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

Storming their way through the defenses, B.A.B.S. neared the heart of the enemy's lair. Babs Seed taped explosives to the sealed doors, waving back her team to take cover before pressing the button to activate the detonator, rushing alongside her team.

The fiery explosion rattled the area, flames licking the air amidst pockets of billowy dark smoke that left an acrid stench behind.

Sunset could have cut it open with her plasma blade, but that would have taken more time, and besides, Bab liked to blow stuff up, as she rarely had a chance to practice her skills in demolition anymore. She motioned them to move in.

A laboratory sprawled out before them. They noted the tubes, one of which housed President Spike himself, submerged in discolored nutrient liquids that bubbled around his nude, unconscious form.

Further on, a half-asleep Lady Ewe was strapped to a table, a puddle of white sludge leaking down a table from between her legs.

There were numerous computers and monitors that adorned the area, but no sign of Varys himself, other than his experiments and equipment that layered the area.

“Fuckin’ coward,” muttered Babs, spitting to one side.

“Hold on...I sense another presence here,” Sunset warned, keeping her plasma sword ready as its light reflected off her.

“B-be...hind you,” murmured a sleepy Oona, barely staying conscious after her intense breeding session.

No sooner did she say that when the dolls that had hidden strolled out. Coco Pommel and Sassy Saddles strode in stark naked in a sashay of wide hips like they were runway models, prim smiles on their perfected faces. This was contrasted by the hilts they held in their slender hands, as they simultaneously activated their own plasmas sabers with a hiss, programmed to defend the president.

“Ladies, please! Do not attack! We’re here to help,” Rarity insisted to her ‘sisters,’ hoping they would remember her.

“It's no use,” said Sunset, who shook her head. “Varys must have reprogramed them to think we're here to assassinate Spike!”

“Oh no...” Rarity realized they were also given the same algorithms that made them masters of swordplay. “I know it will be difficult, but please, try to subdue them without any permanent damage! We may still be able to save them!”

“No promises,” was Babs' response, though she lowered her weapon a bit.

At the first sign of perceived weakness, the dolls sprung into action. They were many times faster than average, Babs barely able to roll out of the way of a slash that arced the air where she stood; dodging thanks to a combination of the space they had to cross, and the mild cybernetics woven below her dusky skin that mildly enhanced her own reaction times and reflexes.

Sunset rushed to meet Coco in a clash of energy blades that erupted in a shower of sparks, while Rarity activated her own systems to battle another doll, her mode set to non-lethal attacks only. She went into a trance, forced to cross swords with Sassy.

Gracefully the dolls weaved and pirouetted, supple nude skin glistening under the light under balletic movements. They were designed to absolute perfection, enhanced versions of the women they had been in life, all blemishes removed to make their sculpted flesh impossibly desirable.

While the others fought against the president’s defenses, Beatrix attempted to free her teacher. “Damn it! Why is this so complicated?! I'm useless with this stuff!!”

“Here, allow me,” Rainbow Dash offered, unfolding a multitude of tools from her metallic wings, using two to undo the bindings. “Pretty cool, huh?”

“Very!” Admitted Beatrix, watching in innocent fascination as the complicated machinery unfolded out and hacked the security. It was a delicate, arduous process because if any traps were installed, those nearby would bear the brunt of them.

“Ugh! Such a hassle! Can’t we just magic the defenses away?” Trixie groaned with
a furrowed brow.

“If we understood them,” said a sweaty Rainbow Dash as she focused. “Believe me, I've learned the hard way!”

“We don’t have time, mom. Lady Ewe needs me! Let's get out of Dash's way and help stop those dolls!” The two women shared a nod before their hands lit up in tandem, and they wrapped the hilts held by the dolls in their auras in an attempt to rip them away.

Unfortunately, Coco and Sassy immediately turned their attention on them, ready to cut down anyone who dared interfere. The mother-daughter team barely raised a barrier in time to deflect strokes aimed their way, shoved backward under the impact.

At the same time, Rebel Spike stared at his double under the tube. “This is all your fault,” he muttered below his breath, face drawn in rage. He barely managed to duck when a plasma blade sailed his way, searing into the tube which shattered. The contents spilled out, and President Spike's denuded form rolled onto the floor amidst the pool, as he groaned and started to lazily stir.

The dolls momentarily paused to scan him, concerned that their priority had been compromised in the heat of battle.

President Spike rose, a scowl meeting their faces. “Stand down! Activate passive mode!” The dolls immediately powered down their sabers and dropped them. He sighed, and his eyes adjusted to the brightness. “Everyone can relax now. They won’t be do any more damage until I give the word.”

Rarity lowered her own blade and nodded as consciousness returned to her. Cautiously
she approached. “Spike? Is it really you...?”

“Yeah, it's me.” He rubbed his neck sheepishly, casting the mercenaries a bemused smirk. “Now then, I’m sure you all have a lot of questions to ask m--”

“This is ALL your fault!!” The other Spike growled, tackling his counterpart to the floor. They slid through the nutrients, a few shards of glass embedded in their flesh, and wrestled before the onlookers. The rebel rained down punches on his double, who simply smiled back at him as his nose bled.

“No, stop! STOP IT! YOU’LL KILL HIM!” Rarity cried as the dolls by her remained passive.

“Ggnh! Don't count me out,” answered the president, who tossed his wounded attacker off. He stumbled to his feet as they faced each other. “We can both barely stand, so that makes us about even. But make no mistake, pipsqueak. Rarity belongs to me!”

“You murdered her and her friends! Ruined this world! You don't deserve to touch her!”

Blood ran from the president's nostrils, who smugly smiled and casually stood his ground, his eyes turned to slits. “You're not man enough to handle her! I know the truth about you, punk! You're nothing but a filthy, stupid mutt in that world you came from!"

Rarity watched bewildered while the pair resumed their fight, Babs waving her team not to intervene. A part of her fantasized about two Spikes who battled for dominance over her, one stark naked, but certainly not under these circumstances. All she could think about was one of them would die!

“Enough of this,” she yelled, catching their attention. “I'm not some trophy to be won!”

“B-but he has to pay,” Rebel Spike insisted, who weaved under a punch and landed another blow. “He's behind all this!”

“I think not,” a serene voice came from behind, and an aura wrapped around the pair to restrain them. From where she had been detained, Lady Ewe unsteadily rose to her feet, Beatrix helping her up while Trixie's aura restrained the two Spikes.

“A-are you sure you’re okay, Oona?” Beatrix asked in concern.

“I…may be sore in the nethers for weeks, but I’ll be fine,” she replied, flustered. Her sore body jiggled, feeling the essence of that mutant swishing inside her. And while she wasn’t sterile like Beatrix, Oona had placed a spell on herself, sealing her womb from the contaminated spunk. Her eyes steeled at the problem at hand, addressing the members of B.A.B.S, Rarity, and the two Spikes.

“This planet’s state of decay is caused by the Vice Lord, Varys. While his intentions were greedy, the President was merely a pawn in his plan.”

“Varys!? That no good scientist! How dare he use me!!” President Spike seethed.

“The fuck’s a Vice Lord?” Babs asked, skeptical.

“A powerful demon born from obsession,” Ewe explained. “From my homeland, spirits that are born with sick fascinations manifest into something darker. And those with the ability to tempt others with their obsession are labeled Vice Lords. Varys thrives in seeing mortals decay and rot away, the technological aspect a recent development.”

“Recent?” Sunset asked, earning a nod.

“Unlike most of the Vice Lord’s I’ve encountered, Varys adapted his attacks to be more ‘modern.’ Instead of infecting his victims with regular pestilence, he’s carrying his plague through a newfound dependence on technology, handheld devices, and cyber augmentation. Offering their next fix with a ‘cure’ that deforms them into mindless drones covered in their fleshy remains...”

Beatrix shuddered, recalling that she and Trixie ingested a pill Varys gave them to rejuvenate their magical abilities.

We’re they secretly sick? How long until the side effects started showing?

“How do we stop him?” President Spike asked.

“It’ll be hard. By now, Varys will likely have access to tech connected to the U.F.O. If we’re going to save this world from further destruction, we must put aside our differences and work together!”

The thought of working with this dastardly version of himself made Rebel Spike want to hurl. “B-but--!”

Babs shook her head. “Hate to admit it, but we have to restore some form of order, and we'll need the president for that.”

“Varys should still be within the area. We must make haste before…eep!” Oona then got a good look at herself, realizing she was still stark naked, and sheepishly covered her massive mammaries with flustered cheeks. “Uhm, Beatrix dear. Could you..?”

“Gotchya, teach,” Beatrix winked, waving her hand to materialize her clothes, even giving the president and his dolls some wear.

“Oh, thank you,” the dream faun sighed before attempting to move towards the computers before stumbling down to her knees. The soreness from the constant thrashing her womanhood took made it very hard to walk straight.

“H-hey now! Don’t push yourself,” pleaded Beatrix, lending her shoulder to support her.

“I have no choice, Ceann Oga. Too much is at stake! Now let me see…” Once she got to the keyboards, she opened up the camera feeds to pull up live footage. Thousands of biomechanical zombies roamed around the streets before a large flying object soared over. Oona locked the camera to the creature as fast as she could, identifying the sizeable decaying corpse of the Dragon Lord, agonized roars echoing from a distance.

“Sweet lucid dreams! Varys must be using the Dragon Lord’s body as a vessel to wreak havoc.”

“Then we have our objective,” Babs nodded. “Alright, bitches! Let’s get a move on!”

“Just one moment.” The president checked the dolls to make sure they wouldn't turn on them once they were in the presence of Varys. After he was satisfied, he commanded, “Protect us!” They nodded in unison and recovered their plasma sabers.

Rarity hated to see her friends used this way, but knew the dolls could prove their best hope once they stormed the enemy's lair.

Satisfied, Babs motioned her team onwards. She noted that Flutterbitch had disappeared amidst the bedlam like always, more than used to that by now, and reminded herself she could look after herself.

What mattered is that they ended this soon as possible. She tasked Oona to lead the way, since the dream shaman knew more about this ‘Vice Lord’ than any of them.

*****

The sounds of machinery surrounded Varys, who directly interfaced with the multitude of computers that manipulated the Dragon Lord. From the monitors, he surveyed the city below, and at his mental command the shell around him vibrated, as the drake's head reared back and loosed a blaze that instantly consumed many planes and choppers that surrounded his masterpiece.

He sailed over the land, where the twisted Flower Children and Redcaps methodically purged the scattered masses. The catastrophic results flashed over his masked visage while he coolly watched the results of his experiments reach their fruition.

A shadow crossed over him. On the ceiling climbed a lithe figure, her eyes crimson in the darkness. And just as the Vice Lord detected another presence, Flutterbitch descended upon him with extended claws, slicing through his midsection.

Wires, tubes, and black fluid erupted before the vampiress tore off his head. She hissed loudly, glaring as Varys’ head twitched violently before light faded from his vectors.

“How’s that for a nasty surprise!” Flutterbitch grinned triumphantly and licked her chops.

“Not as nasty as the one I have for you, I assure,” a digital voice echoed from the speakers. Before she could react, the mask’s beak split apart before blasting her with particles of green smog into her face, causing her to reel back in a fit of coughs.

“Y-you bastard!” Flutterbitch cussed, waving the sickly mist away before wildly looking around for the source of that voice. “Quit hiding and show yourself!”

“I am not hiding,” the mechanized voice chuckled. “I am right here.”

The screens suddenly flickered to a bright red screen, a series of codes digitalizing before forming a glitching figure, bright green eyes glaring through her.

“Such a primitive mind, thinking I would come ill-prepared for a surprise attack. Thankfully, I had more than enough time to transfer my spirit into this city’s network. It won’t be long until I can further spread into the entire internet.”

“You won’t succeed. I’ll make sure oh--uucchk!?” Her retort was cut short as Flutterbitch began to feel weary, her insides feeling like mush. Tears streamed down her face, snot leaking out her nose, drool oozing from her lips until she doubled over and started hurling out blood and puke. Her eyes widened, bloodshot as her skin began to melt off her flesh. “N-noooughhaagk! What have you done to me!?”

“Impressive,” Varys noted. “From the amount you inhaled, your body is fending off the toxin’s effects rather steadily. If you were a normal mortal, your biological functions would have shut down almost instantly.”

“M-monster,” she coughed, nauseating fluids dripping down her chin as her once voluptuous form continued to shrivel up until her bones were visible. “Is this what you have in store for the rest of the planet?!”

“Affirmative. My Onoma, Asklepios, has evolved past being a versatile plague to whoever I inflict. It now acts like malware, bypassing any security to infiltrate and corrupt the cybernetic enhancements those fools bought from President Spike. Thanks to him, my mutagen will corrode the entire city until all things organic have become extinct.”

Flutterbitch reeled in pain, screaming loudly once her body rapidly fell apart, her immune system desperate to defend itself from the toxins and bacteria spreading throughout every limb and orifice of the vampire.

“Right now, the virus is cleansing your organs and innards so that it can all be replaced with new robotic bones and bio-fused tissue. Soon, there won’t be anything left of you but a hollowed husk, with the only goal being to share my genius with the rest of the world.”

“M-monster…monsta--gaaghk! Monster!” She repeated the curse while her mind steadily deteriorated.

“Call me that if you like. But I’m simply following the natural order of things. The strong thrive and advance. The weak perish and decay,” Varys stated factually while impassively watching her writhe and moan in unspeakable agony.

Another series of explosions rocked the area. The doors caved in, and B.A.B.S. made their appearance. “Ahh, I figure it wouldn’t be long until you lot discovered my location.”

“Fluttershy!?” Dash exclaimed, attempting to reach for her while the vampire violently arched, her bones becoming brittle, sunken chest heaving under harsh breaths.

“I wouldn’t advise getting close to her,” Varys’ voice echoed from the speakers. “She’s highly contagious.”

Babs growled, aiming her firearm towards the mainframe. “Fucking cocksucker! Fix her right now, or I’ll--”

“You’ll what, exactly? Blow up my laboratory, destroy a month's worth of research? You’d only be damaging yourself, really.”

Babs seethed, gripping her weapon tightly, keeping her pistol trained on the screen. “But you know a way to cure her.”

“I do,” the glitchy figure nodded. “There’s an antidote stored in this lab’s drawers that will subside the pestilence’s effects. She’ll look like a dehydrated corpse, but she’ll survive, given her vampiric genetical structure.”

Rainbow quickly searched each steel drawer before pulling out a series of tubes containing blue fluid. “Is this it?”

“Affirmative.”

“Don’t!” Sunset intervened. “We can’t trust that’s actually an antidote!”

“You don’t have a choice,” Varys commented cruelly. “It matters not if you save or put her out of her misery. Either way, this will provide valuable results. Much as I detest the mortal body, it never fails to amaze me what it can do when pushed beyond its limits.”

“P-please… don't,” wheezed out Shy.

Babs sneered. “Tch. Damn it!” She could be a ruthless bitch on the best of days, but she never abandoned those under her charge unless she saw no other choice.

She turned to her comrades, reading their worried and frustrated expressions. With a begrudging sigh, she nodded at Rainbow Dash to take one tube and apply it.

“Allow me,” Oona said, pulling out a face mask from a cabinet nearby to protect herself while accepting the thin vial. Glaring at her enemy through the screen, she lifted Shy’s head, uncorked the top, and poured its contents down her throat.

Mocking laughter echoed from Varys. “Excellent. What bonds you've formed under such circumstances. Perhaps you'll have what it takes to survive the purge, after all!”

“You won’t get away with this, Varys,” the dream faun assured, lifting Shy with one arm around her shoulder, the vampiress’ breathing steadying. Whatever was in that tube seemed to have slowed down her sickness. “I’ll expunge you from this world!”

“I’d like to see you try, goat. But for now, we’ll be parting ways. There is great progress to be made. Consider this a historical day.”

The switch automatically pulled once a red siren went off, warning lights flashing. “Warning! Emergency ejection sequence commencing in FIVE…FOUR…THREE…TWO...”

“Emergency what!?” Babs shouted.

“ONE.”

The floor they stood on split apart, revealing it to be a trap door, as they were sucked out from the room in an instant. Tossed into a free fall that whipped them about in the heavy winds over the neon-lit darkness of the cityscape, screams arose on their plummet down to the scorched earth.

In desperation Rainbow Dash instinctively swooped and seized Flutterbitch, who was still too weak to fly independently. Hands lit whereupon Beatrix and Trixie wrapped an aura around themselves to slow their descent, only able to save themselves.

Likewise, Lady Ewe used her own magic to slow her fall, while the buildings and torn up streets below loomed ever closer.

The rest weren't so fortunate. Above them, the Dragon Lord's armored bulk raced past to continue its wanton devastation.

They readied themselves for impact. Babs was always aware one of her suicide runs would likely end like this. Not quite in the blaze of glory she wanted, but a senseless, pointless death, so much left undone.

At least had she taken the shot, she might have taken their enemy down with her! Would the survivors of B.A.B.S. be prepared and able to carry on her mission...?

Suddenly a spiderweb of energy spread throughout the skyscrapers, the glowing threads connected between them. She was one of the first to slam atop them, the wind knocked from her, but otherwise she was unharmed by the impact.

Around her landed more of her comrades, caught by the net that had manifested. She stared up wide-eyed, sore all over beneath her combat attire, simply to wonder how...?

A chopper dipped nearby where Tree Hugger peaked out the door. “Called in a favor from an old friend of Dash's. Wasn't sure she'd help, after like, what the Flower Children did to her club, but...” She sheepishly trailed off.

They spotted Vinyl Scratch and her crew below them, some of whom were currently engaged with the enemy on the shredded roads. Several old adversaries and rivals had put aside their differences to take back their beloved city, aware that if they didn't, all of them were doomed. The DJ herself had seemingly converted her sound stage into a sort of tank-like, armored mobile platform.

“Good timing,” said Dash, who sailed next to Hugs, Fluttershy in her arms. “But never mind that, she needs medical attention!”

“P-please...don't fight,” mumbled Shy deliriously, tearily staring up at the two most important women in her life.

“It'll be fine,” swore Hugs tearily, whereupon she and Dash hurried to place her down and fetch what supplies were on hand. At the moment, neither of them cared who she chose. Just that they would do whatever it took to make sure she survived. “I'm not a warrior like you,” admitted the hippie. “I can nurture her, love her, but I can't, like, protect her. You know what I mean to say?”

“Yeah.” Dash knew the crew needed her. But she didn't want to leave Shy's side. She pursed her lips. “Look after her, okay?”

"Got it." She clasped a hand over Dash's.

While the DJ's small outfit didn't have an official name, Vinyl Scratch nodded at Babs Seed within moments, after she had been offered an alliance with B.A.B.S.

The mercenary leader hadn't ever seen her speak so much as a word, and assumed she was mute, but decided it wasn't essential to press the issue. What mattered was that they cleaned up this mad city soon as possible.

At the same time, President Spike took command of a nearby patrol and ordered them to work with B.A.B.S. “A rogue AI has overtaken the system,” he half-lied to his men over a communicator. “Spread the word! It's up to us to help restore order!”

“What a shitshow,” said Rebel Spike, who wondered how many Werewolves still stood.

“We must locate the Elements of Harmony,” reminded Rarity as they took shelter. “If magic truly has returned to Equestria...”

“I might be able to reactivate 'em,” said Rainbow Dash, who landed next to them on the ripped up street. “Can I really perform a Sonic Rainboom with these mechanical replacements, even with the help of magic? Guess we'll soon find out.” She rubbed the area of her flanks where her cutie mark sat.

“I might be able to help,” said Beatrix. “If I can concoct something from what I have on hand to enhance your natural abilities!”

“There's still one problem,” noted Trixie, who crossed her arms. “Where exactly do you expect to find the Elements of Harmony? Haven't lots of people scoured Equestria for years in an attempt to recover them, with no luck? We don't have time to search!”

President Spike turned back to them. “I know where they are,” he admitted. “I had them buried away, convinced the world didn't need them anymore, that they'd make things worse.” He sighed and solemnly watched the Dragon Lord unleash a fiery holocaust in the far distance. “To unearth them, we'll have to head back where this tragedy all started...”