Beatrix Belladonna in B.A.B.S. : A Cyberpunk Adventure

From the concrete torn up by the metal coils arose an army, buried below in the sewers. The Flower Children’s remnants, twisted into hybrids by Varys' experiments, clambered and stumbled to the surface.

They attacked indiscriminately, rioters, looters, police officers, gangs, and civilians alike butchered by the blades that emerged from their warped flesh.

A metallic ring sounded. A spire pierced the chest of punk; his scream cut off as he slumped in a pool of blood that ran down the gutters. The soulless murderer stalked onward, chrome embedded in flesh shining under a fire that crackled behind him.

“Damn it,” Spike grunted, clutching his side as darkness threatened to overtake him. His Werewolves were scattered, many dead or wounded, stuck in the middle and accosted on all sides. “This can’t be how it ends, right?”

He checked his uzi, almost out of ammo. Thankfully there were lots of weapons nearby...if he could reach them.

“Oh shit,” he muttered as one of the cyborgs turned his way. He leveled his gun, ready to make his last stand, prepared to die, taking down as many mechanical zombies with him as possible. His sole regret was that he wouldn't be able to see Rarity one last time.

The buzz of a descending helicopter sounded above, his leather jacket rustling. He looked up to see a rope ladder tossed out, the members of B.A.B.S. making their entrance with guns blazing and war cries.

Babs Seed landed first, her high-powered rifle punching a hole through the chest of his would-be assailant in a spray of fluids. “Bet you missed us, you dumb bastard~?”

He didn't have time to answer, more of the rogue mercenaries rushing to aid their leader. “Take that, you metal brute!” Trixie cried as her hands lit up to blast beams of energy, melting flesh and metal into smoke and transfused liquid that smoldered.

“Whoa! Easy there, mom,” warned Beatrix beside her, unicorn horns temporarily emerging from their temples to help spark their magic. She added her own mystic might to her mother's attack while the merc crew helped clean up the mess at hand.

“You’re lucky we’re here to save your sorry ass,” explained Babs while chomping on a smoke and letting out another spray, her rifle running hot in her hands, strapped over a shoulder. “Your crew is too loyal and stubborn to leave you behind, wolf boy.”

“Heh, sounds like them,” he chuckled with a toothy grin. He winced, struggling to climb the swaying rope. Giving Spike cover, they slowed down the horde, most keeping their distance. The lone exception, Sunset Shimmer, arced her plasma beam saber, cutting down those who neared her under precise strokes that left them dismembered.

The chopper's gun barrels spun, shredding into more of them in a continuous rattle.

“Get your asses aboard bitches,” ordered Babs, and they climbed inside, more packed in than ever once it finally took off in a loud whir. “How’s everyone holding up?”

“Not good, dudette,” muttered a teary-eyed Tree Hugger, who stared at the remains of the Flower Children below. While most of the others were celebrating, she trembled, feeling helpless, her hand once more held by Flutterbitch, who gently smiled at her. The hippie turned her attention to Spike, opening a medkit lodged in the compartment and applying its gelatin contents to his wounds.

They climbed sky-high, weaving between the skyscrapers until the city shrank below.

The chopper resumed its trip towards the reactor, where the self-styled Dragon Lord rested, the supposed heart of all this madness that spread across the neon city.

*****

Rarity trembled in the cool night air, naked porcelain skin soaked in her old friend's hot blood. Before her, the downed Dragon Lord's flesh twisted, fused with the device his ally supplied him with, a bloodied chunk was torn into his scaly breast. She spotted a chopper's approach and ducked low, uncertain who the transport belonged to or what they would do if they spotted her.

Coils launched in its direction, the vehicle turning on its side to narrowly evade a violent strike. Gunfire rippled back in a barrage, and she screamed, sheltered behind his muscular bulk, uncertain if the drake she knew was even alive anymore.

A few tiny bottles were tossed out of the side. The tubes shattered on impact, and from them arose a series of vines, expanding and wrapping around the coils, audibly straining to keep them restrained.

Hastily a rope ladder was cast down as the mercs piled out. Sunset was at the forefront, rushed up to the Dragon Lord, and placed her hands on him, eyes flashing white.

“Just like I suspected,” she called over the whirl of blades. “Varys has Lady Ewe trapped inside, along with President Spike!”

Rarity rose from her hidden spot, arms wrapped around her. “You mean he's still alive...? Please, you have to save him!”

“Whoa, there,” said Babs, spitting out smoke. “Gotta keep calm. We’ll do what we can.”

“Hey,” called Spike, who slid down. “It's me! I can't believe it! You're really back, Rarity!” He dashed to her, removed his coat, and wrapped it around her nude, bloodied form. “Are you hurt? Anything I can do to help?”

“I'm fine, thank you.” She politely smiled at him. ”So, you’re this ‘other’ Spike?”

“Hate to break the reunion,” interrupted Beatrix, who fished through her inner cape. “But we can’t stay here for long. Those vines were meant for emergencies and aren’t gonna last forever! It's not the kind of alchemy mix I can easily replicate, what with how rare the materials are, especially here!”

Desperately she searched for anything else that might be useful, grunting in annoyance she'd been forced to play her trump card.

To emphasize her point, a snap sounded, one of the many vines torn beneath the coils that writhed under constant pressure.

“We have to head inside,” said Sunset. “Varys is manipulating the Dragon Lord's body like a marionette, at his heart.”

“Not his literal heart, I take it? Granted, he is pretty massive,” said Beatrix more to herself.

“Might be, depending on how long the bastard’s been working. Worse, he’s got Lady Ewe trapped in a lab,” added Sunset, and any trace of humor fell from the witch's paling face. “I can’t see what’s going on in there. But judging by her screams, it’s not good…”

“That settles it! I'm heading in,” Beatrix declared, ready to turn these powers on the one who'd given them to her. But could she rely on them, considering the source? She needed to discover a way to alter them. “Mom, maybe you'd better wait here.”

“And let you hog all the glory yourself? Not a chance! My little hellspawn needs me. Plus, this is a chance to strut the Great and Powerful Trixie's stuff!” She struck a pose, hand on hip, tossing back her cape and hair, her wiggling fingers sparkling with magic.

“Suit yourself,” Beatrix sighed, unable to suppress a wry smile.

“Enough, chit-chat,” Babs yelled. “We’re wastin’ time as it is! Tree Hugger, you take care of the wounded and civilians! Have the pilot take you somewhere safer! For all we know bitches, this is a suicide run, so if you plan to pussy out get the fuck off my copter!” She scanned her squad, but they all seemed just as eager to take on their mysterious foe.

Exchanging a kiss with Flutterbitch, the hippie started to lead Rarity to the chopper, which veered low. The fashionista helped Spike aboard, then began to rifle through what was inside. The mercenaries loaded up on the arsenal and supplies they could reasonably carry. Rarity discovered a form-fitted outfit, not unlike the one Sunset wore.

“Screw it,” said Spike between winces, the gelatin hardened. “I'm heading in, too!”

“If that's your decision,” said Rarity, who slid the costume onto a foot, the white attire that attached itself to her like a second skin. “Then count me in, too. How can I be content to sit on the sidelines, after what I've seen?”

“What?! No, you can’t,” Spike insisted, shaking his head. “You're not a fighter!”

“Oh?” She took one of Sunset's spare plasma blades and spun the hilt in her wrist. “President Spike had another modification made to his 'dolls.’ A complex combat algorithm that shall display the needed finesse for me in battle.” She winked at him.

Hugs, seated in the copter, wondered aloud, “Will that really work? I mean, guess it's not too different from, like, self-driving cars.”

While the gang leader continued to try and talk her out of this, Rarity wiggled her bottom into a suit so tight yet comfortable she still felt completely naked. It snapped into place, molded to her ample curves, and she placed the hilt on her belt, running her hands over her plush breasts and her cheeks filled with warmth. She could almost thank President Spike for this impeccable new shape!

“That's the willful woman I fell in love with,” admitted Spike to himself. He struggled to keep pace with her long strides after she exited the vehicle, unable to pry his bright eyes away from the sway of her hips and buttocks after she strolled ahead.

The helicopter took off, and the mercenaries of B.A.B.S. headed into the Dragon Lord's wound, where buried inside the meat was a mechanized complex.

Gloomy corridors hummed, lit by Beatrix's and Trixie's horns. Their steps echoed as they otherwise moved in silence.

Hands lingered near weapons, uncertain if the alien structure itself that entombed
the party could reach out and assail them.

*****

“So, they’re almost here. Like lambs to the proverbial slaughter,” Vayrs mused, staring through a monitor that showed Babs and her crew through the feed. Deep in his lair, his latest experiment was in the beginning stages of transforming the Dragon Lord into a mobile weapon of mass destruction.

With this half-organic machine he would sore over the city, lay waste to the masses, and share his ‘cure’ with the unsuspecting citizens. Flesh would be culled and be completely replaced by automaton anatomy.

For the moment, it was partially powered by President Spike himself, trapped at the core in his lab. He rested naked in a tube, surrounded by nutrients that bubbled and flowed around him, unconscious and his breathing shallow. The magic that radiated from him was steadily siphoned out and transferred to the structure around him.

On another screen, he watched Oona wailing out as the equine amalgamation mounted behind, pounding mindlessly away at her womanhood while her belly bloated each time it’s tainted dicks hit the back of her womb. And with a high pitched screech, her belly swelled up like a balloon as more cum was stuffed into the dream faun.

Her eyes were twitching at the mind-numbing pressure, until the creature of flesh and steel resumed to piston its hips.

“I wonder if arcane magic can be transferred through insemination and breeding. Would any offspring carry their parents' traits?” He wondered aloud before turning to the test subject stationary in the tub, his beak-like visage reflected off the transparent surface.

“What would be the limitations? Can it be surpassed through advanced technological science? I must be certain.” Scanning his vitals, Varys was satisfied to see his mutagen spread throughout Spike’s body at a steady rate. It wouldn’t be long until his ‘employer’ would be entirely consumed by the virus.

Across the monitors flashed the latest work results, the city beset by the Flower Children army. Zombie-like, they massacred whoever they came across, aided by the Redcaps, another sacrificial pawn used in his schemes.

Clacks sounded as he adjusted the controls on his computers, directly wired into his attire. “Do not worry, Beatrix. The concoction you and your mother ingested is is perfectly safe. You will provide superb results in this little field test of mine. Through my intellect, I have helped introduce magic back into a technological wonderland. How will it react? Will it ultimately thrive or be snuffed out? I fear poor Lulamoon lacks self-control and will inevitably burn herself out. Another poor, deluded addict. Slave to emotion.”

A distorted chuckle escaped his monotonous voice, watching as the adventurous witch and her squad ventured ever closer.

“Such is the way of all souls. We merely follow our nature. All the more reason I must perfect this world around me. All organic tissue will cease to exist. Then there will be nothing but pure, clean technology.” Another punch of buttons, and he activated the defenses around the area.

The corridors sprung to life, B.A.B.S leveling their weapons once the walls themselves stirred to life. “I wonder, how many of them will survive, and perhaps even thrive?”

Soft footfalls sounded. “Ah I also took it upon myself to rescue a couple of the President's toys.” Coco Pommel and Sassy Saddles strolled around the lab, the translucent lights reflecting off their naked, supple flesh. “Perhaps the presence of his dolls will ease his troubled psyche?” They strolled over to a tube where their former master slumbered.

“Yes, tend to his needs until my genius settles in. For now, I must breach communication with the lost world. The Burning King will want to know of my progress,” the plague master concluded, typing in the coordinates amidst clacks so he could relay a message.

*****

Gunfire rippled and flashed down the tunnels. Boots were met by the clank of metal below, the mercenaries breaking into a sprint by coils that erupted from every angle in a splash of sticky crimson.

Gore and viscera drip-dropped from above, the stench of chrome mixed with more rancid fumes. “Watch your asses,” ordered Babs, who loosed another fiery burst.

Rarity fell into a trance once she allowed the A.I. in her artificial flesh to take over. Reflexes that allowed her to match Spike's werewolf shape carried her. The plasma beam arced and cut down tendrils in a graceful pirouette.

“Damn. She's hotter than ever,” muttered Spike, struggling to transform himself. The gel had sealed his worst wound, but he was forced to rely on a spare, high-powered sidearm he'd borrowed from Rainbow Dash.

The mother-daughter team worked in tandem, auras wrapped around the coils to restrain them, invisible barriers raised to deflect strikes. They were protected by the mercs who formed a circle around the wizardesses, forced to hunker down.

“It never ends,” yelled Dash, who hovered the best she could in the enclosed space, a rifle cradled in her arms between careful shots.

Acrid smoke rose from the charred wrecked of coils that blossomed under small explosions. More of them thrashed, cut loose by Rarity and Sunset, the latter who said, “I know the way ahead! Just punch us a path through, and we'll be on our way!”

“Got it! Concentrate fire ahead! Witch bitches, watch our flank!” Babs narrowed her eyes and cut loose. Rattles sounded, chunks were torn from metal and flesh alike, and after the barrage, the crew thundered ahead where Sunset pointed with her saber.

Corners were rounded, wreckage left in their wake in clouds of ash and smoke. Over the hour, spent ammo started to run low.

Forced to make a stop and rest after the coast cleared, they panted and kept on watch. “You know,” began Beatrix, who fished through her cape. “In the dimension I came from, they were hard at work on 'magic bullets'! Just pour them out and presto!” To demonstrate, she uncorked a tube, and the mercury-like liquid that spilled onto the floor reshaped itself into silver bullets.

“Whoa.” Trixie's eyes went wide. “Hey, how do you still have all your gear? I thought it was lost? Don't tell me you've held back!”

“Funny that. A short time after our magic came back, my Prima Materia started to work again!” She tapped the stylized eye shape that held her cape. “It makes certain that even if my costume's destroyed, I can instantly summon a perfect copy! Lucky for us, all the potions I carried once I arrived here came back, too! It looks like we'll need them for whatever lies ahead!”

A flick of a lighter and Babs lit another cigarette. She took a long drag. “Convenient. You must have the devil's luck.”

“Cool!” Dash scooped up a handful of bullets, grunted in irritation when she discovered they didn't quite fit in her rifle, then gasped as the silver reformed to suit it. “Wow, these really are magic! Let's hope they pack lots of punch, too!” She cocked her weapon.

“They should. A cult forged these,” explained Beatrix, who frowned at the memory. “Flurry Heart and I copied it, best as we were able. I'd hoped that after they were beaten, we'd never have to use them. Oh well.”

Spike's hand shook once he grabbed a few. “Got to be careful, bet one of these could finally do me in.” By the time the last silvery tube was emptied, they were half-restocked.

Beatrix smirked, thankful she had yet another chance to prove her worth.

“We're almost there,” reminded Sunset. “Thank goodness these plasma beams take hours to burn out!”

Rarity panted and wiped the sweat off her brow. “Honestly, I've never felt more alive. Perhaps it's simply a side-effect of the...unfortunate position I've been in all these years.” She cradled her upper arms, reminded of how she'd been exploited.

“Hey now,” said Dash who nudged her. “We might be able to reactivate the Elements of Harmony, now that magic's back!”

“If we can locate them, dear. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. But thank you,” said Rarity, who returned her smile.

Her smoke was tossed aside and stomped under a heavy boot when Babs announced, “Break time's over, bitches. Time to move!”

After a last quick check of their arsenal, they fell into line behind their leader. Flutterbitch sniffed the air, able to smell their prey.

Beatrix felt her heart pump a mile a minute, desperate to reach her friend, and rescue her from the clutches of this vile fiend.