Hello :3
Turns out these seven girls are more mysterious than we realized.
Chapter 10: Telling Secrets
"We should start epic duo teams!" Pepper exclaimed.
Everyone stared at her, since that was kinda random.
"We're Team Spices!" Pepper declared, grabbing Cinnamon's hand.
"Makes sense," Stacey said.
"Stacey and Nocny could be Team Black and Blue," Star snickered.
"Hey, we're not that bad at training!" Stacey protested.
"No, we are," I said, having accepted it long ago when I was still being solo trained.
"Star and Nebula can be Team Space," Pepper said.
"No fair!" Prism complained. "I wanna be in a team!"
She grabbed Star's arm and dragged her a few feet away from Nebula.
"We'll be Team Disco, 'cause stars give light and when they go through prisms they refract and go everywhere," Prism said.
"Why would I want to be on a team with you?" Star asked, yanking her arm away.
"Team Cousins!" Stacey shouted, jumping over to Nebula.
"Team Grumpy," Pepper said, pushing Star over to Cinnamon.
"I'm not grumpy!" Star said.
"I just prefer not speaking or being unnecessarily energetic," Cinnamon said.
"Team Flight," I said, pointing at Stacey and Prism.
"Oh yeah, cause I have extreme gear!" Stacey realized.
"Team Mysterious," Star said, pointing at Prism and me.
"In my defense, Cinnamon is pretty mysterious too," I said.
"It's a trio!" Pepper said
"What about the teams of people who work together well in a fight?" Shadow asked.
Most of us (not Cinnamon) jumped, since we hadn't realized he'd been there.
"Um, Star and Nebula?" Prism guessed.
"Me and you," I said, walking over to Prism.
"You've betrayed me," Stacey said, pretending to faint.
"I'm literally better at fighting with Prism than with you," I said.
"Harsh," Pepper noted.
"I think I'm good with you," Cinnamon said to Pepper.
"Wait- I'm alone!" Stacey realized.
"Let's switch things up a bit," Shadow said. "Nebula, go with Pepper."
"OK," Nebula said.
"Star, you're with Stacey," Shadow continued.
"Her?!" both girls exclaimed.
"Nocny and Cinnamon, you're a team," Shadow finished.
"What about me?" Prism asked.
"You're solo," Shadow answered.
Prism pouted.
"Now fight each other," Shadow said. "You know your teams."
(Quick switch to 3rd person 'cause I wanted an overview over the whole fight)
"Stacey, can you do defense?" Star asked.
"I want offense!" Stacey replied.
"Well someone needs to take defense!" Star shouted.
"Pay attention!" Pepper said cheerfully, kicking Star in the back.
Star fell over but did a flip to get back into a fighting stance facing Pepper.
"You just messed with the wrong echidna," Star snarled.
"If there are no right echidnas, are there any wrong echidnas?" Pepper asked.
"Huh?" Star asked, faltering.
"Sneak attack!" Pepper yelled, tackling Star.
"Pepper, do we have a plan?" Nebula asked.
"Help me get Star!" Pepper answered.
Nebula looked at the ball of fighting Pepper and Star were making.
"Uh," she said.
"Keep focus!" Nocny said, appearing behind Nebula.
Nebula squealed. Nocny forced her hands behind her back.
"First captive!" Nocny cheered.
"Are captives really necessary?" Cinnamon asked.
"Hands off the lady!" Stacey shouted, tackling Nocny.
Nocny was thrown away from Nebula and skidded across the ground. Stacey pinned her.
"You didn't really do a good job of saving your cousin," Cinnamon said.
Cinnamon had Nebula pinned to the ground too.
"And may I also remind you that you are not teammates?" Cinnamon asked.
"So are we good with the captives thing?" Nocny asked.
Cinnamon glared at Nocny in annoyance.
"Pepper's out." Shadow's clear voice rang over the sounds of fighting.
"Sorry Nebula," Pepper said. "Avenge my death for me, will ya?"
"But… you aren't dead," Nebula said.
"Good going, Star!" Prism congratulated. "Now fight me!"
"Stacey, help me get Prism," Star said.
"No, I'm fighting Nocny right now," Stacey argued.
"We're not even fighting," Nocny noted. "I'm literally just lying here while you practically sit on me."
"I don't need your help anyway," Star decided.
"Woah, woah, woah," Stacey said. "I feel like we're getting off track."
Star raised her eyebrow in confusion.
"How could we be getting off track?" she asked.
"Did you know Prism got away?" Stacey asked.
Star looked around. Prism was gone.
"You. Are. A. Horrible teammate!" Star screamed.
"I'm a horrible teammate? You're a horrible teammate!" Stacey shot back.
"You've literally done nothing this entire time!" Star shouted.
"I'm pinning down Nocny right now!" Stacey said.
"Pinning who?" Star asked.
"Nocny," Stacey answered.
"You let her get away!" Star yelled.
Stacey looked down. Sure enough, Nocny had escaped.
"Nebula's out," Shadow said.
"Yeah! We got her!" Nocny cheered.
"Please be more quiet," Cinnamon said.
"Uh, Star and Stacey are, like, ten feet away from us. It ain't gonna be quiet," Nocny said.
"I was hoping for a sneak attack, stupid," Cinnamon said.
"Ohhhhhhh. Well, I don't think they've noticed us yet to be honest," Nocny said.
"This is all your fault!" Star screamed at Stacey.
"My fault?!" Stacey shouted back. "How is this my fault!"
"I say we go for Star," Cinnamon said. "She's obviously more dangerous."
"Like either of them are very dangerous right now," Nocny snickered.
"Like you're dangerous at all," Cinnamon replied, glaring.
"What is your deal?" Nocny asked.
Cinnamon ignored her and shoved Star into the ground.
"Hey!" Star protested.
"You deserve it," Stacey said.
"Excuse me?" Star asked. "Some teammate you are!"
Nocny joined Cinnamon and soon Star was out.
"2v1? Cool. I can handle a 2v1," Stacey rambled.
Suddenly Stacey flung herself down and grabbed Cinnamon's ankles.
"Get off!" Cinnamon cried, trying to kick Stacey.
"Welp, you're on your own," Nocny said.
"Seriously?" Cinnamon asked.
"Fine, I'll help," Nocny said, rolling her eyes.
(Nocny's POV again)
The sun was getting lower and the seven girls plus Shadow were eating dinner.
"You have all reached adequate levels of skill," Shadow said.
Star shifted her eyes to me and Stacey (mostly Stacey) with a 'seriously?' look.
"But in order to work as a team, you need to know your teammates strengths and weaknesses," Shadow continued. "We cannot have secrets if you want to get your parents back."
"I don't think I really have secrets," Nebula said.
"Are you sure about that?" Stacey asked. "Spill everything!"
Nebula squeaked.
"I have a secret!" Pepper said.
All eyes turned to her. She paused for dramatic effect.
"I'm magic," she said.
"Yeah right," Star said.
"No, seriously!" Pepper insisted. "I think it has something to do with my triangle."
Pepper pointed to the cyan triangle on her forehead.
"Nocny, you should tell your secret," Prism said.
"What!" Nocny protested. "Why me? Can't you do it?"
"OK, it's not like it was going to stay secret forever," Prism said. "I'm Rouge the Bat's adoptive daughter."
"Wait- Rouge the Bat? The Rouge the Bat?" Star asked.
"Yep," Prism answered.
"Ah, yes, that girl Shadow likes," I commented.
"Wha- I don't like her!" Shadow sputtered. "I mean- we used to be friends and all, but the relationship never got more than that-"
"Oh, so you were in a relationship?" Prism teased.
Shadow glared at us.
"Nocny, now it's your turrrrrn," Prism said in a sing-song voice.
"Fine," I said.
I took a deep breath to prepare myself.
"I'm an Ultimate LifeForm and Shadow's daughter," I said.
The world descended into chaos. As in: everyone started screaming/talking at once.
"Wow, how come my secret is so much more surprising than Prism's, they're basically the same," I said loudly, trying to be heard over the noise.
Of course, everybody either ignored me, or didn't hear me.
"Quiet!" Shadow shouted.
Everyone quieted real fast.
"Continue," he said.
"I have no secrets," Star said.
"Riiiiiiight," Stacey said, obviously skeptical.
"What, it's true!" Star said.
"Well, I suppose I'll go now," Cinnamon said. "I have a dark form."
"Wow, that's kinda awesome!" Stacey said.
"And dangerous!" Star exclaimed. "You've been around the Master Emerald with a dark form?!"
"My chao help me control it," Cinnamon said, petting one of her chao's heads.
"I have been monitoring her dark chaos energy levels. She's fine as long as her chao are nearby," Shadow said.
"Speaking of the dark," Stacey said. "I guess it's my turn for an epic reveal."
The moon shone through the trees onto Stacey. She started to transform.
"Good timing," I commented.
"I'm a werehog!" Stacey said.
"Ok then," Prism said.
There was a notable silence.
"Uh… doesn't anyone think I'm a horrible monster or something?" Stacey asked.
"Nah, not really," Pepper said.
"I kinda knew something was up," Nebula said shyly. "I'm glad you finally showed us."
"Well I only did 'cause Shadow told me to," Stacey said.
Ending here 'cause I didn't know what to have happen next... Hopefully this ending is OK.