to join up. It’s not always safe to be alone in a big city…” she held her hand out. “I go by Maddie.”

Embra reached out and shook it. “I go by Embra,” she said with a smile.

“Embra, huh? Unusual name, but pretty!”

Embra blushed. “Thanks, Maddie! Yours is too!”

Maddie blushed in turn.

“So, what brings you out here, Maddie?”

“I… I was here to attend an event with some friends, but they had an emergency. I really wanted to come, so I came alone. I’ve been keeping them updated frequently. Still, we need to get you sorted out, so if I have to miss some things-“

“Oh, don’t worry about me! I’ll be fine for a while. I can tag along with you to your event!”

“Are you sure? I mean, how are you with… Queer folks?”

“Queer…?”

Maddie raised an eyebrow.

Uh oh, play it cool, Embra.

“Embra, ‘queer’ is a term for those who don’t fit societal norms during this time, particularly of gender and sexual orientation,” Lumina stated.

Really?! “Er, um, sorry, I guess I wasn’t processing that quite right. I have no qualms with anyone like that!” Heck, it sounds like I might be “queer” too…

“Oh, that’s good. For a moment, I was worried you didn’t even know what it meant!”

“Heh, well, it was in there somewhere…” Thanks, Lumina.

“You’re welcome!”

“So, Maddie, where are we going?”

“Just a few blocks from here. It’s not going to be hard to miss.”

“Lead the way!”

Embra followed Maddie closely, keeping an eye out for more trouble. But she also had to pay attention to what Maddie was doing. She didn’t know all the rules and laws of this land. She just had to hope Maddie was following them, or this could get awkward quickly.

But Maddie was right; this wasn’t hard to miss at all. Embra was floored by the extraordinary display of color before her. Rainbows were everywhere! Flags adorned in all sorts of colors were being waved by people of all kinds. Embra couldn’t tell who was what in the lively mass – maybe that was the point?

“Oh, Maddie, you made it this year!” said a participant. “But… I heard what happened to Alice…”

“I know, that’s why I’m here. I did manage to get someone to join me!” Maddie replied as she gestured to Embra. “Sweet girl here just lost her car and her phone, and yet she didn’t hesitate to join me!”

“Wow, are you going to be okay, honey?”

“I’ve been through worse,” Embra replied with a shrug. “Someone will come for me later. I always have a backup plan.”

“That’s good to hear. Any flag you want to wave? We got all kinds here…”

“I brought a few trans flags with me, given Alice couldn’t be here because, you know, hospital.”

“Wait, did you just say ‘trans,’ as in ‘transgender?’”

“Of course!”

“I’ll take one of those.”

This got Maddie and the other Pride participant to look at each other for a moment. It was a little weird this oddball in rather exposing clothes that Maddie picked off the streets would jump on waving a Trans Pride flag so quickly… But they weren’t going to question it. Maddie handed Embra the blue, pink, and white striped flag with a smile.

Embra looked at it. She only knew of the little from her own adventures what it meant to be trans. Here was a world that not only knew of it, but they had a flag for it. It was simple… And yet somehow perfect.

“Uh, Embra, are you okay?” Maddie asked.

It was at that moment Embra realized she was shedding a couple of tears. “Oh, I… Um… Some strong memories, from the past… I’ll be fine, I swear!”

“Okay… Well, if you two need any food, we have a food court set up another block down the road. I’ll see you there!” The other participant left the two.

Maddie wasn’t so convinced. “Is there something more I should know?”

“I-um-well-yousee…” Lumina, I have to tell her.

“Go ahead. I know this is important to you, and it’s not like you’re going to shatter this world by doing so.”

“Maddie, I’m trans too…”

“Oh, you poor thing, have I been misgendering you? I’m-“

Embra held her hand up. She took a deep breath. “Okay, from the top… I AM Embra. I chose that name for myself when I was seven. I knew I was a girl even before that, and my parents accepted me for it. That said, I’m not from around here…”

“Oh, so you’re already transitioning? You look great! I’ve been a year on hormones myself…” But then the last line sunk in. “Wait, define ‘not from around here…’”

“Okay, truth be told, I’m actually from another world entirely. What you see is some ‘astral projection’ of me. The pointed ears, the blue hair, the pink eyes… All real to me.” She brushed some of her hair aside. “Go ahead, give it a tug.”

Maddie grabbed the ear and felt its warmth. It turned red a little from the pressure, and Maddie could see Embra wincing a little.

“Oh dear God, it’s real!”

“Well, as real as this projection. It’s my first time, actually. It’s usually intense from what I hear, and I don’t have any control over it at the moment. I don’t know why I ended up here, exactly. Eventually, it will fade, and I will wake up in my bed again. Until then, I’m stuck here…”

“So, you’re a projection of a trans girl from another world, you say?” Maddie asked, trying to wrap her head around it.

“Yeah. Maybe let’s go to that food court? I can explain the whole story while we get something to eat…”

“You can be hungry in that state?”

Embra’s stomach growled on cue. “Apparently?”

=======

Embra spent the next hour recounting to Maddie her life story. Maddie could barely believe it. Embra recounted this entire world of magic to her without hesitation. It was clear Embra was recounting very real memories – or believed some crazy stuff with all her heart. But the kicker was the realism of the transphobia Embra herself was facing, along with the struggles of the other half-genies in her world as a result of the same people.

“… And I admit I kind of lost it when I heard a young trans boy and a half-genie – non-binary, I think they’d be called around here? – showed up in the safe haven Scuttle Town has become. Star told me to eat, get some rest, and try to figure it out another time… And I woke up with my new astral projection powers in full swing, bringing me here,” Embra finished.

Maddie was silent for a moment. “Wow, I don’t think I ever would have seen any of that coming…”

“I can tell there isn’t a lot of outright magic in this world… Although, I am starting to question what, exactly, is happening to the burger I ate earlier, given I’m more or less just magic right now…”

“Might be best to not think about that… But on the subject of fighting those creeps at ‘Cliff Town,’ have you figured anything out since?”

“No,” Embra replied as she slid down. “I keep thinking of every possibility, but there’s just too much to handle all at once… I need to be in half a dozen places at once! I don’t have that ability, as far as I’m aware…”

Maddie looked at the Pride festivities happening around her. She then hatched an idea. “Maybe you’re not looking at the wider picture?”

Embra perked up. “What do you mean?”

“Take a look around us. This whole event is about people of all kinds showing their support for each other. Alone, gay, lesbian, transgender, queer, and so on, we don’t stand a chance on our own. But together… We can fight back against the forces that would oppress us and force us to be silent and miserable, by working together over our shared problems and through love.”

“Together… You’re stronger…” Embra said, letting it sink in.

“Right!”

Embra smiled. “Thank you, Maddie! I think I know why I wound up here now. I needed to hear that. See that.”

“You’re welcome! I can already tell you have some good friends and family behind you. Lean on them. They’ll help you, girl!”

“I know they will!”

“Oh, and give that sister of yours my regards. She sounds like a lesbian to me, and a freaking adorable one at that!”

“Heh, will do!”

Embra continued to celebrate the Pride event with Maddie until the sun began to set. Seeing as she was still around, she lent her fantastic lack of strength to help people as she could. It was a pain not having her shadow powers around to help, but then again, it didn’t grant her much in the way of extra strength anyway… Although it could have helped catch the one time she accidentally caused a catastrophic domino effect, knocking down a few tents that were (up to that point) being carefully disassembled.

The sky had dimmed to navy by the time everything was done. Embra was still here, miraculously, so she offered to help Maddie home. She told Embra she didn’t live far, but she appreciated it all the same!

Embra followed Maddie into a residential part of the city. However, the streets weren’t as clean, and the houses around clearly had unresolved maintenance issues… This neighborhood gave her a bad feeling…

Maddie noticed Embra’s concern. “Sorry. I know this place is kind of awful, but I can’t afford much else. My treatments and surgeries cost a lot of money, and I have to save where I can. I try my best, but…”

“So, things are rough for trans folks in this era, I take it?”

“Yeah. Not as bad as they were as little as 30 years ago, but it sometimes feels like it’s getting worse…”

“I’m sorry. I wish I knew how to help…”

“Well, if your world is the future, keep fighting to make it better. If it isn’t, keep fighting to make it better for everyone anyway. Just knowing someone’s out there, fighting for us… It’d help some just make it through a rough day.”

“I will,” Embra promised.

It was then that Embra got a chill up her spine. She felt something was very wrong…

“Well, look at what we have here,” said a familiar, toxically masculine voice. “Both you ladies lost?” They turned around to see the buff unpleasant man who grossly propositioned Embra earlier, with a squad of four more men with him. “Grab them.”

The four men lunged at Embra and Maddie, grabbing them and holding them in place. Embra and Maddie both knew what this was about.

“You should have come with me earlier. We would’ve had so much fun. But you had to be a prude. So I’m going to have my fun with you anyway!”

“Grr, you won’t get away with this!” Embra growled.

“See this neighborhood? No one’s gonna care. Grab the other chick there. Bring her to me!”

One of the men grabbed Maddie by the groin, only to sense something off. “Wait, this doesn’t feel right. Dude, I think this one’s a tranny freak!”

“LEAVE HER ALONE!” Embra screamed. No one noticed at that moment black sparks formed around her hands.

“Gross. We might as well do the world a favor…” the brute said as he reached into his back pocket…

“NO! I SAID...”

Embra’s hands sparked into shadowflames.

“LEAVE…”

Embra’s pink eyes were now glowing.

“HER…”

Everyone in attendance gawked as Embra was now completely enveloped in dark energy.

“ALONE!” Embra screamed as she unintentionally released a massive shockwave of shadow energy, knocking all the assailants to the ground, leaving Maddie upright and unharmed.

“Embra…”

“Wh-wha? How did I use my powers just now?” She shook her head. “Maddie, run home, now!”

“But…”

“Now! Get safe!”

Maddie nodded and took off as fast as she could. The thugs’ leader was getting up and was aiming something at Maddie. Embra dashed over and grabbed the weapon, drawing it to her midsection. She could see the man’s pure rage as the gun fired into her belly.

Embra screamed in pain. She looked down to see a hole in her body… With wisps of blueish energy and sparkles flowing from the wound. Light Magic. The magic keeping her here. Even with the reminder that this body wasn’t real, she felt like she was dying. She looked behind her to see Maddie was still okay. Maddie had turned around. Embra nodded to her, silently conveying to her everything will be okay. Maddie nodded and disappeared around the corner.

“What the hell are you?!” the thug leader exclaimed.

Embra created a solid-form shadow blade and cut the gun in half, rendering it useless. She collapsed to the ground as she swung, feeling the strength leaving her. She slowly got up, looking at her wound, which was now wider, with cracks forming around it. She knew every magic move she made would further deteriorate her body.

So long as Maddie can get home safe.

“I… Am Embra Huntsman… Half-genie of Shade Magic… Trans girl… And protector of the vulnerable…”

She summoned a staff of darkness, causing the wounds to further grow before their eyes.

“AND I WILL NOT LET YOU HURT ANYONE ELSE!”

She charged the bewildered thugs, bashing the first one in a blitz attack that knocked him out cold. She sensed another coming from behind and swung her staff backwards into his groin. A loud crunch preceded his fall to the ground. Thug three grabbed for a knife and charged her. She readied herself, and swung her polearm into his knife, knocking it out of his hand and onto the ground. She continued the swing, bringing enough momentum upon it to shatter the blade. Continuing her surprisingly graceful movements, she brought the staff behind her with one arm, while throwing her other fist into the man’s face, removing over a dozen teeth. He landed on the ground with a thud, dazed.

“Holy hell, I’m not sticking around for this!” said the fourth thug as he took off running the other way. Embra readied her staff like a spear and threw it at him with expert aim, hitting him square in the back of the head, knocking him over and out.

Embra grabbed for the thug leader and took hold of his chest. He punched her in the face with all of his might, causing her to wince as more glowing cracks formed in her face. But the fear she instilled in him weakened his resolve as she glared at him with unfettered rage.

“You will not hurt another soul ever again!” she growled, not noticing magic flowing from her body was now starting to flow towards the attackers with intent. “If you do…” Her voice was changing. Embra might not have been fully in control anymore… “You will feel the true pain and suffering of your victims as well as that which I lived with for nineteen years of my life. You will know an existence where your own body causes you pain. Stay on the path of decency and kindness from this point forward… You and your cohorts… Or else…”

Embra let go as her eyes closed and her body disintegrated into a cloud of magic. The sparkling, glowing cloud of energy quickly faded from view…

Maddie was long gone from this point, finally back to the safety of home, but she could feel it; Embra had left her world.

=======

Embra gasped as she jumped up from her bed. She was hyperventilating.

“Easy, Embra! Easy…” Lumina said, grabbing her. “You’re okay! You’re okay.”

“Welcome back, sis!” Star said, relieved she was finally up. “I take it things didn’t end well…”

“I felt like I was dying…” Embra said.

“I warned you that you could feel pain, but even then, I don’t think I expected you to go through that…” Lumina sighed.

“But… At least I saved her…”

“Embra, you saved someone over there? How?” Star asked.

“I don’t know how, but my powers activated over there. Although, when I was injured, using my powers caused my body to come apart…” Embra explained. “Lumina, I thought you said I couldn’t use magic?”

Lumina thought about it for a minute. “Could it be because of how you transformed into a half-genie instead of being born one? There are still things we’re learning about the ‘infused’ half-genies, as some are starting to call those like yourself. It may be that some of the magic seeps into your very spirit. If that’s the case, it explains why you’re the first half-genie ever to be able to use magic as an astral projection.”

“Woah, that’s amazing!” Star exclaimed. “You were over there quite a while, all day! What were you up to?”

Embra recounted meeting Maddie and going to the Pride festival. She also recounted the events that ended with her projection being destroyed, protecting Maddie from the same man who Maddie protected her from not long after she arrived.

“… Also, Maddie said to give you her regards. She thought you were cute from my recounting of our story.”

Star blushed.

“I assume Aurora had to go somewhere?” Embra asked.

“Oh, she’s sleeping downstairs, on my bed. Apparently, we sort of woke her up after a late night of tinkering with her ship. I’m sure she will be up soon.” Star explained.

“Okay, I’ll tell her everything later. Anyway, Lumina, you know how my powers work. I wanted to try something, but I don’t know if it will work…”

“What are you thinking?”

“Well…”

=== The next morning… ===

Maddie heard the doorbell ring. That’s odd, I wasn’t expecting any packages today… I wonder who that could be?

She pulled up her phone and opened up her security system app, only to discover… Embra?! There she was, standing at her front door, along with a blonde woman and one with some crazy-looking green hair… As well as a couple of other features that didn’t look quite right (did she just see the girl had a row of razor-sharp teeth? And are those freckles blue?).

Maddie scrambled for the door. “E-Embra?! I saw you get shot! W-what are you doing here!?”

“It’s like I said; I was a projection. I woke up in my bed after beating those guys to a pulp with what remained of my strength. So… I’m fine! Ish.”

“But, how are you here again? And who are these people?”

“Oh, sorry, I wanted to show you my sister, Star…” Embra gestured to the blonde haired, orange eyed half-genie to her left. “… And a friend of mine, Aurora, a Siren from my world. She’s like a kind of semi aquatic being… Not a mermaid, per say…” she explained, pointing to her.

“Wow… But how?”

“So, um, it turns out my power to teleport through shadows is a lot more powerful than I realized. I had to make sure, but it turns out I can use it to transport to any place I know of – even if it’s in another dimension!"

"So, you have an ability that allows you to go to other worlds as some spirit thing, then you can go there for real?”

“Yup, I’m flesh and blood this time!”

“That’s amazing!”

“Do you mind if we come in? I kind of wanted to talk to you about something…”

“O-oh, sure thing! Sorry about any messes!”

“Sooooo, Embra, any particular reason you needed me to come along? I mean, we covered up my fins and scales and whatnot, but I’m pretty sure people are going to start figuring me out pretty quickly…” Aurora noted.

“I’m getting to that, just, let me say something first…” Embra said as she was sitting down on one of Maddie’s worn couches. She turned to Maddie. “I just have to thank you, Maddie. You showed me something special yesterday. And when you explained what it was all for, it got something to click! Maddie, I wanted you to be here for this…”

“Oh?”

Embra turned to Aurora and Star. “She explained to me the meaning of this ‘Pride March’ event that she took me to yesterday, how all sorts of people were banding together to help one another… For so long, I worked alone, and I hadn’t even considered asking for help. I was going to charge in alone and fight Victor and his army by myself. And I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to do it…”

“You’re now realizing you need to ask for help once in a while, right?” Star asked.

“Yeah.” Embra turned to Maddie and smiled. “Thank you for that, it was really something meeting all those wonderful people yesterday!” Maddie smiled back.

Embra looked down. “I feel kind of stupid not asking for help sooner, but-“

“No, Embra, I get it. People ask a lot of half-genies, and we often have the powers to take it on by ourselves. It took many years for me to start asking for others’ help too,” Star explained.

“Well, at least people ask for your help. No one asks for Sirens to help them, and unfortunately for good reason…” Aurora sighed.

“That should change.”

“Huh?”

“Aurora, you’ve been a good friend to us the past couple of weeks. Aurora, can you please help me and Star fight back against Cliff Town?”

Aurora’s eyes welled up as a big wide grin of her razor teeth formed on her face. “You don’t know how much that means to me! Yes, YES! I’ll help!”

“A Siren and two half-genie sisters… I think that’s a good start…”

“This is… Wow… I don’t know what to say, to have this happening in my living room…” Maddie sputtered.

“If I hadn’t met you, Maddie, I don’t think this would have happened. Thank you!”

Maddie blushed. Here she was, among a group of otherworldly heroes, and she was being thanked as the spark that might just help them overcome their future battles. She never expected in her wildest dreams to have such an impact in her life… Just a nice, quiet existence, transitioning.

“By the way, Maddie, do you think you could get me something?” Embra asked.

“What’s that?”

Embra leaned over and whispered her request into Maddie’s ear, leaving Star and Aurora confused.

Maddie first looked shocked, but then she smiled. “Okay, I will give you one. But promise me you’ll come back and tell me all about your crazy adventures one day, will you?”

Embra smiled. “Of course!”

=== Embra’s room, later that night. ===

Embra finished slipping into her pajamas. She was about to turn her light off when she remembered the thing she asked Maddie for…

She plucked the rolled up mini flag from her genie outfit, and she unfurled it. She placed the flag in a cup on the table by her bed.

Blue, pink, and white. The Transgender Pride flag.

She smiled. She clicked the lamp off and fell asleep. She finally knew what she needed to do. And that night, for the first time in several weeks, she finally slept well.

THE END.

By CrystalSeaDragon44

Credits:

- Various characters and concepts come from and are based off of the Shantae video game series. Such characters and concepts belong to Shantae series creators Matt and Erin Bozon and developer WayForward.