//------------------------------//
// Loyalty 9: バックスタッバー 
// Story: 友達は魔法少女　～ＦＲＩＥＮＤＳＨＩＰ　ＩＳ　ＭＡＧＩＣＡＬ　ＧＩＲＬＳ～ 
// by MythrilMoth 
//------------------------------//

Six mahoushoujo and one ninja faced off against three Shadowbolts. All around them, dozens of people lay unconscious in the heavily damaged rail station.

"Congratulations, magical nerds," Dreadwing said. "You helped us out after all, whether you wanted to or not. Thundercracker...do it."

"With pleasure," Thundercracker said. Her locket began to glow, and a column of silver flames engulfed her body.

"What's going on?" Pinkie asked.

"It's impossible...!" Twilight said, eyes wide.

When the flames died down, Thundercracker hovered in the air above them on broad turquoise wings.

"Oh crap," Rainbow said.

Thundercracker grinned down at them and hurled a silver lightning bolt at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow took wing, barely dodging the attack. "What the hell?!"

Dreadwing raised her left arm in front of her face and pressed two fingers of her right hand against the silver bracer she wore. Silver wind swirled around her body in a helix. Massive brown-feathered wings burst forth from her shoulderblades; her gloves shredded as her hands transformed into scaly yellow eagle claws. She threw back her head and gave a piercing shriek.

Starscream touched her bracer. Silver lightning arced across her entire body, but she did not change in any visible way.

"Uhh...Twi? Whut's goin' on here?" Applejack asked.

The onyx pendant around Spike's neck began to strobe a violent silver, intermittently flashing red.

"It...it couldn't be..." Twilight said softly, eyes wide.

"That locket!" Rainbow cried suddenly. "That's my locket!"

"That's right, Dash," Thundercracker said. She reached up and pulled her hood away from her face.

Lightning Dust smirked at Rainbow. "Sorry it had to come to this, Dash, but you and your friends are in our way."





Loyalty 9: バックスタッバー


"What the HELL are you doing?" Dreadwing snapped. "The first rule is never show your face when we're on a mission!"

"Screw that!" Lightning Dust snapped, swooping low; crackling balls of lightning gathered in her hands. "If we're gonna do this, let's do this!" She threw lightning at the feet of the mahoushoujo, who leapt clear as it impacted the station floor, which exploded violently, spraying dust and shrapnel into the air.

"I thought we were friends!" Rainbow yelled. "And you stole from me! What's happened to you, Dusty?" A glowing column of wind formed around her lance, which she thrust forward. "TORNADO!"

The attack caught Lightning Dust, who was not yet used to her new wings, and threw her against the station's high ceiling. Rainbow shot after her; as Lightning Dust began to fall, Rainbow brought her lance down in an overhand smash, cracking Lightning Dust in the center of her back and speeding her descent.

"SMILE ROCKING VAGINA!" A huge glowing pink boulder slammed into Lightning Dust while she was still struggling to slow her fall, sending her flying into a wall. She slid down the wall and collapsed in a crumpled heap on the ground, still and unmoving.

"Idiot!" Dreadwing snarled. With a burst of speed from her wings, she caught Rainbow in a midair tackle, slamming her into the ceiling. Rainbow screamed as Dreadwing's talons raked across her chest, shredding the front of her costume. Curling one claw into a massive fist, Dreadwing slammed a haymaker into Rainbow's face, then flipped over in midair and kicked Rainbow to the ground. She landed badly on her side, unconscious before she even hit the floor.

"RAINBOW-SAN!" Twilight yelled. She twirled her baton, aiming it at Dreadwing. "CONTAIN!" A magenta ball of magic shot forth, snapping into a shell of light around Dreadwing. It constricted, pinning her wings to her sides, and brought her down...

A shell of silver wind surrounded Dreadwing, and Twilight's spell exploded into shredded wisps of magic, scattering. Dreadwing glared down at Twilight and, with a shriek, descended upon her, talons poised for a killing strike...

"BUTTERFLY BARRIER!"

Fluttershy dropped in front of Twilight, her shield raised in front of her. Shining waves of soft golden light spread outward from the shield, forming the shape of a giant butterfly. Dreadwing pulled up at the last second before impact; Fluttershy dispelled her barrier, then drew back her shield and threw it sharply upward. It glowed as it sailed through the air, cutting into the small of Dreadwing's back. Dreadwing let out a terrifying roar and banked hard, coming around for a diving attack on Fluttershy.

A thunderous blast deafened the two mahoushoujo as Applejack jumped over their heads, jamming her magic shotgun right into Dreadwing's chest and firing point-blank. Dreadwing exploded in a gory cloud of blood, flesh, and bone which sprayed in every direction...

...and dissolved into silver wisps of smoke. Applejack cried out in pain as Dreadwing's talons impaled her through her abdomen from behind. She stared down, eyes wide, at the gaping hole in her gut and the massive eagle claw sticking out of her body, and gave a rasping cough, issuing flecks of bright red blood from her mouth.

"APPLEJACK-SAN!" Rarity cried.

Spike blurred into motion, expelling a massive cloud of green flame which engulfed Dreadwing. With one claw still lodged in Applejack's torso, she was unable to use her magic to escape; she screamed as she burst into flame. Spike pulled out a short sword, infused it with magic, and hacked off Dreadwing's claw at the wrist. "Neechan! Get Applejack outta here!" he yelled, throwing Applejack at a shellshocked Twilight.

"Ah...hai!" Wrapping her arms around Applejack, Twilight teleported away.

"My ARM!" Dreadwing screamed at Spike. "You little son of a BITCH, you CUT OFF MY FUCKING ARM!"

"Yeah, and I'm about to cut off your fucking head," Spike said. In a burst of flame, a much longer sword appeared in each hand, and his eyes burned with rage.


* * * * *


Twilight and Applejack appeared in the emergency room of the hospital nearest the train station, startling patients and staff. "We need help!" Twilight yelled.

The nurse on duty looked up. "You'll need to sign in and wa—OH MY GOD!"

Screams and panicked whispers spread like wildfire as Twilight supported Applejack, who was visibly in shock.

Within minutes, Applejack was on her way to emergency surgery. Twilight had transformed back to normal and pulled out her phone to call Cadance. The doctors tried to protest her presence in the operating room, but she firmly insisted on accompanying them. "You need me," she said. "And you can't stop me from coming anyway."


* * * * *


Dreadwing and Spike tore into each other with ferocity. Dreadwing's stump had been cauterized by another burst of Spike's flames; Spike bore deep gashes in his bare chest from Dreadwing's good claw.

Rainbow had regained consciousness and gone after Lightning Dust; the former friends continued hurling lightning and wind at each other, as well as trading punches and kicks in midair.

Starscream leaned lazily against a column, removed from the fight. Rarity and Fluttershy flanked her, on guard and ready in case she decided to join the fray.

Pinkie Pie kept watching for openings and taking shots at Lightning Dust and Dreadwing whenever they were open.

By the time the innocent bystanders began waking up, Lightning Dust had covered her face once again. She was locked in a close grapple near the ceiling with Rainbow.

"Why, Dusty?" Rainbow rasped. "What's wrong with you? Why are you with them? Why did you steal my locket? What's going on here?"

"I've changed, Dash," Lightning Dust said. "I don't answer to anyone. I take what I want. I'm strong enough, I'm fast enough...anything in the world is mine for the taking."

"So you threw away your potential to become a damn thief?" Rainbow asked, punching Lightning Dust in the face. "You're an IDIOT!"

"I don't remember ASKING YOU!" Lightning Dust caught Rainbow in the ribs with a kick, then rammed a fist into her face. Rainbow reeled; Lightning sucker-punched her in the gut, releasing a point-blank lightning blast. Rainbow twitched and screamed in agony, withdrawing and dropping shakily to the ground.

"SMILE GASSY VAGINA!" A pink water balloon hurtled at Lightning Dust at just below the speed of sound, striking her before she could react. It exploded, releasing a cloud of pink gas. Lightning Dust coughed and clutched at her throat, then fell to the ground, folding her wings around her like a cloak.


* * * * *


Applejack lay on her side, two doctors and a nurse hovering over her. She was still in shock; the severed claw was still sticking out of her torso. Twilight had a hand on her shoulder and was feeding a steady stream of life magic into her.

"Her vitals are stable," the nurse said. "Strange, considering the wound..."

"I'm...keeping her alive," Twilight said in a strained voice.

"We need to extract that...bird leg," one of the doctors said.

"No...wait for..."

In a bright pink flash, Cadance appeared. Her eyes widened. "Oh no..."

Twilight looked up. "Cadance, how fast can you heal that wound?"

Cadance frowned. "Before she dies? I...I think..." She took a deep breath. "I've never healed a wound that...that bad before..."

"You'll have to try," Twilight said.

Cadance took another deep breath, then exhaled, stretching her arm out in front of her. "A-alright," she said. "Get rid of...get rid of...what the heck IS that?"

"Later," Twilight said tersely. She stopped the flow of life magic into Applejack, then concentrated her magic on Dreadwing's severed arm. "REMOVE."

The claw glowed magenta and slowly began to disintegrate. Within seconds, nothing was left of it. Twilight slumped against the bed, panting.

Cadance's eyes glowed pale pinkish-white as she laid her hands on Applejack. A pink glow spread across Applejack's body. Applejack convulsed, then went slack. The doctors looked on in confusion, wonder, and concern.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the abused tissues of Applejack's organs and flesh knit themselves back together. For ten straight minutes, Cadance worked on healing Applejack. Twilight stood by, watching and waiting. Applejack's vitals fluctuated alarmingly.

After almost twelve minutes, Cadance slumped to the floor, panting. Applejack took a deep, ragged breath, then rolled over on her back. The newly healed skin over her wound was much paler than the surrounding flesh, with a faint, rough pink patch of raw scar tissue.

The doctors quickly set to work examining her while Twilight picked Cadance up and carried her out of the room.


* * * * *


"Your friend's attack names...are very strange," Starscream said conversationally.

"Yes, yes they are," Rarity said. "Pie-san is...unique." She watched Starscream warily. "Why are you not—?"

"Trying to kill you girls?" Starscream asked. She shrugged. "Dreadwing and Thundercracker have personal grievances with your group. I have no particular reason to fight."

"Then...why are you their comrade?" Fluttershy asked. "If you're not fighting for the same thing they are..."

"Because for the time being, allying myself with them serves my needs," Starscream said. "That doesn't mean I need to involve myself in every petty vendetta those two have."

Dreadwing smashed into the wall next to Starscream, blood flowing freely from several gashes in her shoulders, thighs, and torso.

Across the platform, Spike dropped to one knee, supporting himself on one sword. His other sword lay broken in half on the ground. He looked up; one eye was swollen shut, and he was bleeding from a wide cut on his cheek.

Starscream looked at the barely conscious Dreadwing, then over at the unconscious Lightning Dust. She sighed. "Yeah, I think we're done here." She slapped her hands on the pavement. All around the platform, metal bent to her will, becoming steel cables which wrapped themselves around her comrades. She grabbed both of them, dragging them to the end of the platform. Then, with a quick look around, she struck the ground again. It exploded in a cloud of stone dust. When the dust settled, the Shadowbolts were gone.

Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie exchanged uneasy glances. Fluttershy let out a long, relieved sigh. "I guess that's it then," she said. "Senpai? You take Spike-kun. I'll help Rainbow-san." Raising her voice slightly, she called out, "Pinkie-san? We're leaving."

"Okay," Pinkie replied. She pulled her phone out once she had transformed back to normal. "Twilight-chan? They got away again. How's AJ-senpai?" She listened for a minute, then let out a sigh of relief. "Yokatta...ne, Rainbow-chan and Spike-kun are pretty banged up. Where should we...? Can your mom heal them up? Okay...I think we're gonna go to Rarity-senpai's place. We'll...we'll talk about what just happened later."


* * * * *


Dreadwing's eyes opened. She glared up at the ceiling. "Ugh...what..." She sat up. "What are we doing back here?"

"There was no point in continuing the battle," Starscream said. "You and Thundercracker need rest. The mahoushoujo have more experience using their powers than you. You weren't ready to face them yet."

"Fuck you." Dreadwing looked down at the stump of her right arm. "Son of a fucking..."

"Nice work, Gilda," Lightning Dust said from across the room. She had an ice pack on her head. "You're really rockin' th' one-armed bandit look there."

"Eat shit, Lightning Dust," Gilda spat. She hissed as she clutched her arm. "Fucking Emerald Flame turd..." She closed her eyes. "Dammit...most of my magic can't be done with one hand..."

"Then we'll just have to do something about that," Starscream said as she laid three large bars of silver in front of her. Blue light flared as she placed her hands on the silver; the bars fused together, taking the shape of a human right hand. She picked it up, then walked over to Dreadwing, seizing her stump roughly. "Hold still," she said. "This is going to hurt..."


* * * * *


Applejack sat up groggily, clutching a hand to her forehead.

"Take it easy, Senpai," Twilight said gently.

"Whuh—? Where?!" Applejack looked wildly around, eyes wide with panic. "Th' hell?"

"Shh," Twilight said. "You're in the hospital. You're going to be fine."

Applejack stiffened. With a shudder, she peeled back the covers, then stripped off the hospital gown she'd been changed into. She looked down at her abdomen, at the pale patch of pink-scarred skin there. "Mah Gawd," she breathed. "Whut happened?" She traced the scars with a finger.

"The scars will fade with a few more treatments," Twilight said. "Cadance used her most powerful healing magic..." She swallowed heavily. "You...you almost died, Senpai." She threw her arms around Applejack; her shoulders shook as she started to sob. "Gomen nasai!"

Applejack swallowed heavily. "Ah...almost died?" She paled. "Hoooooly horse shit..."

"I...I can't believe what happened today," Twilight said. "The Shadowbolts..."

"How in th' hell did them gals get so strong?" Applejack asked.

Twilight sighed. "They...they've drawn magic out of that Lunar Seal somehow. It's given them..." She shuddered. "It's given them mahoushoujo powers."

"So they're...like us now?"

Twilight nodded. "Hai. And that means they're more dangerous than ever." She sighed. "They got away today. Spike...hurt the one that tried to kill you pretty badly. He cut off her arm and set her on fire. That...didn't stop her from fighting him to a draw." She ran a hand over the bedsheets. "The girls and Spike are at Rarity-senpai's house. Okaasan is tending to their wounds. We're...we're going to meet up and talk about what happened today...later." Suddenly, she blushed. "Anou...Senpai? Could you...maybe cover back up?"

"Huh?" Applejack looked down at her nude body. "Oh, sorry." she pulled the hospital gown back up over her shoulders and reached around her back to tie it. "Ah sure am glad that thievin' heifer didn't mess up mah tits," she said. "Ah'd be mighty mad about that."

Twilight stared at her. "Senpai, you almost died! The damage to your vital internal organs—"

"Yeah yeah, Ah git it," Applejack said. "But death is one thing. A gal's tits, now that's a matter of pride." She flashed Twilight a big, cheeky grin.

Twilight sweatdropped.


* * * * *


It had taken some time, but Velvet had healed the girls' and Spike's wounds. The group sat around morosely, mentally and physically exhausted.

"Neechan says...she's gonna be alright," Spike said tiredly. "They got that bitch's bird fist out of her and healed her up and she's...she's already awake and fired up."

"That's good," Fluttershy said. She shuddered. "Those girls...that fight was so scary..."

Rainbow groaned and took a sip of the soda Pinkie had just handed her. "Dammit...I can't believe Lightning Dust is one of those Shadowbitches..."

"It's...a disturbing development," Rarity said. "But for the moment, perhaps we should simply..." She yawned. "Simply rest. We can...we can talk about...other things...later."


* * * * *


Later that night, Twilight, Spike, Velvet, Cadance, and Silver Spoon sat gathered in the living room of Twilight's apartment. Spike still bore marks from his battle with Dreadwing. Celestia, a worried frown on her face, appeared in a plain, medium-sized mirror that lay on the coffee table. "This...does not bode well," she said.

"That's an understatement," Spike muttered.

"Celestia-sama...how is it possible?" Twilight asked. "How can they have drained magic from the Lunar Seal?"

"I don't know," Celestia said. "I suspect the answer lies with the one they call Starscream. Her powers are unclear." She frowned. "It sounds as though they were unable to completely drain the Seal of its power."

"They weren't anywhere near as powerful as Sunset Shimmer was," Twilight said, "but...they were definitely strong enough to be dangerous." She shuddered. "And that one called Dreadwing is vicious. Applejack-senpai..."

"I'm relieved you and Cadance were able to heal your friend in time," Celestia said. "That this enemy inflicted such a grave wound on one of you...it troubles me."

"We're not exactly thrilled about it either," Spike said. "At least she didn't get out of there in one piece."

"Can we focus, please?" Twilight snapped. As all eyes turned to her, she blushed. "Gomen...I'm just...really concerned about the big issue here. About the Shadowbolts finding a way to drain power from the Lunar Seal."

"Yes, Twilight. You're absolutely right. We need to focus our attention on that before all else," Celestia agreed.

"It almost sounds..." Silver Spoon said.

"Yes?" Celestia prompted.

"Well, we infuse magic into silver on a regular basis at the Forge of the Sun," Silver Spoon said. "I just learned how to do it myself two months ago. If...if they've somehow found a way to drain the magic from this Lunar Seal into pure silver..."

"Yes, of course," Celestia mused. "If this Starscream can indeed drain the magic from the Seal, they would need a vessel..."

"They DID steal a lot of silver recently," Spike pointed out. "Not to mention Rainbow's locket..."

"If they're binding magic directly to silver instead of using an artifact such as the Elements of Harmony," Silver Spoon said, "it makes sense. Pure silver can only hold so much magic on its own."

"Very true," Celestia said.

"Is there some way they could..." Twilight frowned. "If they are draining magic into silver, could they use multiple—"

"No, I don't think so," Silver Spoon said. "But it's also much easier to transfer magic from silver than it is from an artifact. If they have enough silver to completely drain the Lunar Seal, they could find a way to pool the magic."

"Hmm..." Celestia frowned. "Silver Spoon, I'd like for you to remain in Pony City and assist Twilight Sparkle and her friends for the time being. Considering what has transpired, they may well need your expertise."

"Hai, Celestia-sama."


* * * * *


Lightning Dust picked Starscream up off the floor and laid her on the couch. On the table, the Lunar Seal gleamed less brightly than before.

Gilda stood up, examining the dark silver arm that had been affixed to her stump. Curiously, hesitantly, she curled the silver hand into a fist, watching each finger move fluidly, as though the metal were liquid and not solid. "Huh," she said.

"How'd you even know that'd work?" Lightning Dust asked Starscream.

Starscream chuckled. "Figured...it couldn't hurt to try."

Gilda smiled grimly as she flexed her new silver hand. "Alright, girls," she said. "We'll rest up a bit, then do some training. Next time we go up against those mahoushoujo..."

She drove her silver fist through an end table, reducing it to splinters.

"They're dead."