A Certain Magical Sunset

by Babroniedad

A Certain Magical Sunset - Act 1 - 12 - Sunset - The Day After

Sunset - The Day After

Tuesday, August 19, 10:30 AM Canterlot time

Sunset rushed out from the garage. She greeted Twilight's parents in their yard. “Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle! We had a great time on our sleepover!” she called out as she rolled over to the car. She stopped for a second, turned back to them, then rolled up to the fence. “Are you busy this Saturday?” she asked them.

Velvet turned to Nightlight. “No. I don't think we had anything really planned, did we honey?”

“Not that I know of, dear!'' answered Night Light as he watered the plants. “We did mention possibly going to the movies in the evening if the kids were all out. But aside from that nothing. Why?”

Velvet turned to Sunset. “Looks like we are free. Why do you ask?”

“Well, we were planning another sleepover for Saturday night with the rest of the girls. I kind of thought it would be fun to have everyone over to show off the bunker and maybe do some exploring if everyone was up for it. I mean who would say no to an off-world adventure, right?” She grinned.

“Off-world, eh?” smiled Velvet. “The things you girls get up to! What do you think dear?”

Night Light grinned. “Sure! Sounds good to me! Count us in!”

“Awesome! I’ll let Twilight know!” she called out as she rolled back to her car. Opening the driver's door, she transferred into the car then folded her chair and placed it into the passenger seat. Shutting the door, with a final wave to Twilight's parents, she started the car. “Canterlot Mall please, Nicholi!” she called out.

“Destination Canterlot Mall. Travel time is about 10 minutes,” replied the car. Sunset turned and looked both ways behind her. When she discovered that the road was clear, she backed out into the street then drove off towards work.

“Nicholi, text Twilight Sparkle. The message is - Twilight, I’ve invited your mom and dad to join us Saturday - they said yes. We should invite all our families for the day, then just have us girls for the sleepover. What do you think? Sunset out.”

“Message sent,” the car confirmed.

“Nice. I hope Mom and Aunty Luna can come,” thought Sunset as she drove through traffic on the way to the mall.

---

Sunset pulled into one of the Mall’s charging spots. She shut off the car and opened her door. Setting up her chair, she transferred over, and put her daypack on the back. Shutting the driver's door, she locked the car and hooked up to the charging station.

She rolled into the mall, smiling and waving to a few of her friends from school who were shopping. They waved and smiled back as she rolled towards the food court and into the cafe.

“Did you miss me Mr. Namori-san?” She smiled as she got to the counter. Mr. Namori was placing trays for the lunch menu into the display.

“Always, Sunset! Always!” he smiled. “So how was your holiday? Did you and your friends do anything fun over the break?”

“Heck yes!” she grinned. “Twilight took me to a private spa yesterday. It was out of this world!” She laughed. “My Mom, Aunty Luna, and our friend Dash wanted to go too so we all stayed the night. I just got back into town less than an hour ago!” she laughed. “They’re all still there, the lucky bums! Not that I don’t want to be here!” She added quickly. “I love working here for you too. I’m just bummed to miss the hike they’re going on this afternoon. It should be epic!”

Mr. Namori smiled. “You don’t have to apologize to me, Sunset. I understand completely. And thank you! I’m always happy to work with you as well!”

Sunset smiled and blushed. “Thank you, Mr. Namori-san!”

“Go ahead and get dressed. Clock in and start now. I could use the help,” smiled Mr. Namori.

“Hai! Mr. Namori-san,” smiled Sunset as she wheeled into the break room.

“Cute kid!” smiled Mr. Namori as he returned to his work.

Sunset put her backpack into her locker and quickly changed into her cafe uniform. Cap doned and ready to work, Sunset clocked in and rolled back out to Mr. Namori.

“Where would you like me to start Mr. Namori-san?” she asked.

“Can you please check all the condiment trays and dispensers and refill what needs refilling? Also, keep an eye on the counter for a minute. I need to fetch a few more trays. I’ll be right back.” Mr. Namori headed back to the kitchen for the display trays.

“Ahi!” said Sunset as she rolled behind the counter. She checked over everything. It was all in place. She reached for the cloth to clean the tables just as a group of girls walked in.

“Can you believe that! Some dufus posted a doctored clip of one of the Rainboom girls riding the Lunar Rover on the moon! I recognized her as soon as I saw it. She even had the same hair and prop wings they have in their videos. Some fans just don’t know when to quit!” she laughed. They walked up to the counter together. Upon arrival, they looked over the selections.

“I know, right?” her friend laughed. “The site I saw it on had posts claiming she was actually the Chinese Moon goddess Chang’e! They said she grew bored on the moon and decided to play with the toys men had left for her. That video has taken on a life of its own!”

Sunset groaned. Smiling, she looked up at the girls. “The Rainbooms on the Moon! You’re kidding ... right?” she asked. “What video is that?”

“You haven’t seen it yet? Here. Take a look!” She offered her phone over the counter. Sunset watched the video while shaking her head the whole time. She groaned. “Ugh… Dash!”

The girl looked at her. “You know her?” she asked.

“Yeah. That’s Rainbow Dash. She’s one of the Rainbooms, like you said. Though I don’t know how this video got out so quickly…” She smiled up at the girls.

“What do you mean so quickly? That’s really her? You’re yanking our chains, right? How do you know the Rainbooms?” the girls asked.

Sunset smiled. “I play guitar with them. I’m one of the Rainbooms!” She smiled, flipped her hair, struck a dramatic pose, then grinned.

“I could still walk in our videos. That was before my accident, so you probably don’t recognize me. No big deal. And yeah. That’s really her. We were playing around with an idea we had for a new video. I didn’t realize it’d leaked out to the internet. We were just messing around. Trying stuff out.” She laughed.

The girls stared at her for a few moments. Then one of the girls called out. “Oh my gosh! Yeah! I recognize you! You’re the redhead that plays guitar with the girl you called Rainbow Dash! Sorry! I didn’t recognize you in a wheelchair. What happened?” she gushed.

“Long story, I got paralyzed, lost the use of my legs. Hasn’t stopped me from anything important,” answered Sunset with a smile. “Chang’e huh? That’s a good one! I’ll have to tell Dash about that. She’ll get a kick out of it!”

The girls were texting like mad.

“Can I help you with anything?” asked Sunset. “Just let me know when you are ready to order.” She smiled and waited for the girls to finish.

Eventually, they looked back up. “Oh, yeah. Sorry! Sure! I’ll just take the Coltifornia Lunch Special. Thanks!” the first girl said.

“Oh! That sounds good! Me too!” chorused the rest of the girls.

“Okay! Five Coltifornia Lunch Specials. You got it. Are you paying together or separately?” asked Sunset as she prepared the trays.

“I got it! Just put it all on my bill,” one answered while checking her phone.

Sunset rang the order up. “Okay, $30 for the five specials, with $2.48 tax, your total is $32.48. Cash or credit?” she asked.

“Credit please,” the girl replied. She handed over her card. Sunset ran the card, got the approval, and completed the transaction. She handed the card back with the receipt and thanked the girl. “Thanks for eating at the Sushi Cafe!”

She then handed each girl their tray. “If you need anything please just let me know. I’ll be over in a minute with your tea. The special comes with complimentary drinks, so please help yourself to the soda dispenser. The cups are right next to it.”

Smiling at the girls as they took their seats, Sunset reached over to take the cleaning cloth again. She was about to roll out again when Lyra came running into the cafe.

“Sunset! Oh, thank the Maker! You are working today! Have you seen this?” She held her phone out as she ran towards the counter. Panting, she held out her phone to Sunset showing the same video the girls had just shown her.

She smiled at Lyra. “Yeah. I just saw it a minute ago. That’s Dash alright.” She laughed. “It was just supposed to be a prank. I had no idea things would go this crazy,” she grinned.

“Wait, wait... So you weren't really on the moon?” asked Lyra, still breathless from her run.

Sunset smirked and cocked an eyebrow. “I don’t know Lyra. What do you think?” she asked.

Lyra grinned back at her. “Knowing you girls? You probably really were on the moon! I wouldn’t put it past you!”

“I’ll never tell!” snarked Sunset. They both laughed.

“Really though! You really were, weren't you! Ugh! I am so jealous!” Lyra pouted.

Sunset grinned at her. “So Lyra. What are you doing Saturday?”

Lyra’s eyes grew as big as saucers. “Really!? Really really?! You would take me! Yes! What time, where, when do I show up? Yes! Uh… can Bonnie come too?” she asked.

“Yes. Bring Bonnie too!” Sunset smiled. “But we’re not going to the moon. We’re meeting up at Twilight’s house. I’ll text you with directions, the time, and any instructions. Will probably be around 10ish. Will that work for you?” she asked. “And what would you like to eat?”

“Ah, yeah. The lunch special looks good. Yeah, 10 is fine. Thank you thank you thank you! Thank you so much Sunset! This is going to be awesome!” Lyra grinned.

Sunset took Lyra’s hand. “Okay, but you have to be quiet about this. Don’t tell everyone else. And certainly don’t tell anyone where we are going or what we are going to do. Top Secret. Got it!? Not a word!” Lyra nodded happily. “Good. And it’ll be $5.28 with tax for the special. Drinks are included so help yourself.” She scanned Lyra’s card, got the approval, and passed her back the card and receipt. Lyra went to get her drink while Sunset finished up her tray.

Lyra returned, taking the tray with a grin. “Thanks so much, Sunset! You won't regret this!” Lyra smiled. She found an open table and sat down.

Sunset put two teapots on a tray with six cups. She filled the pots with steaming water and put the green tea in. She allowed the tea to steep. Waiting a few moments, she looked over the cafe. Everyone seemed content. No one was trying to get her attention. Smiling, she took the tray and approached the group of girls.

“Here is your tea!” Sunset greeted upon arrival. She placed the pot on the table and passed the cups to the girls. “Is there anything else I can get you?” she offered.

“Nope! We’re good,” they replied. Thanking them, Sunset moved on to Lyra’s table.

Lyra was on the phone. “No Bonnie! I swear I’m not making this up! Honest! That really was Dash! Yes! She was on the moon! Come on Bonnie! Why would I lie about this?!” she whined.

Sunset smiled at her and held out her hand. Grinning, Lyra handed over her phone. Sunset held the phone to her ear. “Wow, Bonnie! That sounds pretty aggressive!” snarked Sunset. “Yes. Everything Lyra said is true. But I will deny it forever if you ever repeat it.” She listened for a moment then rolled her eyes. “That’s fine, Bonnie. You don’t have to believe me. But if you’re interested, come with Lyra this Saturday. Just you two. No one else! And please don’t tell anyone.” She nodded as Bon Bon made a reply. “That’s fine. Just try to keep an open mind. I’ll give Lyra the details. See you Saturday! Bye!”

She handed the phone back to Lyra. “Friends! What can you do? Am I right?” she grinned.

“Oh my gosh! You are so going to blow her mind!” Lyra grinned. “I can’t wait to see the look on her face!”

Sunset placed the tea on the table and handed Lyra her cup. “My nether, Lyra!” she laughed.

---

The rest of her shift was relatively uneventful. She texted Twilight on her break to let her know about their additional guests, then noticed a message from her mom.

“Lol, Sunshine! Twilight gave us the same invitation after you left! It’s like you two are on the same wavelength! Your aunt and I wouldn’t miss it!”

Sunset smiled. In the words of her apparently Moon Goddess friend…

“This was going to be awesome!”

---

A spoon can no sooner taste the food it carries, than a fool understand the wisdom he repeats - The Celestia Sayings

---

Mikoto - Academy City

Mikoto advanced on the girl before her, lightning arcing from her hand. The girl gulped and sweated.

“The reason I’m not blowing the hell out of you with my electricity… Well, let’s just say it isn’t because killing you would bother me or anything,” she started intently at the girl. “You can save me the trouble of killing you. Just tell me about the project. I want to know everything you know.

“Who’s behind this? Who hired you?” she asked.

The girl looked in confusion. “That’s why we have a middle man for things like that,” she thought.

“You said someone else was on the way.” continued Mikoto, staring down at the girl. “Are there more like you coming, and if they're psychics, what are their powers?”

The girl grinned up at Mikoto. “Yeah, right, as if I’d tell you!” she thought.

“You’ve got three seconds. Two… One…” A large section of steel, ripped from the wall, hurtled towards the girl.

“Thalkjr!” yelled out the girl. The steel stopped. “Ferljk.. Lerelr… ugh…” she sputtered. “My tongue! My tongue is frozen! I can’t talk!” the girl panicked.

“So, refusing to sell out your friends, eh? I can admire that, but…” Mikoto stated.

Just then the large steel door to the room exploded in an arcing blast of electricity, a perfectly round hole ripped right through its center. Standing in the center, a woman looked into the room with a smirk.

Stepping through the hole, she snarked. “It was so quiet in here, I thought you might’ve been defeated already. Looks like we got her just in time, Frenda.” Behind her another young girl entered through the hole.

“Mugino!” called out Frenda happily from the floor at Mikoto’s feet.

Turning to her, Mugino scolded. “Really now. You just had to keep her occupied until we met up. Not only did you chase her too hard, but you got your butt kicked, and all because you got a little greedy over the kill bonus.” She shook her head in sadness. “I’ll have to rethink the distribution of payouts from now on.”

The other young girl held out Frenda’s beret to her, having picked it up when she entered the room. “Don’t worry, Frenda. I’m still on your side, despite your horrible failure.”

A large tank suddenly flew at the group, but it disintegrated into nothing before they were flattened by it. Mugino, arm outstretched, looked over at where the tank had come from. Mikoto was standing there, still half hunched over from launching it through the wall at them, a look of complete shock on her face.

“So, this is our invader,” noted Mugino. Frenda nodded vigorously.

WHAM! A shot of blazing lightning shot from Mugino’s outstretched arm straight at Mikoto. When the glare from the blast cleared, they saw Mikoto running up the wall towards the ceiling.

Mugino launched several more attacks, all of which Mikoto dodged as she ran up the wall. “Well isn’t that a handy little skill!” called out Mugino as she continued her barrage. “Attaching to the walls to dodge my attack. You’re like a little spider.”

Mikoto gave her a final glare, then disappeared into the ducting in the ceiling.

Mugino turned to the girl who had followed her in, tossing her a small medical case. “Takitsubo, you’re up. Use this”

---

The research supervisor stood with the researcher, staring at the blank screens.

“I wonder how things are going over there,” commented the researcher.

“With communications cut off, there’s no way to observe them,” complained the supervisor..

“Do you know anything about the reinforcements? They send over a little girl for pity's sake!” commented the researcher.

“Her looks are deceiving. She’s an underworld cleaner,” explained the supervisor.

“Speaking of little girls, why did you decide to bring back Nunotaba?” the researcher asked.

“Well, in case we get attacked,” explained the supervisor. Seeing the confused look on his assistant's face, he clarified. “We need someone to take responsibility if something happens, right? It’s a good idea to keep a scapegoat on hand.”

“What a world we live in…” groaned the researcher. “Hey, wait a minute. Doesn’t that make us scapegoats too?”

The supervisor laughed. “You just realized that?”

Opening the door to his office, he called out. “I’m sorry for the wait, Nunotaba-san…” looking around she was clearly gone. “Nunotaba-san?”

He turned to the researcher. “Maybe she went to the ladies room.”

---

Nunotaba was elsewhere in the facility, clearly not the ladies room. Climbing down a ladder, she thought to herself. “The sisters undergoing fine tuning will be moved last, I’m sure.” She reached the bottom of the ladder, stepping off and looking around. “With the sudden transfer and their attention diverted to an attacker, they won’t have the resources to track my internal movements. And with the focus on the transfer the security is more lax. This is my best chance.”

---

Mugino launched an attack at Mikoto. It veered away, striking behind her. “How is she dodging my attacks?” mused Mugino. “Wait, she isn’t dodging them. She’s deflecting them!”

Mikoto launched a bolt explosively at a steam pipe next to Mugino, blasting her with steam and blinding everyone briefly. “A smoke screen, something that minor won’t buy her much time,” noted Mugino as she used her powers to pinch off the steaming pipe. When the steam cleared, Mikoto was gone, through the hole in the wall behind the steam pipe.

“Well that beats all. Girl’s on the move, using the hole I made as an exit,” she turned to the young girl beside her, her eyes milky white from the drug she had just ingested. “Takitsubo?”

“It’s okay,” Takitsubo confirmed, staring at the wall blankly. “There’s nothing to worry about. I’ve successfully recorded our target’s AIM dispersion field.

---

Mikoto ran through the facility halls, thinking on her feet. “Ugh, I can’t believe I was so stupid! Taking on three psychics of that caliber is sucide. Remember what you’re here for, Mikoto. Blowing this place up! Don’t fight them head on, just let them come at you, one at a time.” Just then she tripped over her own feet.

“Ah, crap! I’ve overextended my abilities. Going full throttle for days, I don’t have any strength left!” A beam ripped through the wall where she was standing a second ago. Mikoto looked up in shock.

“How did they find me?! I’ve been zigging and zagging, moving randomly! Was that just luck?” Another beam zipped in, Mikoto barely dodging it in time. “Nope!” She kept moving.

---

Takitsubo watched the walls. “I have the impression that she dodged your attacks.”

“Damn!” swore Mugino. “I wonder if she’s in the rafters. It’s annoying to deal with an extra plane, damned little spider!”

Frenda watched Mugino and Takitsubo working together with admiration. “It doesn’t matter if they’re hiding behind a wall or on the ceiling, she’s so absolutely amazing! But no surprise there, Shizuri is Academy City’s fourth ranked Level 5. Melt-downer!”

Mugino stared at the wall in frustration. “Bah! It’s only a matter of time before we capture our little miss spider. Now then, let’s drive her into a corner so she can’t escape next time.”

Frenda smiled. “No matter where she runs, Takitsubo’s AIM Stalker ability can pinpoint her location, while Mugino’s Melt-downwer can disintegrate her and anything she tries to hide behind. In the end, no one can beat that combo.”

---

Nunotaba hunched over a console for the Testament unit programming the sister in the pod in the next room over.

“Misaka doesn’t realize, she can’t stop the project, even if she wipes out all of the facilities,” she thought as she worked feverishly. “The desire behind achieving a Level 6 is too dark, and far too deep.” She wiped her eyes, continuing her efforts. “I need to take the data I’ve gathered on human emotions for the sisters, and install it directly into their brains. I don’t expect them to develop full true emotions from a simple program, but they should be able to produce some reactions from it at least. Not enough to stop the project entirely, but it can provide these girls with another path besides their hopeless one-way track towards death. Maybe one of the sisters who had accepted her death will come forward, lamenting it. Maybe that will drive a researcher to see these girls as more than mere lab animals. And maybe, just maye, if they plead that they no longer wish to fight, the scene will move the heart of another.”

She was about to push the final instruction when her head was slammed down into the console. “Argh!” she cried out in pain.

“I knew you might actually be involved in the project, so I confirmed it with my superiors. They said this area is super prohibited until the data transfer is complete. It seemed like the attacker was acting alone, but there was always the chance that the attack on one facility was a super diversion instead. Mugino and her raid team are dealing with the attack. Me? I’m with the defensive team, and we’re super strong here. And you know what? It looks like Mugino was super right,” said Kinuhata Saiai as she held Nunotaba down against the console.

---

“Here it comes!” braced Mikoto, dodging up the wall. Below her, another attack ripped through the wall where she had been.

---

“Frenda?” nodded Mugino, informed Mikoto had dogged her attack again.

“Gotch!” nodded Frenda. “In the end, it was a good idea to lay traps all over the facility,” she winked, tossing out her fuses to the taped lines around them. The fuses raced out of the room, sizzling to their destinations.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Multiple explosions rocked out around Mikoto, knocking her from the wall. She landed on the floor with a thud, looking up just in time to see a fuse speed its way up a tank in front of her to a rag doll sitting on top.

“Crap!” Mikoto called out, electricity arcing from her outstretched hands. Tanks, doors, and tables piled up between her and the doll. The explosion shook the walls around her, shaking her makeshift shield but leaving her unharmed.

“Okay, no doubt about it. Through psychometry or clairvoyance or something, one of them is definitely tracking me,” she noted.

---

Nunotaba, her face pushed against the console, worked surreptitiously as her captor conversed with her and her clients.

“I’m gonna turn you over to our client now,” explained Saiai, facing the two thugs from the client that had come to relieve her. “It’s super useless to resist.” She turned back, noticing what Nunotaba was doing.

“No!” she yelled out, throwing Nunotaba back towards the thugs and slamming her fist into the console, destroying it as sparks and flames leaped out from it. She looked up at the still functioning display.

“Installation complete // connecting to the Misaka-Network // packet delivered,” she read.

“Too late!” gasped Nunotaba, dragged to her feet by the thugs. “The installation is complete! You lose!” Standing, she glared at Saiai. “In just a matter of moments, the program will spread through the Mikasa-net via the sisters’ neural links. My emotional engine will be shared between all the sisters, and they will know free will!” She grinned at Saiai. “No one can stop it!”

The console beeped, and a new message was displayed.

“The connection was refused from the Network side.”

Then a larger message appeared.

“Warning! Request does not belong to Superior Unit 20001.”

“What?” gasped Nunotaba. “What!?”

The screen became filled with repeated pop ups of the warning. “Beep! Beep! Beep!”

Saiai turned back to Nunotaba. “I don’t know what you were doing, but your plan, it super failed,” she commented.

In shock, Nunotaba hung, arms twisted behind her by the thugs. “But, how? When did the institute install new security measures?”

---

In a tube deep in another facility, a young Misaka clone hung suspended. Wires, feeding tubes, and sensors were attached to her young body. A plack was placed on the base of the tube above the attached console.

“Misaka Unit 20001” it read.

---

Saiai turned to the thugs. “She’s yours. Take her upstairs and make it super quick.”

“Yes ma’am,” they acknowledged.

Seeing her options slipping away, Nunotaba ducked and slipped out of her lab coat, slipping from the grasp of the thugs holding her. Spinning on her heels, she wrenched the gun from the hostler of her nearest assailant and clocked him with a quick uppercut palm thrust.

“Ahgh!” he screamed out, collapsing to the ground.

Holding the gun directly at Saiai’s head, she said one word. “Don’t!”

The thugs froze, looking to Saiai for guidance.

“Don’t move!” repeated Nunotaba, hammer drawn back. “Retreat. Please.”

Saiai stood motionless. The thugs moved forward.

“I really didn’t want to use something like this!” Nunotaba yelled. She whipped the gun down to Saiai’s arm and fired point blank repeatedly.

Saiai stood there, unflinching. “I super can’t,” she said simply.

Nunotaba stared in shock, the shells all having bounced off of Saiai without harming her in the slightest.

“While I super respect your decision to aim away from my vitals, you can’t break through my offense armor with a puny little gun,” she explained.

With a crunch, Nunotaba collapsed to the ground. Saiai turned to the thugs. “Carry her upstairs, super quick.”

“On it,” one of the thugs responded, picking her up. The other stood looking through the large window into the adjoining room with the Testament pods all lined up.

“Hey! Did you see that capsule over there? It looks like there’s someone in it,” he observed.

Saiai turned to him. “Staring at things that aren’t related to work may get you super erased,” she commented, staring at him. Taking the hint, he moved away from the window.

“What’s gonna happen to her?” asked the thug with Nunotaba as he placed handcuffs on her.

“Who knows? We just have to do our jobs… super well,” Saiai commented. “I guess if she’s valuable, she’ll get to live.” She led them out the door. “But the rest of her days will be super crappy at best.”

---

Takitsubo called out instructions as Mugino sent out shot after shot. “The target has moved 20 meters to the north-west.”

“Damn it. I can’t seem to hit her. It’s not just her moving around on all three axes, either. She may be sensing my attacks. It’s like she knows their coming,” growled Mugino in frustration.

She looked over at Takitsubo. Frenda was fussing over her friend. “Are you okay, Takitsubo?” she asked quietly.

“This drawn-out fight is straining Takitsubo,” Mugino thought. She mused for a few moments, coming to a conclusion. “My opponent right now is an exhausted, frenzied animal. She’s still dangerous, but if I keep my head, there’s no way I can lose to her.” She smiled. “Time to switch up the plan.”

---

Mikoto was still crawling from wall to wall, firing off every trap she came across. “Jeez! How many freaking traps did she set!?” A wave of exhaustion swept over her. She leapt down from the wall just in time to see a fuse trace blaze beneath her towards a tank topped with one of the infernal rag dolls. “Crap, no way to dodge that!” she thought as she landed right beside it. She sensed a sudden attack coming and rolled, hand out, bending it away. It blasted the wall beside her. “Just as I thought!” noted Mikoto. “I suspected it when she bent my attack back there. At a basic level, her power is the same as mine! I just didn’t want to test it so directly.”

---

“She bent my melt-downer?!” mused Mugino. She started laughing. “Haha! I get it now.” Across the room, Takitsubo collapsed.

Frenda rushed to her friend's side. “Hey, Takitsubo?!” She reached out to comfort her. “Aahg!” she cried out, pulling her hand back. “Ow, ow, ow!”

“Frenda,” called out Mugino. “Take Takitsubo and meet up with Kinuhta.”

“I can’t keep going,” gasped Takitsubo, on the floor on all fours, Frenda fawning over her.

“Not just for your sake, Takitsubo,” consoled Mugino. “Frenda took some pretty severe damage from little miss spider, I’ll bet. You're overdoing it.

“If Takitsubo hits her limit and we can’t sense the enemy’s counter attack even I would have trouble protecting all three of us. It’s dangerous for you to stay. So, now, shoo!”

“I’m sorry for holding you back,” apologized Frenda.

“I’m not mad at you, silly,” Mugino laughed, patting Frenda’s head. “It’s thanks to you two that miss spider has one foot in the grave. Have Kinuhata hold the rear guard while you get some rest.

“That was weirdly nice of her,” whispered Frenda as she helped her friend up and out of the room.

“And, it would be annoying if they said we had to gang up on you to win. Yes, it’s just you and me, miss third ranked psychic,” grinned Mugino as they left.

“Time for our match, Mugino Shizuri, the Melt-downer vs. Tokwadiai’s Railgun.”

---

Author's Note:

Events in A Certain Magical Index during this time:

• The Sisters Arc (Railgun)