The city is now a warzone. Police cruisers surrounded the Flame Beetle, Lunar Knight, and Sapphire Spears, sirens blaring through the thick smoke. Captain Brooks grabbed his bullhorn.

  "We have you freaks completely surrounded! This publicity stunt is over! Surrender now or we will fire!"

  Pyrochroa didn't hesitate. He swung his brass wand and unleashed a stream of fire directly at the officers. "HAHAHAHA! BURRRRRN!"

  The men hit the dirt, the asphalt sizzling near their boots.

  "Bree, are you listening?" Maxwell's voice crackled in her earpiece.

  Bree nodded, her hands trembling inside her gauntlets.

  "If you want Maddy to keep receiving her healthcare, I order you to kill the Lunar Knight!"

  "But sir!"

  "I didn't ask for buts, I asked for results! Do it or you're terminated!"

  Bree looked at Joan and Joan looked right back.

  "This isn't exactly what I wanted, but if we are to work together, you'll follow my orders. Got it?" Joan stared down at Bree, waiting for her response.

  "Y-yeah.. got it..."

  Joan lunged for the Beetle's fuel tank, but while she was distracted, Bree intercepted her, blasting the knight back with a heavy pulse strike.

  CRASH.

  Joan flew twenty feet and slammed into a post office. Crumbling concrete rained down on her.

  "Bree... I thought we had an agreement!"

  "I'm sorry. This isn't personal! I have to save my sister!" Bree aimed her laser. It hummed, charging to full power. Before she could fire, Joan hurled a slab of concrete right at her! Bree skidded across the pavement and smashed into a truck.

  "I should have known not to trust you! It's time to finish what I started!" Joan drew her Lunar sword and shield.

  The officers opened fire on the Flame Beetle. The bullets were useless, bouncing off his shell like BB pellets. Captain Brooks grabbed his radio.

  "Dispatch, we need backup! Send in SWAT! We need heavy firepower!"

  "Roger that. SWAT dispatched. ETA ten minutes."

  "Ten minutes?! God help us!" Brooks muttered.

  Courtney raced down the street. She leaped and slid across the hood of an abandoned car, the metal groaning under her weight. She huffed and wheezed, hunching over to catch her breath.

  "Oh Jesus... Oh God... Without my cheetah powers, I run as fast as turtles fucking!"

  She looked at Natalie's cutie bracelet, the onyx gemstone reflecting back at her. She knew what she had to do.

  "I can't stop now. Joan needs us and Natalie needs to woman the fuck up and be a goddamn hero!"

  With renewed strength, Courtney ignored the stitch in her side and continued her sprint toward Natalie's house.

  Meanwhile, inside the beetle-shaped spaceship, Emperor Sylak watched Courtney run down the road and felt extremely irritated.

  "Oh, little Weevil!" The Emperor called out lovingly.

  A Weevil henchman approached and saluted, its mandibles clicking nervously.

  "Yes, sir?"

  "Do you see that little girl?" The Emperor pointed at the Hologlobe, gesturing at the flickering image of Courtney.

  "Yes, sir!"

  "Do you know who that is?" The Emperor grinned, his jagged teeth protruding from his thin lips.

  "Yes, sir. That appears to be Cosmic Cheetah in civilian form, sir!"

  "Very good!" The Emperor gently patted the Weevil's head before his hand blurred, gripping its throat tightly. "SO DO YOU MIND TELLING ME WHY NOBODY'S STOPPING HER?!"

  The Weevil gagged, its eyes bulging out of its skull under the pressure.

  "Answer me! ANSWER ME, YOU WORTHLESS LITTLE BUG!" Sylak threw the Weevil across the bridge. It smashed hard against the hull, its shell crunching into a spray of disgusting green goop.

  The Emperor stared at the other trembling Weevils, his claws sinking deep into the leather armrests of his throne.

  "DON'T JUST STAND THERE! STOP HER ALREADY!"

  "YES, SIR!" The Weevils shouted in unison.

  Back in the downtown warzone, Joan was too busy beating the ever-lasting shit out of Bree to stop Pyrochroa. Helicopters swarmed above them, the beat of their blades thudding against the smoke-choked air. A sniper steadied his rifle, squinting through the glass at the Flame Beetle's glowing carapace.

  "Hold 'er steady!" the sniper shouted over the rotors.

  BANG.

  The armor-piercing round hit, but it shrieked as it ricocheted off the beetle’s shell.

  "How in the hell is that possible!?" the sniper yelled in frustration, racking another useless bolt.

  Down below, Bree’s gauntlets hummed with fifty thousand volts of lightning. She slammed both fists into Joan's armored torso. Electricity surged, blue sparks arcing off the metal and dancing across the pavement. Joan didn't even flinch.

  "Hah! You fail to realize that my Lunar armor can withstand the very elements!" Joan smirked, her voice booming through her visor.

  "Yeah, but you can't withstand magnets, bitch!" Bree hissed.

  Joan’s eyes went wide as her armor suddenly felt weightless and got pulled backward by an invisible force, flying twenty feet before slamming into the side of a SWAT truck that had just skidded onto the scene. The officers piled out, ignoring the armored girl stuck to their vehicle like a fridge magnet, and opened up on the Flame Beetle.

  RATATATATATATATA!

  Pyrochroa didn't even blink. He swept his flame wand toward the SWAT unit, the jet of fire melting the asphalt and torching a line of cars in its path.

  "This is so much fun, I never want it to end!" he cackled, the respirator on his face hissing with every laugh.

  Joan grunted, her limbs frozen against the reinforced steel of the truck. Bree walked up slowly, her sapphire plating reflecting the orange glow of the fires. She picked up a jagged, rusted piece of rebar and held the sharp end inches from Joan's face.

  "I'm so sorry... I can't lose my sister," Bree’s voice cracked, her eyes starting to water behind the lens.

  "Then don't... We can stop them... whoever you're working for... we can stop them!" Joan pleaded, the magnets still pinning her shoulders back.

  "Do it!" Maxwell's voice barked in her ear.

  Bree's hands shook, the rebar trembling.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  "DO IT! Come on, Bree! Show the world these Cutie bitches are nothing compared to Maximum Climax!"

  Bree’s jaw set. She reached up, ripped the earpiece out of her helmet, and hurled it to the ground. She brought her sapphire boot down with a satisfying crunch, grinding the tech into the dirt.

  "You're right... he can't get away with this. For all I know, Maddy could be dead and he's making me just as bad as her... I. AM. NOT. MADDY!"

  Bree grabbed Joan and hauled her off the side of the truck, the magnetic seal breaking with a loud metallic groan as she tossed the knight to the ground.

  "And I sure as SHIT AM NOT MAXIMUM CLIMAX! I HATE THAT FUCKING NAME!" Bree screeched at the sky.

  Joan exhaled and stood up, placing a heavy, gauntleted hand on Bree's shoulder. "I am... terribly sorry for what I've done to your sister... she hurt someone I cared about very, very deeply... I was out of control, and I'm sorry."

  Bree nodded slowly. "I know... she's a fucking lunatic... but she's my sister."

  BOOM!

  The SWAT truck behind them turned into a fireball, the concussive wave sending both girls rolling across the cracked asphalt.

  "Aww, how cute! So you two are friends now? Well then, you can die together!" Pyrochroa aimed his brass wand at them, the flames flickering.

  Joan and Bree traded a look and leaped in opposite directions just as a torrent of fire turned the spot they’d been standing on into a molten puddle.

  "Okay, Knight, what do we do?" Bree shouted over the roar of the flames.

  "Stall him! I'm waiting for reinforcements!"

  "The other Princesses?"

  "Aye... let's just pray they arrive on time.”

  In Natalie’s bedroom, Natalie was sleeping peacefully. The guilt of getting Harmony hospitalized had faded momentarily, replaced by a dream of standing outside the Outrageous Theater. Her eyes scanned the sea of headlights and traffic until a soft voice reached her.

  "Natalie?"

  Natalie turned and saw Harmony standing there.

  "Oh my God, you're alive!?" She immediately threw her arms around her. "I'm so fucking sorry. I was horrible to you... I'm such a shitty person."

  "Don't be sad, Natalie. I'm not mad at you. You didn't do anything wrong," Harmony smiled. She looked up, and their eyes locked. "Natalie... Will you be a Cutie Princess?"

  "I... I don't know... I fucked up last time. What if I'm not cut out to be a hero? What if this was a mistake?" Natalie’s voice shook.

  Harmony placed a hand on Natalie’s cheek. "Natalie, what's important is that you know the difference between right and wrong. In my heart, I know there's good in you."

  "No... You got hurt because of me... it was my faul—"

  Harmony shushed her, placing a finger on her lip. "You'll always be my hero, Natalie..."

  Harmony got on her tippy toes and leaned in. Natalie leaned forward, closing her eyes.

  BANG BANG BANG BANG.

  Natalie shot up and pulled a knife from under her pillow.

  "Who's there?! What the fuck do you want?!"

  She panicked, scanning the room until she spotted Courtney at the window.

  "Oh... it's you..." Natalie mumbled, shoving the knife under her pillow.

  She opened the window, the security bars keeping Courtney from entering. The air was heavy with smoke, and the sirens in the distance were deafening. Courtney looked like absolute shit. Her designer clothes were covered in bug guts, her cheeks were smeared with soot, and her hair was matted with ash. She smelled like she’d crawled out of an ashtray.

  "What do you want?"

  "Bitch, you gotta help me, please! I don't have time to explain. The whole city is on fire, Joan needs us, and she gave us back our bracelets! This is our second chance to prove we're not fuck-ups!"

  Courtney stuck her arm through the bars, holding out Natalie's bracelet. The shiny onyx glared back at her. Natalie didn't reach for it; she stepped away.

  "I am a fuck-up. I should have... I should have taken this shit more seriously. Do you remember? The screams? The heat? Harmony didn't deserve that..."

  Courtney’s hands slid down the bars, gripping them firmly. The burden in her heart felt heavier than the thick smoke.

  "You're right, we got too careless. So I'm begging you, Natalie. We can fix this. I know you don't trust me, and I know you have every good reason in the world to hate me...

  I sold you out, and I regret it.

  But you and me? Together we're so fucking badass, and I see that now. I don't wanna lose that. I like kicking ass with you. I felt so... alive. Please don't take that away from me. I don't have anything left..."

  Natalie looked at Courtney, her enemy and rival since the ninth grade. The girl who had made high school a living hell was now begging, and it resonated. Natalie reached her hand through the bars. Courtney placed the bracelet in her palm.

  PEW PEW PEW PEW!

  "AHHHHHH!" Courtney shrieked as a blast from the Weevils sent her spiraling to the ground.

  "COURTNEY!" Natalie screamed. She slapped the bracelet on, her body flashing bright black as she became the Nebula Ninja. She sank into the shadows, slipping through the bars and out onto the lawn. "GET AWAY FROM HER, YOU FUCKING BUGS!"

  Natalie hurled shurikens at the first Weevil she saw. The stars impaled its head and chest, sending it to the ground like dead weight.

  She pulled her Ninjatō next, vanishing in a puff of smoke just as another Weevil tried to line up a shot. It panicked, looking around wildly until Natalie dropped from a cloud above it, slicing the creature clean down the middle.

  The sickening sound of cracking shells and spilling guts echoed as the two halves fell, limbs twitching sporadically.

  "Courtney?!" Natalie searched frantically until a Weevil grabbed her from behind.

  "I got her! I got her!"

  "Get the hell off me!" Natalie kicked and squirmed.

  Suddenly, Courtney tackled the Weevil, clawing at its eyes with breakneck speed. Her Cosmic Cheetah dress was now splattered with even more green fluid.

  "Holy shit!" Natalie’s jaw dropped.

  Courtney stood up, panting heavily with a huge grin on her face. "That... was fun!" She giggled.

  Natalie's stunned expression shifted into a nod as she stared at the smoking skyline. "Come on. Joan needs us. Let's go squash ourselves a bug!"

  "YES! Now we're talking!" Courtney dropped to all fours, smirking. "Think you can keep up?"

  "Watch me!"

  In a blur, the two dashed across the neighborhood, leaving a trail of black and yellow sparkles.

  Meanwhile downtown area was now completely evacuated as Sapphire Spears and Lunar Knight continued to hold the line against Pyrochroa. Nearby, the police and SWAT teams kept their distance, watching the awesome display of violence play out.

  “Those girls are crazy!” Captain Brooks shouted, shielding his eyes from a fresh explosion.

  “Hey Cap, when this is over, can I get their autographs? My daughter is a huge fan of the Kepler Sisters and the Cutie Princesses!” one of the privates asked, clutching his rifle.

  The Captain glared at the young officer. “One more word like that and I'll bust you down to traffic duty!”

  Pyrochroa unleashed a dual stream of white-hot flames toward Bree. Joan leaped in the way, bracing her Lunar shield as the fire splashed off the metal like liquid sun.

  “Come on, ladies, don't make this any harder! Just DIE!” the Flame Beetle roared.

  “Lunar Knight, I don't think your friends are coming!” Bree whimpered.

  “Just hang in there! Believe in me! Believe in the Cutie Princesses!” Joan grunted, her boots skidding backward as she pushed against the pressure of the fire.

  “Face it, ladies! NO ONE'S GONNA SAVE YOU NOW!”

  CRASH!

  Before Pyrochroa could finish his boast, Nebula Ninja and Cosmic Cheetah tackled him from the side. In a blur of black and yellow lightning, they dragged the beetle across the glass-filled pavement, scraping his reinforced shell against the road for three blocks.

  “OW OW OW OW OW OW!” the beetle shrieked.

  They heaved him together, hurling him into a high-voltage transformer. Electricity sparked everywhere, arcing through his metal fuel tank and frying his ass to a crisp.

  BZZZZZZZZZZ!

  “Holy fuck!” Natalie exclaimed, shielding her eyes from the blue strobe light of the surge.

  “Hahaha! Look at him burn! Oh God, it stinks!” Courtney cackled.

  Pyrochroa shook violently until the generator exploded, sending him reeling in a ball of flames. His fuel tanker erupted, blowing the Flame Beetle into a thousand jagged pieces of smoking beetle shell.

  Natalie and Courtney stood frozen as bits of bug guts rained down on them. They looked at each other, the adrenaline hitting its peak, and screamed in pure joy.

  “I can't believe it! We actually did it!” Natalie screamed.

  “I KNOW! AHHH!” Courtney leaped into Natalie's arms, and the two of them twirled around, laughing like lunatics amidst the wreckage.

  Joan and Bree caught up with the girls, their armor scarred and scorched, but their expressions softened.

  “Nebula Ninja. Cosmic Cheetah. Welcome back to the team.” Joan held her armored hand out.

  Both Natalie and Courtney placed their hands on Joan's gauntlet.

  “Thank you for this opportunity, Joan.” Natalie firmly shook her hand.

  “You won't regret it!” Courtney added.

  Bree stepped forward, her visor retracted to show her tear-streaked face. “Well, now that that's settled... you think maybe you can help me bring down my boss?”

  Natalie sneered, her hand moving toward her sword, but Courtney stood between them.

  “It's okay, she's cool.”

  “Whatever… I'm just glad that it's over now.” Natalie released her sword.

  Suddenly, massive spotlights hit the girls. SWAT teams moved in from every alleyway, surrounding them with rifles leveled. Captain Brooks marched up to the girls, holding up his badge.

  “Alright, ladies, you're all under arrest!”

  “You're fucking with me, right? We saved your asses!” Natalie hissed.

  “Yeah, we're the good guys!” Courtney clenched her fists, her claws extending.

  Joan stepped forward, her hands raised above her head in a gesture of peace. “Gentlemen, let's settle this professionally. I can assure you we mean you no harm.”

  Bree trembled, looking at the officers and then back at the girls. She took a deep breath and blurted out, “I GOT ALL THE DIRT YOU NEED ON MAXWELL POWERS!”

  Captain Brooks raised an eyebrow. “Maxwell Powers? The conglomerate?”

  Bree nodded frantically. “I'll give you everything you need. Leave these girls alone; take me. Maxwell Powers has to go down!”

  Captain Brooks reached into his pocket. Bree flinched, but he only brought out a notepad. “Are you willing to make a statement? Everythingyou’ve got?”

  “He has my sister…”

  “Alright. Escort her to the back of that truck and get her down to the station pronto!”

  The officers escorted Bree off the premises. She looked back one last time, a small, sad smile on her face.

  “As for you thr—” When Captain Brooks turned around, the Sailing Star team was gone. Only a few fading black and yellow sparkles remained in the air.

  “Son of a bitch…” he huffed, tucking his handcuffs away.

  Meanwhile, in the deepest, darkest part of space, inside a beetle-shaped spaceship, Emperor Sylak threw a hissy fit, banging on the control panels.

  "DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT! ARGH! THE PERFECT PLAN RUINED! DAMN YOU, CUTIE PRINCESS!"

  A small Weevil offered the Emperor a hot dog stolen from one of the street vendors.

  "Perhaps this will cheer you up, sire?"

  The Emperor sliced the Weevil's throat, spilling green ooze all over the hot dog. He then shoved it into his mouth and chewed while crying.

  "I'm gonna have to keep stress-eating until I come up with another plan!" he whined while the Weevil gurgled in its own blood.

  Back on Earth, the girls stopped by the hospital to pay Harmony a visit. Joan sat close to her, holding her hand, while Natalie and Courtney kept their distance.

  "When do you think she'll wake up?" Natalie asked with concern.

  "I don't know... I pray that it is soon," Joan sighed.

  "Joan... I feel terrible about all this. I'll do whatever I can to make up for it. If it wasn't for me, Harmony would be okay..." Courtney sniffled, wiping a tear.

  "Lady Courtney...? Why don't you and Lady Natalie head on home? I'll be alright."

  "You sure? But shouldn't I at least try to—"

  "No. You've done enough. Please... Just go."

  "O-okay... I'll be a call away..." Courtney looked at Natalie, who shrugged, and they left the hospital together.

  Later that evening, Courtney parkoured her way back with Natalie, using their powers to navigate the rooftops. They got to Natalie's house and stopped by her door.

  "I'm glad we're back together, Natalie. Do you think Joan is still mad at me?" Courtney asked.

  "I dunno," Natalie muttered.

  "Nat? Is something wrong? You know you can always talk to me." Courtney placed her gloved paw on Natalie's shoulder.

  Natalie looked up at Courtney. Her blue eyes matched the night sky; her glittered lips matched the stars. Natalie felt something but didn't have the heart to say what it was.

  "I'm fine. You head on home... See you tomorrow?" Natalie asked with hesitation.

  "You bet!" Courtney grinned and dashed back toward her mansion.

  Natalie entered her home and made her way to the bathroom. She grabbed the handle and rattled it.

  "Goddamn it, Mom, are you still in there?" Natalie rolled her eyes.

  She realized something. She hadn't seen her mom all day. In fact, she had been in that bathroom ever since Natalie came back from school.

  "Mom...? MOM?!" Natalie screamed.

  She grabbed the door and tore it off its hinges. She held her hands to her mouth, her eyes widening in horror. She fell to her knees and stared in complete disbelief.

  "Why, Mom...? Why...?"

  つづく

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