//------------------------------// // Chapter 12: An Agent's Full Potential // Story: A Dazzling Return (#3) // by LightningStar626 //------------------------------// Chapter 12: An Agent's Full Potential. ~After soaring halfway over the city, Lightning Star looks down to figure out what warehouse the Dazzlings and the Rainbooms might be. She squinted, searching the buildings and around them for a abandoned warehouse.~ "Where are they hiding…?" She asked herself. ~Lightning suddenly spots a small glow a few seconds later coming from a dinghy storage facility.~ "Bingo. Found them." ~After looking left and right, Lightning floated down to the ground slowly and made sure no one saw her. She stopped by in an alleyway between the warehouse and the building next door to it and stayed deathly quiet. She ducked down and started to lightly skulk in the alley to find a window. Suddenly, a thump sounds from around the corner. Lightning flattened herself to the wall to hide. Once she saw a shadow approaching her, she assumed it was one of the Dazzlings, so she leapt and pounced on them. She sat on top of their stomach and pinned them down. Lightning glared and was about to attack, but then she saw who it was.~ "What the…?" "Ahh! Wait! Don't hurt me! I'm not looking for any trouble! Well, actually, I-" "Karly, it's me!" "Lightning?" ~Lightning quickly stood up and let Karly breathe for a minute. She then gave her her hand and helped her get back on her feet. They looked at each other with round eyes.~ "What are you doing here?" Lightning asked. "I could ask you the same thing." Karly replied. "Well, I'm here to save the Rainbooms, what about you?" "I'm also here to save the Rainbooms." Lightning darted her eyes down and left in confusion. "Oh. But-" "Look. I-I saw you run past my door, then I saw my wrist calm flash, so I figured the girls were in trouble." Karly said. "So, you also snuck out?" "Yes. I asked to go to the bathroom, then I teleported out of there." "Ooh! Look at this rebel right here! Ditching her exam!" Lightning smiled and playfully punched Karly's arm. "Hey! You are here too! You also ditched outta the exam!" "I know I did. For a reason." "Saving the Rainbooms!" Both Lightning and Karly exclaimed. "Exactly, we can't lose our new agents and friends already." Lightning said, shaking her head. "And let the world be shredded by the Dazzlings." Karly added while shrugging. "So, let's go and get 'em!" ~Lightning and Karly crept up along the rocky wall until they stumbled across a shattered window. The problem was that it was pretty high up and it was tight to squeeze through without cutting themselves on the glass, but the two believed they could get through.~ "Give me a boost." Karly said to Lightning. ~Lightning gets down on her knees and bends low. Karly gently climbs onto her and coils her arms around her neck. Lightning then stands up and begins to float just feet off the ground so Karly could reach the broken window. She slaps her hands on the wall and carefully climbs in and out the window. She lands inside on her feet safely. Lightning then slips through and begins to step lightly across the warehouse rafters. Karly follows her by crawling. Below them, the three Dazzlings stare at the stolen geodes in awe.~ "Look at them, girls. Aren't they beautiful?" Adagio asked with an evil grin. "They are." Aria nodded slowly. "So, how do they work?" Sonata asked the Rainbooms. "Even if we told you, they wouldn't work for you." Sunset answered. "And why's that?" "Because they are connected to us and only us. Meaning they can't be used by anybody else." "Aww." Sonata frowned. "Remember, Sonata, We don't want the powers, we just want the magic." Adagio reminded her. "Isn't that the same thing though?" Pinkie shrugged. ~Karly glared at the Dazzlings and went to get a better look at them when suddenly the platform she stepped on creaked super loudly. Lightning pulled Karly back and covered her mouth before she made another sound.~ "Did you hear that?" Sonata asked, looking up, down, left and right. "Uh oh…" Lightning whispered. "Calm down, Sonata. It's a warehouse. Warehouses make noise." Aria simply shrugged. ~Lightning and Karly lied deathly still on the rafters as the conversation below them continues.~ "I'm serious! It sounded like...someone walking up there." Sonata pointed up. "It was probably a rat. Don't worry about it." "Rat?!" Rarity shrieked. "Yeah. Rat. Nothing else." Aria said. "Come on, girls, let's stop wasting time now, let's get the magic back!" Adagio smirked. ~Lightning quietly breathed a sigh of relief and released her hand from Karly's mouth.~ "Look, Lightning…" Karly pointed at the Dazzlings and the Rainbooms. Lightning growls in anger. "Yeah, I see them. We have to stop them! And get our friends out. They are not staying another second longer in there if I can help it! So, How do you wanna play this? Go all out or play it stealthy?" "We've got the drop on them. Let's stick to the shadows and take them out one by one." ~Lightning was about to nod and agree with Karly's choice, but it was cut off when they saw a glow. Adagio held Sunset's goede in her hand and watched as the magic went inside of her. Aria and Sonata did the same when they grasped onto the other geodes. After they gained enough, they threw them back onto the crate.~ "That's it...Give us the power!" "No…" Sunset groaned. "We're back, baby!" Sonata cheered. "There's nothing that you can do to stop us now! Say goodbye, Rainbooms!" "Nooo!" Karly screamed, running out of her hiding spot. "So much for playing it stealthily..." Lightning frowned. ~Karly climbs on the railings then drops down behind the Dazzlings. They turn once they hear her and she stops in the middle of the room. Lightning also steps down and out of the shadows to confront the Dazzlings with Karly.~ "Lightning! Karly!" The Rainbooms exclaim. "Let them go, Dazzlings!" Lightning demanded. Adagio groaned. "You two? Shouldn't you be in your exam? Ugh, How many times must you come to the rescue?" "Until you leave them alone. For good. Right, Agent Star?" Karly smirked. She nodded. "Right, Agent Crystal. Get ready for a fight, it doesn't look like these sirens are gonna surrender peacefully.." "I'm ready." "Bring it." Sonata taunted. "Guys, watch out! They've got magic again!" Rainbow warned. ~The Dazzlings begin hurling their voices at them, Karly yipes and sets off charging forward, and Lightning follows closely behind her, ducking low from the blast after blast. The two of them push forward together, approaching striking distance of the Dazzlings.~ "Now, it's time to go on offence. I'll follow your lead, Lightning!" "Right! Grab my hand!" ~Karly gives Lightning a knowing nod and clasps her palm. She summons the strength she has and swings the full weight of Karly's body, hurling her through the air toward the Dazzlings. Karly brings her fist forward, slamming into Adagio like a missile. The impact sends Adagio falling back, skidding across the ground. Karly activates her geode and before she lands on the ground, a portal hole appears and she flies into it. Another hole appears above Aria's head and before she notices, Karly lands on top of her and brings her down. Sonata looks with shock at her, suddenly Lightning comes in and knocks her to the ground and puts her with Adagio. The three Dazzlings pile up together and groan.~ "Whoa..." Aria groaned. "They are good." "Get up, you idiots! We are not finished yet." Adagio scolded. ~Adagio sings and unleashes a relentless torrent of sound waves so big, the girls couldn't dodge or even be shielded from it.~ "Whoa!" "Ahh!" ~The two agents backpedal, gaining some distance. They take a second to regroup, when Karly spots the Rainbooms still locked up.~ "We have to get the Rainbooms out of here! I'll get them, you distract the Dazzlings!" Karly commanded to Lightning. ~Karly launches into a low sprint, then drops to her knees, sliding across the marble towards the cage. She clutches on the bars.~ "Girls, I'm here to help, how do I get you out?" "Get one of our geodes!" Sunset cried. "Which one?" Karly asked. "Any!" Rainbow shouted. ~Karly turns and looks around until she spots the seven glistening geodes laying on top of the crate. She heads straight for them.~ "Not so fast!" ~Adagio turns and swipes at Karly. She runs underneath Adagio and narrowly avoids her grasp.~ "Hey! Don't turn your back on me, Adagio!" Lightning yelled. ~Lightning transforms to her raccoon ears and tail again, lunges forward and grabs Adagio from behind.~ "YEET!" ~She spun on her heels and hefted Adagio off her feet, flinging her several feet in the air. She hits the floor with a thud and rolls across the room and into a stack of crates, smashing them to splinters.~ "I guess 'stop, drop, and roll' doesn't always work!" Lightning said smugly. "She is not on fire, Lights." Karly said softly. "Yeah, but she might as well be since she's got a fiery temper." ~Adagio climbs to her feet, seething with anger.~ "That's it! Time to end this!" "Adagio!" "What?!" ~Sonata points behind and Adagio turns her head to see Karly making it to the crate where the geodes laid. She glares and marches toward Karly with purpose her entire body glowing bright red. Lightning activates her power and goes to warn Karly but Aria grabs around her ankle and pulls her to the ground, she whines in pain and falls on one of her knees, then on her stomach, arms underneath.~ "Karly, look out!" Lightning yelled. "Huh?" ~Karly turns and widens her eyes to just see Adagio coming down onto her, grinning as well.~ "Whoa!" ~Karly sidesteps Adagio's attack, her fist slamming into the floor with enough force to shatter concrete. Karly pants then looks at her hand to see a geode in her hand, but she didn't have the time to look better at it to see which one it was, because Adagio was right over her. She glares then makes a run to the Rainbooms.~ "Sonata, help me get her! Aria, keep her occupied." Adagio ordered. "Alright..." Aria said. ~Aria nodded and continued to securely hold Lightning down on the floor. Lightning's arms were pinned underneath her own body, so she couldn't lift them up. They started to gradually hurt since Aria kept pushing down on her and the floor was rough and scaly. Lightning tried to hold back a whine of pain.~ "What's the matter, Lightning? Did that beating take more of a toll on you than you thought?" Aria gloated. "No! I just...need you to...Stop squeezing my arms down!" Lightning shouted in pain. "Lightning!" Karly gasped. ~Karly stops in her tracks and goes to instead help her best friend. But, she stops right where she was to see Sonata lunge at her. She tried to move away, but she attacks with frightening speed. Sonata pins Karly on the ground and the geode flies out of Karly's hand in a random direction. Karly looks up and sees Sonata about to pound her head in, she shut her eyes, bracing herself, but when she opened them, she was unharmed...and a diamond shield stood before her between her and Sonata!~ "What...?"