//------------------------------//
// Chapter 11: Help Us! 
// Story: A Dazzling Return (#3) 
// by LightningStar626 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 11: Help Us!

~A dummy's head was punched clean off, the walls were scaled and magic was being blasted everywhere. Everyone was lively and ready for anything.~

"Ok, girls, now that we've warmed up, let's move on to the final 3 techniques." Twilight prompted.

"Yes!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Finally! The most awesome techniques!"

"Also, the hardest ones." Sunset reminded her.

"Right…"

"Let's quit talkin' and start practisin' then!" Applejack smiled.

"Yeah-I don't think so!" said a voice.

~The Rainbooms turned to see the Dazzlings by the stairs of the hideout, they frowned and causally stared at them.~

"Not again…" Sunset groaned.

"I'm starting to get real tired of you guys constantly showing up so you can fight us!" Rainbow rebuked.

"We have some unfinished business." Adagio folded her arms.

"We want to speed this thing along now, especially since we don't want you learning those specific skills yet." Sonata answered.

"You have nowhere to run or hide either here. And your little protectors won't be here either."

"We don't need Lightning and Karly! We got this!" Rainbow believed.

"We know 15 skills and have magic. How can't we lose this time?" Pinkie shrugged.

"We know all 18 skills and their strengths and weaknesses." Aria said.

"But...no magic." Sonata frowned.

"Not for much longer." Adagio grinned. "Don't disappoint me, girls."

"Don't worry...We won't." Rainbow randomly answered.

"I wasn't talking to you-"

"Let's get them, y'all!" Applejack yelled out.

~Rainbow Dash ran straight at Adagio, jumping over the table with one fist extended to pound her face in. But, before she could make contact, Adagio's left hand shoots up between Rainbow's fist and her face, catching it in mid-air and immediately halting her running.~

"What the?-"

"I have to say...Now, I am disappointed in you. I suppose we'd better make this quick."

~With just a flick of her wrist, Adagio generates enough force to send Rainbow flying across the room. She slammed into the wall of the hideout, cracking the stone and sliding down to rest in a crumpled heap on the floor.~

"Rainbow Dash!" Her friends exclaim.

"Wow. That felt magnificent. Devil really did help us after all. He still is an idiot though. But that excitement and thrill of fighting without using magic. I feel strangely powerful."

"You tend to get a lot stronger when you fight…" Aria grinned.

~Rainbow struggled to pick herself up off the ground, her whole body was aching.~

"You'll pay for that!"

"I'd like to see you try."

~Rainbow Dash glared then fainted. The rest of the Rainbooms stood in front of her.~

"Pinkie, Fluttershy, you two take care with Sonata. Applejack, Rarity, you deal with Aria. Twilight and I will handle Adagio." Sunset said.

~They all nodded with that plan. They all stretched their arms and beat their fists, the Dazzlings did too before they collided into battle. Applejack leaned forwards and pushed away from the ground, taking flight after Aria. Dropping down, she and Rarity cornered her. As they closed in, she reaches to her waist. She draws a blaster and levels it at Applejack's chest.~

"Good thing I kept this after our mishap with Devil."

"Oh no!" Rarity screamed.

~Applejack clasps onto the blaster and squeezes. Metal creaks as she crumples the weapon in her hand. Aria's eyes go wide as she tosses the useless lump of metal aside.~

Applejack smugged. "Now what are you going to do?"

"This."

~Her eyes suddenly crouch down and she moves her hands and arms like snakes. Then, without warning, Aria hit both Applejack and Rarity in the forehead with her palms and knocked them to the ground. Applejack and Rarity's eyes both go fuzzy and they couldn't focus properly.~

"What was that?!" Rarity exclaimed.

"That was the Corba Palm! Argh…" Applejack answered while groaning.

~Applejack and Rarity rubbed their strained eyes but then Aria knocked them both out with a single punch.~

"Three down, four to go." She smiled.

~Aria turned to see her younger sister, Sonata fight Fluttershy and Pinkie. All three stood their ground and prepared for the first attack.~

"Fluttershy, you hit her high...And I'll hit her low!" Pinkie said firmly.

"Ok...Got it…!"

~Fluttershy aims at Sonata's chest as Pinkie goes to tackle her legs. Sonata dug her heels, resisting her. Pinkie pushed, fighting to wrestle her off her feet.~

"Won't be that easy!" Sonata laughed.

~She grabs Fluttershy's wrist before she embedded her chest and yanks her arm above her head, sending her hurtling backwards into Pinkie. Then, Sonata closes in and grabs Pinkie and pulls her away from Fluttershy.~

"Hey!"

"Pinkie!" Sunset called.

~Sunset watched in fear as Sonata threw Pinkie, spun around and kicked her in the chest and into Fluttershy in rapid perfection.

"That was the Spring kick!" Twilight pointed. "A powerful kick that will make your opponents' chest sting for hours."

"Owwie…" Pinkie groaned, clutching her chest.

"Ohh...Pinkie!" Fluttershy gasped and groaned.

~Fluttershy went to take a look at Pinkie's injury, but was stopped by a blue laser to the head. She clenched her shoulders then fell to the ground unconscious. Sonata aimed her blaster at her.~

"I got two more!" Sonata waved.

"Excellent, Sonata." Adagio nodded.

"No!"

~Sunset grew mad and ran at Adagio. Twilight looked with shock. Sunset threw a punch at Adagio and made her backpedal, but it wasn't good enough. Sunset called for Twilight and she nodded and helped her swarm around Adagio.~

"Come on, Twilight, we can't lose!" Sunset struggled.

"I'm trying! But they know everything and the strengths and weaknesses while we don't!"

"Lights out, Rainbooms!" Adagio said aloud.

~Adagio wrestled free from her attackers and dispatched them with two solid uppercuts. Sunset and Twilight fell back. Twilight was able to stay on her feet, but Sunset did not. She banged her head on the wall and fell down. Her eyes began to droop and she painfully looked up. Twilight went to check on her but she was suddenly grabbed and knocked out cold with a blaster by Aria. The last thing Sunset saw and heard was Pinkie calling out to her for help and Adagio laughing.~

"Sunset….!"

"Hahahahaha!"

~Then, the whole world goes black.~





~Sunset slowly comes to in a large cage made of clean, white metal. She groaned and sat up to see the rest of her friends with her too. Twilight looked like she's about to have a nervous breakdown, Rainbow and Applejack were pounding on the bars, and Fluttershy was sitting down, head against the bars, face very frightened. Rarity and Pinkie were doing all they could to comfort her.~

"Twilight…?"

"Sunset! You're awake finally."

"Where are we?"

"Ah, you're awake...I was worried I'd knocked you out for good."

~Everyone looks up to see Adagio Dazzle smiling down at them through the bars.~

"There, that oughta hold you. Can't have you spoiling the fun when we make everyone in the world adore us."

"What are you talking about? Let us out of here!" Rainbow demanded.

"Let yourselves out." Aria grinned. "You have magic, remember?"

"Gladly."

~Rainbow was about to lay a finger on her geode but she didn't feel it on her neck. She looked down and noticed it was gone. The other girls also looked at their necks and saw they were bare too.~

"Looking for these?" Sonata asked, holding the seven geodes in her hand.

"Give those back!" Twilight demanded.

"Sorry. But we need them." Adagio laughed. "Your magic is now our magic. And there's nothing you can do about it."

"Nothing 'we' can do about it." Sunset whispered.

~Sunset threw her arms behind her back and secretly started to mess about with her wrist calm. She looked behind her and then activated a code black.~





~In one of the classes of Pixel High school, Lightning was deep in thought with her exam in front of her. She had only half time to go. She was about to answer another question and thump her head on the table when suddenly, she heard something beep three times. She looked over to where her stuff was and into her jacket pocket to see her wrist calm flashing the colour black. She gasped and immediately ran over to check it out. Vice Principal Shelly looked up from her desk to see Lightning do just that.~

"Lightning, what are you doing?" She asked.

Lightning looked at her and began to sweat. "Um...My watch bleeped. It's got irritating…I'm just gonna turn it off."

"You actually shouldn't have that on. Your watch is a smartwatch, therefore, it can give you information. Give it to me, I'll turn it off."

"Ok...I also have to leave the exam for a minute."

"Why?"

"I...have anxiety, so I need a breather outside."

"Lightning, you have been here for 5 years, not once have you had anxiety. Just continue with your exam."

~Lightning shamefully handed her wrist calm to the Vice and sat back down. She began to sweat even more, not from the embarrassment and attention she brought on herself, but the fact that the Rainbooms were in danger and she was the only one that can save them. She had to find a way to get out of the exam. She shoots her hand up.~

"Vice Principal Shelly." She waved.

"Yes?" Shelly raised a brow.

"I...have to go to the bathroom!" Lightning answered.

"Alright, but we are going to have to send a member of the staff with you and you can't go with your jacket."

"I have to go alone."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that. Ok, honestly, it doesn't look like you need to go, just sit back down and finish the exam."

~Lightning slumps on her chair once again begins to get antsy. If she doesn't leave, the world will be over. She takes a deep breath and slowly walks up to the Vice's desk.~

"Vice Principal Shelly, please. I have to leave, ok." Lightning begged.

"Why? Tell me the truth this time."

Lightning cringed a little but then sighed. "...My friends are in danger." She answered truthfully and suddenly. "They have been captured by a trio of mythical beasts called sirens from another world. And they will take over the world if I don't make it to them and my friends in time. So, please, for the sake of the world, let me go."

"Honestly, Lightning, you could at least make a believable excuse. For the last time, sit back down and finish your work."

~Lightning growled and stomped back to her desk, but once she got back down, she noticed the door wide open. Suddenly, she decided to do something unthinkable. In a flash, Lightning slammed her hands on the table and bolted out the door. It alerted everyone and the Vice got out of her seat and tried to reach the door first to block Lightning's escape, but she was much faster. Shelly poked her head around the door to see Lightning already too far away for her to catch up.~

"Huh? Lightning Star, get back here this instant!"

~She couldn't hear her. Lightning kept running and never looked back. In another room, Karly Crystal was in the middle of her exam. She looked confident and was about to jot down another answer until she heard footsteps and saw Lightning jolt past the door of the room she was in. She was at first shocked, then she crouched her brows and sensed something was up.~