//------------------------------// // Chapter 25: Heroines // Story: Young Amazons // by Wanderer D //------------------------------// Young Amazons By Ackbarfan5556 Executive Produced By Wanderer D Chapter 25: Heroines     “Okay, I’m back with the stuff.” Pamela heard Barbara’s voice from outside her room before she walked in carrying a bunch of snacks that she picked up from a nearby convenience store.   The trip to the hospital was uneventful. Barbara and Sunset rode with Pamela before she was checked into the hospital. There was the issue of having to answer why she suddenly vanished, but her story about being kidnapped by Woodrue seemed to have worked as it was true in a way.   Pamela was given a room and was checked up by both a doctor and Barbara’s mother who was assisting him. She was worried about the blood test when they wanted to take a sample, but it seemed Batman came through and found a vial she donated. She watched as Sunset used some magic to switch out the samples, which would leave the doctors none the wiser.   Now, the only issue was finding a more permanent solution for her appearance issue. Sunset assured her that she would find an answer first thing in the morning.   In the meantime, the girls were now having a makeshift sleepover in the hospital room since the doctor advised that Pamela should stay the night. At first, Barbara’s mother wanted Barbara to go home, but Pamela’s mother, who was frightened half to death about what she had heard about the accident and the disappearance, helped.   It was her mom that suggested that since the girls had quite a long day, maybe they should be allowed to stay with Pamela in the hospital like it was a sleepover, so long as they didn’t cause much of a distraction. Nurse Gordon relented after hearing that, but told the girls they should get ready for bed soon, even if it was now technically Saturday morning.   “Thanks, Red,” Pamela said as she took some snacks out of Barbara’s hands and leaned back against the wall while still sitting in bed.   “Not the most normal of places to have one of these,” Sunset said as she sat on the floor with her back up to the wall. She took some of the last things that Barbara handed to her.   “Hey, a sleepover is a sleepover, no matter where it is.” Barbara told them before she closed the door to the room and took her seat in a chair right near the bed.   “I really appreciate you girls doing all this for me,” Pamela thanked.   “No problem, Pam, if the roles were changed and it was either of us sitting in that bed, we’d do the same,” said Sunset.     Pamela smiled, happy to know that her friendship was still intact after everything that had happened. Still, there were many unanswered questions; much of it from Sunset.   “So, now that we’re all settled in,” Barbara said. “Shall we do what normal girls do at sleepovers and gossip about boys? Or shall we put some cards on the table and come clean about some things?” her eyes turned to Sunset who blushed in embarrassment.   “I agree, I would very much like to hear the truth from you, Sunny,” Pamela said. “Like how long you’ve been Alicorn and why you can do magic.”   Sunset sighed. Pamela could tell she knew she was going to have to explain one of these days, but she guessed that maybe she would’ve had more time to think of the best way to tell them.   “Look, I’ll come clean with you two, but you need to promise me you’re not going to hold my past actions against me, promise?” Sunset asked.   “Sunny, you and Red were quick to forgive me for what I had done. Believe me, you have nothing to worry about,” Pamela said.   “Well, you say that now,” Sunset mumbled.   “Come on, Sunny, we’re your friends, you can trust us,” Barbara assured her.   Sunset took a deep breath before nodding. “Alright then. I’ll tell you, but there’s a lot to be said, and it’s weird.”   “Go ahead, we’re all ears,” Pamela said with a smile on her face.   Sunset nodded once more. “Okay, well, to answer that first question about how long I’ve been Alicorn, it’s been several months, at least since back in September.”   “And Zatanna, who does know actual magic,” Barbara said as she looked to Pamela, answering a question that she herself was going to ask next, “has been mentoring you in those arts during that time?” “Well, actually, helping me relearn as well as give me some training, along with a few other crime fighters. The truth about the magic, though, is that I was born with it, but not in the way Zatanna or any other magic user on this planet is familiar with it.”   Sunset sighed once more before she spoke again. “The truth is girls, I’m, I’m actually a unicorn.”   Pamela looked over to Barbara who was doing the same before they both looked at Sunset.   “Come again?” Barbara asked.   “I’m a unicorn. As in a small horse with a horn on their head, able to do magic. I know it sounds crazy, but it’ll make sense if you let me explain.”   “Yes, please, before we consider checking you into Arkham,” Barbara joked.   Sunset chuckled. “Okay, well, for starters, I’m not from this dimension. I got caught up in an accidental overload of magic and ended up here in Gotham before Zatanna found me and took me under her tutelage.”   “Wait, you’re saying you’re an alien?” Pamela asked.   Sunset nodded. “In a way, I guess; I consider myself something more of a dimension jumper.”   “Alright, how’s about you start at the beginning before things go way off topic,” Barbara said.   Sunset took a deep breath. “Okay, well, to start, I’m from a place called Equestria, it’s ruled by ponies; three different kinds: Earth, Pegasus, and Unicorns, along with an assortment of other creatures. You know, dragons, griffins, manticores, stuff from ancient human mythology all reside in Equestria.”   “The way you’re saying it, if my five-year-old self heard you say this, she’d be begging to go there,” Pamela chuckled.   Sunset gave a small laugh. “Well, it’s certainly better than Gotham at times; less risk of being attacked by some insane super-criminal. That being said, Equestria has its own dangers,”   “So, how exactly did you end up here then?” Barbara asked.   “Well, I need to explain something else before I get there. First of all, Equestria is ruled by an Alicorn, which is a pony that has a mix of all three races of ponies. Her name is Princess Celestia. She and her sister Luna have the ability to use their magic to raise the sun and the moon,” Sunset explained.   “Wait, you mean Equestria doesn’t revolve around the sun?”   Sunset shook her head at Barbara’s question. “No, not really. Anyways, there was a long time period when Celestia did both the raising of the sun and moon by herself; the story involving Luna isn’t important right now. That in part, is where my story begins.   “I was raised an orphan, so telling you girls that before you knew the truth wasn’t exactly a lie, but I actually never knew my parents. Celestia discovered me when I was young and took me to the capital city of Canterlot and its castle where I was to be raised as Celestia’s student.”   “So, wait, did Celestia raise you as a student or more like a child?” Pamela asked.   “I was always referred to as a student, but looking back, Celestia was more like a mother to me,” Pamela watched as Sunset took a deep breath. “And I threw it all away.”   “How?” Barbara wondered.   “For years, things went well; I was excelling at everything that was given to me and proving myself to be quite capable of becoming a princess in my own right. My problem was that over the years, I became what one shouldn’t be. Arrogant, self-absorbed, lack of humility, greedy for power, mainly almost every negative trait you could think of.”   “I can’t really imagine you being that way, not after everything you’ve done as Alicorn and as our friend,” Pamela shook her head.   “I’m glad to hear that, but it’s the truth. I became angrier at Celestia because of her hesitation to make me a princess, something that I thought I had long earned. Hindsight shows how wrong I was, but you get the point.   “One day, I discovered a mirror that showed me what I wanted to see; that of me being an alicorn princess."   “I’m sorry, you saw a mirror that showed you what you want?” Barbara interrupted. “Wasn’t that a thing in the first Harry Potter book?”   Sunset chuckled. “Now that you say it, you’re right. This was different though, for weeks I wanted to know more about the mirror but Celestia refused to speak about it. In my arrogance, I took matters into my own hooves.”   “Now, what I’m going to tell you girls is something that not even Zatanna knows, and you can’t tell her. She wouldn’t understand.”   Both Pamela and Barbara nodded.   “We promise,” Pamela said.   “Okay,” Sunset sighed as she continued. “I broke into the restricted area of the castle, where Celestia had all the books and items related to dark arts and that sort of thing locked away. In my quest to know more about the mirror, I learned a great many things that I shouldn’t have learned.   “Eventually, I found out that the mirror at a certain time would be a gateway to another world; but that’s when I was discovered by Celestia. We had a huge argument before I demanded that she make me a princess. She called my bluff and declared that I was no longer her student.”   “I’m guessing you didn’t take this well?” Pamela asked.   “No, I didn’t. She ordered the guards to escort me out of the palace, but I fought them off and dashed for the mirror before I went through it and entered a new world.”   “Wait, is that how you got here? Was it our world?” Barbara asked.   Sunset shook her head. “No, but it was similar. I crossed the mirror and entered a world of humans, which also changed me into one. I ended up at Canterlot High, a high school that contained many of the human versions of Equestria’s natives. In fact, the principal was the human version of Celestia.”   “Excuse me, girls?” a voice said as the door opened to reveal a nurse. “Can you keep it down a bit? Some patients need some rest.”   “Oh, sorry, ma’am,” Pamela apologized for the three of them.   The nurse smiled. “Thank you. Try to get some sleep too, girls.” The nurse then closed the door leaving the trio alone once more.   “Anyways, as I was saying, I soon got settled into Canterlot High, and became a total queen bee,” Sunset continued, in a lower tone of voice.   “Let me guess, you were a bully to many of the other students?” Pamela asked.   Sunset nodded. “Yeah, I lied, manipulated, cheated, made lives miserable for other students. That sort of thing,”   “So, what changed?” Barbara asked.   “Princess Twilight Sparkle is what changed. She was a unicorn that Celestia took as her own student not too long after my fall from grace. She and her friends had been helping save Equestria from all sorts of different threats before she eventually ascended to becoming an alicorn.”   “You hated her, didn’t you?” Pamela guessed.   “Like you wouldn’t believe. Celestia replaced me so quickly and she gained everything that I thought was destined for me. Now, I wasn’t just sitting idly by at Canterlot High, satisfied with my life at this point. I always planned on returning to Equestria to prove Celestia wrong about me, and Twilight’s coronation was my chance.   “I used the mirror in the courtyard of the school to return to Equestria, where I snuck into the castle and stole Twilight’s crown, the symbol of much of her power, and returned back to Canterlot High. Of course, there was a problem: The crown accidently got ahead of me and was mistaken for the Fall Formal crown, so it was out of my reach for the time being,”   “Hmm, didn’t think someone like you would make a mistake like that, after everything you’ve said so far,” Pamela said.   Sunset blushed. “Well, looking back, it was a blessing in disguise. Of course, at the time, I just saw it as a slight deviation to the plan. All I needed to do was win the Fall Formal and it would be mine again. I was sure I was going to win, but the only thing I didn’t truly count on was Twilight following me to Canterlot High.”   “She did? That must have taken a lot of courage to jump into the unknown like that. For all she knew, you could have been lying in wait for her,” Barbara said. “Yeah, well,” Sunset continued. “Twilight followed me and she had a bit of a rough going upon her arrival, but she clearly figured things out. She managed to reunite the human version of her friends; who I had broken apart with my lies and rumors sometime before. With their help, she managed to pull an upset on me and won the Fall Formal and the crown.”   “I was livid.  All my carefully laid plans ruined just like that. I went outside and threatened to destroy the mirror if she didn’t give me the crown. To my surprise, she was willing to be stuck at Canterlot High rather than give me the crown. Her pride and noble attitude set me off to no end and I charged her. In the scuffle, I got the crown.”   Pamela watched as Sunset looked down with a deeply shameful look on her face. Clearly the story was making her remember things that she would rather forget.   “Sunny, if you don’t want to finish the story, we understand,” Barbara told her.   “No, I need to finish this. I got the crown and placed it on my head, then,” Sunset then swallowed. “I turned into a monster, a she-demon. My powers were amplified, and I used it to hypnotize most of the school; a slave army that I would use to return to Equestria and probably destroy it.” Both Pamela and Barbara were shocked to hear this. Pamela especially since it was almost exactly what she had been doing hours before.   “I tried to kill Twilight and the human versions of her friends, but discovered my attacks had no effect on them. Instead, Twilight was able to connect to the power of her crown and she and her friends unleashed a rainbow of harmony against me.”   Sunset sighed. “I should’ve died that night, but I didn’t. I was convinced that I was so evil inside that the rainbow would destroy me. Instead, I found myself stripped of my powers, for a time at least.”   “So that’s why you said you had been down this path before,” Pamela said.   Sunset nodded. “I woke up at the bottom of a crater, and I expected Twilight to either gloat or turn me over to the police or something. But like the true princess of friendship she was, she held out her hand and offered to be my friend.   “Twilight gave me a second chance when I clearly didn’t deserve it. I’ve done my best to try and make up for that and make good on that offer. Thanks to her, I’m the person you see today,” Sunset concluded.   “Sunny,” Barbara spoke up. “Thanks for trusting us with this. Look, don’t think for a second that we’re going to see you differently now that you’ve told us this. You either, Pam. You’re both my best friends, and I don’t care that you either went she-demon or plant crazy, you’re still the same people I became friends with. We should leave this in the past and move on from it.”   Pamela nodded. “I agree, I want to put all this behind us and just go back to being friends again.”   Sunset started to tear up. “Girls…thank you. You’re the best.”   “You’re more than welcome, Sunny,” Pamela said before she felt tired and yawned. She glanced at the clock and saw it was already one-thirty in the morning. “Shoot, we should probably get some sleep.”   “Yeah,” Barbara yawned too. “I’m getting tired. You can finish that story about how you got here tomorrow, okay, Sunny?”   “No problem, night, girls,” Sunset said before she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.   Pamela did the same as she rolled over in the bed, grateful to know that she still had her friends.   “You certainly weren’t kidding about her when you told me all this, Sunset,” Zatanna said as she sat next to Barbara on the couch in Sunset’s apartment.   When morning came, Pamela’s mother was true to her word and came to pick her up from the hospital. Of course, Sunset still had stay close to her just to keep the illusion spell up while Barbara certainly wasn’t just going to stay behind, even if her mother was about to get off work.   The main problem came with how exactly Sunset was going to be able to get away from Pamela so she could find a permanent solution for her. Thankfully, Sunset simply asked if Pamela and Barbara could head over to her apartment, and Pamela’s mother agreed.   After heading over there, Sunset asked for Pamela and Barbara to remain at her apartment while she went to find an answer to their problem. It didn’t take long for a solution as only five minutes later, Sunset returned with Zatanna. It was taking a lot for Barbara not to go all fangirl again in her presence.   “I’m sorry that we had to meet under these circumstances, Miss Zatara,” Pamela apologized. “I’d much rather we met thanks to Sunset letting us come backstage for one of your shows or something.”   Zatanna gave her a kind smile. “Don’t feel the need to apologize. I’m more than happy to help, and at the very least, it’s nice to finally meet you. Sunset has told me nothing but good things about you for the past several months.”   “That’s good to hear,” Pamela muttered as she looked away. Barbara guessed that she still felt somewhat guilty, despite what had been said.   “So, anyways, if you’re here, Zatanna, I’m guessing you already have a solution?” Barbara asked.   “We do,” Sunset answered. “All I had to do was tell her what had happened, and she immediately had the perfect solution in mind.”   “Well, I did, but we still had to pass along the idea to Fate since he had the answer amongst his things,” Zatanna said.   “Fate?” Pamela asked.   “He’s another magic user like Zatanna, he’s got a vast library and archive of magical objects,” Sunset explained.   “And he has the solution to your little appearance problem, Pamela,” Zatanna then leaned over and started to dig through a bag that she had brought with her. Barbara had to guess since Zatanna knew actual magic, that bag was way bigger on the inside since it was taking Zatanna a little longer than normal to find what she was looking for.   “Hold on a moment, it’s in here somewhere,” she said before the look on her face said she found it. She pulled her hand out of the bag and showed she was holding some sort of necklace.   The necklace was a small emerald green brooch that was carved into the shape of a diamond, and was half engulfed in a thin silver coat on the backside, framing the emerald with a small border. Finally, the least eye-catching thing about it was that it was on a simple leather string. To Barbara, it looked somewhat fake or at the very least something cheap you could find at the mall.   “What is that?” Barbara asked.   “This, Barbara, is the Necklace of Naamiointi. This is the answer to your problem, Pamela,” Zatanna said.   “How so?” Pamela wondered.   “Well, for starters, this necklace will grant its wearer the appearance of anything they desired, which it your case would probably be your normal appearance before your mutation,” Zatanna explained.   “Where exactly did you find this thing?” Pamela asked another question as Zatanna handed her the necklace.   “This has been used throughout history, for sinister reasons as you can probably guess. Assassinations, spreading lies, causing nations to go to war with one another.”   “You’re trusting me with this?” Pamela handed back to the necklace to Zatanna. “After what I’ve done, I don’t know.”   “Pam,” Barbara stood up and walked over to Pamela. “Don’t go blaming yourself once more, okay? It’s all in the past now and we should move on from it.”   “Barb’s right, Pam. Like I told you girls before, I was a terrible person in the past, but I’ve moved forward and become a better person for it,” Sunset said.   “Told them the story, did you?” Zatanna said.   “About how I was the biggest jerk to walk the halls of Canterlot High? Yeah, I did.”   Barbara watched as Zatanna held out the necklace for Pamela once more. She took a deep breath and took it. She closed her eyes as she placed the necklace around her neck and within a few moments, she slowly began to change back into her old self.   “Did it work?” Pamela asked as she kept her eyes closed. A second later, she opened one eye and looked down to see that it worked. “Well, that’s a relief,”   “Yeah, you don’t need me to be within a couple of feet of you anymore,” Sunset said.   “At least until Batman finds a cure for you,” Barbara added.   “Might not take that long, he was able to cure vampirism in short time.” Both Barbara and Pamela suddenly looked at Sunset with weird looks. “Remember the Lost Ones a few months ago? Vampires.”   “I swear, it feels like you’re teasing us by not telling these stories,” Pamela chuckled.   A moment later, a beeping sound filled the air as Barbara saw Sunset pull out her communicator. “Hmm, he may be faster than I thought,” Sunset said.     The girls said their goodbyes to Zatanna before Sunset led them to where Batman wanted to meet them. Sunset had to guess he made some sort of progress with the cure since he asked her to bring along Pamela.   The three of them were once again sitting around on the roof of a building while watching the bustling life of Gotham continue in the distance.   “I’ve always admired the city for its building style,” Barbara said as she looked off in the distance. “The whole Art Deco architecture of the skyline, it’s nice, especially when the sun practically glows off it.”   “Could always use a bit more green though,” Pamela gave a small smile as she joked.   “I swear, I wish I could take you to Equestria, Pam, you would absolutely love it,” Sunset said.   “Just from the way you describe it, I probably would. By the way, you said you were trying to find a way back?”   “Yes, I’ve been meditating and trying to explore the multiverse for either Equestria or Canterlot High, but so far, I haven’t got anywhere close to it. I only found universes similar to this one.”   “It’s like finding a needle in a haystack, huh?” Barbara guessed.   “I won’t give up though, but I wish I could find a way soon. I want to try and make sure to tell the human Twilight that I’m okay,” Sunset sighed.   “I’m sure she’ll be okay. After everything you told us, she’s got some great friends to help her in your absence,” Pamela said.   “I hope you’re right about that, Pam.”   “Ah, there you are,” the girls turned their head to see Batman landing on the roof and walking towards them. “I’m guessing you found a solution for Pamela’s appearance?”   Sunset stood up and nodded. “Yes, Zatanna came through for us and gave Pamela that necklace.”   “I don’t have my glasses anymore, but I did tell my mother that I wanted to use contacts from now on, so that should keep my improved eyesight a secret,” Pamela explained.   “Just so long as you don’t put them in,” Barbara chuckled as she gave Pamela a nudge.   “Anyways,” Batman said. “You should be happy to know that I’ve actually developed a cure for you, Miss Isley.”   Sunset could see Pamela’s eyes widen. “Wha- already? That was fast.”   “It wasn’t too difficult. Thanks to both your blood sample, an earlier one I found, as well as the chemical structure of Chloromulch, I was able to isolate and discover a way to purify your body of its mutation,” Batman then held her a small green vial. “All you have to do is ingest it. Fair warning, you will feel sick for a few days as your body works with the cure to treat the mutation.”   Sunset watched as Pamela took the vial, held it in her hands and stared at it. She stood there and kept looking at it for almost fifteen whole seconds before she sighed and gave the vial back to Batman.   “Um, if it’s alright with you, Batman, I’d like to hold up on that offer,” Pamela said, much to the surprise of everyone present. “I think…I think I want to keep these powers, for the time being at least,”   “Why?” Barbara asked as she stood up.   “Look, I still feel horrible about what I did last night, and even with everything you told me, Sunny, it doesn’t feel like that’s enough,” she held open her hand and a few cherry blossoms bloomed in it.   Pamela gave a small smile before a more determined look crossed her face. “I want to have a chance to make up for my mistakes, and I’m going to use my newfound powers for good in order to make amends.”   “Hold on a second,” Sunset said. “Are you trying to say you want to take up crime fighting like me?”   Pamela nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m suggesting. I’m not the biggest believer of fate or destiny, but I suspect that might be the reason why I’m not actually dead right now; that I’m destined to use these powers to try and help Gotham, like you do, Sunny.”   Everyone was quiet for the next few moments. Sunset was contemplating Pamela’s idea. On one hand, she believed that Pamela should just take the cure and go back to normal; leave the dangerous fighting to Sunset alone.   On the other hand, though, Pamela was showing quite determination on going through with it. She probably would do just that anyways, no matter what Batman or she said. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt to have another hand helping in crime fighting and Pamela’s powers would give her quite the edge.   “I think she should do it,” Sunset finally said. She looked over and while it was hard to tell with the cowl on, she could guess that Batman was giving her a questioned look. “She’ll have to get some training, of course, but if she’s determined to do this, then I say we should let her.”   “Besides, you can just use that cure on me in case I lose my way again,” Pamela added. Sunset could see she was happy to see her friend supporting her.   Batman looked like he was about to say something before Barbara walked up between her two friends and placed her arms over Sunset and Pamela’s shoulders.   “Hey, if Pam is going to go out and kick some bad guys to the curb, then so am I!” Barbara declared. Once more, Sunset was surprised to hear what her friend said. “Listen, I know I wasn’t the greatest of help last night, but all I need is some practice. Trust me, Batwoman will be soaring high and putting criminals in their place!”   Sunset was about to argue before changing her mind and nodded. “I hate to admit it, but Barb does make a point. Besides, if it wasn’t for her, I have a feeling that I wouldn’t have gotten through to Pam while trying to save Commissioner Gordon at the same time.”   “I think that might be a good idea,” Pamela said. “It would be better for Gotham if Alicorn had help from Poison Ivy and Batgirl.”   Sunset smirked as she glanced over and saw the frustrated look on Barbara’s face as she turned to Pamela.   “No, hang on there, it’s not Batgirl, it’s Batwo- actually, never mind. I guess Batgirl is fine,” Barbara sighed. “For the time being anyways,” Sunset heard her mumble that last part. “Of course, I’ll be sure to train hard next to Pam, that is, if you won’t tell my dad about me.”   Sunset watched as Batman glanced out towards the city as he looked to be in deep thought. He took Pamela’s cure and put it back into his utility belt before pulling out his grappling hook.   “Well, not every child gets the opportunity to not only save their best friend, but also rescue their parent,” he said. “Nor does every girl get the power to control nature and put them to good use.” He then launched the hook before swinging off the building and heading back towards the city.   “So, I’m confused,” Barbara said as she took her arms off Sunset and Pamela. “Is that a yes or a no?”   Sunset chuckled. “Hard to tell with him, but I think that’s about as close to getting a yes from him in my experience. Come on, let’s head back to my place and talk about it more before we truly decide to go through with it.”   “Yeah, we should take the time to come up with a cool super-heroine team name!” Barbara said with much enthusiasm.   “I think I’ve already got one in mind,” Pamela said as they started walking to the stairs. “How does the Young Amazons sound to you girls?”