AN: It's getting close to the end! Anyway... this is a story using characters of both my creation and Kate's creation. All other characters are either property of Atlus or Capcom. Thanks go out again to Kate for letting me use her characters! Please e-mail all comments to FrankMayn@comcast.net
"So let me get this straight..." Janet said as she passed through the doors into the school's courtyard. "St. Hermelin's courtyard is indoors... It's oudoors...indoors..."
Brad chuckled. "I guess you could put it that way, Janet. Though it's still open aired... see?"
The Windian looked up. Sure enough, she could see the Plasma Barrier that encased the city. She also noticed that it was beginning to snow again.
Diane shivered. "Jeez... it's cold in here..."
The courtyard was covered in ice. With every step taken by the Persona Users and their friends, ice could be heard crunching beneath their feet. All around, it was blue... hunks of blue crystal covered everything, from the benches, to the windows, and the plants was covered in ice. The only thing that remained untouched was the Philemon Stone, which stood in the center of the courtyard, at the end of a path. Standing in front of the stone was a woman with her back turned to the group of adventurers. Said woman was wearing a yellow sweater, a yellow skirt, and a pair of black dress shoes.
"Ms. Smith???" Yuki asked tentatively.
The Persona User's teacher turned slowly. As she did so, the courtyard began to swirl around everyone, leaving only the doors and the stone stable.
Location: Windia
Courtyard, Windia High School
Just minutes before the Courtyard events in Lunarvale
It was beginning to snow again over Windia. Despite the odd weather, Lucy and Brandon Conwing were searching the school's courtyard for any clue to the disappearance of the students.Ray Bendrel was helping the Conwings, as sort of a payback to Brandon for getting Lucy and him to the hospital earlier in the day.
"Ladon..." Ray said as he looked around. "Won't this weather stop?"
"That's what's weird..." Brandon replied before fluttering his wings to shake some of the snow off. "When was the last time it snowed in Windia?"
Ray scratched his head and thought for a moment before giving his answer.
"Um... since I've lived here? Never..." Ray answered.
Lucy looked around. "This is so weird... I've never heard of anything like this before... odd weather... students disappearing... It's so surreal..."
"Tell me about it Lucy... It's like things that happened in the past..." Brandon replied.
"Brandon! Lucy!" Maria Avalon yelled out as she approached the younger guard and his sister.
Ray watched in fascination as Brandon snapped a salute.
Maria sighed. "At ease. Brandon... I know that I outrank you, but you don't have to salute every time I have to talk to you."
"It's only proper, Maria." Brandon replied before shrugging.
Maria chuckled. "That's lieutenant to you! Now don't make me have to punish you accordingly..." She said with a grin.
Lucy shook her head. "Windian Guards... I'll never be able to understand their humor..."
Ray just chuckled, before something caught his attention. In the corner of his eye, the light dragon noticed a swirl of mystical energies quickly covering the middle of the courtyard.
"Lucy... Brandon... Something's..." Ray started.
"Get away from there! NOW!!!" Maria yelled in a commanding voice as she drew her revolver.
All four of them backed away from the energy source. When it settled, St. Hermelin High's courtyard was there, or at least just an image of it. Everything was transparent. The courtyard was smaller than Windia High's, so the entire place took up only a fraction of the place.
"What in Ladon's name???" Lucy said as she eyed the image of Ms. Smith.
"What... what is that? Where is that?" Brandon asked.
Maria kept her revolver ready. As it was, her wings were twitching spastically.
If I'm right... that's probably a place in Frank's world... where it is, I don't know...
What shocked all four of them was that Frank's group had walked into the scene. Lucy gasped when she saw Janet.
"I think we've found them..." Brandon said quietly. All that Ray and Lucy could manage was a slight nod.
"Ms. Smith???" The teenager with short black hair asked the woman in yellow.
"Ladon... what's going on?" Maria asked as she watched the Persona Users.
The image of Frank turned. Immediately, he saw Lucy, Brandon, Ray, and Maria watching them.
"Hey!!! Can you hear me??? Please!!! Answer!!!" Frank said to the four who were in Windia.
Maria was shocked. "We... we can, Frank! Are you all okay???"
Frank was going to reply, when Lucy shouted a warning.
"JANET! FRANK!!! LOOK OUT!!!"
The Persona User turned and managed to dive out of the way as a giant shard of ice flew at him. Janet did the same, since she was standing directly behind him.
Location: Lunarvale
Courtyard, St. Hermelin High School
Now in sync with the time in Windia
Frank thought he heard a familiar voice. The Persona User turned and saw that the courtyard of Windia High now surrounded all of them, save the doors, the Philemon stone, and the ice covered floor. His eyes lit up when he saw Maria Avalon, Brandon and Lucy Conwing, and Ray Bendrel watching them in confusion."Hey!!! Can you hear me??? Please!!! Answer!!!" Frank yelled to his classmates and the Windian Guard.
Maria shook her head lightly before answering. "We... we can, Frank! Are you all okay???"
The Persona User was going to answer before Lucy Conwing shouted a warning at them.
"JANET! FRANK!!! LOOK OUT!!!"
"Huh?" Frank said as he whirled around.
"Holy SHIT!!!" Janet yelled. Both she and Frank managed to dive out of the way of a huge shard of ice that was ready to impale both of them flew over where they were standing. Everyone scattered, but the shard nearly hit Neko-Chan, who jumped, and hissed.
"Myah!!! You jerk!" Neko-Chan yelled as she got into a fighting stance. When the Snow Queen turned, the catgirl went wide eyed and immediately hid behind Frank.
"What is that thing?" The image of Brandon asked.
Finally, the possessed teacher decided to speak. Her voice was Ms. Smith's, but it had an echo to it.
"You truly wish to know??? You shall soon find out, as I will have taken your world as well as this one!!!"
Brandon, Lucy, Maria, and Ray were shocked. They couldn't find anything to say at all.
"Psh..." Brad said. "The bad guys always have to go through this long winded speech..."
Diane pumped her gun and was ready to fire when Yuki stopped her.
"Wait a minute! Ms. Smith is still in there!!! We've got to free her first!"
Diane didn't argue. After what happened in SEBEC, she decided to hold off the primal urge to fill the possessed teacher full of enchanted buckshot.
The Snow Queen laughed at the group. "You honestly think that you can stop me?"
Janet pulled the slide on her gun and quickly enchanted it. The nickel plating on her Beretta took on a red glow as she quickly glanced around the room.
"We have to..." Frank started. "For one thing, I'd like to go home. Another thing, I will not let you destroy anyone's life, dreams, hope... or their loved ones!" What the Snow Queen didn't notice was that Frank held the compact open in his jacket pocket, ready to use it.
The Snow Queen laughed at the Persona User. "Is that all? You people think you can change anything???"
Janet nearly froze as the words that she had said so long ago had come back to haunt her.
"We can!" Ellen yelled at the Snow Queen. "We'll save Earth and our new home! There's no way in hell you can stop us!"
Kate was shaking. Immediately, Tellka was there, trying to calm her down. She managed to do so, but her fur continued to stand on end.
Alex checked his gatling gun. Satisfied that it was loaded, he pulled the hammer back and readied the weapon.
"Such fools..." The Snow Queen muttered. "I'll kill all of you!" The true demon launched a beam of energy at Frank.
"FRANK!!!" Kate yelled as her tail flicked in worry.
Frank pulled the compact from his pocket. Amazingly, the mirror morphed into a shield and bounced the beam back.
"The Holy Mirror!!! AGH!!!"
The Snow Queen flew backwards. As she landed, the mask flew off her face and bounced along the floor. Alex and Brad rushed forward to help the now normal teacher.
"Ms. Smith? Are you okay???" Brad asked.
"Ugh..." Ms Smith said as she shook her head lightly. "My head is killing me... Brad? What happened? And who are you?" Ms. Smith asked both of them.
Alex pulled a ripobitan from his pack and uncapped it. The woren gave the health drink to the teacher. "Here... drink this. It should help... And I'm Alex Brandshire... Frank and Ellen have told me about you, Ms. Smith."
Janet looked around. "That was it? No way. That was too easy..."
"Janet!!! Thank Ladon... you're okay!!!" Lucy yelled.
Janet turned and saw her friend. Immeditely, her eyes went wide. "Lucy... LUCY!!! Ladon... you don't know how much I've missed you!!!"
Both Windians ran toward each other. However, the dimensional divide would not let them interact with one another. The most they could do was talk to one another. However, both were surprised when each ran through the other.
Frank crossed his arms. "Something's wrong here... that was easy... way too easy..."
"Really..." Tellka said to the Persona User. "And I thought that Janet and I were the only ones who thought that."
Neko-Chan was going to say something when her ears perked and her tails stood on end. She eased into a fighting stance as she watched where the mask had flown.
"Neko-Chan??? Wha's wrong?" Diane asked, before noticing as well. She pulled her shotgun into a ready position.
Maria shook her head. "LOOK OUT!!!"
"BEHIND YOU!!!" Brandon added as his eyes went wide.
Frank, Janet, and the rest of the group slowly turned and noticed that the Snow Queen's mask was now floating in mid-air.
Yuki pulled her razors into a ready position.
"Ha ha ha..." You honestly thought that was it???
"Ms. Smith..." Frank said quietly. "Get out of here... We'll take care of this..."
"Frank... Ellen... Brad... Yuki..." Ms. Smith said as she got up. "Be careful! If any of you died... I don't know... just be careful!" Ms. Smith managed to run out of the courtyard and into St. Hermelin before the Snow Queen blocked off the doors.
The mask began to form a body behind it. The Snow Queen finally emerged in her true form. She had long, elven ears, long blonde hair, and was covered in ice, which just seemed to hide certain parts of her anatomy.
"You mortals think you can stop me??? I beg to differ! I shall kill all of you, and destroy both worlds!!! Prepare yourselves for a quick..." The Snow Queen launched ice needles at the group. "DEATH!!!"
"SCATTER!!!" Frank yelled. His group took cover in various places around the St. Hermelin courtyard.
Location: Windia
Windia High School, Courtyard
Time in sync with Lunarvale
Lucy shook her head as the image of Janet that she was talking to dove for cover."Ladon..." Ray said quietly. "This isn't good..."
"We can't even help them!" Brandon said as he tapped his rapier.
"We can warn them... that's what we can do." Lucy said quietly as she watched the group plot out a strategy.
"And..." Maria said quietly. "We'd better hope, for our sakes and Torana's sake... that they win... I doubt that woman would spare anyone here..."
The four began to watch the fight intently, hoping for the best for their classmates and their friends.