Morning arrived in Canterlot City, but the city was still plagued with the unknown of the Tirek Virus. Many patients from the different hospitals were responding well to the Gamedeus vaccine, it slowed the progression of the virus considerably, but the virus was still there, however none of them were well enough to be moved and had to remain in the hospital should the virus take a turn for the worse.
The CR team was beginning their day, with the doctors making their rounds of the different patients to check on their condition. The first people they checked on were the younger siblings of the Rainbooms, who were also the first to have the vaccine administered, from there they could monitor them and have a timetable as to how long the vaccine would remain active.
Twilight had made her way to their workroom, where Dan Kuroto and Starlight Glimmer (of Earth) were already hard at work. Twilight made her way to her workstation and checked in on the progress of Sunset and Emu, according to their time table, almost three months had passed in the game world since they were thrown into it, and on their side, it had only been twenty-four hours. Twilight could only imagine how jarring the time difference was there, no doubt Sunset Shimmer was worrying that they were running out of time, compared to them, Emu and Sunset had all the time in the world.
If only we could transfer that time to the people here, thought Twilight.
“Sparkle-san, how’s that patch you and that bespectacled boy made holding?” Kuroto asked.
Twilight raised an eyebrow at that. “You know he has a name, it’s Microchips.”
“God only recognizes those who have talent, and you have talent! The other is a pretender,” Kuroto replied.
Twilight rolled her eyes, she didn’t quite believe the other doctors and Poppy when they said Kuroto was a villain in their world. Sure, he had a literal god complex, and seemed to snub everyone he believed beneath him, but then again that could account for – pre-Friendship Games incident – 99.9% of the student body at Crystal Prep. But after working with him and paying attention to his mannerisms, and hearing his history, it wasn’t hard to see. And Twilight wasn’t so sure that she liked the fact that he “recognized her talent”.
The violet haired girl brought up her programs that were monitoring the patch, taking a sip of her coffee as she did so. Unfortunately, the coffee never made it down her throat as she immediately spat it out the moment she saw the patch status.
“WHAT THE WHAT?!” Twilight exclaimed.
Starlight and Kuroto turned around in their seats asking, “What’s wrong?!”
“The patch integrity has diminished! It’s got a hole in it!”
Twilight brought up the view from cyberspace and showed that the patch that they had created did indeed have a breach. The genius girl quickly typed at her keyboard, working on repairing the patch.
“How long has it been like that?!” Starlight asked.
“It was fine the last time I checked on it! I even have my phone linked to the program to alert me if anything breached the patch!” Twilight took out said cellphone and checked her alerts, and to her surprise, there were no such alerts of a breach. “How is this possible?!”
Kuroto slammed is hand against the desk and said, “Focus, Sparkle-san, how long was it down?!”
Twilight put away the device and went back to the program, after sifting through the data, Twilight’s eyes widened with fear. “It…It’s been open for four hours…”
Kuroto growled and Starlight gritted her teeth.
“I’m going to alert the others, you do the same Glimmer-san! Sparkle-san, plug that hole back up before something else passes through!” Kuroto ordered.
Immediately after giving that order, his body broke down into light particles that zoomed off into the distance. Starlight ran out of the room and headed towards the rooms where the CR members were currently meeting. Twilight furiously went to work, re-patching the patch that had been broken.
Suddenly, Microchips ran into the room, looking panicked. “What’s going on?! Starlight – well, older Starlight – was running with this look on her face!”
“Good you’re here, I need you on your station, the patch was breached last night and has been for the last four hours! We have to close it back up, there could be another attack coming and the last thing we need is to have them bring in reinforcements!” Twilight stated.
“Oh hexadecimals, I-I’m on it,” said Microchips as he hurried to his computer and began typing away.
Sunset, I know you’re moving as fast as you can, but I hope you’re reaching your destination soon!
***_____________<U> x [+]E[+]_____________***
The Team had made up a lot of ground in a short period of time, well, short for a game anyway. After leaving the mountains and gaining a new alley, the team was defeating monsters left and right. Along the way they were seeing signs of Tirek’s rise. Allies to the Dark Lord were setting up camps, raiding villages and large towns, and overall seizing land for their advancement. Of course, Sunset and Emu weren’t letting this go.
With each town they entered, the group liberated it. They were a force to be reckoned with, such a diverse group, with abilities and magical skills unique to their own race, it was hard for their opponents to come up effective countermeasures. Not to mention the fierce leadership of Sunset and Emu, along with their Kamen Rider powers, were able make such victories all the easier.
Each battle brought with it experience, and with that EXP points. Sunset kept a constant watch on her menu to see each of their level ups, and with all the battles they had been through thus far, they had reached level seventy, and were only getting stronger. She figured by the time they reached Heaven’s Fall, they’d be at level one-hundred. While the highest level they could go, Sunset and Emu didn’t think for a second that that would constitute them being stronger than Tirek. If they couldn’t find their stronger items, they wouldn’t stand much of a chance.
But on a lighter, and somewhat awkward note. The girls’ affection for Sunset hadn’t diminished in the slightest. It was getting increasingly embarrassing, and Sunset was starting to feel as if she was placed into the middle of one of those harem anime’s that Rainbow Dash liked to watch. How you ask?
Take a few nights ago for example.
The team had camped out near a natural hot spring, so naturally, they decided to take a dip to relax their bodies after a tiring battle. Emu had graciously offered to wait at camp while the girls had their time in. At this time, Sunset felt it less awkward to be in a pool with a naked Emu, than to be surrounded by six different girls who were either not subtle in the way they were ogling her body, or trying to be subtle and just plain failing at it. While Sunset wasn’t a shy girl, nudity never fazed her since she was a pony and ponies didn’t wear clothes. However, when you were the object of affection for six different people, and you were all bathing in the same place, it was making Sunset feel embarrassed enough to sink into the water leaving only her head exposed.
And let’s not even start with how she had to avert her eyes from the others’ bodies, especially Midnight. There proportions have to be exaggerated, there’s no way any of them are this…well…LIKE THAT! If this is an actual option in the game, I will bury Microchips in a construction site, and pour cement on top of him!
Then there was the incident a few days later, where Sunset, Surprise, and Spectra had gotten cut off from the team, and it was a particularly chilly night. Despite the fire they had set, Sunset was not getting as warm as she was hoping. So, when it came time to sleep, Sunset found herself in-between a bird and cat sandwich when she awoke to a blissful, comforting warmth. Apparently, in an effort to keep their love interest from getting sick from the cold, Surprise had cuddled on Sunset’s left, while Spectra had released her wings and draped them over Sunset as she cuddled on Sunset’s right. It was cute and considerate of them to do so, but, the fact that her arms were wedged between their chests just killed the mood.
Soon the team reached the town of Glosven, a town that had seen many sightings of this “Black Rider”. The girls were currently milling about, while Sunset and Emu were sitting at an outdoor restaurant. Emu was growing a bit concerned as Sunset looked tired, her head resting on the table.
“Um, Sun-chan, are you alright?” Emu asked.
“No, no I am not fine. I assume you have anime in your world?” Sunset asked.
“Of course, I’m from Japan, it’s birthplace.”
Sunset facepalmed herself. “Right, duh. So, you’ll know what I mean when I say my life is like a harem anime right now!” Sunset’s head returned to the table with a THUNK!
Emu blushed, knowing exactly what that implied. “Well, I didn’t want to say anything, but it seems to be going in that direction.”
“All the game versions of my friends are here now, the party’s filled. I’m pretty sure that’s something we need to have in order to beat this game. But every day that passes by is making it hard not to do something!” Sunset stated.
Emu raised his eyebrow. “So…you want to be a relationship with them?”
“NO! I mean – I don’t know!” Sunset exclaimed as she threw her arms into the air. “They’re like my friends, and at the same time they’re not! I genuinely feel connected to them, and I’m not going to lie, there are things about my friends that I find attractive, I mean I bat for the other team so I’m not blind that I hang out with a group of hot girls! But I never actually considered them – like – potential girlfriends! Twilight was the only girl I felt that spark with, but after spending time with these girls, it makes me wonder the old ‘what if’! What if I did spend some more one-on-one time with one my friends, would we be like this?”
Emu sighed, “Ah, the complications of youth.”
“Emu, you sound like an old man when you talk like that,” said Parado.
The good doctor rolled his eyes. “Life’s full of ‘what ifs’, Sun-chan. What if I never decided to become a doctor and just stayed as pro gamer? What if I never interacted with Dan Kuroto through my letters? A lot of ‘what ifs’, but for better or worse, they’re what we chose and what decided to do. You chose to be with the one you wanted to be with, do you think that that was not the right decision?”
Sunset’s eyes went wide as she slammed her fist against the table. “Celestia, NO! I want to be with Twilight! I care about her! I would never regret that decision!” Sunset’s fervor died down a bit as she slumped into her seat. “But, I hate not being the person these girls deserve. They each deserve to be happy, to find someone they love and care about. I don’t want to crush their hearts like that, especially after everything we’ve been through so far.”
“I know this game won’t let you tell them about the one you care about back home, but maybe you can at least make them happy for as along we have the time here,” said Emu.
Sunset sighed heavily, “Maybe…”
Unbeknownst to the two adventurers, a pink cat tail slipped away from around the corner.
***_____________<U> x [+]E[+]_____________***
“She really said that?” Spectra asked.
“Yes, she says she has a love back home,” said Surprise in a bit of a defeated tone.
The girls had gathered at a park, sitting in a circle as Surprise informed them of what Sunset said regarding how she didn’t want to hurt them, and how she had a girlfriend back in her world. There were various expressions amongst the girls, Ambrosia just crossed her arms and sighed as she stared at the grass. Rori folded her hands on her lap and looked as if she was trying not to cry. Spectra rubbed the back of her head as she tried to wrap her mind around this revelation. Lightheart looked like she wanted to revert to her small fairy form and hide under a leaf. Midnight seemed a bit disappointed, her gaze downcast.
Finally, Ambrosia brought a fist to the ground and hit it hard. “Gods dammit, why didn’t she say so sooner rather than just leading us along?! She could’ve told us as much!”
“Actually…I think she did try,” said Midnight.
“How so?” Rori asked.
“It was that day we saved Sunset from that other Enchantress, at the banquet the town held for us. She was trying to say something to us, but each time it looked like she was saying it, her lips were moving, but no sound came out. Then there was that time at the banquet when she took each of us to the side and talked, it looked like – when we were talking – like she as trying to tell me something, but the words wouldn’t come out despite her mouth moving.”
Rori, Lightheart, Spectra, and Ambrosia remembered that night, and now that Midnight had mentioned it, Sunset did look like she was trying to say something but it was as if something was forbidding her from uttering it. That’s when it struck them, she was trying to tell them.
“You think it’s some kind of curse or something?” Spectra asked.
“If so, it’s a powerful and subtle one, I can’t detect it at all,” said Midnight.
“I would’ve definitely felt if Sunset was under a curse when she shared her power to save me, or when I gave my own to save her,” said Rori. “But I don’t recall feeling anything malevolent.”
“Um…I think we all seem to be forgetting something else,” said Lightheart. “Sunset and Emu are not from our world, they were thrown into it by Tirek. They both have lives back in their home worlds. Defeating Tirek may cause them to back home.”
That was something that had fallen into the back of their minds. Sunset and Emu were from another world, this was not their home world at all. Defeating Tirek may indeed send them back home, home to family and friends who were eagerly awaiting their return, who were worried for their wellbeing every day that they spent in there’s.
“How did we overlook such an obvious thing, of course they would go back home once their mission was complete, they have no real reason to stay here,” said Midnight.
“I guess, we just thought that we’d be enough of a reason for her to stay with us. I believe we can all say we’re a little guilty of vanity in this case. I don’t doubt a single girl here has feelings for Sunset Shimmer, I saw it in the four of you when you were trapped in that illusion.” At this the four girls in question blushed. “I know I do after she saved me, and even more so after getting to know her. And Surprise, I know you are very fond of her already.” The cat girl nodded. “It was a happy thing to think that one of us, if not all of us, could be with her, but we seemed to have been blinded by that notion, so blinded that we didn’t want to acknowledge the truth of what would happen come journey’s end.”
“This is hard on Sunset too,” said Surprise. “She wanted to tell us, but hasn’t been able to. As kind as she is, this must’ve been hurtful, she didn’t want to string us along, but with that curse she couldn’t tell us the reason why she didn’t want to…be with us.”
A somber mood had befallen the group, truly they lamented the end of this quest. In freeing the world from evil, they would also lose the person they had come to have great affection for. Lightheart sighed and looked to each of the girls.
“Well, I know something else that came of this. I got to meet all of you, I’ve come to care and trust you all, you’re my friends,” said Lightheart.
Spectra grinned. “Yeah, I can get behind that. Without Sunset, I would have never met you guys. I never thought I’d find people I could trust and who’d have my back no matter what. But you guys look out for me, and me you. That’s something I am grateful for.”
Ambrosia chuckled and smiled. “We may not be able to be with Sunset in the end, but at the very least, we gained a fellowship, a friendship that we would’ve never been a part of had she not appeared. Now that’s something I can live with, even if she leaves.”
Surprise clapped her hands as a wide grin appeared. “Yay! So, we’re all agreed to be each other’s brides?!”
A round blushes came over the girls and all shouted at once, “Don’t ruin the moment!”
Soon after came laughter, despite the joke, it was enough to break the sad mood that had fallen over the group. Yes, Sunset Shimmer would and could leave their land to return to hers, but at least they would have each other, a different kind of love to fall back on.
“Disgusting…”
The girls stopped their laughter and looked around to see who had said that. It was at a bench they saw someone hunched over, draped in a black cloak and hood. The voice sounded feminine, but they weren’t entirely sure if the person beneath the cloak was a girl.
“You got somethin’ to say pal?” Spectra asked.
The hooded stranger clicked her tongue. “Only that I’ve been listening to an elf, a harpy, an Amazon, an Enchantress, a Cait Sith, and…not sure what she is, but I know it’s not human, pouring their bleeding hearts over a girl that they’re never going to see again. It’s disgusting.”
Ambrosia held out her arm to stop Spectra from doing anything foolish, it was then she asked, “Beg your pardon stranger, but are you saying it’s disgusting that we all love another woman, or because we love a human.”
“No, the fact that you love at all is the disgusting thing, love in general is a lie.”
Rori stood up, crossing her arms and glaring at the stranger. “Now see here, love is the strongest thing in this or any world! It is the reason for living, it gives people strength it–!”
“Starts wars, because some king, queen, prince, or princess was either jilted, assassinated, or slighted somehow. It makes people die for stupid reasons, for home, land, and country, only for that country to turn their backs on the those who gave their lives. Love causes others to covet that which they don’t have, a person’s home, their stuff, or their husband or wife! No, love is not love, it’s a lie, and what you feel for this girl you all supposedly ‘love’, might as well be just lust. You all just admitted you selfishly wanted her to stay here, even though this other girl said she had a home somewhere else! Yet you forgot and selfishly believed you could convince her otherwise to stay with you, no, that’s just greed and lust together,” said the stranger.
Ambrosia growled fiercely as she rose up faster than the others could react. The Amazon swung her fist and punched the stranger across the face, sending them spiraling to the ground in a heap.
“AMBROSIA!” Midnight shouted.
“Don’t you dare talk like you know how we feel!” Ambrosia warned.
“Whoa, hey, I think that was too much,” said Spectra.
“I held back, that looked worse than it felt for her!”
Midnight growled in frustration over her friend’s actions. She quickly rushed to the stranger and reached out with her hand, “I am so sorry, let me help–!”
The stranger swatted Midnight’s hand away hard enough for it to sting. The hood fell off the girl, and the girls had to pause for a moment when they saw her face. The girl looked up at them with turquoise eyes, her hair was crimson, like fire, with a streak of gold color going through it. She had a scar over he left cheek, and, unfortunately, her right cheek was red from the punch. This girl, she looked remarkably similar to Sunset.
“I don’t need your pity, and don’t blame me if the truth hurts!” Tears began to flow from her eyes as she pulled up her hood and turned to walk away. “Better you understand now than face the pain later…when it’s too late to do anything about it.”
Midnight was the first to snap out of her shocked state and asked, “Wait! What’s your name?! Please, we’re sorry!”
“……” The girl looked over her shoulder to the elf, her face was full of concern, not fake concern as she was used to. “……It’s Corona, Corona Brightstar.”
***_____________<U> x [+]E[+]_____________***
Corona Brightstar, she was a happy girl once upon a time. She lived in home in the town of Shoru with her mother and father. Her father worked as an archivist in the local library, while her mother taught in the local school house. Their pay wasn’t anything to be excited about, but it was well enough for them to live on. It was at the age of six that her parents discovered that she had a great aptitude for the magical arts, weaving spell out of pure instinct.
Corona’s parents did not have the money, even collectively, to send their daughter to a proper mage’s school. However, Corona was a smart girl, whenever the local mages would perform magic in the streets or as part of their daily jobs, Corona would watch intensely and listen closely to their incantations and their actions. She learned better by doing, and so she did, leaving to the outskirts of town to practice her spells where no one would get hurt, or make fun of her should the spell go array.
Corona spent years building up her magical repertoire. Whenever she successfully learned a new spell, she’d always rush home and show her parents the spell soon after. Seeing how much their daughter was progressing just by watching and practicing made them feel both proud and heartbroken. Here they had a daughter with a bright future in the magical arts, who could one day be a great sorceress, but would never get to be because they could not provide the money or resources to help her advance.
It was then that the mother and father made the toughest decision they had to make in their lives. They brought her before one of the more prominent mage families in the town, it was arranged as a playdate for their own young daughter. They had heard that the family was seeking those with magic prowess to be their daughter’s friend, who could match her in magic.
When it came time for Corona to play, she was able to not only out maneuver the other girl, but overpower her. This surprised the wealthy mage family, so much so that they hadn’t any words when Corona’s parents asked if Corona could live with them, and be raised under their home to be a proper mage. The mage family didn’t hesitate in the slightest, and so after papers were drawn up to make it legal in the eyes of the law, Corona Brightstar now was under their parentage and tutelage.
Corona, ten at the time, couldn’t understand this.
“Why, Mommy, Daddy?! Why do I have to live with them?! Did I do something wrong?!”
“No honey, you did nothing wrong,” her mother said.
“You’re such a gifted girl, honey, we just want you to be able reach your full potential. And if you stay with them, they’ll be able to give you all the best things to become a great mage,” said her father.
“But…”
“We’re doing this because we love you Corona, you can visit us any time you want, okay?”
That day began Corona’s four years of hell. The mage family she lived with were strict, because they saw great potential in Corona they pushed her more, trained her harder than even their own daughter. At night, when she believed she would be allowed a reprieve from the torturous training regime, Corona found out that that wasn’t the case. At night, the daughter of the mage family would enter her room, and bind Corona to the bed and subject her to a number of painful curses. The mage girl knew curses that would inflict pain but wouldn’t leave any physical scars on her body, and there were many different types. By morning Corona would be exhausted from her torture session, and no one was the wiser.
When the man and woman who were her adopted parents saw her state, they asked why she looked so “horrid”. Corona told them the truth, and for it she received a swift slap across the face for speaking lies as they didn’t hear a thing. She couldn’t believe that no one heard her screaming, but when she was coherent enough the next time it happened, Corona noticed that a silencing spell had been placed on her room when the mage girl entered, muting any noise going out. Corona learned quickly that her adopted parents would not believe her, they loved their daughter and knew she could do no wrong.
Of course, that did nothing to excuse Corona’s state when coming to breakfast. So, they had a concoction made that would revitalize her. And so, the routine went on and on, torturous training, torture at night, drink a healing potion, repeat. Corona felt as if she was going to go insane. Yes, she was learning, yes, her magic was getting stronger, but her sanity was the price she paid. The only thing that brought her any modicum of peace was the weekends, Corona was allowed to spend the weekends with her real mother and father.
At one point she had thought to tell them about what was being done to her, to have them whisk her away to some town or city far, far away. But Corona knew this wasn’t ever going to happen, they hadn’t the provisions to just skip town, as poor as they were, they were well-off poor, if they skipped town with nothing, they’d be truly poor, beggars, homeless. Corona couldn’t do that to them, she knew they had her stay with those people because they loved her and that they wanted her to be great.
It was at this time that Corona gained new resolve, she would take their torture, both from the training, and the daughter of that family. She’d take it all, because when she was old enough, and her powers great enough, she would leave this town, and take her parents with her. She would show her skill at the Academy and become a Guardian. With that in mind, she continued, all the way until she was fourteen.
As time passed, so did Minerva, the mage family’s daughter, tastes in torture change. Now older, her torture sessions took on less of a pain route, and took a turn for debauchery and depravity. Of course, the potions were strong, so anything done to her would be healed the instant she partook of them. With this knowledge, Minerva was able to do almost anything she wanted when they were alone at night. In all honesty, Corona had long learned enough, and had grown powerful enough, that she could easily turn the tables on Minerva and have her be the one screaming in agony. Corona knew better, Minerva would only just turn the tables again, crying to her parents that it was Corona doing the torturing and play the victim.
“You know, Corona, I have been thinking about you,” said Minerva.
“Really, the tortures you put me through made me think otherwise…”
Normally a response like that would have earned her a slap across the face, but Minerva only grinned and then giggled. “It’s funny, I hated you.”
Wait…‘hated’, as in past tense?
“Mother and father were teaching you, pouring their hearts and souls into crafting you into the best mage in ages. I hated you for that, because that was my role, that was going to be my future. But after I truly got to see what that entailed, what they were putting you through, I started to reassess my view of what it took and what it would do to me. Between my…our…alone time, and what you did during the day, I started to see who you truly are, what you are.”
“And that is?” Corona asked.
“A diamond in the rough. Have you not noticed that our sessions have taken a less painful course and more, pleasurable?”
“I figured you just got tired of hearing me scream in pain, and were just trying to think of another sick way to harm me,” said Corona in a flat tone.
Minerva chuckled, “Well, I don’t blame you for thinking that, I haven’t given you a reason to believe that our recent nights haven’t had some other undertone. But it is the truth, I have – strange as it may seem – fallen for you, Corona.”
Corona looked away from Minerva, she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. This witch who had been hurting her for four whole years was in love with her? It had to be puberty, her coming into her womanhood had clouded her mind and making her think things that aren’t real.
“I can prove it to you.” With a flick of her wrist, the magical bindings were released, much to Corona’s surprise. Corona sat up in shock rubbing her wrists and looking at the other girl in disbelief. “Oh, don’t look so surprised, I know you could’ve broken free from those at any time you chose.”
“When?!”
“After all the training you have been put through, my simple binding spell was nothing, you could’ve easily just expelled some magical energy and made them shatter from the sheer power of you magic, and secretly I hoped you would do so and take me savagely in this bed afterwards.”
Corona backed away from the girl, she was completely crazy. Minerva loved her and had been waiting for Corona to seek some sort of revenge on her? Corona’s mind was going in circles, she didn’t understand this, how could a torturer fall in love with the person they’re torturing, for that matter, how could Minerva expect someone she’s tortured to love her back.
“Do whatever you want to me, Corona! Take out all those years of pain I’ve given you, and throw it back at me!” Minerva urged.
“Just leave me alone, go back your room before I shove you through the wall into your room!” Corona threatened.
Minerva seemed to take that order to heart as she got off Corona’s bed and began to walk out. She stopped at the doorway and turned to Corona with a knowing smile. “It’s okay, soon you’ll be all ours.”
Corona had no idea what those words meant until the next day when she was supposed to meet her parents and found her childhood home burned to the ground. Everyone said it was thieves, robbers who raided the poor. They took what they wanted, but fought back, and for their defiance, they were killed with their home burned down. Corona, filled with fury and vengeance, hunted down the killers, and killed them all. She eventually found a paper trail that led back to her adopted family, apparently having hired the thieves to kill her family.
The mage family soon learned the error of their ways, all their training, all the spells they endowed to Corona, were hurled at them a hundred-fold. Corona burned their house and bodies to ashes in a magical flame that would not die out until she wished it. Corona wasn’t a fool, she made sure it looked like the work of other mages, because in this world, mages, especially ones with a long line, often got into feuds with other mage families. Whatever enemies the family had would be blamed, and with the bodies burned to ashes, and the ashes burned to nothing, everyone would assume Corona died in the fire.
Just as well, because she felt dead inside.
No home, no place to call her own, Corona just wandered. Her mind just going back over everything, it was out of love that her parents sent her to live with that family. It was out of love that those people put her through hellish training, it out some twisted sense of love that Minerva tortured her. Love was an illusion, a mask to hide their true intentions, pride and power, greed and lust, these are what love masked.
Corona wanted nothing to do with such an emotion, so when she heard those girls talking about this girl, this Sunset Shimmer, she couldn’t help but call them out on their lies. And for her truth she was punched in the face. The elf girl did look sorry, and did seem genuinely concerned about her after it happened.
“If she was that concerned why didn’t she stop her,” said Corona to herself.
Well that Amazon did move fast, probably didn’t have time to react. And even that Amazon looked a little sorry for doing that…
“Whatever, they’re all fools chasing after a girl who will leave them and saying it’s alright, just another mask.”
“Yes, this world is filled with lies and deceit, it’s quite the eyesore is it not?”
Corona stood at attention, she looked up and down the alleyway she was in. There as a dead end to the right of her, and no doors or windows, just another building. There was no one at the entrance, so who was speaking?
“W-Who’s there?” Corona asked as she willed her magic to her hands. “I’m warning you, if you so much as lay a hand on me, I’ll–!”
“At ease girl, I come not to harm. I come to bargain.” Suddenly, the alley grew very dark, the shadows at the far end began to coalesce, becoming a solid being. It appeared to be a centaur, but an emaciated one with a long white beard and red face.
“I ask again, who are you?!”
“I am, Tirek.”
Corona looked at the cloaked centaur, the thin creature before her was really the Dark Lord, the one being that almost plunged this world into darkness and despair? Tirek picked up on the girl’s skepticism and chuckled.
“I know, this form is not very intimidating, and not what you would expect of a being of my renown. But I felt it best to appear like this, rather than tower over you. You’d be surprised how less effective it is to have a meaningful conversation with someone when you do,” said Tirek.
Corona was still skeptical, but she was not a fool. Tirek was powerful, so shapeshifting was not beyond him. “Speak your peace demon and begone from my sight when you’re done.”
Tirek gave a courteous bow. “Thank you. I overheard you, and I sense the turmoil in your heart. You have been hurt by those you loved, love itself has harmed you, and now you have nothing.”
“Have you come just to state the obvious? I stare at it every day!” Corona barked.
“I believe we have a mutual interest in making the world pay for its lies. I once had a brother, we were thick as thieves, and have been in many battles together. Skorpan, he was called. But when the time came to put that to the test, when I faced other heavenly beings, he betrayed me. I have never heard from him since, he traded our brotherhood, for a station on high, while I rotted below. My brother used our familial love to lure me into a trap!”
Corona’s fists loosened as she listened to him. “I see. You spoke of a bargain, what is it?”
Tirek smiled. “It’s time to reform this world, and I want you to assist me in that effort. Tell me child, what of this world is worth saving? What is left but to break it and rebuild it from ground up. Become one of my Envoy, and herald in a new beginning!”
Corona didn’t trust the Dark Lord, but she couldn’t deny his words. There really wasn’t anything in this world worth saving, her only family was dead, she was homeless, and any act of kindness seemed to come with an alternate agenda. Whenever she would use her magic to help, people either wanted to take her in to use her talents, or wanted to sell her as a slave, those kinds she made sure regretted such a thing. For some reason, Corona’s mind flashed back to those six girls. Despite knowing that they would lose the one they love come journey’s end, they were willing to let her go because they loved her, and were planning on staying together for the sake of friendship…
“It’s a lie; selflessness like that is only a fairy tale! I’ll strip away their falsehoods and make them see the demon under the mask!” Corona declared.
Tirek reached out with his boney hand and asked, “Do we have an alliance?”
“I trust you, dark one, as far as I can throw you. But our interests align, so…” Corona took Tirek’s hand and shook it. “I will join you.”
Tirek’s yellow eyes shined as black and orange energy formed around his hand. “Excellent.”
***_____________<U> x [+]E[+]_____________***
Sunset and Emu were still at the restaurant when they saw the girls approaching. The fiery redhead put away her stressed expression and adopted her normal smirking one. “Hey girls, you ready to go?”
The girls were unusually quiet, each of them glancing between the other.
“Is something wrong?” Emu asked.
“Not really,” said Spectra in tone that wasn’t very confident.
“Guys, if there’s something wrong please tell me. Keeping it secret doesn’t help, better to air it out so we can help fix it,” said Sunset.
There it was again, that understanding and compassion that made their hearts flutter. Midnight sighed heavily and stepped forward. “There is something we want to talk to you about Sunset. You see…”
“So, this is the girl you’re all pining over.”
The girls turned around, parting a bit to allow Emu and Sunset to see who spoke. Corona walked towards them, her cloak was open, showing her ratty clothing underneath. The girls were now feeling worse after talking to her the way they did, her pants were roughed up, dirt spattered, and had holes in them, along with the absence of proper foot protection as her feet were bare. Her shirt was no better, half of it was gone and exposed her midriff, it also had stains on it, mostly grass and other questionable things from her time sleeping on the streets.
Of course, Sunset immediately picked up on the fact that this girl looked similar to her, she even walked with same since of superiority as she used to. “Uh…girls, who is this?”
Corona seemed a bit caught off guard that this Sunset Shimmer did share some likeness with her, but she paid it no mind. “Corona Brightstar, I had the displeasure of meeting your harem a few minutes ago, after the Amazon punched me.”
“‘H-H-Harem’?!” Sunset squeaked. “Nononononono, they aren’t – that’s not–! Wait, Ambrosia, you punched her?”
“She was saying some stuff about you, and us, and I…I lost my temper…” Ambrosia sighed and stood before Corona. “Look…I-I’m sorry I did that, it’s no excuse for hurtin’ someone, if there’s anything I can do to make it up, just tell me.”
Corona cupped her chin as she hummed in contemplation. “Okay, yeah, there is something you can do to make it up.” Corona wiggled her finger in a “come hither” fashion. Ambrosia leaned down to allow Corona to tell her in secret. “I want you to kill that girl you love so much.”
Ambrosia backed away from her and quickly assumed a fighting stance. Midnight readied a spell for firing, while Surprise got into attack position, her hair standing on end as her pupils became slits. Rori, Lightheart, Spectra, Sunset, and Emu all looked at the three girls with shock.
“Whoa, whoa, what’s going on?!” Sunset demanded.
“This girl just asked me to kill you!” Ambrosia answered.
“I heard her say the same thing,” Midnight confirmed.
“Same here,” Surprise hissed.
Corona chuckled, which evolved into a cackle, and then into maniacal. The others started to get into defensive positions now, fearing that this girl was not in her right mind. “I did say that, but I worded it wrong. I should’ve said, ‘You ARE going to kill that girl’!”
Suddenly, Corona was engulfed in red flames, burning away her ratty clothes as the flames infused into her body. She grew a couple of feet, putting over seven feet tall. Her fingers turned into claws as a flaming tail formed behind her. Corona’s ears became long and pointed, and from her back she sprouted two large bat-like wings. When the flames died out, the girl beheld her new form. She wore a red and yellow dress made of a dragon’s hide, her leggings were finely knit black chainmail. Her feet were no longer bare, now sporting black armored boots with a purple line going through them. Corona’s hair had become burning flames that flowed behind her, even her skin had become crimson red.
When Corona opened her eyes, they were like pools of black tar, with shining, turquoise colored irises. “No longer am I Corona Brightstar, call me Daemona Morningstar! Envoy of Lord Tirek!”
Sunset had become frozen, her heart thrummed in her chest as her pupils became the size of pinpricks. The demon, the creature she had become during the Fall Formal, was now floating before her, the embodiment of all her pride, anger, and greed was now staring at her with a toothy grin, and now it had a name. “No…No…No…I’m not…I’m not a demon…I’m not…I’m not…!”
Emu watched as Sunset fell to her knees, the girls looked to their leader and were shocked to see her in such a distressed state.
Meanwhile, Daemona only laughed. “This is the girl you all love? This cowering little weakling? Ha, hahahaha! This is too good.” Midnight and Rori fired attack spells at Daemona, but the demoness merely waved her hand and created a shield with ease, the attacks detonating harmlessly against it. Daemona raised her other hand, which now crackled with black and turquoise colored energy. In an instant, all six girls were wrapped in her aura and brought before the demoness. “Like I said earlier, you can make it up to me by killing that girl, and hey, while you’re at it, feel free to air your frustrations to her.”
Daemona’s forehead glowed with the same dual colored energy, and from it six beams of light shout out and hit each girl right in their foreheads. The girls struggled against Daemona’s power, but she was too strong, her magic took them over and began its work. Their irises were now red in color, and each had either a frown or a scowl plastered onto their faces. Daemona released them, upon which they quickly did an about face to Emu and Sunset.
“I wonder, will you let these girls kill you for the pain you caused them? Or will you kill them in the name of love to save them?” Daemona perched herself on a lamppost and smiled maniacally. “I can’t wait to see.”