Hey everyone! Welcome to July! I know a lot of you are probably really excited to hear more about what's ahead, especially with the next few weeks providing us with not only the next couple of chapters for "The Challenge of a Lifetime", but also the end of this story, marking it as the first of the Infinity Stone stories to be completed.
By the time you've seen this chapter, I'll likely have already started working on "Power" with Triton0501. Not to mention, I'm excited for you to see "Omni Force: WORLD HEROES' MISSION" this summer as well. There's a lot of story content on the horizon!
Anyways, last time we left off, Vignette used the Equestrian Magic in her phone to send Fluttershy and James into some kind of pocket dimension! Will our heroes be able to help them before too long? Or is there greater trouble afoot?
MIND
"Ergh!" James grunted as he slammed against the wall hard, wincing as he rubbed his left shoulder, "Wherever we are, it's definitely not a space we can just get out of…" he noted aloud, glancing back at Fluttershy, who was using her hands to feel for the wall on her side of the space.
"Oh…" she groaned out, "I can't believe Vignette has some kind of Equestrian Magic in her phone…" she mumbled, crouching down sadly.
"I can't believe she was petty enough to send us here just because you didn't wanna do what she asked," the Avenger mentioned as he approached her, "Makes me wonder if she's got 'plans' for the others…" he added, putting his hand onto his chin in thought.
"I hope not…" Fluttershy responded, "We don't even have any way to warn them…" she pointed out with a shake of her head.
"And we don't know how to get out of here…" James mentioned grimly, sitting down beside her.
Oh dear… It seems as if James and Fluttershy are in quite a pickle for the moment. I wonder if their friends will find out what's happened. One in particular seems suspicious enough. But in the meantime, I think we should check in on the others and see what they're up to.
ROLLERCOASTER OF FRIENDSHIP
PART III
Sunset, Twilight, Laura and Azari were trekking through the line of carnival game stands, hearing people left and right call out for patrons to try their luck. The female mutant of the group with drinking a soda, following behind the others as they conversed.
"So in your world, there was an AI developed by a superhero meant to be a peacekeeping program," the spectacled girl began, "but instead, it turned into a genocidal machine bent on wiping out every shred of life in existence until you and your friends destroyed it?" she explained in question, looking over to Azari.
"…Pretty much," he answered with a shrug.
"Heh," Sunset chuckled, "Honestly, I'm not even surprised…" she admitted with a shake of her head, putting her hands onto her hips.
"You're not?" Twilight inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"Hey, it's a multiverse and it's in the future," her friend pointed out with a shrug, "Anything can happen," she said.
"Hm," Laura huffed upon overhearing.
"Well, I guess you've got a point…" Twilight concluded, "Oh, I think I saw a booth that we could try!" she pointed out in remembrance, walking off with a smile on her face. Sunset followed. Azari glanced back at Laura, seeing her continue to sip her drink without so much as a care in the world.
"Huh…" he sighed, "You know, Paradox is gonna make everyone forget that we even came here," he noted to her, getting her attention. She glared at him underneath her glasses.
"Ella no olvidará," she retorted, causing him to groan.
"Yeah, I know…" he grumbled, "Her magic is exactly the reason why she started having those nightmares about what happens almost a decade from now," he told her as he approached, "Look, all I'm saying is that you should be real with her," he insisted, "Then she'll know why we're serious about this," he affirmed on.
"¿No habla en serio?" Laura questioned back. Azari rolled his eyes.
"You know what I meant…" he pointed out before they followed after the pair of Twilight and Sunset. They passed by a few more of the carnival game booths down the alley before approaching one at the very end on the left. And standing inside were none other than Flim and Flam.
"Step right up! Don't be shy!" the former exclaimed to any potential patrons. He wound up catching Twilight's eyes as she glanced over curiously.
"You like prizes? We got prizes!" Flam pointed out, while the spectacled girl jogged over, much to Sunset's surprise.
"Toss this ring onto any one of these bottles!" Flim instructed as he held up a small blue ring in his fingers, "Easiest game in the park!" he proclaimed, spinning the ring on his pointer finger before letting it fly off. It wound up landing around one of the bottles laid out in the booth as Twilight watched in awe.
"Wow!" she exclaimed, "This game does look easy!" she affirmed confidently.
"Would ya lookee here?" Flim remarked with a smile, "Somebody who knows a thing or two about a thing or two!" he pointed out emphatically as the others of the group approached. Twilight reached into one of the pouches on her skirt, pulling out a ticket. She was ready to hand it over the vendor until Sunset grabbed her arm to take her aside.
"Twilight…" she began as she sighed, "they're just giving ya the old bump-and-tingle to lure you in," she noted quietly while gesturing back towards Flim and Flam, "These games are rigged…" she added firmly.
"Slanderous!" Flim exclaimed in exaggerated shock.
"Libelous!" Flam concurred, sounding just as overly dramatic.
"Estúpido…" Laura muttered while rolling her eyes underneath her sunglasses.
"Do you know what's not rigged?" Twilight inquired of her friend, adjusting her glasses, "The laws of physics," she noted cleverly, "Assuming no air resistance and a vertical displacement of zero, horizontal displacement equals initial projectile velocity squared times the sine of twice the launch angle divided by the acceleration due to gravity," she explained thoroughly and quickly as the others looked on at her in confusion. She turned back around to the booth, handing Flim her ticket and picking up one of the blue rings on the counter. She carefully looked out at the array of bottles ahead of her, selecting which one she'd try to target. Angling her arm, she flicked the ring out as it went around the top of one bottle, still spinning around.
"Oh, the suspense!" Flim shouted as he held his head in his hands.
"The drama!" his brother dramatically exclaimed as he leaned against him.
"I can't watch!" Flim added, covering his eyes.
"Hold me!" Flam squeaked. The brothers embraced, faux-shuddering all the while.
"Uh, it's already on the bottle…" Azari pointed out as the ring hadn't yet stopped, "I'm pretty sure that means she—" All of a sudden, the ring bounced off, falling onto the ground. "…Oh…" the Wakandan prince uttered, while the others were just shocked.
"Ugh…!" Twilight loudly groaned out.
"You were pretty close, though…" Sunset admitted, putting a reassuring hand onto her shoulder, "Maybe we should try one more time?" she suggested, offering her friend some of her own tickets to use. Both Flim and Flam took notice, looking to each and smirking all the while. Laura huffed, stepping forward and shoving the two girls aside as they yelped a little in surprise.
"Mi turno," she insisted, pulling out her own ticket to hand off to the vendors.
"Ooh, we've got ourselves a new challenger!" Flam noted excitedly.
"Show us what you've got, little lady!" Flim remarked. The mutant girl selected a ring from the counter, holding it in her right hand. Though instead of Twilight, she didn't even aim before she sharply backhanded the ring. It bounced around the booth, causing both vendors to scurry about to avoid getting hit, even bumping into each other by accident. Ultimately, the ring wound up landing around the top of a bottle amidst the array. But unlike previously, it stayed on and stopped.
"Ah… wouldja look at that?" Flam pointed out with a nervous chuckle.
"The first-timer is a big winner!" Flim quipped as he outstretched his arms, "So what'll the big prize for you be, little lady?" he inquired curiously, putting his hands onto his hips. Laura merely pointed out the stuffed yellow unicorn at the corner of the booth. "Ah, a fabulous choice!" the vendor complimented, quickly going over to fetch the prize and hand it over to the winner, "Enjoy the sweet taste of victory!" he remarked.
"Hm," the mutant girl huffed as she held her new plush underneath her right arm.
"Nice one!" Azari complimented, offering his left hand up for a high-five, which she accepted softly. She did the same with Twilight. And then, Sunset approached, readying her own hand. However, Laura grabbed her by her arm before she could come any closer.
"No," she said simply with a glare underneath her sunglasses. The red-and-yellow-haired girl blinked in surprise.
"Uh… what?" she uttered out of confusion, "I was just giving you a high-five…" she noted as she arched an eyebrow. It took a moment for the mutant girl to realize what she was doing, slowly taking her hand off of her colleague's arm.
"Lo siento," she apologized, turning around and jogging off.
"H-Hey!" Sunset stammered out.
"Huh…" Azari sighed, "Don't worry, I got her," he assured, "We'll meet up with you later," he promised before hurrying after his fellow mutant.
"That… was a little weird…" Twilight noted aloud as she scratched at her right cheek, "Does… she not like you?" she assumed, arching an eyebrow.
"I dunno…" Sunset admitted with a shake of her head and a shrug, "Maybe it's got something to do where she's from in the multiverse?" she suggested as she tilted her head to the side.
"Well, I guess we could learn more…" the spectacled girl started to say, "after we win ourselves a prize!" she insisted, turning around excitedly to the ring toss booth again. With a sigh and a smile, Sunset rolled her eyes as walked over to stand beside her friend, who handed another ticket off to the Flim-Flam brothers. Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched from afar by none other than Proxima and Corvus, who were both perched in the trees outside of the park.
"The otherworlders have separated," the latter of the two noted, looking to his wife. She activated the comlink at her left wrist.
"We'll begin phase one shortly," she declared.
"Affirmative," Maw's voice responded over the line. He and Obsidian were hiding on the opposite side of the park, standing behind the warehouses. "Make certain that they won't stand in our way," he advised seriously.
X
"No sign of James or Fluttershy…" Francis noted as he, Torunn and Applejack made their way back over to the warehouses.
"And Vignette seems to be absent as well…" the demigoddess mentioned as she placed her hand onto her chin, "Perhaps there may be a connection?" she inferred, "What say you, Applejack?" she asked of the cowgirl, getting her attention as she approached the door.
"I…" she tried to say, "I dunno…" she admitted with a shake of her head, "As much as I don't like that Vignette, it's prolly just a coinky-dink that she wound up bein' the one with James and Fluttershy before they vanished…" she told the two Avengers.
"And yet, why was she even with them in the first place?" Francis wondered aloud, "I wouldn't think she'd need to chat with Snow White unless she wanted to give her some pointers…" he told the girls, "And from what I've seen, she's not good at giving advice…" he mentioned bluntly.
"Well… huh…" Applejack sighed out, "Let's not judge a book by its cover, alright?" she requested, "We'll just ask around and see if anyone's seen 'em," she decided, going up to the door. She pushed it open, allowing for her and the others to enter and see everyone still hard at work on the floats and costumes for the parade. Rarity was upon a western-themed float that was being built, putting the finishing touches on a cowboy outfit for one of the performers.
"Finished!" she declared, letting out a sigh of relief as she wiped the sweat off of her forehead, "Let there be light!" she bellowed as she plugged the wire attached to the costume to the outlet cable. Electricity buzzed before the lights upon the outfit lit up. Everyone looked over in awe to see it.
"Wow," Francis uttered, "Girl's got talent," he complimented, folding his arms over his chest.
"But… is it safe to be generating that much power into such an outfit?" Torunn inquired in concern. Meanwhile, Rarity sighed again, dropping the cable she was holding onto the floor.
"Maybe tonight won't be a disaster after all," she affirmed with some semblance of confidence as everyone around her seemed to be excited about her creation. Unfortunately, the costume started crackling with electricity, short circuiting as its lights went out before emitting smoke. The fashionista felt her left eye twitch as she nervously smiled.
"Oh dear…" Torunn uttered worriedly.
"Will you, uh… excuse me for a moment?" she requested calmly, walking off as the performer took off his cowboy hat to wave away the smoke emitting from his outfit. Applejack and the others watched as Rarity made her way to a pile of clothes and fabric, still seeming poised. And then, she fell into them. "OF ALL THE OUTLANDISH CIRCUMSTANCES IN THE UNIVERSE, WHY ARE ALL THE WRETCHED THINGS HAPPENING TO ME?!" she screamed in question, muffled by the clothes as she flailed around in them. Those nearby flinched, quickening their pace.
"Okay… big yikes…" Francis said with a grimace.
"What shall we do?" Torunn asked, looking over to Applejack. The cowgirl took a deep breath, giving off a supportive smile as she walked over to her downed and stressed friend.
"Hey, Rarity," she greeted, "How's—?"
"I wasn't having a meltdown!" the fashionista suddenly exclaimed as she pushed herself up from the pile, "Who said I was having a meltdown?!" she questioned angrily as she glanced back and forth, "I AM NOT HAVING A MELTDOWN!" she loudly bellowed, letting her left eye twitch as she gnashed her teeth together and clenched her fists.
"Okay, either you need a break or a therapist…" Francis remarked, earning himself an elbowing from his girlfriend. Meanwhile, Applejack was flabbergasted by how stressed her friend really was, especially after she proclaimed that she had nothing to worry about. But she didn't want to make things worse, holding up her hands in a placating manner.
"Uh, have you seen Fluttershy or James?" she asked as Rarity was fixing her hair and clothes up, "See, they went wanderin' off with Vignette and then just disappeared," she told her. To her surprise, the fashionista gave off an irritated look.
"Are you honestly asking me this right now?" she questioned, gesturing to herself.
"Oh, it's not that I don't trust Vignette, if… that's what you're thinkin'…" Applejack affirmed in reply, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck with her left hand as her friend stared skeptically.
"We're merely concerned with where they might've gone," Torunn chimed in, holding her hands out in a placating manner, "With the Black Order potentially lurking about, we want to make sure they are at least safe," she mentioned.
"We're in a giant fun park with fifty thousand people," Rarity noted to them out of annoyance, "'Course you can't find them," she remarked… right before gasping in realization, "Fifty thousand people…" she repeated, "All looking at my costumes!" she realized in horror, holding her cheeks. At that point, Applejack had heard enough of stress.
"Are you seriously not concerned about Fluttershy?" she inquired.
"Or James for that matter?" Torunn questioned on.
"That's a hundred thousand individual eyeballs…" the fashionista mentioned, grabbing the cowgirl's shoulder as her stress was starting to completely overtake her.
"Well, if you ain't gonna worry about them, we will!" she decided in declaration, shoving her friend's away before walking off. Torunn and Francis glanced back at each other in concern, looking over to the shaken Rarity. The sheer volume of people coming to see the evening's parade felt daunting to her. So much so that she was tuning out everything else around her not related to the coming event.
"SOMEBODY GET ME A BIGGER PILE OF CLOTHES TO SCREAM INTO!" she screamed commandingly as she waved her arms. A few of her assistants quickly came over and added more outfits into the pile in front of the lead costume designer.
"Okay… maybe I oughta' stick with her after all…" Francis assumed, getting his girlfriend's attention, "At least to make sure she doesn't go completely nuts over this…" he mentioned as he glanced back at the fashionista, who fell into her pile of clothes again and began screaming profanely.
"And Applejack and I shall continue our investigation into the others' whereabouts," his girlfriend declared additionally. He chuckled with a smirk.
"You got it, beautiful," he remarked, "Catch you later," he promised, granting her a quick kiss to her lips before he headed off.
"Wait, where are you going?" she asked in confusion.
"To get Miss Screamy some ice cream or something else to keep her cool," her boyfriend responded, "Don't worry, she'll be fine," he assured confidently with a wink.
"Huh…" Torunn sighed with a smile. As she left the warehouse to follow Applejack, she was unaware of Maw and Obsidian watching them from afar. The latter of the two mercenaries growled.
"Hmm…" his adopted brother hummed with narrowed eyes, "It seems someone is working to eliminate our enemies in our stead," he noted aloud, "This could help us level the playing field and retrieve the other half of the stone," he affirmed.
"Hfff…" Obsidian huffed in frustration.
"I understand your feelings about this matter most of all, Brother," Maw assured as he turned to him, "We cannot fail this mission if it means ruling this multiverse in our father's place," he told him, "Which is why I'll trust you to deal with the archer for me," he added in instruction. The brutish alien pulled his multi-tooled hammer off from his belt, holding it tightly in his left hand. His telekinetic brother grinned. "Corvus. Proxima," he communicated through the comlink as his siblings from afar listened, "Lure the otherworlders away from Shimmer," he requested, "I shall deal with her myself," he declared firmly.
"Understood," Proxima responded.
X
Laura ate away at a soft pretzel she had bought, sitting at one of the tables in the park's rest area. She glanced over to see Sunset and Twilight still having trouble with the ring toss as she could hear their loud groans. She watched as the red-and-yellow-haired girl banged her right fist against the countertop in frustration.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Azari's voice inquired, catching the mutant girl's attention as she saw the Wakandan prince sit down across from her, "I get the feeling you're going through," he pointed out, "I mean, Sunset's your mom…" he noted quietly.
"Madrastra," Laura corrected as she ripped off a piece of her pretzel, dipping it into some mustard before eating it.
"Right, stepmom," her fellow mutant responded, "Point is, I understand that you're anxious about everything since we're working together like this…" he told her. She turned her head away as a blush dusted her cheeks.
"No estoy ansiosa…" she claimed. Azari rolled his eyes.
"Sure you're not…" he grumbled out, "Once we get the full Mind Stone back, Paradox is gonna rewrite everyone's memory and make 'em think we were never here," he explained to her, "And they're not gonna know that the Infinity Stone ever existed," he mentioned assuredly.
"No ella," Laura retorted to his surprise, "Su magia es demasiado fuerte," she noted.
"What, you mean her memory magic?" the Wakandan prince guessed, tilting his head to the side, "How?" he inquired on.
"...Ella recordó a Star," the mutant girl answered, finishing her pretzel, "Eso la perseguirá durante la próxima década antes de que suceda," she added sadly as she crumpled the paper on which her food had been served into a ball. She tossed it backwards, and it wound up landing in a trash can. Azari exhaled a sigh.
"There's nothing we can do about what your mom does or doesn't end up remembering after this," he told her, reaching a hand over to grasp hers, "In order to make sure the rest of the multiverse comes out okay, we gotta do this," he affirmed. She looked back at him for a moment before pulling her hand away to his surprise, standing up from her seat.
"¿Es eso lo que hace un héroe?" she wondered aloud.
"…I don't like it either, Laura…" the Wakandan prince admitted, "But this is what we gotta do," he stated firmly. The mutant girl looked back at the woman who was to be her stepmother in the future. It frustrated her that she'd have to forget about everything she went through, especially considering how dedicated she was to getting the other half of the Mind Stone back.
With a sigh, she ultimately decided to go back and watch the two girls fail at the ring toss. But then her nose twitched. She took of her sunglasses and started sniffing around.
"Laura?" Azari said with an arched eyebrow, "What is it?" he inquired in concern. Concentrating her sense of smell, the mutant girl sniffed again before taking notice of the haunted mansion attraction.
"¡Ellos estan aqui!" she exclaimed, running off.
"Wh—?! Hey!" Azari called out. He glanced back over to Sunset and Twilight, who were still absorbed in the ring toss. "Shit…!" he cursed, hurrying after his fellow mutant toward the haunted house. In the meantime, another ring that managed to land around the top of a bottle almost slowed to a stop… but was promptly ejected as it bounced onto the ground.
"COME ON!" Sunset yelled in frustration as she wrapped her arms around her head, which she placed upon the countertop. Twilight groaned, quickly writing in her notebook. All the while, Flim and Flam gathered the huge pile of tickets they received from the combined efforts of the two girls.
Clearly, they were unwilling to give up on this game. From afar, Applejack and Torunn took notice of them, starting to walk over. Sunset lifted her head up from the counter, having a determined glare on her face.
"All right!" she exclaimed, standing back up, "What's next? What are we doing?" she questioned to her spectacled friend, who was still scribbling down a strategy, "How are we going to win this?!" she inquired emphatically with a fire in her eyes. At that moment, Twilight grinned as she finally had a new plan laid out.
"Guess who just mapped out a perfect projectile trajectory taking into account propulsion, gravity, and aerodynamic drag?" she noted in question to Flim and Flam, who perked up with confused expressions, "This gal!" she boasted, answering for them, "Betcha' thought I forgot about friction, air drag, and veering initial velocities," she listed off in inference, "Well, guess what?" she continued, "I didn't!" she proclaimed as she sassily shook her head.
"What she said!" Sunset determinedly yelled as her friend offered up her last set of tickets to the vendor brothers.
"You know what they say…" Flim began, taking the tickets.
"Hundredth time's the charm," Flam remarked. Sunset picked up a ring from the countertop, holding it in both of her hands. Twilight helped to angle her arms properly, accounting for any variables and making sure her friend had a proper aim prepared. After one last check, she gave the red-and-yellow-haired girl two thumbs up with a smile, giving her the green light. She reared her right arm back and…
"Howdy, y'all!" Applejack greeted just as Sunset was about to throw the ring, causing her to release it too early. It dinged the bell of a strength test game, bounced off a giraffe plush, and wound up splattering a nearby sundae all over a little boy. He picked up the ring as his mother frowned with annoyance.
"Applejack!" Twilight and Sunset yelled as they whipped around to the cowgirl, who flinched in realization.
"Oh… sorry…" she apologized, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly, "Have you seen Fluttershy?" she asked of them, "Nobody's seen her or James all afternoon," she pointed out, "Her phone's goin' straight to voicemail," she mentioned, "I keep thinkin' somethin' real bad mighta happened…" she admitted as she rubbed the back of her neck.
"Lighten up, Applejack," Sunset insisted, while Twilight was scribbling in her notebook beside her again, "There's not always a villain with Equestrian Magic out to get us…" she pointed out.
"Yet you concern yourself greatly with the likes of the Black Order," Torunn retorted to her surprise.
"…Touché," Sunset sheepishly replied as she blushed a little. At that moment, the cowgirl took notice of something else.
"Uh… weren't you two with Laura and Azari?" she questioned, arching an eyebrow.
"Oh," the red-and-yellow-haired girl uttered, realizing that the two mutants weren't nearby, "I'm betting they wanted to do something else aside from watching us struggle," she affirmed to her colleagues, "Besides, it's okay since we're still in pairs," she mentioned assuredly. Applejack gave her a skeptical glance, raising an eyebrow.
"On a side note…" Twilight chimed in as she closed her notebook, "do you have tickets we could borrow?" she requested of the cowgirl, "Kinda used 'em all…" she sheepishly pointed out. Flim and Flam were innocently whistling in the background, pushing the pile of tickets they had gathered behind the counter. Applejack stared at her friends skeptically, rolling her eyes. She then handed them her tickets as they smiled.
"I don't like to lose…" Sunset confessed, taking a firm on the tickets.
"I will lend you mine if I may have a chance to take part in this game," Torunn promised, handing the vendor brothers some of her tickets.
"Ooh, another lady ready to try her luck!" Flam exclaimed in greeting.
"Give 'er a whirl, first-timer!" Flim insisted. The demigoddess picked up a ring off of the countertop. She stared at it curiously before merely flicking it forward. It bounced off of a few bottles and wound up going around the top of one, slowing to a stop. And it didn't bounce off.
"WHAT?!" Sunset exclaimed in disbelief, while Twilight dropped her notebook as her mouth gaped open.
"A second first-time winner!" Flam declared, "What'd you like, sweetie?" he inquired of Torunn, gesturing toward the array of prizes.
"May I please have the winged stallion, good sir?" she requested, pointing toward a stuffed Pegasus.
"But of course!" Flim responded, going over to grab it. As he did, the demigoddess handed her remaining tickets over to Sunset and Twilight, who were still flabbergasted. She received her prize with a smile.
"Fare well in your endeavor, good friends!" she remarked with a wave as she left alongside Applejack. Both girls still at the booth looked to each other in disbelief. A new fire built up in their eyes as they were now extremely determined to win the ring toss.
Elsewhere in the park, Francis was walking back towards the warehouses with a pair of plastic cups that had iced coffee in them. Ultimately, he figured Rarity would want something simple and relaxing, yet not potentially messy like ice cream. He was lucky enough to find a coffee shop near the park at all, as he thought the trip would've taken a while. Taking a sip of his iced coffee through its straw, he let out a relieved breath.
"Yeah, this'll do just fine…" he affirmed confidently. As he turned the corner, he suddenly found himself snatched by a familiar metal claw attached to a chain, yanking him into an abandoned alley. He dropped the coffee cups in the process as their contents spilled onto the ground. He found himself caught in the grasp of Obsidian's left hand, slamming him against the pavement hard.
"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he roared angrily into the face of the archer as bits of saliva flew out from his mouth.
"Augh…!" Francis groaned with disgust, "Pal, you need a mint…" he grumbled, managing to pull out an arrow from his quiver. He stabbed the back of his foe's hand, forcing him to reflexively let go of the archer as he stumbled back. He yanked the arrow out of his extremity and growled, seeing his opponent stand up and ready another arrow upon his bow.
He launched it, but Obsidian blocked it as he morphed his multi-tooled weapon into a shield, deflecting the projectile as it harmlessly pierced into the ground. The alien mercenary charged forward, changing his weapon into a pickaxe as he swung it around. Grimacing, the Avenger leaned back to avoid the first swipe before pulling out a pair of arrows from his quiver. He ran back, firing them onto the walls his enemy was running by. They exploded, with the resulting debris collapsing onto him as he braced himself.
"Okay, definitely gonna need help here…" Francis decided as he readied another arrow on his bow, aiming high. He let it fly off… but it didn't even make it high enough as it suddenly stopped. "Huh?" he uttered in confusion, seeing it slowly turn around and zip back toward him, "Oh, crap!" he yelped, jumping back just as it hit the ground, resulting in a burst of red flares. Unfortunately, no one else seemed to see it at all. The archer tried to ready another arrow from his quiver, but Obsidian grabbed him from behind and slammed him against the wall hard.
"Grrrrr…" the brutish alien growled, squeezing him tightly as he grimaced.
"Calm yourself, Obsidian," another voice chimed in, getting their attentions as they looked to see another figure approaching them. It was Maw, who held his hands behind his back. "He isn't our target," he pointed out, narrowing his eyes onto Francis.
"Gee, I feel so hurt…" he grumbled sarcastically.
"RRRAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Obsidian roared into his face again, only for his adopted brother to gesture for him to refrain himself.
"You understand what we're after, archer?" he inquired of the Avenger.
"Sure, take over the world and all that good crap, right?" he assumed with a smirk, "That's essentially Bad Guy One-O-One, isn't it?" he guessed tauntingly. Maw wasn't remotely amused.
"Where is the other half of the stone?" he asked.
"Bite me," Francis snarled back, now taking on a fierce glare.
"Hm," the telekinetic huffed as he smirked, "I commend you for your loyalty, but it won't get you anywhere," he told the archer, "Kill him," he advised of his adopted brother. At that very moment though, Francis managed to grab the nitrogen bomb he had gotten from Twilight earlier in the day from his pocket, managing to toss it into the face of Obsidian as it exploded upon contact. He roared in pain, reflexively letting go of his enemy as he landed upon the ground and hurried off.
Clenching his teeth angrily, Maw reached his right hand out in an attempt to telekinetically pull him back. However, the archer quickly fired off another arrow, which released a burst of black smoke that shrouded the alleyway. The Black Order leader brushed it aside with a mere wave of his hand, finding that his foe had escaped. He growled in frustration, looking back to see Obsidian regain himself as he shook his head.
"It won't matter," he affirmed confidently, tenting his hands together, "Our main goal is to separate, not kill," he pointed out, "If fortune is to smile down on our foes, then only Shimmer will have to die today…" he mentioned on, "We'll let Proxima and Corvus prepare the rest for us to act," he decided.
X
The excited screams of people on the huge rollercoaster terrified Rainbow. One moment, she was ready to ride alongside her friends. The next, she dreaded the thought of even getting into one of the seats again. Izuku looked at her worriedly, seeing her sweat and grimace.
"Um… do you wanna try and do another ride?" he suggested, "Maybe we can look for Miss Fluttershy and James in the meantime…" he pointed out.
"Oh, pfft…" Rainbow scoffed with crossed arms, "I-I'm totally fine with doing this ride again…" she stuttered in claim, "You know me!" she remarked as she gestured to herself, "Always cool under pressure!" she proclaimed.
"Uh…" Izuku uttered, taking notice of a little girl next to them giving off a skeptical glance. They heard the excited yells of the riders pass by, causing the rainbow-haired girl to flinch in surprise as she nervously held her hands together. At that moment, she took notice of Applejack and Torunn approaching.
"Applejack!" she greeted, "Hey!" she said with a wave of her right hand, "I was just about to ride this thing for, like, the tenth time already!" she claimed through a laugh.
"Um…" Izuku started to say, only for the little girl next to them to faux-cough into her right fist, obviously unconvinced.
"Shhh! Nothin' outta you!" Rainbow shushed, narrowing her eyes onto the little girl as she left. Meanwhile, Applejack was worriedly scratching at her head.
"Uh… have you seen Fluttershy anywhere?" she inquired as she glanced around the immediate area.
"Or James?" Torunn asked on, chiming into the conversation.
"Oh, they were with us, super scared of this ride…" Rainbow presumed in reply while looking back at the rollercoaster, "but I think they went off with Vignette," she told the pair.
"Okay," Applejack responded, putting a hand onto her chin in thought, "Thanks," she added out of gratitude before walking off.
"Izuku, please be on the lookout for Laura and Azari as well," Torunn advised to the One For All inheritor as he blinked in surprise, "Sunset and Twilight were not sure as to where they had gone off to, either," she mentioned.
"All right, we'll keep watch," the freckled teen promised with a nod. The demigoddess smiled, turning around and jogging after Applejack.
"If you see Fluttershy, tell her she still owes me a rollercoaster ride!" Rainbow called out to the departing pair. At that moment, the rollercoaster itself raced by. She flinched again, letting out a nervous whimper.
"Huh…" Izuku sighed out, grabbing her by her shoulders and walking her away, "Let's get you away from the rollercoaster for a bit…" he suggested. The athlete blushed sheepishly, nodding without a hint of argument as they walked off. Meanwhile, sound effects of thunder crackling and haunting laughter echoed through the haunted house attraction that Laura and Azari had ventured into.
"Rrrrr…" the former of the two growled.
"How many do you smell?" the latter asked. The mutant girl held up two fingers on her right hand. "So they're split up?" Azari noted, putting his right hand onto his chin, "Actually… they could be trying to pick us off…" he inferred with narrowed eyes, "We should double back and tell the others—" He stopped upon noticing that Laura was still trekking through the hall. "Uh, hey!" he called out, jogging after her.
She sniffed around carefully, closing her eyes to concentrate. All of a sudden, she heard maniacal laughter beside her. She whipped around, drawing the adamantium claws on her right hand and slashing… a fake ghost's head clean off. It tumbled to a stop at the Wakandan prince's feet.
"Huh…" he sighed, "Smooth, Wolverine…" he remarked sarcastically, causing her to blush a little, "Look, we go in guns blazing, that'll just give those guys what they want from us…" he pointed out, "Let's go back," he insisted.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" a voice suddenly screamed, causing him and Laura to perk up in surprise. Immediately, he hurried off toward the source, rounding a corner of the hall before screeching to a halt. As it turned out, Wallflower was with her friends, Rose and Muffins, who were laughing after being spooked by an animatronic witch that had popped up. By the time that the mutant girl arrived on the scene, she deduced what happened as she walked up to her colleague's side.
"Hipócrita…" she muttered out with crossed arms.
"Shut up…" he grumbled back as a retort.
"Oh, hey!" Wallflower called out in greeting upon taking notice, getting up from the floor and jogging over to the pair, "I didn't know you guys were here!" she noted with a shrug, "What's up?" she asked.
"Black Order stuff, actually…" Azari answered to her surprise.
"Those alien guys?" the freckled girl inquired, "Wait… are they here?!" she questioned on with widened eyes. At that moment, Laura noticed a familiar golden blade about to slash Rose and Muffins from behind. She immediately rushed forward, drawing both sets of her claws and jumping out to clash with the glaive before it could strike the two girls.
"AH!" they both shrieked as they fell over onto their bottoms. Corvus stepped out, pushing back against the mutant girl as she growled. Azari was prepared to go and help her, but suddenly heard something buzzing from behind him. He whipped around to see the blue laser bolt being shot his way from none other than Proxima. He grabbed Wallflower and ducked down with her, avoiding the projectile as it blasted the witch animatronic into pieces.
"Oh my gosh…" the freckled girl uttered in shock.
"Go! Get outta here!" Azari insisted of her and the other girls, "Find Sunset and tell her these guys are in the park!" he requested on.
"O-Okay!" Wallflower stammered as she quickly got to her feet and hurried down the stairs with her friends.
"Rrrrrr…!" Laura angrily growled as she stepped back. Azari let his Panther Habit materialize over his body as he glared at the approaching Proxima from underneath his helmet.
"Hm," she huffed, hitting her spear against the floor in a threatening manner, "Our brother was right…" she noted, "Separating you proves to give us more of an advantage," she pointed out, "along with whatever is doing away with your other companions…" she mentioned.
"Huh?" Azari uttered in confusion, "What are you talking about?" he questioned.
"It matters not," Corvus said as he stepped forward, readying his glaive, "You both will die here…" he vowed. Laura snarled, lunging out at him. He swung his weapon, clashing with her claws as sparks flew about wildly.
"Laura!" Azari cried out. He wound up having to cross his arms over his head to block Proxima's spear from striking him. His Panther Habit's arms glowed a bright blue as he continued taking attacks from his foe. He drew his claws from his suit's fingertips, swiping at her. She leaned back, thrusting her spear down to strike the floor at their feet, causing it to collapse as they fell down.
"Beloved!" Corvus exclaimed, fearing for his wife's safety. He managed to slash Laura's face as she recoiled with a scream, followed by jumping into the hole. The mutant girl quickly regenerated, growling before leaping after him.
"Agh…" Azari groaned as he sat up, letting his helmet dematerialize for a moment as he rubbed the back of his head, "Laura, you there?!" he called out in question. His answer came in the form of Corvus attempting to pierce him with his glaive. He somersaulted back to avoid him, followed by having his helmet materialize just as a blue laser bolt struck him upside the head, knocking him over.
"Hmph," Proxima scoffed. She then whipped her spear around to block a slash from Laura, who was relentless in her flurry of attacks onto her enemy. In the meantime, Azari rose to his feet as the blue light was building along his Panther Habit. He gestured goadingly to Corvus, daring him to attack. He charged toward him, and the Wakandan prince immediately slammed his fist against the floor, resulting in a shockwave of kinetic energy that blasted his enemy back, along with knocking Laura and Proxima off-balance.
"RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" the mutant girl roared as she attempted to take her opponent down with a piercing slash from overhead. But Proxima saw the attack coming, stabbing her stomach with her spear and hoisting her up above her as she writhed in pain, gritting her teeth. Drops of her blood dripped onto the Black Order member's face, which she licked with satisfaction.
"Let her go!" Azari yelled, unleashing a beam of blue electricity that struck Proxima in the back, knocking her down while also freeing his colleague from her spear. She quickly regenerated, though her bloodied clothes were another story. Growling angrily, she sharpened her claws against themselves in a threatening manner. Proxima and Corvus both stood back up, readying their weapons.
"You've fought well for mere children…" the former of the two Black Order members complimented, "But this ends now," she declared, readying her spear as it buzzed with energy. Her husband clenched his teeth together as he aimed his glaive toward Azari.
"Yeah, it does," the Wakandan prince agreed, making electricity crackle around his body and take on the shape of a panther. Laura took the opportunity to rush Corvus, bombarding him with a furious flurry of slashes with her claws that he was barely managing to block with his glaive. His wife quickly fired a laser bolt from her spear to assist him, blasting the mutant girl off to the side as she crashed through a few wooden poles.
Snarling with rage, Azari had the electricity surrounding him shoot out randomly. The two Black Order members struggled to avoid the blasts, weaving around the bolts flying their way. But ultimately, Corvus managed to make his way through and slash the Wakandan prince with his glaive on his left shoulder, causing him to fall over onto the ground in a pained yelp.
"How…?!" he grunted in question while wincing out of pain.
"Your armor is similar to another our father once fought," Corvus answered, "Its metal is nothing to my glaive…" he proclaimed, using the blunt end of his weapon to knock Azari back onto the ground, rendering him unconscious. Proxima then came over, picking him up and tossing him in the same direction where she had shot Laura. She aimed her spear at the ceiling above them and fired another blast, causing it to collapse as the floorboards piled over the two mutants.
"Let's go," Proxima advised.
"They'll come back," her husband pointed out as a warning.
"It won't matter," she retorted, "We'll have killed Shimmer long before they can act…" she affirmed confidently, leaping up to the floor above them. The glaive-wielder followed, leaving their foes to remain piled under the debris…
X
"Hmm…" Torunn hummed as she and Applejack were heading by the bumper car attraction, "Perhaps we should ask Vignette if she has seen our friends…" she suggested to the cowgirl, who was looking through the park map. She seemed frustrated that they couldn't find their way around the venue, especially considering they had a map with them. All of a sudden, a whistle interjected her frustration as a familiar pink hand grabbed the brochure she had.
"No frowning allowed!" Pinkie shouted as she pulled the map down to the surprise of both blonde-haired women. She was wearing an outfit similar to those of the park employees, though hers was much dirtier. "Hmmm…" she hummed, crumpling up the brochure and throwing it away without looking into the trash can behind her, "As 'Fun Inspector', I'm a little concerned about what I'm seeing here…" she proclaimed as she narrowed her eyes and pointed at Applejack, waving her hand in front of her face.
"Pinkie Pie?" she uttered in confusion, "Don't tell me you're workin' for the park now, too…" she grumbled out.
"No, silly!" the puffy-haired girl responded while laughing, "Fun Inspectors are freelance!" she proclaimed, "And don't get paid!" she mentioned, "And totally made up by me earlier today when I saw a little girl crying because she dropped her ice cream, and I said to myself," she continued quickly, "'Pinkie Pie, this place isn't as fun as it could be!'" she paraphrased.
"How very… kind of you…" Torunn noted, very confused, "Um, where's Pym?" she asked, knowing that her fellow Avenger was meant to be the puffy-haired girl's partner during their time at the park.
"Right here," his voice responded, getting her attention as she saw him drive over from within the bumper car arena in a vehicle of his own.
"Uh… you enjoyin' the park?" Applejack inquired, perplexed as to why the short Avenger was partaking in the attraction.
"Eh, it's alright," he assured as a reply, "Since Pinkie decided to be a 'Fun Inspector', she gave me her tickets to just do whatever in the meantime," he explained, "Figured I'd stick close since she's just been… uh… inspecting…" he mentioned.
"Yep!" Pinkie responded proudly with a pop on the p, "Do you like the uniform?" she asked of the two girls as she grabbed at it, "I made it out of things I found in the trash, but you can't even tell!" she pointed out.
"Uh… it is…" Torunn started to say, awkwardly coughing to the side, "q-quite unique…" she stammered out.
"Indeedily it is, Torunn!" the puffy-haired girl agreed, grabbing the partially-eaten lollipop off of her left shoulder as she was about to lick it.
"Geh, uhhh…" Applejack uttered with disgust, quickly yanking the unsanitary treat out of her friend's hand before she could make a potentially grave mistake, "so, have you seen Fluttershy anywhere?" she asked, getting straight to the point.
"Nope," she replied with a shrug, "But I have seen my Deputy Fun Inspectors!" she declared as she placed a badge onto the cowgirl's shirt and Torunn's, "Ta-da!" she exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around their shoulders, "Now you have all access to the entire park, Deputy Fun Inspectors!" she declared, taking out another lollipop from her hair and licking it, giving her colleagues a wink. They both grimaced, while Henry rolled his eyes in the background.
"Huh…" Rainbow sighed from afar as she sat down and leaned back against a bench, "Thanks…" she breathed out in gratitude to Izuku, who sat beside her, "I probably would've gone insane if I stared at that coaster any longer…" she admitted as she shuddered.
"Hey, don't worry about it…" the One For All inheritor insisted as he waved his hands in a placating manner, "I'm just glad you're starting to feel better," he noted with a grin.
"Yeah," the rainbow-haired girl noted as she sat up straight, "So in your world, you're actually training to be a superhero?" she inquired curiously.
"Uh, that's one way to put it…" Izuku replied as he scratched at his right cheek sheepishly, "I'm just trying to do my best for the people who helped make me as strong as I could be," he noted as he closed his scarred right hand into a fist.
"I bet you've helped lots of people," Rainbow pointed out confidently. Hearing that, Izuku let off a little smile.
"Yeah…" he replied, thinking about one person in particular that he helped.
"Okay…" the rainbow-haired girl grunted as she stood back up from the bench and stretched her arms, "We probably oughta' help find Fluttershy and James since we aren't doing anything else," she decided.
"Good idea," Izuku agreed with a nod as he got onto his feet.
"Oh, yoohoo~!" a familiar voice called out, getting their attentions as they turned to see Vignette approaching, "If it isn't Rainbows and… uh…" she began to greet, "Zuko, right?" she assumed of the freckled teen, who blinked twice.
"Uh… Izuku…" he corrected.
"See, I knew it," the social media star boasted to his surprise, "BTW, can we WAT?" she requested.
"Uh… WAT?" Rainbow repeated in spelling, arching an eyebrow out of confusion.
"Walk and talk," Vignette answered, "I wanted the chance to go over tonight's performance because I've got the perfect plan for you and Zuko!" she proclaimed excitedly.
"Um… actually—"
"Ooh, cool!" Rainbow exclaimed with a sparkle in her eyes, interrupting Izuku, "What'd you have in mind?" she inquired.
"Like I said, let's walk and talk," the social media star insisted in reply, heading off with the rainbow-haired athlete.
"Huh…" Izuku sighed, trudging after them. Little did he and Rainbow realize that they were about to get caught up in a very dangerous situation…
X
Dozens of rings were tossed toward the array of bottles. None found their way around the tops, either bouncing off or just unceremoniously failing to stay on. Both Flim and Flam, who had been enjoying getting a good helping of tickets, were now a little exhausted by the relentlessness of the two failing girls.
"Ugh… Wow…" Flim groaned unenthusiastically.
"So close…" Flam added, just as irritated. Both the unkempt Twilight and Sunset were flabbergasted. After all their attempts, they still failed. They both groaned as they sat down on the ground, leaning against the booth.
"I can't feel my fingers anymore…" the red-and-yellow-haired girl complained as her blistered digits had been bandaged during the whole ordeal. Her friend flipped through the pages of her notebook, trying to uncover what they were doing wrong. But she ultimately found nothing to spark an idea.
"It all looks the same…" she pointed out, evidently exhausted, "Is this real life?" she wondered aloud, "How long have we been here?" she questioned on.
"Um, hey, listen, lady…" Flim began as he and his brother approached the counter, with the latter holding a big stuffed bird that was green in his hands.
"Uh, how about you just take a parakeet and go home?" he offered.
"IT'S NOT ABOUT THE PARAKEET!" Sunset yelled as she shot to her feet and smacked the plush animal out of the vendor's hands, much to everyone's surprise. It wound up in the arms of a little boy walking alongside his mother.
"Awwww…" he uttered happily with sparkling eyes of gratitude. In the meantime, the red-and-yellow-haired girl had a crazed look in her eyes as she picked up the last ring on the countertop, about to make a desperate throw. However, Twilight put a hand onto her shoulder to stop her.
"You said it yourself. It's rigged…" she pointed out, turning her away, "How about we get some ice cream?" she offered.
"Huh…" Sunset sighed as she held the ring in her right hand, "You're right…" she realized, "Why didn't I listen to myself?" she wondered aloud, "We never even had a chance…" she noted in exasperation, tossing the ring back without even looking. Miraculously, it landed around one of the bottles in the booth. Flim gasped in surprise.
"Well, would ya look at that?!" he exclaimed excitedly.
"A winner every time!" Flam mentioned as more patrons curiously came over. Back at the haunted house attraction, pieces of floorboards were being moved aside from a pile of debris. All of a sudden, a pair of adamantium claws shot out.
"AH!" Wallflower yelped, falling onto her rear end. She was with Rose and Muffins, who watched as Laura burst out from the pile with Azari's right arm around her shoulder.
"Ugh…" he groaned, regaining consciousness as his Panther Habit's helmet dematerialized. He looked out to see the freckled girl stand back up. "I thought I told you to run…" he grumbled out through a wince of pain.
"I couldn't just leave…" Wallflower argued, "Sunset was willing to save me, even though I did awful things to her…" she pointed out as she approached, reaching into her backpack to pull out some gauze and what looked like a bottle of ointment, "So even if you don't think you need my help—"
"You'll help anyway," Azari finished for her, much to her surprise as she heard him chuckle, "Yeah, thanks," he said in gratitude, allowing the rest of his suit to dematerialize so that she could see his wound. As she tended to him, Laura stood up.
"So, does Sunset still have the other half of that stone?" the gardener inquired as she cleaned the wound, "Why didn't she just destroy it?" she wondered aloud with a shake of her head.
"It's not exactly something you can just 'destroy'…" the Wakandan prince.
"Y es lo único que nos da la oportunidad de detener a la Orden," Laura added in explanation. Wallflower blinked twice.
"Yeah… I, uh…" she started to reply, "I'm not that great at Spanish…" she sheepishly admitted.
"Basically, the Black Order is trying to get the other half of the stone, while we want theirs," Azari paraphrased for his fellow mutant, getting the gardener's attention as she put the gauze on over his wound and bandaged it.
"Like 'Capture the Flag'?" Rose inquired with a raised eyebrow and a tilted head.
"Sí, algo así…" Laura responded, unsurely waving her right hand.
"We can't let them get away with their piece of the stone or take ours," Azari pointed out, "Once we get the whole thing back together, it's game over for them," he affirmed, standing back up as he was fully bandaged.
"Then we've got no time to lose," Wallflower insisted as she stood up herself.
"Espera," Laura chimed in, causing her to turn to look at her, "¿Seguro que quieres involucrarte en esto?" she inquired while crossing her arms over her chest. The gardener was unsure how to respond.
"She's worried you're gonna get yourself hurt if you get involved with this…" Azari translated for her.
"Huh…" Wallflower sighed, "I was involved ever since I dug that stupid stone up from the ground and used it to erase memories back at school…" she pointed out, "So this time, I'm going to help and do the right thing," she vowed, offering her right hand to the Wakandan prince. He let out a chuckle, accepting her hand as she pulled him onto his feet.
"Okay," he said, "Then let's go get the others first," he advised, earning nods in response from the others.
X
"…Or maybe I want her to be my prime suspect because she's Rarity's new best friend at the park…" Applejack finished inferring as she and Torunn were sitting on a bench after a fruitless search for their friends, "Am I goin' crazy over a whole lot o' nothin'?" she wondered aloud.
"I share your concern, Applejack," the demigoddess assured, putting a hand onto her shoulder, "But I also know that we shan't rush to judgment just because of our personal feelings," she proclaimed on.
"Ugh, right…" the cowgirl groaned in response, "It's just… she was the last one with Fluttershy and James before they up and vanished…" she pointed out.
"True…" Torunn concurred, narrowing her eyes in thought as she put her right hand onto her chin, "Perhaps there could be another method in which—"
"What's with those badges ya got there?!" a voice suddenly shouted, getting their attentions as they looked over to see a short, elderly security guard beside them.
"I, uh…" Applejack tried to reply, scratching at her cheek, "Y-Y-You see, it-it's just—"
"It's a crime to fake security badges, you know," the security guard pointed out seriously, "I'm a fake cop, but I can send ya to real jail!" he mentioned in vow.
"Sir, we are not trying to flaunt these… um… badges…" Torunn affirmed, holding up her hands in a placating manner.
"Uh, if you'll just let us explain…" Applejack insisted as she handed him the badge that was on her shirt, "We're lookin' for our friends, and—"
"Shhh!" the security guard shushed immediately, "Hands on your head! No sudden moves!" he demanded, enticing both girls to follow his instructions in fear of being prosecuted, "Got that?" he said, taking a look at the badge closely, "Huh!" he gasped in realization as his face suddenly lit up, "Why didn't ya tell me you were both Deputy Fun Inspectors?!" he inquired of the pair. They both looked to each other in bewilderment.
"I… beg your pardon?" Torunn inquired, quite befuddled. Applejack could hardly believe that the security guard was taking this so seriously. Moments later, she and her colleague were brought to the security office.
"I am so sorry about that, you two," the guard apologized after opening the door, "Uh, here's my workstation," he pointed out while walking in, "It hasn't been fun-inspected in years…" he mentioned. The cowgirl pinched the bridge of her nose out of annoyance.
"I'm tryin' to tell you my friend made these badges," she explained, gesturing to the objects upon her shirt and Torunn's, "They ain't real…" she grumbled additionally.
"Oh," the security guard uttered in realization, "Apair of undercover Fun Inspectors," he concluded, "I get it," he assumed, adjusting his cap, "Anyway, have fun 'not inspecting' my workstation," he remarked in farewell, "Wink, wink," he added with a pair of winks before walking off.
"How many times do I have to say it?" Applejack inquired with a shrug of her shoulders. The security guard merely motioned that he wouldn't say a word, completely convinced that the cowgirl was an inspector like he thought. He shut the door as he left.
"Perhaps fortune has smiled upon us after all…" Torunn pointed out, getting Applejack's attention as she turned to see that she was looking at the live security feed around the park. The cowgirl took a seat in the swivel chair as the demigoddess stood next to her, surveying the cameras one by one. After a few moments, they spotted Rainbow and Izuku with Vignette, as they were walking by one of the warehouses.
"Rarity told me you're the coolest, smartest friend who knows what's the opposite of down," the social media star noted to the athlete, who smugly crossed her arms before giving off a confused look, "What's up," she remarked quietly.
"Heh," the rainbow-haired girl chuckled out, "True," she agreed.
"I have a bold new vision for the Rainbooms that you are going to love!" Vignette proclaimed to her confusion as she raised an eyebrow, "The Throwbacks!" she yelled excitedly, "Capital T, hashtag-TBT, Throwback Today," she listed off, "Or for short, TCTHTBT-bracket-TBT," she spelled out, "pronounced 'ta-ca-ta-ca-ba-ta'!" she voiced out quickly, "You are going to represent the touchstones of cool throughout the ages!" she declared.
"I like it so far," Rainbow admitted with a grin, "and I assume I'll like what you say next," she affirmed on.
"Um…" Izuku tried to chime in.
"Rainbow Dash…" Vignette began as she wrapped her arm around the athlete's shoulders, "'Fifties Sockhop Sweetheart'!" she proclaimed, causing the rainbow-haired girl to blink in surprise at how unlike her that sounded, "Poodle skirt, adorable blonde hair," she listed off as additions, "How do you feel about shaving your head?" she asked on while brushing her fingers through Rainbow's hair, much to her annoyance, "I only ask 'cause you'll definitely have to do it for the wig," she pointed out.
"Wait, hold on a second…" Izuku said, "You can't just make her be something she's not comfortable with…" he noted seriously, holding his hands up in a placating manner.
"Yeah…" Rainbow agreed as she fixed her hair, "there is no way anyone is shaving my head," she decided firmly. Vignette gave off a frustrated look.
"BYBB?" she phrased to the rainbow-haired girl in an attempt to persuade her.
"BIAATB," Rainbow boastfully spelled out while putting a hand onto the social media star's shoulder, "But I already am the best?" she remarked, gesturing to herself. Izuku sighed, rolling his eyes.
"Well, if you insist on just, ugh, being yourself or whatever…" Vignette grumbled as she walked forward for a moment, "then at least let me take a picture of the real you," she offered, holding up her phone. With a press of the camera icon, she turned the rainbow-haired girl into a hologram as she was digitized and sucked into the device.
"M-Miss Dash?!" the One For All inheritor stammered in shock.
"Oh, I probably should get you, too…" the social media star realized, aiming her phone at him, "The Throwbacks could use an Eighties Hipster…" she mentioned with a grin.
"Wai—!" Izuku's shout was cut off as Vignette took his picture, turning his likeness into a hologram that was also sucked in. She chuckled. From the security office, both Applejack and Torunn gasped out of astonishment.
"Is Vignette zappin' our friends with a magical phone?!" the former of the two inquired aloud, "I knew she was up to somethin'!" she exclaimed as she banged her right fist against the table she was sitting at, "Just wasn't expectin' somethin' so magic and evil…" she mentioned as she rubbed the back of her neck.
"That would mean James and Fluttershy have likely also suffered the same fate…" the demigoddess noted, clenching her fists angrily.
"She makes 'em disappear, but where do they go?" Applejack wondered. Torunn looked back at the security feed before spotting something out of the corner of her eye, gasping lightly.
"Francis!" she yelped, seeing her boyfriend limping through an alley in the park.
"What happened to him?" the cowgirl questioned upon noticing.
"It may be the Black Order at work…" the demigoddess inferred as she turned around, "I will go confirm with Francis," she decided, "You get to the others and warn them about Vignette," she advised.
"You got it, partner," Applejack responded with a nod. Meanwhile, both Rainbow and Izuku found themselves transported into the same white space that Fluttershy and James were in, looking around in surprise.
"She got you too, huh?" the Avenger guessed as he stood up and jogged over to them.
"Wha…?" the One For All inheritor uttered while sweating, "Where even are we?" he wondered aloud.
"Aw, man!" the rainbow-haired girl echoed in frustration as she grabbed at her head, "Are we trapped in a magical phone?" she guessed, slouching her shoulders, "Typical…" she grumbled out. She then took notice of the salad bowl sitting in front of Fluttershy, "…You gonna eat that stress salad?" she inquired as she pointed to it.
Looks like things are all starting to come together finally. Vignette's already taken a few of the girls and boys hostage, and the Black Order's whittling down what forces our heroes have. One has to wonder how they'll all be able to come together in the end. I suppose we'll have to wait and see…
Until next time, everyone! This is Xiaomei, signing off!
END
And that's eight chapters of "Mind" done! It was good to have a longer chapter to do for this week's update. Thing is, next chapter's probably going to be quite short in comparison.
But that won't be for a few weeks as we've got a couple more chapters of "The Challenge of a Lifetime" to cover! Enjoy the summer sun, guys! I'll see you later!