Azrael came to in a cold, sterile cell. The room was totally gray, a chilly monotone cube with only a dim glass window for a hint of color. Next to that window was an imposing metal door, the handle absent on his side. A cold, dim blue light shone down on him, leaving him with a slight headache. Experimentally, he tried to call forth his magic, and couldn't. That light was blocking his power. Of course, his swords had been taken from him, and that window was likely made of bulletproof glass. He was well and truly trapped.
"So you're awake," Lockheart greeted him behind the glass. "I hope this satisfies your issues with my justice. I take good care of my inmates, even the murderers."
As Azrael turned to his captor, he noticed that his wounds had indeed been patched. Only then did he notice that Daniel lay unconscious next to him, his wounds also tended to. "Look, I didn't kill Thatch," he asserted.
"You were the one who left him in that van," Lockheart shot back. "Of course you killed him!"
"No, that was Charade!" Azrael argued. "He's coming here! You have to listen to me!"
"You're preaching to the choir, bud," Daniel suddenly butt in as he awoke. "She's too self-righteous to hear a word you're saying."
"What gives you any right to say that!?" Lockheart shot back.
Daniel just chuckled, not even dignifying his captor by getting up of the floor. "One sentence. I just had to hear one sentence from you to know you were full of it." Only now did he get off the floor. "You know what, let me guess. You're one of THOSE people, who's convinced themselves that you're always in the right. You think you're the hero here, that you're in the right, that any differing viewpoints are just wrong. You can do no wrong...except the world isn't that black and white. There is no right here. You're just blinding yourself to the truth."
Lockheart shot her captive a rage-filled death glare. "People like you are dangerous. You can't be allowed to run free, to do as you please with your powers. You, and everyone like you, must be quarantined for the sake of security. Magic should never have existed in this world, and it must be contained."
"If that's what you believe," Daniel replied in a sarcastic tone, giving her a shrug. "Just remember: if that's truly how you feel, than save a cell for yourself." Lockheart's face turned red in anger. "Oh, that wasn't the plan? Of course, because you can do no wrong. It's okay for you to have magic- No, it's okay for the damn government to have magic, but not anyone else. Speaking of which, how was that partner of hers?"
"Horrible," Azrael answered. "The guy'd hold you down and laugh in your face. He never should have had magic."
"Sounds about right," Daniel replied. "I mean, he seemed pathetic to me, but the power balance was flipped there. And what was our generous host doing instead of keeping that sadistic creep in check?"
"Chasing and assaulting high school students," Azrael answered, his glare turning steely as it turned to Lockheart.
"Exactly," Daniel confirmed. "Wasn't exactly there for that, but hey, that's what you were doing before the whole magic burst fiasco, why would anything change?"
"Alright, what's your damn point!?" Lockheart finally exploded.
Daniel walked up to the window, getting as much in Lockheart's face as he could. "I'm saying you're blind. You are not the hero you think you are. And frankly, your government sucks. A lot of crap's going to go down here before long, and we can help settle things. But if you're too thick headed to see how much damage your blind idealism has done..." He pounded his fist on the thick glass for emphasis. "...then @#$# off." Lockheart finally had enough, and stormed away.
"Dammit, we needed her to get us out of here!" Azrael snapped at his cellmate.
"I'm sorry, were you not a part of that conversation?" Daniel shot back, sitting in a corner and yawning. "There was no way in hell she was ever going to willingly let us out. Forget the wool over her eyes, she's in a wool cocoon. It'd take nothing short of a miracle, or an apocalypse, to break through her hypocrisy."
He slumped down further in the corner, and closed his eyes. "Hey," he started, "sorry about the whole fight thing." Azrael turned to the reaper, somewhat surprised. "I said I went overboard, but that Nightmare form was going too far. I just wanted to go all out, but I guess I don't have a lot of control in that armor. Kudos for holding out up there."
"You...didn't want to kill me?" Azrael wondered.
"I made Shimmer a promise, right?" Daniel replied. "Besides, you're the hero, right?"
"Wait, weren't you saying there's no right in this scenario?" Azrael questioned. "Besides, I always figured you'd see yourself as the hero. You act like it."
"Me? Nah," Daniel answered. "I mean, look at me. Dark powers of hell, blood on my hands, suffering all around... You really think I'm hero material? No, I'm the biggest monster out there. I'm only 'good' because I kill other monsters."
"Why?" Azrael wondered. "Why do you fight?"
"I dunno," Daniel answered. "I just...feel like it's right. Maybe not the fighting per se, but I see chaos like this, I see people like Charade, and I feel responsible for taking them down. How about you? Why do you fight?"
"I fight to protect my friends," Azrael responded. Daniel chuckled slightly at how cliche that answer was. "What? What else can I say?"
"Eh, not that it matters," Daniel noted. "All we can really do is wait for someone to rescue us."
"Who? Who do you think is coming?" Azrael wondered.
Daniel chuckled. "Think it's about time your friends return the favor."
"Alright, the coast is clear," Rainbow whispered, the quietest she had ever been.
Her friends quickly moved up to her as she peeked around the corner, monitoring the next hall down to make sure it stayed clear of sentries. She would've loved to run in and smash her way through the base, but with the security in here, that probably wasn't the best idea. Plus, Shimmer had explicitly told them to hurt as few people as possible. They weren't here for a fight, they were here for their friend...and Daniel too.
Suddenly, a faint hint of movement caught Rainbow's eye, and she motioned her friends to halt. Only now did she notice the security camera monitoring the hall. With some quick thinking, she channeled electricity through her hand, pressed it to the wall, and sent an electric charge into the camera to short it out. After all, the cameras were still fair game. She motioned to her friends that the coast was clear, for real this time, and they all made their way down the hall.
"So, uh, any a y'all got a clue where we're goin'?" Applejack asked suddenly.
Everyone's hearts sank, especially Shimmer's. They hadn't exactly thought that far yet. They COULDN'T have thought that far yet. Yet, just as they were about to lose hope, a door at the far end of the hall opened, giving the four just enough time to hide in the nearby door frames. Checking the hall, they saw Lockheart storming out of the far room, clearly enraged.
"Are you alright, ma'am?" a nearby guard asked her.
"You are going to stand here and make sure they rot, understand!?" she snapped back. She moved to storm down the next hall, only to immediately stop. She turned around, staring intensely down the hall where four fearful girls were hiding away. After a while, though, she decided there was nothing down that hall, and walked back down the way she was going.
Well, that made things easier. Rainbow once again channeled her lightning powers through the metal casing of the base, zapping the guards unconscious without causing them any other harm. The four friends took this opportunity to rush down the hall into that far room. Within, they found their friends, trapped in a heavy duty cell.
"What'd I tell you?" Daniel told Azrael cockily. "The cavalry's come to save the day."
Shimmer rushed to the window separating the girls from their friends. She hit the glass as hard as she could, but she only hurt her hand. She tried again, this time holding her fist to the glass as she channeled her fire powers to melt the glass. No effect. Picking up on what Shimmer was doing, Applejack used her earth powers to twist the metal floor into a spike and jam it through the glass. The point simply stopped at the pane and dulled as more metal caught up to it. Defeated, she returned the floor to its previous state.
Finally, Shimmer noticed the door nearby. She rushed over and tried to open the door, only to find that it was locked. Again, Applejack attempted to help by altering the door, but it didn't even budge in response to her power. She even tried to force it open, but the door resisted her force just as well as the glass. Shimmer slumped to the ground, utterly defeated.
"Looking for this?"
The girls turned to the exit, where Lockheart stood. In one hand, she held a keychain with a number of small cards, clearly the keys to the cells. In the other, she held a gun right at the girls.
"I can see none of you thought this through," she noted. "I'll be escorting you to your cells now."
"No, I'm done," Shimmer refused, getting up as she gave Lockheart a cold, steely glare. "What is your deal!?"
"You think you have any right to ask that after everything that's happened?" Lockheart argued, pointing her gun squarely at Shimmer. "Magic, and people who use magic, have done nothing but harm to our world. You people cannot be allowed to run free!"
"No, you have no right to talk!" Shimmer shouted back, a fiery aura surrounding her for a second. "We don't want to hurt anyone! We never have! We just want to live our lives, and use our powers to help people! So why can't you just leave us the hell alone!?"
"Why not!?" Lockheart shot back, her voice raising. "I'll tell you why I can't just 'leave you be'. Your own power trip, the Dazzling incident, the Friendship Games, the Everfree incident, and this bloody mess! Magic has done nothing but unleash hell upon our world, and I will stand for it no longer!"
"Magic was also...part of the solution..." Fluttershy pointed out timidly.
"Well good for you!" Lockheart shouted, turning her attention to the shy girl and pointing a light spear in her face. "You just cleaned up the mess. Your 'good' magic only helped to stop the evils that same magic had already caused. That's not a bright side to magic, that's just damage control. If anything, you prove why you all need to be locked away: I cannot allow magic to run amok if it can only be fought with magic!"
"Your point!?" Shimmer raged back, slamming her fist against the reinforced door behind her. "If you have to fight magic with magic, that's all the more reason to leave us be! We've handled everything that's been thrown at us! But no, you think the right move is to just lock up everyone with magic. As if that would actually work. All you're doing is ruining people's lives! You're locking people up for doing nothing!"
"Sh-shut up!!!" Lockheart shot back, her gun arm shaking as it pointed at Shimmer. In fact, her whole body was shaking, quivering with the rage and desperation of a person no longer able to defend her point. "I have a mission, and I will complete it!"
"Oh, well that's a shame," Daniel butt in. "All that emotion, all that hatred for magic, all just because the government told you to feel that? You're more pathetic than I thought."
"You morons weren't there for any of those 'incidents' you mentioned," Rainbow told Lockheart. "Did you ever once think that your bosses were just clueless? I mean, I get it: 'Oh, this magic creates evil demons. Shut it all down.' But frankly, that's unfair."
"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!!!" Lockheart finally lost it, suddenly snapping her aim to Rainbow and firing. At the same time, she pushed the light spear she had created forward to impale Fluttershy.
However, she was stunned as her bullet whizzed by her head. As soon as she had pulled the trigger, the girls jumped into action. Applejack called forth a wall of metal to block the light spear, and Rainbow zapped the bullet coming at her with electricity, altering the charge in the air around it to send it flying off course. From there, the bullet ricocheted around the room before finally flying by the one who fired it to begin with. Only now did the girls prime themselves for battle, Shimmer and Rainbow wreathing their hands in flame and sparks, Applejack preparing to use the very room as a weapon, Fluttershy standing by to heal her friends.
"Oh, so you're going to attack me now?" Lockheart asked. "After all that talk, you're just going to assault me? This only proves I'm right."
Rainbow shot her an angry glare, filled with disappointment, and held it before finally telling her, "You shot first, asshole."
"We never wanted to hurt anyone," Shimmer pitched in, "but YOU attacked US, tried to imprison us, tried to KILL us. And you still think you're just!? We do just want our lives back; you're the one forcing us to go through you!"
Shimmer raised her arm, and sent forth a wave of flame. Quick on her feet, Lockheart immediately raised a light shield to block the attack. As she did, however, the floor rose up to trap her, and Rainbow sent electricity through her new shackles, forcing her to drop her gun. She quickly came to her senses, however, and released a blast of light energy to break free of her shackles. She immediately fired off a barrage of light spears, hoping to impale all the girls by just nuking the entire room. However, Rainbow used her super speed, a power she earned at Camp Everfree, rushed right up to her opponent, and gave her a quick one-two punch. Lockheart doubled back, into Applejack and Fluttershy. Applejack prepared to throw in her own beating, but Lockheart quickly recovered and threw a few punches at the country girl. She took a good punch to the face before pushing a block forth from the wall and knocking Lockheart back to the center of the room. As Fluttershy tended to Applejack's wound, and Lockheart recovered, Shimmer reached out and grabbed Lockheart's shoulder from behind. While the agent was still stunned, Shimmer turned her around, and punched her square in the face. The agent went down, struggling to remain conscious, albiet barely harmed otherwise.
"Urgh... I guess...this is where it ends..." Lockheart struggled to say.
"What are you talking about?" Shimmer asked, kneeling down over her opponent.
"Aren't you going to kill me?" Lockheart asked. "You @#$#s said you had to go through me, didn't you?"
Shimmer nodded. "And we did." She reached down, and took the key ring from the agent's hand. "We won. That's all we needed to do. We have no reason to hurt you, much less kill you."
After checking the numbers on the cell and keys, Shimmer inserted the right card into the door, freeing Azrael and Daniel. Azrael made a beeline to his savior. "Good job there, girls," he told them, gently patting Shimmer's shoulder. "Thanks for the save."
Daniel, meanwhile, grabbed Lockheart and lifted her off the ground. "You've lost this battle, and rather shamefully at that," he told her. "Not only did you fail your mission, but you proved yourself to be more of a monster than the people you've captured. And you hid behind some flimsy notion of justice. I think it's time you served out your punishment."
"You're not going to kill her, are you!?" Fluttershy asked, shocked and terrified.
"Of course not," Daniel replied. "She may be twisted, but she's not evil, just misguided." With that, he threw Lockheart into the cell he had just left, and closed the door. "Much better. How does that containment field feel? This is exactly what you deserve."
"So, now what?" Rainbow wondered.
"Charade's coming back here to secure the magic leaking in," Azrael reported. "We still have work to do here."
The six started to leave, only for a soft whimper to catch their attention. "Fine, you win," Lockheart murmured.
The six turned around to see Lockheart sitting darkly in her new cell, her hair concealing her face. "That's all I'll concede to you, however," she continued. "You won the fight. You get to go on with your lives. But never for a moment think that your viewpoint is right or just. Magic should never have been a part of this world, but...you win. Magic gets to stay. The chaos gets to continue..."
It was only then that Fluttershy noticed that Lockheart's gun was no longer in the room. It had been forced out of her hand in the fight...but she retrieved it while she was down. As proof of this, Lockheart raised her arm with gun in hand...and pointed it to the one thing it the room it could affect, her own head.
"I still believe I was right..." she asserted, her hand shaking. "I was always...just..." With a final bang, she ended her own misery.
The six heroes were horrified, paralyzed as they stared at the red stain that now tarnished the blue glass. All of them, that is, except for Daniel, who just closed his eyes in disappointment. "Truly a shame..." he thought aloud.
This broke Shimmer out of her shock, and into rage. "What is wrong with you!?" she screamed. "A woman just blew her brains out, and that's just 'a shame' to you!?"
"It is, because she should never have died," Daniel explained. "Throughout all of this, she honestly thought everything she was doing was right, that she was some sort of white knight for this world. So when her stance was questioned, she simply blinded herself and committed more atrocities. And when her viewpoint was toppled...well, I don't need to explain. Truth is, she had more than enough chances to turn things around from here, maybe even turn her views to more positive outlets...but she instead chose to end it all, because she was too weak to accept she was wrong. So yes, her death is a shame, because she never should have died."
The rest of the group fell silent, ruminating on Daniel's words, and mourning a pointless death. As they did, Daniel decided to leave on his own. "Where are you going?" Azrael asked.
"Uh, Charade," Daniel mentioned. "You can stay here as long as you want. After...that, I understand. I'm going ahead to greet him."
Across the base, a dark hall was drenched in blood. Lying in the crimson puddle was body after body, lifeless agents with slashes across their throats, wrists, and hearts. Some of the bodies still had bloody cards wedged in the wounds they'd left.
At the edge of the carnage, Charade walked down the hall, almost oblivious to the carnage he had caused. No one was going to keep him from his goal, not when it was this close. He felt a strong power from a nearby door, and stepped through. Sure enough, this room acted as the cap on the magic seeping forth, now emanating from a tear in the dimensional fabric. He walked right up to the rift and peeked inside, closing his eyes. The magic springing forth from the well hit him hard, power coursing through his body.
He gave off a maniacal laugh, opening his eyes, the whites turned yellow, the pupils and irises turned into small red dots.