//------------------------------// // But Not Like This // Story: The Multiverse in a Nutshell // by Pennington Inkwell //------------------------------// Sunset sighed as she looked around the cold metal hallway she and Blake had found themselves in. They had descended far into the belly of the colosseum, dragging their bound enemy behind them. They'd been following the signage rather easily to head further and further down, past "employees only" signs and through locked doors (which Blake had made short work of) until they were unable to get any further down. They'd made at least three circuits around the circular hall, but there had been no sign of any way further down. "It doesn't look like Missy's down here. Do you think we were wrong?" Blake asked. "I think you're right," Sunset muttered, casting a glance back at their unwilling tagalong. "Sure would help if SOMEONE was a little more cooperative..." Neo simply gave them another angry glare, either refusing or unable to speak. Sunset felt a little less bad about that one time she accidentally dropped her down a set of stairs. "Well, we can't stay here all day, we need to get out of here and get the word out about that bomb!" Sunset sighed, taking a moment to glance down at her phone. Still no bars... Guess Isis wasn't exaggerating about the signal getting jammed. "You're right. I hate to say it, but maybe we should split up. One of us can go back to the airship to get out an SOS, and the other one can keep searching here." "But what about the White Fang? We could run into-" Blake cut herself off, glancing down for a moment as if ashamed. "We could run into someone... It's safer to stay together." Sunset tried to think carefully about the situation, but the more she did, the more she came to a realization. "Blake, we have two missions, now, both running on the same limited clock. And there are two of us." She reached out, placing her hand on Blake's shoulder. "Go save your world. I'll handle tracking down our friend from another world." Blake looked torn, glancing between her and the way back upstairs. With a defeated sigh, she looped the ribbon over her blade and sliced it off before passing the torn end to her. She gave Sunset a steely look, her gold eyes almost seeming to glow with determination. "Stay. Safe. I'll bring back the team." Sunset nodded, watching Blake sprint away and leave her alone with their silent prisoner. She looked down at Neo, thinking over what she wanted to do versus what she needed to do. She stepped over her, their eyes locking. Time to put on the old "bully" hat again... "Look. It seems to me like you either can't talk, or won't. Fine." She stepped over, planting her boot firmly on the other girls chest and leaning down until nearly her entire weight was on top of the petite girl. "I can work with that." She reached down, pressing one hand against the girl's cheek while her other held her geode. Sunset sifted through her memories, spotting the one she wanted: a chase, and hardly a sporting one. Four of them hunting down and exterminating the Ghostrick monsters one at a time. The most ruthless of them was Cinder, her bow and arrows making quick work of most of them. Missy was the last one left, ducking and weaving out of sight. Sunset watched from Neo's perspective as she came flying down the hall, crashing through one of Neo's illusions and collapsing to the floor. She could only watch as Neo wound back with her umbrella like a golf club, bashing it against Missy's head and knocking her unconscious. Sunset was furious, so angry she wanted to scream. But she pressed onward. Once she was captured, Cinder left, taking one of the others with her. She watched them debate what to do with her, since she hadn't shattered and vanished like the rest. Finally, they'd dragged her downstairs, taking the same path she and Blake did, right up until this point, then... Down one more stairwell, into a huge storage room at the bottom of the colosseum, packed to the brim with dust. They'd tied her up, gagged her, and set her beside a large device that had to be the bomb. Sunset let go, returning back to the present. She scowled at Neo, taking a deep breath to try and steady herself. "You enjoyed doing that to her... You ENJOYED IT!" Neo looked confused for a moment, then feigned concern and shock in a mocking manner. Maybe I should give her a taste of her own medicine! Sunset throught, growling as she pulled back her leg and readied herself to deliver a blow to the other girl's head. She stood there for a moment, trying to bring herself to do it, telling herself she deserved it... "I've got more important things to do." She lowered her leg, snatching the end of the ribbon and continuing to drag Neo along the floor. She followed the memories she had seen, finding herself staring at a blank wall. She reached down and drew her lightsaber, jabbing it into the wall point-first and shattering the illusion. Almost instantly, an unfamiliar voice cried out, followed by a dark blur. "Ha-HAH!" Sunset felt a heavy blow land on her stomach, throwing her across the hall and completely disorienting her. When her vision finally cleared, she could see a stranger giving her a maniacal grin as he adjusted a pair of wrist-mounted blades. He was tall and lanky, with long dark hair pulled back in a braid. Sunset could tell that this adversary was different. Everything about him exuded confidence, and the way he was staring at her was a mix of hunger and glee, as if he were a starving predator finally let off of his leash. She staggered back to her feet, trying to formulate a plan as he seemed to be letting her catch her breath. These blows are landing harder and harder. My aura is going to run out soon, if it hasn't already. "At last, we meet! The girl from another world, in the flesh! My lady has been watching you for some time now with great interest!" He knows? "Who are you?" "Who I am matters very little, Sunset Shimmer! What matters is that the one whom I serve has asked me to deliver you to her! And so deliver, I shall!" Sunset's eyes widened as fear gripped at her stomach. "You... you're with Cinder, aren't you?" The thought seemed to entertain him. "HA! Cinder is nothing but a messenger of our organization! A pawn serving at the command of our queen! A mere child serving divinity!" She could feel the rage building up into an explosion. Her blood was boiling in her veins and there was a tremble in her limbs from the barely-restrained anger threatening to overtake her. Just as it was about to overwhelm her, she heard Weiss's voice in the back of her mind. It was a memory from early in her training, when she had thrown the saber across the room after her sixth time failing the first set of targets. "You need to let your weapon become an extension of yourself. If you are angry at the targets, then your weapon will be, as well. Emotion can be a powerful motivator, but you have to CHANNEL it into your blade, not your arm! Sunset's grip on her lightsaber tightened. She straightened her posture, rising up into her first position. The boiling of the anger settled as she focused herself. She visualized the heat of it gathering in her chest, then flowing down her arm and into the handle of the blade. "But you know where my friend is, don't you?" "The nervous little fellow prone to fainting spells?" He waved dismissively. "He was entertaining for a short time, but-" Sunset leaped forward, trying to strike at him while he was distracted. He was ready for her, ducking down and clasping his hands together. He brought his hands up and into her stomach, lifting her up and into the air over him. Sunset tried and failed to adjust herself in the air, only able to bring her arm up to protect her face as she collided with the stairs behind him. Crunch! The world was a haze of pain and red as she tumbled head over heels down the stairs, landing in a heap at the bottom. Above her, she could hear him cackling with glee. "Oh my, it appears that the sun set a bit less gracefully today, didn't it?" Sunset's arm was broken. Even if she hadn't felt it happen, she could tell just by the odd bend in the middle of her forearm. The pain hadn't started, yet, but she knew she had only a few short seconds before it did. Thankfully, instinct had prompted her to protect herself with her arm that wasn't holding her lightsaber, which meant that her sword arm was still intact. She forced herself back onto her feet, letting her injured arm hang limply at her side as it began to throb painfully in time with her racing heartbeat. "What do you want with me?" "Oh, it isn't about what I want, it's what Lady Salem desires! And all I know of that is that she commanded you to be brought, and I will do so gladly!" He descended the stairs with a smile, tilting his head in an exaggerated motion of staring at her arm. "Oh dear, she DID say that she wanted you in one piece... do you think broken bones count? I suppose not, providing they stay inside your body." The pain of her arm was beginning to dilute her rage, leaving a path for a new thought to occur to her. "Wait... if I go with you, will you take me to the same place you took Penn?" "Of course! Those are my orders, after all! I give you my word!" He gave a deep bow. Sunset took a moment to glance at her surroundings. She was in the warehouse-like storage area at the bottom of the colosseum. The entire space was crammed nearly to the brim with dust in every way, shape, and form. From entire shipping containers to small briefcases. It looked as if it could be the entirety of the dust from every robbery since she'd arrived. It was more than enough to blow the entire colosseum to bits. In the center area, she could see a large device ticking away, with a familiar duel spirit bound under several layers of ropes and violently struggling. My arm is broken, this guy is clearly just toying with me, and one bad swing of my saber could set off a powder keg the size of a gymnasium! If I could get Missy free, we might stand a chance of getting away, but there's no way I could make it that far before he caught me! If I go willingly... I'm not going to get hurt any more that I already am, and he'll take me straight to Penn. Sunset thought hard, weighing her options before looking back at her tormentor. She turned slightly, pointing towards the bomb with her lightsaber. "Let Missy go, and I'll come with you. No fighting." "Oh, you poor, misguided girl..." The blades on his wrists rotated out, resembling a pair of large scorpion-like pincers. "You say that as if you're under the impression that I don't WANT to fight! NGAHAHAHAHA!" Sunset didn't have time to react as he sprung forward, swiping at her with the blades and a roar of glee. She could only flinch and screw her eyes shut, bracing herself for the pain. The only new pain, however, was the grating in her ears of metal colliding with metal. "She's not going ANYWHERE with you!" Sunset gasped as she opened her eyes. Ruby was crouched protectively in front of her, scythe at the ready. Weiss and Blake were both leaping from the top of the stairwell, flying overhead and landing on either side of her. "Sunset! Are you okay?" Blake asked, eyes wide as her hands hovered just above Sunset's injury, afraid to touch it. "I- I..." Sunset stammered, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm better now." Weiss stood at attention, her rapier at the ready. "You've done exceptionally, Sunset. Catch your breath, it's our turn." "But- but the bomb! Weren't you going to warn everyone?" Blake smiled. "Turns out, Yang's already got it taken care of." She reached onto her back, drawing her sword and narrowing her eyes at the stranger. "We'll hold him off. You go get Missy." Sunset nodded. "Thanks." "Well, it looks as though I can kill two birds with one stone! Sunset Shimmer and Ruby Rose in one place!" Sunset forced herself to ignore his glee, turning her back on the fight and running towards the center of the room. Every step sent more pain stabbing through her broken arm, but she gritted her teeth and forced herself to keep running through it. She gave her saber a quick-and-careful flick as she drew close, slicing through the ropes while only nicking the case of the device underneath. "SUNSET!" Missy didn't hesitate, leaping up and wrapping her arms around Sunset's neck. Sunset's relief managed to outweigh her pain as she switched off her saber and hugged her back with her remaining arm. She could feel a growing wet spot as Missy sobbed into her shoulder. "I-I'm sorry! I'm so SORRY! I wasn't strong enough to stop them! I just got myself captured and I didn't even know it was a trap for you until I saw Tyrian and-" "Shhh... It's okay. It's not your fault..." Sunset whispered, rubbing the poor girl's back as the two of them held each other tight. "You did GREAT, Missy. Nobody would have even known about this if you hadn't been here fighting! You did great... You did great." She pushed herself back onto her feet, carrying Missy's negligible weight along with her. "But I have to ask you for a little more... Can you do anything to help us beat this guy?" Missy shook her head, keeping her face buried in Sunset's shoulder. "I-I used all my cards and energy trying to get away... I can barely fly right now..." Sunset gripped her a little tighter, keeping Missy pressed against her chest. Spirit or not, she really IS just a kid. We need to protect her, too. For now, that means not getting captured. Penn's going to have to wait a little longer. "Okay, in that case, I need you to help me figure out how to defuse this bomb. Think you can do that?" "Can't Isis do that?" Sunset shook her head. "Her signal's being jammed. We're on our own for now." Missy finally let go, floating away enough to wipe the tears from her face and turn towards the device. "O-okay... Let's do this, then..." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There was the explosive sound of a shotgun cartridge being fired as the upper hatchway was blown off of its hinges. Yang clambered her way up through the ladder, finding herself finally inside of the room she had been looking for. Satellite dishes and antennas stood more than twice her height, dutifully doing the work they'd been re-purposed for. She growled and walked towards the nearest dish, punching into an important-looking metal box near its base and tearing a hole into the wiring and circuitry underneath. The dish sparked and groaned, finally turning downwards as it shut off in the face of such catastrophic damage. She grinned and glanced at the drone sitting on her shoulder. "Think you can rinse and repeat, buddy?" The drone didn't speak, simply studying the damage she had inflicted before running down her arm. Multiple panels in the tail opened and a set of tools extended on tiny arms. Yang watched with satisfaction as it went to work, working quickly and with precision. A few seconds later, the dish pointed itself back upwards, humming to life. "WHAT? No, no, no!" Yang reached down, snatching up the drone in her hands and turning it around to look it in the eyes. "BAD drone! Bad! Don't fix, BREAK!" She fired off another round, this time reducing the insides to charred circuit boards and melted metal. The drone watched, tilting its head as if confused with her actions. "Ugh, It's gonna take me FOREVER to break all of these on my own..." she groaned, setting the drone back on her shoulder. "We need to take this whole communications array down so we can stop the signal jamming!" The drone tilted its head again, the crystal in its chest sparking several times. "Orders processed and understood." The drone hopped off of her shoulder, flying its way to the next dish. The tail drilled into the metal box, and with a crackle of electricity, the next dish bowed in defeat. "YES! Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!" Yang punched the air and ran to the nearest antenna, ripping it out of the floor and blasting a bullet into the place it had been mounted. Between the two of them, she hoped it wouldn't take long to bring down the jamming signal and warn the rest of the world about the bomb Ruby had told her about. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It had been almost comical how easy it was for Mercury to sneak into Beacon academy. Stealing a uniform had been child's play, even without "master thief" Emerald, and after that no one had even questioned him. There had been a close call when a group of teachers all came running out the front door, but they'd had no reason to suspect him. Clearly, their little secondary plan with the White Fang was at the very least going to make a solid distraction. The elevator had surrendered to the virus on his scroll almost instantly, carrying him down into the secret chamber beneath Beacon Academy. He let out a low whistle as the doors opened to a massive hall, dimly lit by small sources mounted on the walls. He reached into his pocket, grabbing his scroll and dialing Cinder. "Did you encounter any issues?" "Nope. Everything went smooth as butter. Salem was right about the secret vault under Beacon, too." "Good. Now, let's see if Arthur is as good as his word." Mercury nodded, reaching into his pocket and grabbing the small device Watts had given them before they left. First, he pressed on the nozzle at the top, spraying a mist onto the nearest wall until there was a human-sized blotch of white paint dried in front of him. Satisfied that he had used all of the contents of the pressurized can, he moved on to the button mounted at the center of a large gravity-attribute dust crystal. "He DID promise this thing wouldn't explode, right?" he asked, only half-joking. "I suppose that's a risk we'll have to take." Cinder replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm activating mine now. I'm using the blue setting." "Guess that means I'm using orange..." He cringed and pressed the button. He could only watch as the crystal began to glow and hum. A few seconds later, it collapsed in on itself as the entirety of its power was used up. A second later, a projectile of orange light jumped outwards, colliding with the white splotch on the wall and expanding into a human-sized hole. There was a brief moment of stunned silence before Cinder hummed with satisfaction and stepped through. "I suppose he was correct. For all of its limitations on time, distance, and duration..." She paused as the ten-second timer on the portal ran out, causing it to disperse. "These devices ARE quite useful." Both of their devices burned themselves out with a series of loud pops and a puff of smoke. "Sucks we can only use them once, though..." Mercury muttered, tossing it to the ground and bringing his foot down on top of it. Salem simply smiled and reduced her own to ashes with a look. "Well, they ARE only prototypes. They performed admirably as a proof of concept, I'm certain. Besides, once we have what we came for, there will be no need to be so subtle with our exit." Mercury chuckled. "Yeah. We wait for the big boom and the rest of the world will be so worried about half of Vale being in ruins that we can just waltz on out." "My apologies..." Mercury was instantly on guard, taking up a fighting stance. Even Cinder seemed surprised, the lines in her dress glowing as she readied herself for a fight. They both watched as a hulking figure made its way out of the darkness. It looked like some kind of mechanical dragon, but almost twice as tall as they were and covered in yellow and black armor plating. Its eyes glowed a soft pink, and Mercury's eyes widened as he realized that he recognized the design, though never on this scale: it was just like the little robot dragon that belonged to the guy Torchwick had helped them catch. He had this kind of firepower on his side? Why didn't he USE it? "However, your current course of action is in direct violation of my prime directive. You will cease and desist now, or I shall be forced to retaliate." Cinder, however, simply smiled and reached into her pocket. "I don't think so..." She pressed a button on her scroll, transmitting their Black Queen virus to every device in the vicinity. "In fact, I think you're going to help us." "Negative." There was a whine as Cinder's scroll overloaded, sending sparks everywhere as the screen flickered off. She jumped slightly at the explosion, letting her device clatter to the floor. "I have eradicated and inoculated systems against three thousand, seven hundred, and forty-two previous versions of that virus. I believe you will find that I am not so easily swayed as a less intelligent system. I am quite superior. Again, I urge you to stand down. I have calculated your odds of victory to be twenty-three-point-seven percent at maximum." Cinder scowled, reaching down to a small container of dust at her waist. The lines of her dress glowed as she shaped it into a glassy bow and arrows. "We'll just see about that."