It was incredible. There was no other word to describe it. With just two gloves and a ring, Sunset had reached an amazing new level that Senketsu could never have predicted. Since the Phoenix Gloves were part of his body, he didn't need to imagine what was happening inside her. He could see it clearly, and it was like nothing he'd ever seen before.
Sunset walked past Senketsu and down the stairs with deliberate, purposeful steps. Her eyes were fixed upon the sirens with a fury that was somehow quiet, tempered, and serene. When she reached the foot of the stairs she just stood there, staring at them.
"You think we're scared of a pair of gloves?" Adagio scoffed, stepping forward to meet her. The two stood a mere arm's reach apart, glaring at each other, and the air around them seemed to almost crackle with clash of their wills. "I'm going to thoroughly enjoy grinding you into the dirt, Sunset Shimmer."
Sunset's expression didn't change, the boast not getting even the slightest rise out of her.
The punch came in the blink of an eye. Adagio's fist sending a ripple of force through the air, only to have Sunset tilt her head to the side and catch the blow in her hand. The air pressure whipped her hair back and nearly knocked down Senketsu and her friends with its force.
"Wha-- aargh!" Adagio yelled as the talons of the Phoenix Glove gripped down and sank into her hand. She yanked her hand free, the claws leaving fresh, bloody tears on the back of her hand as she took a few cautious steps back.
"I would advise against underestimating Sunset now," Senketsu explained. "Those gloves are made of one hundred percent Life Fibers, and are tapping into the combined power of Sunset and her ring. Like any Life Fiber would, they have unlocked the physical limitations of her body beyond normal human ability, but thanks to the transformation brought on by her ring they don't simply draw out and radiate her magic like they normally would. Instead, that powerful magic is being redirected back into her body and spirit, heightening her awareness and unlocking the psychological limitations on her power."
With a wave of her hand and a flash of her magic, Adagio pulled more moisture from the air, directing the water to her wound and healing it. "So what?" she spat. "They're just a pair of fancy gloves. Even if they're pure Life Fibers, they can't possibly match us."
Senketsu shook his body from side to side, looking to Sunset as he said, "With so many different energies flowing in so many different ways, I can't even tell how strong she's become, but I can see that she's at least as powerful as you are."
"That's right," Sunset confirmed. "Don't even bother running, because there's no way I'm going to let you get away after what you've done." She pointed an accusing, clawed finger at the trio. "You've hurt my friends and killed Philomena. I won't ever forgive you."
"Pretty high and mighty coming from a demon that tried to mind control her entire school into an army to invade Equestria," Aria sniped icily.
"Wow, that's pretty evil," Sonata gasped. "And she calls us the bad guys?"
Sunset only smirked at the barbs.
"Face it, Sunset, you're no better than us," Adagio said. Her hand healed, she directed her own accusing finger at Sunset. "You wanted absolute power, and did anything you felt you had to to get it. No matter how hard you try, something like that doesn't go away."
"This isn't getting us anywhere. Are you just stalling for time?" Sunset shot back, starting to break into a cocky grin. "What's the matter? Are you afraid to find out just how strong I am now?"
"Heh," Adagio sneered, "Are you kidding? I'm excited that we finally get to test the limits of our Goku Uniforms." She slammed her fist into her open palm.
"Good," Sunset said, raising her fists to fight, "and since the three of you love music so much, I even have a special song to share with you." The aura on her head swayed back and forth as a gust of wind blew past, and she started to sing.
Power was all I desired,
Aria and Sonata leaped forward on either side to attack with mirrored aerial kicks. They moved in sync, and without any warning. Sunset caught them effortlessly by their feet, the force causing the ground beneath her to crack and buckle, only for Adagio to charge down the middle, aiming a punch right at her chest.
But all that grew inside me was a darkness I acquired.
Sunset waited until Adagio was just inches away before she made her move. She hopped up and delivered two swift kicks to Adagio's chest and face, twisting through the air with Sonata and Aria still in her grip. As she spun, her arms whipped out to mercilessly smash the two helpless sirens against the pavement before landing and throwing them into a heap on top of Adagio.
When I began to fall, and I lost the path ahead,
Sunset turned back for a moment to look up at her friends as they watched from the top of the stairs, cheering her on. She smiled gently, and the aura on her forehead seemed to thrash more fiercely.
That's when your friendship found me, and it lifted me instead!
Adagio heaved the other two off of her, standing up and gathering a dense magical aura all around her. A vein throbbed on her forehead and her teeth gnashed together as she summoned up more of the same water discs, but this time she didn't stop at just a few. Soon the air around her was filled with dozens of razor blades of water. "Rrraah! Aqua Edge!" she screamed, flinging her arms forward to direct every last shot right at Sunset.
Sunset whipped her head back to face the assault, and struck back with incredible speed. Every last disc that approached her was struck or sliced through by her gloves, reduced to nothing more than harmless splashes across her body and the pavement.
Adagio broke into a manic smirk and shouted, "Now!"
On queue, Aria surged with mana and slammed her hand to the ground, yelling, "Geyser!"
Sunset realized her mistake a moment too late, and screamed in pain as the water drenching her clothes and splattered across the ground violently exploded into hot steam. The force of the blast sent her flying skyward, only for Sonata to fly up alongside her and strike her back down, far across the courtyard, cratering the ground beneath her and kicking up a huge cloud of dust.
Her body aching all over, Sunset pushed herself back to her feet despite the protests of her scalded skin. Just as she was starting to worry she'd have to fight in this condition, a golden light radiated from the core of the rubies on her gloves. When that light touched her skin, she saw the already blistering scalds evaporate away, leaving her skin pristine and unscarred. She was a little more winded after that emergency healing, but at least she could keep fighting.
"Thanks, Philomena," she whispered, and received a twinkle of light within the ruby in answer.
She knew what she had to do next. Even if she was a match for them in combat, she wouldn't win if she didn't answer their magic in kind. It was time to see just what these gloves could do.
Adagio approached the dust cloud as the light that shined within it started to fade. "I thought you had more fight in you than that, Sunset," she jeered. "We're still just warming up here."
"Good, because I still have more to show too."
A sudden wave of heat rippled out, washing over Adagio's face and pushing the dust aside. With the view clear she could see Sunset standing in the center of the crater, completely unharmed, and holding her hands up into the aura on her forehead. When she pulled them away, that amber aura clung to her gloves, flickering violently as she flourished them.
"So you've concentrated some of your magic aura at your hands? Big deal!" Adagio scoffed. She held up her hands and concentrated the sapphire blue glow of her magic around them too. "In case you hadn't noticed, we've been doing that this whole time."
"This isn't just an aura," Sunset corrected her before belting out into her song once more.
Like the Phoenix burning bright in the sky,
In the blink of an eye Sunset was in front of Adagio, swinging a strong right hook. The blow barely grazed past her nose, but as the fist flew past, one overriding sensation hit her. It was hot. That wasn't just magic, it was pure flame!
She was too distracted to see the next hit coming, a knee to the gut that doubled her over and sent her flying back. It didn't end there, as Sunset rushed to intercept her target, cutting her off midflight and uppercutting her in the back, sending her soaring up.
Such an incredible increase in speed, and just from lighting her gloves in that strange flame. It made no sense to Adagio. Had Sunset somehow further increased the flow of energy in her body just by igniting the gloves?
She flared the fins on her back, righting herself to catch her breath for a moment. She was safe up here for now. Sunset was a unicorn type, unable to fly, so she had a little time to plan her next attack.
"Surround her" Adagio shouted to Aria and Sonata, pointing down to... nothing? She'd vanished again!
I'll show there's another side to me you can't deny!
Behind her, but how could that--
"Aaahh!" Adagio screamed, pain and scorching heat exploding in her back as she was sent careening back down to earth. As she fell, she managed to look up to see Sunset far above, starting to fall after her. Had she seriously just jumped that high? Even with power supposedly comparable to a Three Star Uniform, that was just insane!
"Adagio!" Sonata yelled, leaping out to catch her fall, but ending up flat on the ground as the impact knocked her right off her feet.
Aria made her move after Adagio was caught, flying straight at Sunset and crashing into her full force, knocking the wind out of the girl. "If you keep focusing on Adagio, you'll never beat us," she growled, slugging her hard in the gut.
Sunset winced, the hit even causing her back to pop like a visit to the chiropractor. "I understand better than you might think," she said through a broad smirk. "Your Goku Uniforms are linked, so if I take one of you out your power will plummet, and her face is the most punchable of the three of you."
Concern registered on Aria's face for a brief second before turning to anger. "Well just try to avoid this!" she shouted. She grabbed Sunset by her wrist and spun her around to fling her headlong down at Sonata and Adagio.
In response, Sonata started casting her own spell. Her magic glowed brightly and swirled around her and Adagio as she shouted, "Frigid Iron Maiden!" The spell took form as hundreds of razor sharp spires of ice, each at least spine was two feet long and formed along two deadly sheets ready to clap shut once Sunset fell inside.
Adagio watched gleefully as Sunset fell closer and closer. "It's over."
"Not likely," Senketsu spoke up, crossing his sleeves over his torso. "It's time to show them the true power of the Phoenix Gloves, Sunset."
I may not know what the future holds, but hear me when I say,
Though his words didn't reach her, Sunset was already prepared to do just that. As she fell headlong to certain death, she flung her hands forward, against the fierce wind. It was then that the flames on her gloves reacted. They moved to her palms and flared more fiercely than ever, the force of the jets halting her just as the icicle trap slammed shut before her.
"No way!" Aria growled.
"She can fly by using the flames as thrust?" Adagio gawked in disbelief. "How can her magic be that strong?"
The pair panicked as Sunset rocketed around the hunk of ice, the flames on her gloves propelling her right at Adagio and Sonata. They tried to shoot her down with blasts of water and ice, but Sunset evaded effortlessly with mere twists of her hands and bursts of flame. She reached them in seconds, and moved right past Sonata to tackle Adagio at full speed. The two of them rolled across the ground for several feet before Sunset knocked her across the pavement and into a the brick wall of the school, just a few yards from the rubble-filled hole Emerald was still buried in.
That the past does not define me, because my past is not today!
"It's all really quite simple," Senketsu commented as he watched the fight unfold. "When Sunset's heavily fire and light inclined magic flows back into her body through the Phoenix Gloves, it is concentrated into a pure form, stripped of all other wavelengths. It then emerges from the only place it can, and since Sunset is a unicorn type, that would be her forehead. Once her gloves connect to that flow, the Life Fibers along the surface direct and control these extremely dense, pure flames in any way she wishes. The downside is that she can't cast anything but fire and light based magic, but the tradeoff is explosive."
"It sounds marvelously intricate, dear, but I'm afraid most of it was over my head," Rarity shrugged, having freed herself from the oppressive ice on her mouth.
"The sirens can't exactly hear you, you know," Rainbow replied dryly. "Why are you even answering their rhetorical questions anyway?"
"Never question the laws of exposition!" Pinkie exclaimed, looking absurdly serious. "CED (Compulsive Exposition Disorder) is how the audience understands what's going on!"
"But I still don't understand what Senketsu meant," Fluttershy pointed out.
"Oh you silly, I wasn't talking about us," Pinkie giggled, her momentary serious facade shattering after mere seconds.
"Then who did ya mean, Pinkie?" Applejack asked.
"That's a super-duper secret, right Senketsu?" she deflected to him with an innocent smile.
"Umm... Sure," he answered, pretending he had any idea what the girl was talking about. Her behavior was as hard to understand as the beyond abnormal magic wavelength they'd been monitoring from her for the last few months.
Back at the fight, Sunset hovered. On her flames as she watched Adagio claw her way out of the wall. The siren leader was covered in dust and looking more and more frazzled as she threw chunks of brick aside.
"That's it! I've had enough of this!" she screamed. "Aria! Sonata! It's time for Serenade!" The star on Adagio's chest flashed brightly, and a second flash as Aria landed far off to Sunset's side.
…
"..." Sunset just hovered in place, waiting for something to happen, but not a thing did.
"What the hell?! Are these stupid things broken?" Adagio growled in frustration, pulling at the fabric on her arm.
Aria rolled her eyes and grumbled, "I think I know what the problem is." She directed a pointed, irritated glare at Sonata.
The girl hadn't moved an inch, standing with her nose up and her arms crossed over her chest. "I don't want to do Serenade," she whined and pouted. "I want Nocturne!"
"Seriously? You're going to argue about this now? In the middle of a battle?!" Adagio yelled, motioning toward Sunset.
"Oh, don't mind me," Sunset said with a chuckle. "I want to see where this is going." She didn't even bother masking her grin over how entertaining this little turn was.
"You can't do it if I don't want you to," Sonata said, sticking her tongue out at Adagio. "We either do it my way or not at all."
"Why do you even care?" Aria asked. "You didn't even want to fight in the first place, so why do you want Nocturne?"
"I'll give you the Nerds."
"Deal."
"Hey! You can't just decide that! This was supposed to be my fight!" Adagio argued. She seemed about ready to snap with how her teeth were gnashing and her fists clenched, but something strange happened. Much to Sunset's surprise, she just deflated. Her shoulders slumped and her anger melted into irritated submission. "Fine. Whatever. Do what you want. Stupid linked uniform design. I miss the amulets."
Sonata jumped up and down, clapping giddily as she cheered, "Yes! This is going to be so cool! Literally!"
The stars on each of the sirens' outfits flashed brightly in succession, starting from Sonata's. The light enveloped Adagio and Aria, leaving nothing but two large stars of pure light and energy. An identical star was formed in front of Sonata as her uniform stripped away from her body. Those three stars linked together by red threads and spun around Sonata as she twirled gracefully, singing out in a soft, dulcet tone. That ominous melody went on, even as she stopped her twirl and flung her left arm out to her side. At her queue, the stars lined up on that side and pulled in towards her, overlapping her one by one and bathing her in a blinding light.
Sunset shielded her eyes against the glare, trying to figure out what she was seeing. Had Adagio and Aria just merged with Sonata? Was this some sort of transformation?
She got her answer as the light faded, leaving behind a figure clad in gleaming armor as dark and blue as the dusk sky. The armor was decorated with an array of piscene fins from the forearms to the shins, and even flaring out from the hips and shoulders. Most prominent of all was the single dorsal fin that crested the helm, running down the back and all the way to the tailbone. The membranes of these fins glittered like stars on the dark armament. The helmet completely obscured the girl's face behind its armor plates, but as the transformation completed, an azure glow came from the eyeholes with the unmistakable mirth of the wearer behind them.
"Three Star Goku Uniform. Trinity Regalia Nocturne!" Sonata called out giddily, twirling around once more and pointing a hand to the sky.
Sunset's eyes went wide as she took in this new form of the Goku Uniform. Adagio and Aria were nowhere to be seen, apparently having been absorbed into this regalia. There was no mistaking that the perky girl had become a lot more powerful too. Something like this couldn't just be for show. She'd expected a power up, though; she wanted it this way. She would beat them at their best and utterly crush them for what happened to Philomena. She only wished that it was Adagio's face she could smash in. Still, she couldn't exactly complain when she'd let it turn out like this.
"Wowsers! I feel super duper stronger than when we were training with these things," Sonata cooed in wonder, examining the armor that clad her arm. "I wonder if it's because I'm feeling so excited? My heart's totally pounding so fast right now."
Interesting. Aria had mentioned that Sonata had been reluctant to fight at all, so why was she excited now? Something wasn't fitting right. Now that she thought about it, there was something off about the sirens' behavior from the very beginning. What was going on?
"So are you going to keep singing?" Sonata asked. She held a hand out, and Life Fibers stretched out of her armor to stitch together into a long black pole. At the top of that pole mana started to gather and condensed into a deadly looking sickle of pure ice. She spun the large scythe around with a giggle before sinking the blade into the ground. "If you don't keep it going, this fight might end before you can finish your beautiful song."
Sunset was a bit taken aback by how casual Sonata was being. "Um, okay," she answered. She was getting a very weird feeling. Even with how dangerous the Trinity Regalia Nocturne and its scythe looked, there wasn't any feeling of hostility coming from her. It was nothing like the anger and maliciousness Adagio had given off. Well, answers could come after this fight.
Ambition is what I believed
The real battle finally began. Sonata's dorsal fin began to glow, lifting her off the ground just as Sunset tilted forward to rocket at her. The fiery girl landed an immediate and strong blow to her gut, followed by a swift hook to the jaw and a kick to the chest.
It was too easy. There was no attempt to defend, and that had to mean--
Sunset panicked, her flames bursting violently from her gloves to send her flying back just in time to avoid the frozen blade of the scythe. If she'd kept going, she could have lost a limb, or worse.
Ow," Sonata hissed as she rubbed at her stomach. "Wow, you really are fast with those gloves. You hit like a truck too." Despite her complaints, she sounded strangely happy. "Emerald was right, you really are incredible. I can't wait to see what else you've got!"
What was with this girl? She was happy with this? She wanted to see the limits of the Phoenix Gloves? Wasn't their whole goal revenge? It didn't add up at all!
Would be the only way to set me free.
"Don't hold back now! Show us everything!" Sonata yelled in excitement, flying at Sunset and swinging her scythe in a wide arc.
But when it disappeared, and I found myself alone,
A quick thrust backward, and the blade cut through nothing but air, leaving a wide opening for Sunset to advance once more and throw every ounce of strength she had into a fierce jab that hit Sonata squarely in the chest. As the force of the blow started to rock the armored siren backwards, Sunset activated her follow-up. She snapped her fingers, creating a violent spark of energy. In the next instant, the air before Sonata ignited in a concentrated explosion, completely enveloping her as she tried to guard against the blast.
That had to do some major damage, right?
As the blast cleared, Sonata was revealed floating with her arms crossed defensively in front of her. Her breathing was labored, and her armor, while blackened in a few places, was still very much intact. The regalia dripped with moisture, and a few patches of ice still remained across the plating, all signs that she had used a chilly layer to guard against the inferno.
That's when you came and got me, and it felt like I was home!
Sonata panted for breath as she laughed, "Wow, that was incredible! I didn't think you could create explosions from a distance like that! Hehe, come on! More! Let's go!"
Like a phoenix burning aright in the sky!
The battle took to the skies as the pair clashed violently back and forth. Waves of heat and cold rippled out one after another as spell after spell was cast. Sunset got knocked down by a blow from the staff of Sonata's scythe, only to fly back up and land a hit in return. Neither came out of a clash unscathed, and both started to wear down as the fight dragged on.
It just didn't feel right, though; and that feeling continued to gnaw at Sunset as she fought. No matter how hard she came at Sonata, the girl always had a smile in her eyes and a laugh in her voice. She wasn't fighting for revenge. She was eager to see everything her enemy could do, and each assault brought more excitement out of her.
There wasn't even even an intent to kill behind her attacks. Every strike with the scythe blade was easy to avoid, but was followed up with blows from the staff. More than a few bruises were already forming on Sunset's body, but not so much as a single cut.
If Sonata wasn't trying to kill her, then what was she even fighting for? Why would Adagio, so determined to have her revenge, let Sonata take over like this?
I'll show there's another side to me you can't deny!
Sonata moved in close to Sunset, startling her into an attempt to shoot her flames directly from her gloves, but the thrust sent her crashing down into the pavement below.
"Gee, that really didn't work did it?" Sonata noted as she looked down into the new crater. "You'll have to try hard-- aaaah!"
I may not know what the future holds, but hear me when I say,
Sonata screamed as a burning whip shot up to wrap around her ankle, yanking her down for a painful landing of her own.
"If I can't shoot because of the thrust," Sunset growled as she pulled herself upright, her mind running a mile a minute to figure a workaround to the newly discovered problem, "then I just need a counter-balance." The infernal whip retracted back into the palm of her glove, and she strained to step out of the shallow crater, battered all over and barely able to stand. Still, she made ready to keep fighting, and held one glove facing behind her, the other aiming forward. "Phoenix Gloves; Incineration Mode!"
Sonata shakily got to her feet just as a huge wave of gentle flames started to emit from Sunset's back glove. The glove itself started to shift too; the pinions along the wrist flipping the over way and growing exponentially in size. The glowing golden feathers fanned out in a manner that evoked the image of a bird's tail, with the soft waves of flame pulsing from it in a steady flow. The front glove started to change soon after, the metal plating shifting and merging together in the shape of a phoenix's eyes and beak, just above the ruby which started to glow more brilliantly than ever, its sister half responding in kind.
That the past does not define me, cause my past is not today!
The song reached its end with a final transformation. As Sunset's emotions reached their peak, she felt her magic spike with a last desperate second wind. Scorching wings of pure flame sprouted from her back, flaring out to their full length as she pointed her front glove directly at Sonata and shouted, "Phoenix Cry!"
"I'd say we've seen enough now, haven't we, Senketsu?"
The girls who were watching the fight were already wound tight as a tripwire, and the sudden interjection caused them all to jump in unison and scream. Standing on the other side of Senketsu from them, they saw Emerald, casually watching the action. When he'd gotten there, they couldn't begin to guess, but he was covered in dust and was supporting quite a nasty looking bruise on his cheek. His weapon hung around his neck as a pendant once more, and blood stained one of his sleeves from the inside, running down the length to drip from his fingertips.
"Yes, I think that it's time to end this," Senketsu nodded in agreement, raising a sleeve.
Suddenly the Nocturne and the Phoenix Gloves began to glitter with tiny red stars, and just like that, the regalia vanished, leaving three exhausted sirens in a heap. The Phoenix Gloves reacted similarly, their power suddenly vanishing completely as they reverted back to the form of twin Seki Tekkos.
Sunset's flames were extinguished, and all of her strength fled her body. She fell to her knees, and her pony ears and phoenix wings vanished as well. "Nngh! What's going on?" she gasped between haggard breaths.
"Aww! No fair! I really wanted to see the Phoenix Cry!" Sonata whined weakly, flailing her arms.
"Idiot," Aria puffed, squinting up at the bright sun as she lay on her back. "That attack would have definitely killed us."
"Both of you are idiots," Adagio complained, wincing as her body ached all over. "Can't you just shut up for five minutes? I've got a mother of a migraine thanks to you."
The four battered and beaten combatants looked up as Emerald and Senketsu approached them.
"I hope you're satisfied now, Adagio," Emerald said as he stopped before the sirens. "You wanted to fight Sunset Shimmer, and you got your wish. I trust we can expect your full cooperation moving forward."
What?!
"Yeah, yeah," Adagio groaned as she sat upright. "A deal is a deal. Besides, it's not like it's the last time we'll fight. All of us need a lot more training."
A deal? All of this? It was... staged?
"Just what in tarnation is going on here?" Applejack fumed. She ran over to Sunset and helped her to her feet, the rest of the girls trailing behind. "How did ya'll stop the fight so easily? And why didn't ya'll do that from the beginning?"
Senketsu was silent for a moment before answering, "I have the power to deactivate any Life Fibers that I have created, the power of Absolute Submission. The truth is that from the very beginning no one was in any danger."
"But Emerald is terribly hurt!" Rarity exclaimed. "Flash was beaten till he collapsed, and poor Coco took a nasty hit from the sirens too, the poor dear."
"Even Sunset isn't looking too hot," Rainbow added indignantly. "Why did so many people get hurt if there was no danger?"
"Oh please," Adagio grumbled, "If we had really planned to kill you, we wouldn't have given you any time at all to react. You would have been dead in seconds."
All of it... it was just a ploy. A means to some end. Was this...?
"Was this what Philomena died for?!" Sunset screamed. "She died to protect me when I wasn't in any danger in the first place? That's just--"
"It's not like I wanted to kill it," Adagio interrupted, making a point of looking the other way. "That Aqua Edge spell was only going to cut you up a bit, then I'd gloat over how scared or angry you were, and the script would continue from there. How was I supposed to guess your stupid bird would fly out of the portal and take the hit?"
"You goddamn bitch! I'll wring your neck!" Sunset bellowed. She tried to get at Adagio, but her weak body was barely able to put up a fight against Applejack holding her back. "How dare you call her some stupid bird! Philomena was my oldest friend! A piece of me! I hatched her myself with every ounce of my being, and you took her away from me forever!"
Adagio didn't so much as look in her direction. She pulled her knees into her chest, resting her chin on top as she struggled to say, "I'm... sorry."
The words gave Sunset pause, and she stopped her futile struggle to murder her. An apology was the last thing she ever expected to hear, and it put her off guard. She didn't even know what to say to something like that.
"None of us wanted something like this to happen," Senketsu explained. "This whole act was created to show the six of you that the coming threat is far more dangerous than anything you faced before. It's no exaggeration to say that the survival of the entire human race is at stake. The same rings true for Equestria and worlds beyond."
Emerald's brow furrowed as he stepped forward, continuing off of Senketsu as he said, "It may be cruel, but I believe that Philomena's death was ultimately for the best. Thanks to her, you were given a power we couldn't even dream of before, Sunset."
"For the best?!" Sunset sobbed, tears forming in her eyes. "Who are you to put a value on her life? What gave you the right to do all of this?"
"Would you rather we had just stood aside and let Crystal Prep test their own Goku Uniforms on you at the upcoming Friendship Games?" Emerald asked bluntly, unphased by her hysterics. Whatever retort Sunset had got caught in her throat, giving him a chance to continue, "I won't try to apologize for how my plan turned out. I know that it will never be enough, and I will make no excuses for my choices. If you must hate me, then go right ahead, but I will do whatever it takes to protect this world and everyone I care for. Even if I have to pave the way with lies and deceptions, you can count on that singular truth." As he spoke, magic swelled around him, bringing out his pony transformation, much to everyone's surprise, even his own. "Interesting. I'm not even wearing any Life Fibers. This will require some research."
"Seems I never did know the real you, did I, Emerl?" Rarity asked, moving to console Sunset.
"Yes and no," he replied, looking to his left as Coco came up beside him. "The me you've known is the carefree me; the me that doesn't lead the fight against Life Fibers."
"You don't get much time these days to just be a kid, Emmy," Coco said, placing a hand on his shoulder. She met Sunset's angry, tear-stained gaze with a tender expression as she added, "We really do care dearly about this school. The people here are so kind and friendly; nothing like our old classmates at Crystal Prep. Emmy saved me from that awful place and helped me find somewhere I could belong, so no matter what I'll always stand by his side."
"Well that's great for you," Rainbow Dash fumed, "but how do you expect us to be trusting after how our friends have been hurt? I don't see why we should believe a thing you all say."
"Land's sake! Emerald even said for himself that he's willing to lie to us all, and I'm sure that includes you, Coco!" Applejack shouted, leering at the young man.
"Um, but he did have the best of intentions, didn't he?" Fluttershy squeaked out from the back of the group, drawing everyone's attention.
"How can you defend him, Fluttershy?" Rainbow argued, pointing an accusing finger at Emerald. "Doesn't it make you mad that what he did got an innocent animal killed?"
"Yes, it does," Fluttershy nodded softly. "I'm so sad, I feel I could just scream, but I know he's not lying about his intentions. He really does lie only to protect what he loves."
"Fluttershy's right," a voice confirmed, flipping all eyes in the other direction to see Flash stumbling to his feet. "It's his Mark. We all know that people with a shield Mark live to protect others, and the fog on his shield shows his nature to conceal and deceive in order to protect. A guardian of lies, as he puts it."
Emerald nodded and returned his attention to Sunset as he said, "I never wanted anyone to die, but it was agreed that this was the best way to show you just how deadly the threat we face is. It gave us a controlled environment within which to reveal the danger while also giving you and Flash a head start with adapting to Life Fibers. By allowing Adagio a vent for her grudge we also secured her as an ally." He turned a playful grin on the lead siren and teased, "She was the hardest to convince, but Aria and Sonata have done a good job keeping her in line."
Sunset spat a bit of blood from her mouth and directed a glare at a nearby chunk of concrete that seemed as though it would make the stone combust. She didn't want to hear any of this crap right now. Philomena had died for no good reason, and no attempt to justify it could make her feel better. In a fit of rage she yanked her arms away from Applejack and Rarity, turning to storm off down the street.
"Sunset! Wait up!" Pinkie called out, bounding after the girl.
The rest of the girls turned cautious glares on Emerald before following, with Fluttershy staying behind a second longer to give a timid wave and barely audible, "Sorry."
"Well this is a fine mess," Senketsu commented dryly.
"I know you were against lying to them from the start," Emerald said with a deep sigh. "Still, we've dealt our hand, and for better or worse, this is the rath that fate took my choice down. I have a good feeling about those Phoenix Gloves. If they are combined with the rest of your power, it may just be the key to winning this war."
Adagio stood, patting the dust off of her skirt as she added, "Good feeling or not, that power won't do anyone any good if she refuses to work with us. You're resting a lot of hope on some really big 'if's, like if she's even compatible enough to become a hybrid so she can wear Senketsu, let alone if she would even try." Skepticism oozed from her voice, making no attempt to hide her own lack of faith in him.
"I think she'll do great!" Sonata said, leaping up from the ground. "It's just like Starswirl always said back in Equestria, 'Harmony will prevail'."
"I don't want to hear another word about him!" Adagio snapped, making Sonata flinch back.
Emerald's shoulders went slack as he looked up at the clear blue sky ponderously. "Whatever the case may be, I will accept the repercussions for my actions," he repeated.
His thoughts were violently interested as with a crack of thunder, Flash moved in front of him to deliver a bone jarring punch right to his chest. Emerald was sent tumbling back across the ground, letting out a sharp scream as his injured arm struck pavement. When he finally stopped, his arm was bleeding even more profusely, and a new bloodstain started to grow on his chest.
"That's for making Sunset cry," Flash said, a furious edge to his otherwise calm voice, "but I'm sure you accept that as a consequence of your little plan you sprung on all of us. I'll agree to fight and help you, but I won't be forgiving you for this anytime soon." His peace said, he left as well, leaving a panicked Coco and Senketsu to tend to the battered Emerald.
"This is bad," Senketsu said as strands of Life Fiber extended from his sleeve to examine the wound beneath his shirt. "You've got seven broken ribs on each side, a cracked sternum, and three ribs on the left have punctured your lung."
Emerald got up onto all fours, coughing up blood before wheezing out, "I'll be fine. Coco, please take Adagio and the others back to base to have their injuries tended. I'll follow soon."
"Are you crazy? You're hurt way worse!" Coco objected.
"Please do as he says," Senketsu pleaded, waving her away. "I can take care of him, so don't worry."
Coco stood there looking conflicted for a moment before she finally gave in. She took Adagio, Sonata, and Aria, and lead them away from the school.
With them gone, Emerald and Senketsu were left alone. The boy sat himself upright, coughing up a bit more blood between weak breaths. Slowly, however, his breaths became more steady. Stomach churning snaps and pops came from his chest, and the skin on the left side of his neck started to harden from soft grey flesh to a lustrous silver shell. The strange hardening spread up along his jawline and halfway up his cheek, while on the over end it traveled down and below his collar, moving further unseen beneath his shirt. The spread halted after a few seconds, and his breathing evened out.
"So it's happening like you said it would," Senketsu said as he watched. "Those cells in your body are responding to your injuries and awakening."
Emerald nodded, lifting a hand to his cheek. With a swipe of his fingers over the hardened flesh, foggy green mana spread, and an illusion of his normal soft skin took its place. "We told you, didn't we? We're a monster."
The pair looked to the school in time to see Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna being led out the destroyed front door of school by an escort of four uniformed Safe Skies employees. The two school administrators looked understandably vexed as they were guided out of the school and into the ravaged courtyard.
At the same time, a motorcycle roared up the street and came to a stop in front of the school. The driver of chopper was Honey Sweet, pulling off her helmet in a cascade of golden lockes. She was wearing a rather interesting outfit today; a brown leather jacket over a black corset top and a pencil skirt that looked a little too short for the typical office setting.
“Love the new look, Senketsu,” the peppy woman winked playfully before joining them. “Gold is really your color.”
Senketsu simply nodded in reply, somewhat distracted by Celestia and Luna.
Emerald stood to meet the new arrivals, hands clasped behind his back, and Senketsu at his side. Once everyone was together, Emerald waved his employees away gratefully and broke the ice by saying, "I suppose this would have been the part where I explain things to you, but I get the feeling that you already know quite a bit about Life Fibers. Isn't that right, Princess Celeste and Princess Moonlight?"
"Princesses?" Senketsu echoed in surprise.
Celestia and Luna stiffened noticeably at the names. Luna was the first to go on the defensive, eying them all suspiciously as she asked, "How did you come to learn those names? They have been lost to history. We made sure of it."
Honey giggled, not bothered in the slightest by the suspicion as she said, "You two really haven't changed a bit in almost two thousand years. I recognized you both right away."
Celestia looked over Honey intently for a moment before her eyes went wide in wonder. "Rosalia? Is that you?"
Honey shook her head, her smile fading ever so slightly as she replied, "No, I'm her daughter, Honey Sweet. She would have been very happy to know that you remembered her though."
Her wording was not lost on the women, as their faces immediately went pale. "Rosalia is dead?" Celestia asked solemnly. "Then does that mean that the Primordial Life Fiber is in their hands again?"
Emerald nodded in confirmation of her suspicions. "Unfortunately, that is exactly the case," he replied. "Which is why I think this reunion is quite fortunate. It's time the heroes of the first war and the infamous family of traitors fought together again."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Far beneath Crystal Prep, in a special, underground structure, explosions rang out in rapid succession. The enormous blasts went unheard to all above ground, completely isolated from the outside world. They continued for several minutes, until they came to an abrupt stop just as quickly as they began.
The result was an enormous empty room littered with battered and broken bodies. Shreds of fabric floated down like snowfall, and all the Life Fibers therein were pulled to the center of the room, where a lone figure stood. Alone amidst the devastation, the female figure glowed an ominous violet hue as the Life Fibers flowed into the garment she wore. Silhouetted by the magic light, she stood hunched over, hands hanging with pistols gripped tight in each. Her shoulders rose and sank as she gasped for breath, only for an arm to whip out and fire a beam of light at a nearby combatant attempting to rise. The unlucky target let out an agonizing scream, and another thread of Life Fibers was sucked in.
Looking over the scene, in an adjacent room filled with monitors, Suri Polomare scribbled on a clipboard, taking frequent notes. Beside her stood Koketsu, or rather, a copy of Koketsu. The genuine article was currently being worn by their test subject, with seriously impressive results. The humanoid Kamui was grinning from ear to ear in childish glee as she took in the show.
A door behind the pair slid opened with a soft rush of air, and Suri immediately bowed as Gladiola Nectar entered the room.
"How is the test subject doing?" Gladiola asked, brushing a strand of her dark red hair out of her eye.
"Physical prowess and magical energies are off the charts, Lady Nectar. She took to the hybridization process magnificently," Suri replied, pointing the end of her pen at the largest screen, which showed an extensive view of the entire testing chamber. The damage hadn't just been limited to the combatants. The structure had been built from the toughest materials possible, and yet scorching craters could be seen all over the walls, floor, and ceiling. The metal was blackened and warped, and the metal was bowed a good three feet outward at each point of impact; a testament to the power on display.
"I told you she would be perfect," Koketsu's copy hummed happily, an inappropriately suggestive shudder traveling down her spine. "Still, even I'm surprised. I never would have thought that the power of an alicorn type would be so amazing! The dark magic feels so incredible flowing through me!"
Gladiola moved to the computer console and read all of the measurements, then examined the camera feeds as she asked, "What of her mental state?"
Suri flipped a few pages up on her clipboard and answered, "The subject's behavior experiences a drastic shift once she undergoes Life Fiber Subjugation. Her personality becomes far more severe, with an insatiable thirst to push the limits of her newfound power. She wants to know everything her magic can do."
"It's a shame that she's not like that when I deactivate," Koketsu sighed in disappointment. "It will still take some time to mold her into the perfect host. I won't be able to unleash all my power until she completely gives in to that dark hunger she has inside her."
Satisfied with the report, Gladiola turned to leave. "Try to fix that problem as soon as possible, Koketsu. Twilight Sparkle may be useful when transformed, but she's a liability in her normal state," she added.
"As you wish, Lady Nectar," Koketsu said with a curtsy.
Gladiola stopped as the door opened for her once more, turning a venomous glare on Koketsu as she mentioned, "Oh right, I almost forgot. It would seem that Emerald Mist and Senketsu have finally shown their faces again. Our satellites spotted them fighting just outside of Canterlot High, the location where you were sent to investigate the abnormal magical fluctuations. I hope that this is a recent development, and that you have not been withholding the location of our enemies intentionally."
Koketsu burst into a paper thin facade of laughter, waving dismissively at Gladiola's claim. "As if! What possible reason could I have to do that?" she lied, though it could barely be called one.
Leaving it at that, Gladiola left the room. She had better things to concern her with at this point than Koketsu’s misbehavior.
The second war was coming.