1606/I know that magic

I know that magic
Date of Scene:	30 May 2024
Location:	Plot Room 1
Synopsis:	Sunset of Sora attacks Loyalty and, as she takes her power, realizes it's not just any magic. It's Kirakirafantastica magic. Loyalty makes so much sense now. She decides to show Loyalty what loyalty earns you... and fortunately, Cure Wing and Madoka are there to step in and protect the fallen mahou. Sharpsong joins in as well, bringing a song that is all too familiar for the dark mahou, managing to pierce even her darkened heart and forcing her to flee.
Cast of Characters:	Niji Dasshu, Hinoiri Kirara, Tsubasa Yuunagi, Madoka Kaname, Sayaka Miki
Tinyplot:	Sunset of Sora

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Niji Dasshu has posed:
    Niji hadn't had any luck looking for the shrine maiden pretty sure to whom PhanPhan belonged yesterday. What she had learned is that people reacted weirdly to Geode Girl Loyalty, but there really was no better way to cover the ground of the city quickly. So, once again, Geode Girl Loyalty and the blur of color that followed her was moving rapidly through the city, checking for any Shrine Maidens outside at various shrines and trying to ask if they were missing any 'pets' WINK WINK.

    After several other stops, Geode Girl Loyalty stops in front of the Meiji Jingu shrine - a beautiful peice of shinto architechture. She runs around the shrine in several circles trying to see if there are any shrine maidens around - and finding none, decides to take a break under a shady tree. Still in henshin, she leans her back against it and rubs her forehead.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
It was... fairly obvious. The rainbow of movement. The Sunset of Sora wasn't holding back, either. She'd been going after any source of magic she could find and, now? She was rasping slightly, high over the city, ignoring all else, except that rainbow blur.

Loyalty. That was what she'd said her name was that one time. Heh. Ironic, she supposed. She wondered if anyone would be loyal to this girl this time. Would someone come for her when she had her powers taken? She doubted it. Nobody had come for any of them.

At least, not that she could tell in this state.

As Loyalty stopped, there was a burst of flame ahead of her and Sunbreaker appeared, wreathed in black smoke, her own shadowy, flaming wings spreading from her back. "Ahhhh... so we meet again... Loyalty... was it? I'm curious. Do you think you could repeat that trick again? Turn my powers off, like before?" she asked, lifting her palm up, the flames forming in each hand.

"Allow me to re-introduce myself. No longer am I Sunbreaker. Now? Now I am Hinoiri Kirara, Sunset of Sora! I will give you one chance. Surrender willingly, and this will only hurt a little... fight, and I will tear your power from you, without mercy."

Niji Dasshu has posed:
    Geode Girl Loyalty wasn't the most... magically aware or observant Mahou Shoujo in Tokyo by a long shot. Not by a looooong shot. So it's telling that even she can tell that Sunset of Sora is powerful - that her magic radiates in such a way that even Loyalty second guesses talking back to her.

    Of course, she only second-guesses it. She guesses wrong, still. "I'm pretty sure I could lay your skinny butt out again, if you wanna go." she says, balling up her hands into fists and coming up off the leaning position with the tree. "And if I can't it won't be because you're better than me, it'll just be because you got hopped up on Dark Energy and lost control of yourself." she says.

    "Cause we always know who whooped who when we didn't have any powers to speak of. So I don't know if I can do it again because I don't really know how, but I'm not gonna back down from some drama queen." she notes.

    Then she pauses. "Wait, Hinoiri Kirara? Like, plays-old-videogames Hinoiri Kirara?" She asks, tilting her head and slipping out of fighting stance for a moment in confusion.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunset of Sora paused for a moment when Loyalty said she knew her. Just a split second. "Ah, yes. Sunbreaker was just the moniker I took when I was trying to hide what I was. Who I was. A foalish attempt, now. But I was younger. Naive. I believed... I believed things would be different."

"And yes. I take it you'd met me, then? Who else but I could be the Sunset of Sora? Who else would be stupid enough to believe any of that sovereign's LIES?!" she yelled, before fire erupted from her hands. Disappearing into the ground and...

Spreading out. Surrounding them in a wall of fire. To trap Loyalty in there, with her... before she lunged. A punch. This time, though? It was amplified by magic... and she knew how to throw one properly.

Niji Dasshu has posed:
    "Who the heck is Sora, anyways? Shouldn't you be taking all of this out on her?" Loyalty asks. "You know we have like, a prime minister, right?" she continues.

    The wall of fire comes up and Loyalty watches it, turning to the other girl. "You're mad, huh. Like not just the crazy mad but the angry mad too? Alright. Mostly... I'm bored, so let's go."

    And then Hinoiri lunges. It was a beautifully thrown punch, really. In just a moment Niji - Loyalty - could tell that she'd learned how to fight from somewhere. But she was also in henshin, and even though there wasn't much room to manouver she was still a hell of a lot faster than Hinoiri. She's able to move out of the way enough that Hinoiri's lunging punch hits more of her hair and slides along her face, and Loyalty throws one at her stomach before trying to spin around and away from her. It also means, that because she's moving at speed, she's leaving that rainbow trail behind her - for Hinoiri to experience.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunset of Sora growled angrily. "I would, but the portal is still CLOSED! AND YES I'M ANGRY!"

Of course, well, the punch whiffed. She, frankly, should have known it would. But it was no matter. She ran into the rainbow trail and it sizzled against her skin. Purifying magic? Well, that explained some of--

Grk. Loyalty would feel a moment, just a moment, like something... icky was pulling at her. Something vile and tainted. Sucking at her very soul. Devouring her magic, through the rainbow she'd left in her wake...

Sunset of Sora, however, had gone entirely still. Because devouring that magic had certainly hurt, the darkness could absorb all. At least, she believed.

But she knew that magic. "That... you're using Kirakirafantastica magic. You're... how? HOW? You're..." And the other girl was wielding it. Actually. Wielding it. She looked her up and down. "You can't. That's not possible! It--"

Then she went still.

Loyalty.

The first lesson.

Loy.

Al.

Ty.

She was from Kirakirafantastica. This... this girl... was from her home. Or, if not from there... she was chosen by there. She was someone with the magic. Maybe she was even someone who knew Sora.

And yet, this girl had no idea who she was, did she? This girl was chosen by Kirakirafantastica... while she.... while she was ignored. Abandoned. Forsaken. Forgotten.

And Sunset began to laugh. It wasn't... a good laugh. It was the laugh of someone who had just... snapped... a little more. "Loy... al... ty... I... understand... now... did... Sora send... you?"

The fire surrounding them began to rise higher and higher, towering over them now. As she took a step closer. Eyes wide. Somewhat broken... "Or... was I not... even... worth that? No matter..."

"I'll tear all of the Kirakirafantastica out of you. Drop. By. Drop. Hee hee hee."

Niji Dasshu has posed:
"Whosawatsatica magic?" Loyalty asks, confused, even as she tries to shake off that weird, icky feeling. Different than other Dark Energy - than the feeling of drain from the bird monster, for instance.

    "Who the heck is Sora?!" She asks again, louder. "Nobody sent me. I just keep running into you being a JERK and I'm supposed to stop JERKS from doing JERK THINGS." she says.

    And then that laugh. That long, quite spooky laugh. "Ooookayyyyyyy." she says. "You're really not all there, upstairs, are you." The fire grew hotter, and Loyalty balled up her hands into fists. "You know maybe what you really need is some professional help. Have you thought about... getting some counseling? I know the Academy has one. And you're a student, right Hinoiri?" she asks.

    "I don't really want to hurt you, Hinoiri." She admits. "I'm only gonna defend myself. But you should... turn this heat down. It can't be good for either of us. Maybe you've got like... heat stroke."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunset of Sora took another step towards her. "Sora? Sora is the kindest, gentlest, warmest, lovingest, terrible, horrible, vicious creature in Kirakirafantastica. She rules with love and kindness, for those who deserve it. But oh. Not for the unworthy. For the worthless. For those without value. Loy. Al. Ty. I never understood it. I thought I understood."

"Do you know what loyalty got me? Hurt. Scolded. Yelled at. Because I was loyal to the wrong person, it seems. Loyalty. I thought it meant helping. I thought it meant supporting. I thought it meant caring for a friend. But I was wrong... Loyalty... means nothing. It's just. Another. Word. Like friendship. It's not. Enough. It's not power. And power. Is all. That matters."

"As for counselors? Counselors. Are useless. They just stand there and look... stupid. However..." She held out her right hand, and for a moment, light flashed across it. "If you're hoping Stellar will come? She's. Gone. Now. I already ate her power. All of them. Because I'm done playing, Loy. Al. Ty. I am. The greatest student. I was *Sora's* student. But I don't *have* Kirakirafantastica magic anymore. When I came here. I. Lost mine. It was all TAKEN FROM ME!" she yelled, throwing a ball of fire at her. It was low, easy to dodge. Because she'd plunge her hand into the after image, and once again Loyalty would feel that sickly feeling, even as Sunset of Sora's hand burned from the purification.

"SO WHY DO YOU HAVE IT?! WHAT DID YOU DO THAT MAKES YOU DESERVE WHAT SHOULD BE MINE?! WHY WAS I FORGOTTEN WHILE YOU ARE ALLOWED TO THRIVE?!" And then there was so much fire, raining down at the poor girl, rapid spears of fire and fury as fire sizzled on Hinoiri's body.

Niji Dasshu has posed:
    Oh no, she's monologuing, Loyalty thought. She's monologuing and I don't have anywhere to run bcause this stupid fire is everywhere and 'she's on fire too' and...

    And then she needed to dodge a fireball, which she did, before the 'sunset of Sora' girl reached out and started to steal her power.

    "I don't KNOW!" Loyalty said, looking around for anything and finding... nothing. The shrine was swept clear of branches and leaves and she couldn't get out of the fire. "I DON'T KNOW WHERE I GOT MY POWER FROM YOU CRAZY MANIAC." she says, as Loyalty gives up and just tries to dive on Hinoiri anyways - if all she's got is her hands she'll fight with those even if it's a bad idea!

    "I DON'T KNOW I JUST FOUND A ROCK AND NOW I HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY BUT AT LEAST I DIDN'T TURN INTO SOME PYROMANIAC ARSONIST AND HURT PEOPLE. YOU COULD USE YOUR STRENGTH FOR GOOD TOO, IF YOU WEREN'T BUSY GOING CRAZY." she yells.

    "IF YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS MAGIC YOU COULD HAVE TAUGHT ME INSTEAD OF FOUGHT ME!" she yells as she tries to land punches on Sunset of Sora now, swinging rapidly, quickly. Her shouts weren't just of anger but also of pain, of disbelief, of injury as the fire rained down upon her while she continued to try to engage rather than disengage in any way.

    "WHY DO YOU HURT PEOPLE WHEN YOU COULD HELP THEM INSTEAD?!?!" she yells.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunset of Sora just stared at her. Didn't... know? How could she not know? She grit her teeth... And then Loyalty hit her. Didn't 'try' to hit her. Hit her. Hinoiri didn't pull away. She was hit. And grunted, as she was knocked back...

And then, her hands moved out. And she caught Loyalty's fists.

"Teach... you? Teach you? I'll... teach you..."

And she began to drain her power, fire washing over her fists as the power was forcefully torn from her. Viciously. Cruely.

"Kirakirafantastica... is a land of ponies. We are allied with the griffons, the buffalo, hippos, hippogriffs, have a truce with dragons, now have confirmed appearances of a kirin. Sora... rules over it all. She. Protects. Us. I... was her student."

She looked to Niji, and slowly, a vicious, cruel smile formed on her lips. "And I... did everything for her. I listened. I served. I helped. I studied. I. Did. Everything. And you know what I earned for it? I was banished. I was told everything I did... meant nothing. That being better than perfect... wasn't enough for her. And then, when I left?"

She'd kick Loyalty's feet out from under her, to drive her to her knees. As more power was stolen. It burned Hinoiri, but nowhere near as bad as it was Loyalty.

"Loyalty... is about... helping someone else. Such... a wasted element, if you ask me. What good is loyalty, anyway? It's like... all the other elements, you know? But instead, it's all the elements but only to the people you're loyal to. It's not kind, or honest, or generous. It's just... all of them. To specific people. A waste."

"I gave her everything. And then she took away my home. My life. Told me I wasn't worthy to be near her. And then.... then I fled here... and you know what she did? I spent my *entire life* serving her... I spent my whole life... dedicated EVERYTHING to her..."

"... And she forgot me. She didn't. Write. So much. As one letter to me. I wasn't even worth. Picking up. A single. Pen. That... is how little I mean to her."

"So I am going to show you what Loyalty is, girl..."

As finally, the last of her power was drained away. And her eyes went wide. "Niji?" she asked. And, for just a moment, it looked like, maybe, she might regain some control. But then, there was another flair of dark magic. And her eyes narrowed.

"Loyalty... means nothing... because no matter how loyal you are, when you need someone the most? They... won't be loyal to you."

The fire was gone from around them, but with that arm on her shoulder, not to mention all of her drained power, and the rather severe burns on her body already? Escaping was out of the question...

She held up a black bolt of fire, as a single blue and rainbow wing appeared on Sunset of Sora's back, replacing one of the flaming ones. "So let the last thing you see, be what Loyalty earns you, usurper."

Niji Dasshu has posed:
    Fire washed over Loyalty's body - burns started to form on the edges of her henshin outfit, the girl screamed in pain, and gritted her teeth after, and though she was suffering she managed to glare at the Sunset of Sora even as she occasionally cried out. But then...

    "Ponies?! What? What are you going on about?! You're CRAAHHHHHHHHH damn that hurts CRAZY."she shouted in Hinoiri's face, cut off in places by the pain.

    Her henshin started to flicker as the power eeked out of her. "Maybe... she banished you... because she could see... what a crazy monster you could be."

    Slammed into the ground and hearing some absolutely unhealthy cruches, probably should have stopped anyone. Niji Dasshu - no longer Geode Girl Loyalty - looked up at Hinoiri, even as the burns started to cover her now tanned (as opposed to blue) flesh. She was really trying to keep that glare, her anger, even through the pain, though the tears in her eyes, running out of them, probably broke the effect. "You're... not... awe..." she doesn't get it out because the pain overwhelms her. Talking's too hard. But she keeps her eyes open. Mostly. Partly.

    It all happened so fast, and she had that moment of her life flashing before her eyes. Her parents would be devastated. Her teammates, too. Maybe she shouldn't have been a magical girl. And yet in that moment she wouldn't change it, even as she looked up at Sunset's increasing ball of fire. Isn't this where the hero should say something cool? And yet she couldn't even finish her words. She really wasn't as good at this magical girl thing as she was her sports. Maybe she should have practiced this a little more.

Tsubasa Yuunagi has posed:
Is that the cry of bird that is dropping in on the battle at a speed that breaks near Mach. It certainetly sounds like it, as a new flame joins the fight, descending down and and down and corkscrewing towards Sunset of Sora. "SOARING WING ATTACK!" comes the roaring cry as Cure Wing cracks the sound barrier, shattering windows and eardrums as the Pretty Cure drops in, attempting to slam into Hinoiri and drive her back as he comes to a halt above Niji.

Loyalty? Loyalty is answered with friendship. And when Niji made friends with Tsubasa, she earned the protection of the Cure as well. His finger juts out, pointing towards Hinoiri. "I heard about you, magic thief! You will not be taking more from Loyalty!" he growls.

But seeing the condition of the Geode Girl, there is going to be no fight. He's fast. And he's may not be as fast as Niji at full speed - he bets he's faster than this conflaguration of stolen magic, anger, and flames.

She needs attention. Immediately. The fight can wait. And he's pretty sure that alone, his own powers will be joining hers. Landing on the ground, hovering inches off of it really, he sweeps up Niji in his arms, one arm under her knees, the other around her waist as he pulls her close. "Hold on!" he tells her.

Because he's rocketting away from Hinoiri at all due speed, ready to break into evasive manuveurs should she swipe at him.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    The world around them suddenly shifts and changes in subtle ways, air wavering like one might see in extreme heat. Or maybe it could be better described as the way light bends around a star, except in motion. Either way, it's an effect that Sunset would recognize: the calling card of Hope Witch and a clear sign of her Wake Labyrinth being used.

    The distance between Sunset and Cure Wing + Niji suddenly stretches, and gravity shifts to give the already supersonic mahou a further speed boost.

    Madoka doesn't appear right away. That would only invite an immediate attack, and she's not ready to confront Sunset just yet. But she's somewhere nearby. Hiding. Her presence can't be masked completely.

    "I never know what to say in times like this," calls out Madoka's voice. "To be honest, I've never been the kind of girl to practice justice speeches in the mirror. Most Witches don't really understand them, anyways. I wonder, if I used a quote from some media source, would you feel cheated somehow?"

    Madoka steps out from behind a stone pillar that... honestly wasn't there before. "... Because... Sunny-chan, it's not too late to change this. It's not too late to turn around. I know you probably wont, but the offer is there regardless. Because if you keep going the way you're going?"

    She draws back an arrow, aimed into the air. "... You're gonna have a bad time."

    Arrows are unleashed, rising up and then falling, exploding into a sparkly pink mist that reduces all visibility to zero. By the time it passes, Madoka is already gone, and hopefully so are Wing and Niji.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
It is an intense storm of magical energy that it going on there and it is bound to attract all sorts of attentions, and with the two mahous seeking to help rescue and deflect, a third joins in, a pensive look on her face as she peeks at who is causing the disaster.

Hinoiri has changed a lot in her ascension, can she still be called herself? Sayaka doesn't know that, but there is someone that is trying to escape right now, and she hopes she can both instill a small precious drop inside Hinoiri and stall enough at the same time.

Far in the distance, the Puella raises her sword as a conductor's baton, and three ripples appear in the zone around Hinoiri, close enough to be heard, but far enough that she wouldn't be able to stop them all at once.

Three Attesas emerge from those ripples, taking a bit less than a third of Sayaka's magical energy with them, but the familiars don't attack, instead they play a sorrowful music that Hinoiri may listen to.

It's one she may have once heard when she was running from something impossible and unexpected, but now that has reached her again and offers itself as a gesture of sympathy. "...Don't run after them, Hinoiri. This music was lost, and now isn't, but it came here for you. Can you still understand what it means?"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Loyalty was meaningless. There was no such thing as loyalty. It was just... another lesson that she failed. Another lesson on how, no matter how hard she tried, she would never, could never, be enough. She'd never regret this. It was murder. But the rules meant nothing.

And the fire descended.

And t hen, there was a scream. It made her cringe and a hiss pull from her lips. She barely had a chance to see what hit her, before she was ran into. She growled, skidding along the ground. "You will NOT take her from me! SHE IS--"

Then reality was bending. What? Was she going slower? Was she--

And then Madoka's voice. "Where are you?! I'll take your power, too!" she yelled. And then Madoka was there. She saw her, her eyes narrowed. She lunged...

But there was arrows everywhere. It spread out, blinding her, and when she lunged, she hit nothing but air. She roared, her tail lashing against the ground and fire erupting off her, did they REALLY think they could escape?! She would...

And Attesas. Sayaka? Sayaka was... here? And that music... Her eyes began to sizzle as the tears burned away before they could fall. "Say... a... ka..." she said softly. Loyalty. Loyalty was meaningless. Nobody had ever been loyal to her. Not until she came here. And...

And she'd nearly killed her best friend in response. That was what that song was to her. Not to Sayaka, but... but when everything had gone wrong, she could do nothing but flee. And others saved her friend. Saved her...

The Sunset of Sora disappeared in a flurry of fire and ire. She had Loyalty's power. It meant nothing. She could... she could take the rest later.

She'd won...

... Even if Sora saw what a monster she was, it didn't matter. She'd be the monster that won. But, strangest of all? That wasn't what bothered her. What bothered her most...

Was the thought of her best friend seeing her in that way. Perhaps that was why, in that moment, she'd fled, rather than destroying or even absorbing the familiars.