Mobius stared into the dark morning sky. The lights at Canterlot Castle flickered out. Flandre must have destroyed the generators powering the place. He noticed Rapier 1 breaking formation.
"I see them! Got a tally ho on the bandits!" Rapier 3 cried, firing her gun at Cirno. The ice fairy narrowly avoided the deadly metal storm and fired her ice danmaku back.
"Only Equestrian fighters should flying this airspace!" Spitfire ordered. "Sweep them from our skies!"
Mobius barrel-rolled while Marisa fired star danmaku towards the underside of a pegasi. The pegasi screamed in terror as she began spiralling to earth, unable to regain her flight.
"Rapier 4 is down!" Rapier 1 announced, firing a missile towards Reimu. "Rapier 1, Fox Two!"
"Bravo 1 here. All teams are on the 13th Floor." a lower-class Trottingham accent announced. "We can't get any doors to open. They're on electronic locks. We'll hold the position until the generators are restored. Hurry up!"
"Here she comes. Don't let her get past Panel K!"
"Shield, use your grenades!"
Gunfire filled the radio waves, making Mobius wince a little at the volume. Sounds of magic fire punctuated the gunshots. Suddenly, Mobius could hear a jet-like noise.
"Dammit! She's found a flamethrower!"
"Shoot! Shoot! Over by the stairs!"
The ground team's radio cut out from Mobius' helmet.
The shrine maiden ascended into the air and grabbed the missile, before throwing it back towards Rapier 1. The elite ace narrowly dodged the errant missile, watching it fly into the Canterlot mountainside.
"Missile shot trashed!" Rapier 1 announced. He turned around, only to get hit in the back with a star. "Who was it that shot me!? See who's responsible for that shot!"
Reimu drew her gohei from her sleeve. Holding it in her left hand, she swung it at the incoming pegasi. When the orange maned combat flier turned around to see the source of the impact, she saw a flash of light from Reimu's palm, before being blasted at high speed to the ground.
"Oh! Spitfire's been hit!" the male Wonderbolt panicked.
"Soarin! Get a grip, you've got to take over command!" Fleetfoot replied. "This is Wonderbolt Fleetfoot, requesting reinforcements!"
"Fleetfoot, Wonderbolt Squadron 616 is inbound to your position. Hold the line," the AWACS replied.
"...I'm going down!" a Rapier pegasi cried, Marisa's danmaku continuing to pound the pegasi.
Cirno looked behind her. There were three pegasi on her tail. Sighing, she turned around and flew at them, spraying ice at them. The three pegasi broke the chase, however one launched a missile. Cirno realised too late as the explosion consumed her.
"Bandit down!" Rapier 7 laughed.
Dammit...Marisa! I'm going to get them on our tail! You laser them!
"Best command yet!" Marisa responded, aiming her mini-Hakkero backwards.
"This is Wonderbolt Dash! Got visual on the bandits! Fox Two!" Dash yelled, firing both her missiles towards Reimu.
"Why me!?" Reimu complained, flying upwards and over the blue pegasi. "Is this what getting chased by a homing amulet feels like?!"
Dash noticed the pursuing shrine maiden.
"Bandit on my six. Shake her off!" Dash ordered. The Wonderbolt to her side fired his gun towards Reimu. Mobius flew alongside the male Wonderbolt and drew his pistol, before firing five times. The Wonderbolt convulsed with each shot before falling to earth, blood trailing behind him.
"Dammit! One of mine went down!" Dash shouted, firing at Mobius in vengeance, still jerking widely to avoid Reimu's own shots. One of the homing amulets connected with Dash's hind leg. The newbie Wonderbolt grunted in pain as she observed the large wound on her leg "This is Wonderbolt Dash! I'm wounded!"
Dash's second Wonderbolt chased after Mobius and Marisa. The witch turned around, and fired a large barrage of danmaku. The Wonderbolt was struck multiple times, before falling limply.
Dash watched her Wonderbolt fall, blood trailing behind him. She looked at Mobius, before Marisa fired a bolt of magic at her. The blue pegasus gasped, before being struck. Her hoof-mounted gun fell off from the impact, and she was out of missiles. She was effectively disarmed.
"I'm out of ammo! Wi-" Dash cried into the radio, before Marisa fired a second barrage. All the bullets struck Dash, causing her to start falling.
In the distance, a ball of light appeared, before Cirno reappeared. She looked towards the air battle, before smiling.
"Ooh, a game!" Cirno smiled. "Hey guys! Can I play too?"
"Cirno!" Marisa yelled. "Get these guys!"
The sound of gunfire and explosions filled the radio again. "Tango 2 here, we need backup on Passageway 6!"
"Tango 2, block off the target!" Bravo 1 ordered. "Don't give up!"
"Pull back! Pull back!"
"Leave him! He's dead!" a soldier cried, Flandre's childish laugh developing into a roar, before there were four different giggles.
"They are not retreating! They are regrouping!"
Rapier 1 looked around. He had counted at least four allies shot down, and he himself was wounded. Rainbow Dash had been shot down too, leaving only two Wonderbolts and five of his Rapiers, not including himself. He looked towards the witch and the enemy pilot, Mobius.
"If it's a fight you want, Mobius One...it's a fight you're getting!" Rapier 1 grunted, before flying at the pair. Marisa turned around, watching the enemy flier, before aiming the mini-Hakkero.
"Master Spark!" Marisa declared, watching as Rapier 1's wing got caught in the beam. He yelped as he continued to fire his weapon uselessly at her as he fell.
"Rapier 1 is down!" Rapier 3 cried. "I'm pulling out to make sure he lives!"
Rapier 3 took one last look at the battle before flying for the stricken Rapier 1.
"She's cornered us at Panel B! Our path of retreat's been cut off! We're trapped!"
"Charlie 3 here! We can't hold it any longer! We're pulling back!"
"No! Don't give up yet!" Bravo 1 cried. Multiple explosions signifying how truly doomed the entire unit was against Flandre.
"Did...did he just explode into bloo-" a soldier yelled, before being cut off suddenly.
"Charlie 1? Come in! Where are you!?" Bravo 1 sighed. "We'll be annihilated soon."
"Have they restored the generator yet?!"
"Where's the Princesses!?"
"Princess Luna's refused to leave until Princess Celestia is by her side!"
Fleetfoot flew at Mobius and Marisa. Marisa noticed the enemy Wonderbolt, before firing danmaku. The magic bullets struck the pegasi on the back. Fleetfoot howled, before a well timed kick from Mobius knocked her out. The lights in Canterlot Castle suddenly came on.
"The locks are working! Break through! Break through!" Bravo 1 yelled. "Get this control room under control!"
The sound of gunfire died off.
"We'll get the AP guns online! Don't let those pegasi die!"
It was too late. The radio crackled with an explosion and screams, before there was silence. Reimu looked towards Canterlot Castle as a small tower fell into the ravine, Flandre's wings producing a rainbow trail from the firestorm as she rejoined the group.
There was a tremendous noise. The fighting stopped as everybody looked towards Ponyville.
A giant, eye-filled tear was opening above the town. The pegasi looked at each other.
"Rapier 2 here...have I gone crazy?"
"No, I'm seeing it too!" Soarin yelled.
Reimu pointed. "Everyone! We've got to get up there before it's too late!"
Mobius aimed the broom towards the gap and started climbing. Flandre followed close behind, followed by Cirno and Reimu.
"Aren't we gonna get them!?" Rapier 6 complained.
"...Screw this. Everypony pull out!" Soarin ordered. "Back it up! Regroup!"
The pegasi of the Rapier Squadron stole a hate-filled look at the bipeds before following Soarin back to Canterlot.
Reimu entered the gap. Touching down on an invisible floor, she felt the eyes watching her. The others followed closely behind. Landing beside Reimu, they looked around. Mobius reloaded his gun with a fresh magazine, while Flandre stuck close.
I don't like this place.
"Nobody ever does," Reimu replied, before turning to Mobius. "Wait, you-"
"Yeah, he does that," Flandre explained. "Don't worry about it."
Is there a way to tell which way is home?
"We have to wait until Yuk- Mima appears..." Marisa said, walking forward cautiously, mini-Hakkero in hand. "This place gives me the worst type of creeps."
"Yukari always loved the creepy stuff..." Reimu replied sadly. "...I hope there's a way to bring her back."
"Nope!" Mima's voice boomed, before the body of Yukari appeared, floating above them.
"Well, usually we have to fight off a load of other idiots before finding the head idiot," Marisa joked. "It's nice that you showed up yourself instead of throwing lackeys at us."
"So, why are you doing this?!" Reimu interrogated. "If you wanted revenge against me, fine. Come and fight me, but leave everything and everyone else out of it!"
"This isn't just about you," Mima snapped back. She pointed at Marisa. "It's her as well."
"You took someone as a slave!"
"I was within my full right to," Mima explained. "Where do you get off telling your mother what she can and cannot do!?"
"...You're not my mother," Marisa growled. "You just happened to be in charge of me."
"Marisa, I would not have ever done this had you simply kept your mouth shut. So you get to die, knowing that your precious friend Alice is going to die too."
"...You should've faced me personally," Marisa barked. "You just can't leave things be, can you? Not even death stopped you from dropping an issue. Your problem lies with Reimu's ancestor, but now you're going to drag it out and involve billions of people. Just because you can't get your own way. Mima, whatever happened to you happened hundreds of years ago. Let it go."
"...Marisa, you're talking to a vengeful spirit. These guys are the embodiment of 'can't let it go,'" Reimu corrected. "It's just that this one is extra-special."
Mobius raised his hand.
How did I get involved!?
"I needed practice, didn't I?" Mima answered. "I ripped open the wrong world. Guess you fell in."
...So my entire presence here was a mistake. That's...actually answered a lot of questions.
"Glad to be of service," Mima replied politely.
"Alright, that's it!" Cirno yelled. "I want to go home right now!"
"It's passing through here, in a matter of minutes," Mima laughed.
"Not if I can help it..." Reimu whispered.
The shrine maiden stared at her possessed friend. The combined powers of Yukari and Mima made it too risky to fight her, even with the back up she had. Mima would not hold back either - she would simply kill everyone. Reimu decided that risking the others' lives wasn't worth it - if nothing else, someone had to be around to stop her. Mima wouldn't play by the rules, so Reimu wasn't either. She was taking a different approach.
"Mima...I've tolerated many things from many people, because that was just the way they were. I like to imagine myself a patient person...and my patience with you has run out," Reimu declared. She turned to Marisa, Mobius, Flandre and Cirno, before turning back to Mima. "So if you want vengeance, come and take it. Just leave Gensokyo and Equestria out of it. Your issue is with me."
"Reimu!" Marisa yelled. "That's suicide! She's too powerful!"
"I know."
"What?!" Marisa cried. "I thought you were stronger than that!"
"Marisa, the fate of two worlds hangs in the balance. If this maniac would stop all that in exchange for myself, then I will let her do anything she wants to me," Reimu whispered, putting herself forward. "Torture me, kill me...Just make sure it ends with me. Send these people home. Close the gap."
"On my honor be it," Mima promised, putting her right hand on her heart. "I promise that of you."
Marisa stopped Reimu just before she put herself in front of the vengeful spirit.
"You don't have to do this. We can just kick her ass and it'll be fine!" Marisa pleaded. "Just...don't do this."
Reimu sighed. Marisa was not getting the plan. She needed a way to tell her without Mima suspecting anything...
Reimu looked at the floor. She could think of only one thing, and it was one idea she would have rather acted on in peacetime.
The shrine maiden leaned in close to Marisa, and gave her a small peck on the surprised witch's lips.
"Reimu...I..." Marisa stuttered. She never knew that Reimu had felt that way towards her. She felt her heart rate increase. Dammit, I know she's pretty and all that, but you don't even like girls! Marisa thought at herself. ...Although I've never really thought about it...
Reimu embraced the witch and leaned in close, noticing her facial expression and blush. "I'm distracting her. Don't get funny ideas. Shoot her."
Mima's knife materialized in her left hand.
"Aww, I never knew you two were like that. Well, you should've introduced me to her, young Marisa. So I could've screamed at you for choosing the wrong woman."
She advanced on the shrine maiden, who had gotten to her knees. Marisa was already thinking of ways and opportunities to interrupt the execution, but every train of thought led back to the kiss.
Cirno clenched her fists, watching the scene. She knew that it would save everybody, but she was struggling with her own conscience. I can't let her die like this...it's just weak!
Flandre hid her eyes away and hid behind Mobius, unwilling to watch the brutal execution.
Mobius stared at the scene, waiting for an opening. He wasn't going to let a wingman die. He slowly moved his hand over to his holster. His breathing became heavy as he waited.
"Your spirit is admirable. 'Tis a shame it was wasted on one such as yourself, Hakurei," Mima mocked, standing over the kneeling shrine maiden, who was looking up to expose her throat in order to make the 'surrender' more convincing. "Ah. You've given me the perfect target. Considerate."
You better deliver, Marisa... Reimu thought, slightly nervous. Or I'm coming back to haunt you.