With a cry of battle that would have caused the dead to tremble with fear, Wonder Woman hurled herself at the creature. The creature snarled as it unleashed blasts of shattered energy from its hands to stop the woman's advance, but every single one of its attacks were deflected by the indestructible bracelets. Diana reached the creature a moment after its final blast had been deflected, a smile on her face while she brought a fist back.
The earth trembled beneath Wonder Woman's might as she drove her fist into the gut of the creature, hitting him with such force that he was torn from the ground and sent airborne. Diana followed up with a second punch that hit with such force that the trees behind the creature were knocked down by the shock of her punch. The creature was rocketed into the sky by the second blow, only to be joined by Diana a moment later. She gripped both her hands tightly as she lifted them over head and swung down with all of her might.
"What the...?" Diana asked when the creature seemed to fade out of existence, appearing on the ground a few yards away from her with both hands aimed at the Amazon. The shattered energy fired from its hands once more, this time in millions of little shards that sliced through the air on their path towards Diana. Yet another smile crossed the woman's face as she began to move both her body and arms with such speed and precision that every single one of the shards was knocked out of the sky.
She then hurled herself down towards the creature like a rocket, creating an explosion of dirt as she drove herself right into the creature. Sunset narrowed her eyes to see through the dirt, trying to figure out what was going on before a metallic clang could be heard and Diana came flying out of the dirt cloud. She snapped a tree in half with her body before plowing into the dirt, allowing the creature to emerge from the crater that had been created by their collision.
"This should not be," the creature said to itself with confusion as Diana rose to her feet once more, cracking her neck twice before lunging towards him once more. He deflected one of her strikes with his metal limbs before catching her second punch with one of his hands. Wonder Woman then went for an elbow strike that the creature also managed to deflect with his other arm. The two strained against each other, causing the whole forest to shake as one smiled at the other.
"What's the matter? Killing someone isn't as fun when they're stronger than you?" Wonder Woman asked the being before she slammed her forehead into the center of the creature's head. Another metallic clang echoed throughout the forest and Diana backed up slightly while holding a hand to her head. The creature took that chance to throw a blow right into the side of Diana's head, fire erupting from the force of the punch as he sent her hurtling back.
"Not bad," Diana growled as she halted her momentum by digging her feet into the ground, using her thumb to wipe away a thin streak of blood that fell from the corner of her mouth. "But you're going to need to do a lot better than that if you hope to beat me."
"I do not need to beat you. I should not even be fighting you. You should not be here," the creature said with a tone that was clearly annoyed. "This world should be just like all the other ones nearly identical to it. But for some reason a being like you is here, preventing me from killing that girl behind you and changing this world." Diana snarled at the creature's words before unclipping her lasso and letting it fly, wrapping the golden rope around the creature's throat.
"That is a question that I have been wanting to ask this entire fight. Why did you attack Sunset's dreams? Why have you been trying to kill a girl that has done nothing to you or anyone else?!" Diana demanded of the creature, who tried to resist her words. But under the influence of the lasso of truth, he quickly found that his will meant nothing.
"To see what would happen." The entire forest seemed to go quiet at the creature's words. Sunset glanced from the creature to Diana, who was rooted in place while staring at the creature with a look that she had never seen on the teacher's face before.
"What?" Wonder Woman asked in a whisper that chilled Sunset to her soul.
"That is what I do. I see how worlds would be different if something about them was changed. Normally I would prefer not to interfere directly, but Sunset just refused to die," the creature explained truthfully while trying to get the lasso off of its neck. "And for this world I wanted to see what it would be like if Sunset was dead--to see how her friends would fight against the magic that is invading this world. To see what the other worlds would do in response. It would have been quite the experiment, until you interfered."
The sky roared with fury overhead as lightning streaked across what had been blue skies minutes ago, getting Sunset to look up to find that black clouds had taken over the sky. But she then turned her attention back to Diana, who was shaking with such ferocity that the ground beneath her was being split in half by her rage.
"You're telling me, that the reason you attacked one of the kindest and most intelligent children that I have met...is because you wanted to see what would happen if she was dead?" Wonder Woman asked in a tone far calmer than the previous one she had used.
"Of course. Sunset Shimmer is a failure," the creature truthfully spoke as it glared at the girl. "She failed her teacher Celestia in the other world. She failed to take over this world. She has failed in nearly everything she has done. She is destined to fail all those who care about her. No one would care if one of those many Sunsets out there died. I know I don't."
"Sunset," Diana said with both of her eyes hidden beneath her hair, yet Sunset felt her soul go cold from Diana's tone. "I want you to look away. Because I promise you that you won't want to see...what I'm about to do." Wonder Woman then let out an unholy scream as lightning crashed down from the sky upon her, causing her eyes and bracelets to surge with the power of Zeus himself. Those eyes then set themselves upon the creature and with one mighty pull of her arms she ripped the creature from the ground.
"I have so many questions that I want to ask you!" Wonder Woman roared as she swung the lasso over her head and in turn swung the creature by its neck. She then slammed a foot down on the lasso and made it come to an abrupt stop. A loud snap could be heard as the creature came to a sudden stop and collapsed to the ground.
"Like who you are? Or where did you come from? Or what sort of being goes around killing off people to change a world?!" Diana roared as she swung the lasso again, tearing the creature from the ground only to slam it into the dirt once more. "But the only question I feel like asking you now," Diana began as she yanked on her lasso and pulled the creature towards her, fist brought back as she prepared to strike. "Is how badly is this going to hurt?"
"Incredibly."
Wonder Woman then drove her fist clean through the creature with a bellow of the gods, tearing through the being's metal body as her fist erupted out of the creature's back. She then held her arm high as another lightning bolt came down and struck her arm, electrocuting the metal being on the end of her arm. She then wrapped her other hand around its face and ripped it off of her arm, tossing it onto the ground as she drew her blade.
"How...are you so strong?" the creature asked. "The Wonder Women I know of are not this powerful."
"Because you attacked one of my students. And that makes me angry. So if you have any gods, pray to them now," Diana whispered to the creature, which was slowly beginning to pick itself up. "Because you are about to experience my full wrath."
"No...this is not how it was supposed to go," the creature said in a voice that didn't sound any different than when it spoke earlier. "This development requires more studying to understand. I am done fighting. It never solves anything anyway. Goodbye." Diana lunged forward with her blade, but the creature faded out of existence right before her sword cleaved through the air. Wonder Woman let out a roar to the sky that shook the whole forest while lightning flashed above her, almost as if it resonated with her rage.
Then she let out a sigh and sheathed her blade, reattaching her lasso to her side before turning and walking back over to Sunset. The girl gazed up at Diana with eyes that were beyond conflicted, with fear being the only emotion that shone clearly. Diana gazed down at her for a moment before she sighed and sat down next to Sunset at the base of the tree.
"I bet you have a few questions for me after that performance. Go ahead, ask away."
"What...are you?" Diana couldn't help but smirk at that question, knowing that it was going to be the first one out of her student's mouth.
"I am an Amazon, a race of women who are trained since birth to be fighters. At least, that's who I used to be. Now it is more accurate to call me a goddess from another reality." Diana glanced over at Sunset to see her reaction to her words, but to Diana's surprise Sunset didn't seemed bothered at all by the reveal. "You are not surprised that your teacher is actually a goddess from another world?"
"Not really. I mean the whole goddess and superpowers thing, yeah. But you being from another world isn't that strange to me...because I'm also from another world." Now it was Diana's turn to look shocked.
"Is that what that bastard meant by you failed Celestia in the other world?" Diana asked Sunset, who nodded somberly.
"In the other world, I was power hungry. I wanted to have it all. And when my teacher, Celestia, refused to give it to me I fled here, so I could rule this world. The only reason I'm still not that girl is because Twilight, the other world Twilight, and my friends here stopped me...and I've stayed here ever since, trying to learn about the ultimate magic that we call friendship."
"I see. It seems you have already suffered much in your life," Diana said as she rose and wrapped the lasso around her, changing out of her Wonder Woman attire and back to her teacher's outfit with both sleeves repaired. Diana then twirled her lasso and pulled out a small vial, which she then offered to Sunset. "Here, this is medicine that was given to me by Hermes. It will heal your wounds."
"Oh...wow," Sunset muttered after drinking a little of the medicine, stretching out her arm to find that it was as good as new. She returned the medicine to Diana and shakily stood up, finding that the rest of her body had been healed as well.
"Feeling better?"
"Yeah, actually. Thanks." Sunset then stared down at the ground for a long moment, her body language telling Diana that something else was wrong. "I'm so pathetic."
"Where did this come from?"
"Because that's the second time that that thing nearly killed me. And both times I tried to fight against it, it beat me down with no effort. If it wasn't for you Diana, I would be dead," Sunset admitted before a sad smirk crossed her face. "Here I am with some of the most powerful magic within me in the human world, and I can't even fend off nightmares without your help. Not to mention all of the magical problems that this world is facing, because I stole Twilight's crown and brought it here. I really am the worst."
"Sunset, look at me," Diana said as she clasped both of her hands onto Sunset's shoulders. "You are not weak. You are kind, noble and intelligent. And you fought those nightmares for weeks without my help. You have the courage of a warrior and the heart of a hero. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise. And there is no shame in needing help from those who care about you. Trust me."
"I...I'll try," Sunset promised. Diana smiled at her before rising and walking towards the exit of what remained of the forest. Sunset stared at her for a moment before turning back to see the damage that had been caused by the battle with the creature. 'I have a part of the strongest magic in Equestria and I couldn't even phase that thing. And Diana beat it down with her fists. But she won't always be here to protect me...but maybe she can teach me...'
"Diana!" Sunset called out, racing to Diana's side once she had stopped to glance down at her student. Sunset tried to find the way to ask Diana, but after a moment of frustration she simply bowed her head. "Please, teach me how to fight like you! I'm tired of being weak. Tired of being unable to rely on myself when things go wrong. Please...teach me to be strong."
Diana glanced down at Sunset for a moment, pondering over her decision before a sigh and a small smile escaped from her lips. "Very well Sunset, I will teach you. Meet me after school next week and I will give you the Amazon treatment." Sunset's eyes shone like the sun at Diana's response, and with a large smile she walked alongside Diana as they approached the museum.
"Hey Diana, one last question. What's a goddess like you doing here anyway?" Sunset asked. "I mean, don't you have more important things to be doing then teaching a bunch of students?"
"I am here because a close friend of mine was murdered and Hades said that the only way I could bring him back was to bring him six magical powers that he wants," Diana responded. Sunset thought about what Diana said for a moment before realization dawned on her.
"Our Elements?" she asked, getting a nod from Diana. Sunset then lowered her head for a moment, lost in thought. "And...are you going to take them?"
"No. I may have considered it at first, but now I know that this world needs you girls and your magic. I will find another way to restore my friend to life, even if it means I have to beat Hades for all eternity until he finally relents. But I will find another way. I always do."
Yeah, Wonder Woman kicks ass as usual.
Um, I'll bring the ice packs, Sunset's gonna need 'em.
Brainic? That thing sounds like him or a version of him.
Great fight - and nice interaction between Sunset and Diana.
I'm a bit surprised that Diana isn't more curious about Sunset's original world (I'm really looking forward to her reaction towards the fact that Sunset was a pony! ) but still there is time for question later.
I hope that the girls (in special Rainbow) are understanding.
Ah, and for this villain (sorry excuse for Freddy Krueger-wannabe! ), any beatdown that Diana gives to him and later sending him to Tartarus or Sun still will be far less than he deserves as punishment! )
oh Sunset...you have no idea what you have just asked for
7032693 screw the ice packs I've got painkillers and after Diana is done with her Sunset's gunna need em more than an ice pack lol
Not sure who I pity more: the metal monster, after the beatdown, or Sunset, after her first day of training.
That is the issue with the multiverse, you can overlook the one where a very more powerful version lives and get clobbered when you drop your guard. I get the feeling that by the end all of the girls will have had a few sessions with Diana.
Yes she 'always' do.
Cool. Descent fight, although I feel as if the Nightmare is overlooking all of Sunset's achievements. It calls her a failure, but she's the reason the Dazzzlings were defeated and she stopped Sci Twi from destroying reality.
Still, this should get interesting with Sunset finally becoming Diana's apprentice.
So, Shimmer is gonna be Wonder Girl..... for what it matters, in the looks department i imagine her as the new 52 one.
Heh. So our big bad dream-invading enemy was not expecting Diana to go all Mama Bear and rip him a new one. Priceless.
Sunset, I guarantee that after the first day of training with Diana, your body is gonna ache in places you didn't think it was possible for it to ache. And you'll need to stick with it if you want to see any results.
7032709 But if it was, I'm pretty sure Diana would have recognized him from the times where the League has had to deal with him.
some one call magneto and see how long the metal guy talks about killing him before get turned in to a pile of scape, really I want to know how long you think he'll last.
Hmm... Everything seems to suggest that this version of Wonder Woman is like the main DCU's Cassie Sandsmark - one of Zeus's many half-blood children. As for that creature...? I'm getting a serious X-Com vibe from him. He's performing an experiment to see what happens if he nudges the world in a certain direction. I find it difficult to believe that it is just curiosity that is behind this.
Ok, as much as I've been enjoying this story, this has been bothering me:
Bracelet:
t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR2QB7ThkNv5mfRYYF9cnZkEPRgS9GXatcnj6itg5Xn98HBJz5DYefOzA
Bracers:
t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRxHd--9huVBhCEuGZIIj4Xd_n7tU3VqUq_mkj7VBns6U9nDBJ5Vzl6u6jM
One is purely decorative and only barely covers the wrist, the other is a piece of armor.
Also, I envision 'The Amazon Treatment' to be tougher that the training for the U.S. Marines, the Navy SEALS, the Army Rangers, and the Spetznaz combined. Should be interesting to see how far Sunset gets.
7032838
In the old shows which were Live Action, Diana had a sort of hybrid between them. They were longer than bracelets but too short to be called bracers.
I regret nothing!
Glad to see that this is the kind and compassionate (and yet still ass-kicking) Wonder Woman we know and love instead of that psychotic sociopath from the New 52.
I don't know if she met him in your canon, but is that villain some sort of Dr. Destiny (since he can influence dreams)?
P.S. Please don't tell me it's actually Granny Goodness.
7032791 it could be a version different enough that his mannerisms and looks have changed like a side effect of how he died after the Emerald Dragon story
I see it now.
The monster... is an author. A pony fanfiction writer. It all fits. Every story created is like a parallel universe or alternate timeline branching off the canon universe.
Why write story where you kill off a main character? Same reason you force a ship.
The show gave us a template of their personalities and usual reactions. So we throw a death, a new villain, or a cupid's arrow at them and write how they'd react to it. That is the basis of fanfiction.
Just read it's response in that context: "That is what [(fanfic) authors] do. [They] see how worlds would be different if something about them was changed. And for this world [an author] wanted to see what it would be like if Sunset was dead--to see how her friends would fight against the magic that is invading this world. To see what the other worlds would do in response.
"No one would care if one of those many Sunsets out there died." is essentially "Don't like the Dark tag? Then don't read it, ignore it, and find a SoL you like better".
He's not even angry about the fight. It's voice is always described as annoyed.
...well probably not, but's it's a good idea until I find something that contradicts it.
So... Hades never specified what the 6 magical items were. All she needs to do is find six other artifacts with great power; not necessarily the Elements or their Bearers.
"Very well Sunset, I will teach you. Meet me after school next week and I will give you the Amazon treatment."
Well....at least it ain't Philippus or Artemis of the Bana. You are a fortunate child, Sunset. You just don't know.
KO awesome chapter, can't wait to see Sunset becoming an Amazon warrior with her friends as well.
Awesome Chapter.
7032939
In that case, you're talking about cuffs:
cdn-img-0.wanelo.com/p/89e/ea7/5b3/c106a24fced16ae6ac251f3/x354-q80.jpg
s3.amazonaws.com/static.tumblr.com/zqkmscb/Fpjm4as7r/i_can_do_this_all_day.gif?vm=r
Diana needs 6 items saturated in Harmony magic.
And if Hades asks why they do not look like he was expecting them to, Diana can tell him 'they became these upon entering our universe'.
And of course Diana would not hand them over until AFTER Hades returns Steve to life.
Oh, I love how this is going. But I do hope this means full disclosure for Diana in the near-future. She may not need to know everything at this point - she has the general picture, after all - but a good synopsis of everything that's happened since Sunset turned to the side of the angels might be in order.
7033169
Well, that actually is about what I was talking about, thanks. Heh, but yeah, that's generally what most of the depictions of WW actually had from what I remember.
Not sure if it's true for all her iterations though.
I hope that at some point the Nightmare decides ally himself with someone competent like Darkseid, because otherwise his chances at actually succeeding are very low.
....Or just bring in Bizarro.
cdn.makeagif.com/media/3-15-2016/sqM1-2.gif
Eeyouch! That's gonna smart in the morning for that bad guy!
7032779 You can look at that two ways (well more, probably):
A) The Nightmare is so self-possessed that even while getting stomped by Diana, it is still playing the long game and twisting the knife in Sunset's self-worth.
B) Those two failures are the iconic and life-defining moments for Sunset, so the Nightmare is ignoring everything else in order to focus on them.
I'm thinking that Nightmare is actually an alternate-universe version of Sci-Twilight:
The callous search for knowledge, regardless of the cost, is very "dark" Sci-Twi, while her "tainted" magic sounds very Midnight Sparkle. And the heartless way she dismissed Sunset's life (well, the lives of all the possible Sunsets ...) could be a reaction to a failed (or even backfired) attempt to resolve the Friendship Games.
Hmm this chapter seems a bit rushed and all, just more of a summary to me than a bounce of flesh that is actually alive.
Well, I'm still going to find chapters with better tastes from you, so no worries!
7033339
Very late to this, but the early WW comics had them more like bracelets. They were supposed to resemble the shackles that were forced on the Amazons by Heracles. Thus, bracelets. Somewhere along the way, I believe in the late Silver Age, the bracelets started getting longer until they covered a good portion of the forearm. Also, although the show was made during the Bronze Age, the classic Lynda Carter series used the traditional bracelet look. Hope that helped.