//------------------------------// // Arc XVII Episode VI: Want Love, Need Love // Story: Family Begins With You // by Jmaster49 //------------------------------// “Whatcha mean, yo?” Micro Chips began to explain what had happened moments ago. “As soon as it was time for class…” About ten minutes ago… All of the girls--yes, all of them--including the Sirens and the Rainbooms, had gone mad with hearts in their eyes. They smiled a sadistic, slasher smile from ear-to-ear but didn’t speak a single word. All they did was approach boys…with various items to hold them hostage. “AHHHHHHH!” All of the boys ran out of their classrooms, but ultimately, many were caught. They couldn’t resist the overwhelming magical power of Sunset and her friends--nor the Sirens. Specifically, they used rope and duct tape to capture them all, and take them to the school’s emergency bunker below ground level where they were tied to chairs. It was as if a spell had forced them to go after boys with no other directive. But that wasn’t all. Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna had also come under the effects of the curse, as they were actively attacking each other in an attempt to break down one of the teacher’s locked doors. “That’s insane!” Sandbar gasped, “Didja see Yona? How’d you manage to get away?!” “I was able to escape through one of the school’s fairly unknown secret passageways through the ventilation systems,” Micro explained, “But I can explain more later. Right now, we need to get Sentry to the hospital. That knife wound looks fatal. What caused it?” “...Dreamer-chick…” Sandbar grumbled under his breath, “But she’s gone right now. Let’s get goin’.” Meanwhile, inside… “HELP! Is anyone there?! Hello?!” Rumble shouted into the halls as he was cornered by the Sirens. Adagio, Sonata, and Aria all approached him with large smiles and ghostly giggles slipping through their teeth. Whatever this spell/curse was, it wasn’t going to be easy to break. Even though he was completely helpless, they had no empathy nor comprehension of their actions. Adagio began to pull some duct tape off of a roll, when suddenly… SKRRRT--POOF! A cloud of red smoke appeared, and once it was settled, Rumble had disappeared, leaving the hypnotized Sirens without a target. “Boyyyyyssss….” the trio muttered as they continued their search in a different direction. Once they were clear of the smoke, they continued running and Rumble saw who had come to his rescue. “What the--hey, it’s you!” Keiji looked to his side and shot him his usual, serrated grin. “Guess you could say that. I have no idea what’s happening though…” “I’m just surprised you decided to show up,” Rumble went on, “When I first met you, you def didn’t seem like the kinda guy to stick your neck out for someone else. But time and time again you proved me wrong.” “Yeah, well…I suppose I’m starting to comprehend the value of those I care about--but that’s besides the point. We need’ta get outta here before--” But as soon as they rounded the next corner… SWIPE! Keiji was grabbed up by both arms. “Will you go to the dance with me, Keiji?” a hypnotized Diamond Tiara droned while holding onto his left arm, clutching it to her entire body. “What the--?!” YOINK! Before he could properly react, he felt his left arm snapped up in a similarly strong grip. To his horror, the perpetrator was Silver Spoon! “No way! Pick me! He wants me! Not someone boring like you!” “Boring?!” Tiara screamed, “How dare you?! KK is gonna be my hubby-wubby and we’ll have lots of dhampir children! Don’t worry--you can be the nanny, Spoon.” While this was going on, Rumble noticed that he was near his locker, and opened it. “Aha! This’ll work!” Keiji’s hair stood on end as blood rushed through his cheeks, turning his whole face red. “YOU’RE GONNA DO WHAT--?!” “Like hell!” the hypnotized Silver Spoon shot back, “You can be the nanny to our dhampir babies!” As the two continued to argue while clinging to his arms, all Keiji could do was let out a small, pained groan. “Auuugh…I think I’m shitfaced…I have to be. There’s just--there’s just no way…” BOP-BOP! The girls dropped to the floor, completely unconscious, and let Keiji go in the process. The reason for this? A soccer ball that bounced back towards Rumble, to which he picked up. “...Whoops. Guess neither of them are gonna be having kids anytime soon. Shaaaaame.” “...You didn’t hit ‘em too hard, didja?” Keiji mumbled as he squatted down to check on the girls. “Nah, it’s fine,” Rumble replied, “They’ll probably wake up in the next--” “MINE--!” Silver Spoon suddenly screeched as she lifted her face off the floor with hearts still in her eyes. “MINE--!” Diamond Tiara yelled as she desperately reached for Keiji’s ankle. Which in turn, caused Keiji to squeal as he yanked his leg away. “Yikes! Nope! So much nope--time to go!” The boys hopped over the girls and started running once more. Eventually, the pair of wealthy schoolgirls rose from the floor and started wandering the halls once more, completely unaware of which direction they went. “God it’s like they’re zombies. If this is a prank, it’s a real shit one…” Rumble mumbled in a state of hushed panic, “Which way should we go, Keij?” “Lemme think, lemme think! Gimme a sec…” Keiji grit his teeth as he tried to think of a way out of this situation. Unfortunately, they’d be stopped yet again. Derpy appeared--the hearts in her eyes were lop-sided, but that didn’t prevent her from being able to see that… “They’re over heeeeeere~!” she called out in a singsong tone, alerting the others of their presence. “Aw, shit,” Keiji swore under his breath as he forced himself to come to a screeching halt on his heels. In an instant, he pivoted and turned the opposite direction. Being a skilled soccer player, Rumble was able to stop on a dime and turn around alongside him. However, he had begun to panic. “Agh! Which way--WHICH WAY?!” “I…gaaaaaagh! I don’t know!” he yelled back as Derpy chased them with the gait of a hardened track athlete alongside Pinkie, Octavia, Trixie, and even Lyra! “But there’s too many of ‘em. How many more hallways does this school have?!” “I dunno man, but this is giving me a heart attack!” Rumble replied. Each and every corner was cut off by more crazed, love-crazy girls that aimed to capture them. Several boys from their class and other classes--including Button Mash and Sandalwood--could be seen dragged off around corners with duct tape over their mouths. Keiji and Rumble couldn’t do a thing to help them--all they could do was run until they came down a singular path…towards a dead end.