A Guardian's Rise

"So lemme get this straight," Script said as he adjusted his door, making sure it could still close once he finished putting it back on it's hinges, "Our world has combined or morphed or something with this other world--"
"Equestria."
"Right, and by doing this we've become hybrids by our opposing beings--"
"Othersiders."
"Right... Our 'Othersiders' fusing with us somehow and all this was caused cause Sunset smashed a statue that ended up being some kinda interdimensional portal? And that Twilight girl is dead!?" he shouted the final piece in shock and outrage as Cloud went to respond, only to look to the ground scratching his cheek.

"I... We don't know. It definitely wasn't looking good from where we were standing. And now Applejack and their lot are pissed at me." He groaned as he slumped, "I knew those stupid Coluratura tickets weren't worth it..."

"Wait... You're saying that all this is happening..." Script said with a seething breath as crimson began to take over his teal and gray hair as he turned in a flash to glare at him, "Because of some stupid concert tickets!?" the raging teen before them shouted, his usually greyish-blue eyes flashing to striking emerald greens as he seethed, bursts of visibly hot air slipping through his bared teeth.

Not gonna lie, that is kinda stupid. "Did I ask for your input, Aether?" Nah, but I'm gonna give it anyway. "Wow, thanks so much." Cloud groaned before suddenly being grabbed by the collar and lifted easily off the ground.

"Do you even realize how many creatures, how many people you've endangered for your own stupid personal gain!? How many lives you may've not only ruined but ended!?" he roared in his face as Cloud groaned, struggling in his iron grip.

"S-Script... Dude, do you wanna hear an apology or something? It's not like I knew Sunset would go She-Demon!" He groaned before he was phased through the hand holding him up, backing off from him and falling on his ass looking up at the panting kirin. "Cool it, big shot..." Aether said in a more warning tone as he hovered off the ground and onto their feet.

The blazing behemoth seemed to continue growling in a feral fashion before he suddenly closed his eyes and began taking deep breaths, flame escaping upon exhaling. He slowly shifted back to Script's normal form before opening his eyes, "Sorry about that. Big guy seemed pretty peeved... But yeah, can't blame you too heavily. You're a big Coluratura fan and I'm sure AJ had you covered. Who'd have even guessed Sunset had that kinda malice in her..." He said scratching the back of his head in thought.

"... Are you just gonna be a time bomb from now on or...?"
"Oh, big red? Yeah... No clue yet. He seems to get worked up pretty easy, but I'm sure we can work something out later." He said nonchalantly as he chuckled a bit, a nervous smile on his face before pausing, "Oh yeah, shouldn't we go check on the others? Comet and Sonic I mean?"

"Probably, but knowing Sonic he's eating this up depending on what his Other is gonna be--" he stopped short as a strong gust of wind suddenly kicked up, the two of them bracing against the gale before looking to see a royal blue, one-winged hippogryph standing at the doorway. Panting in what one could assume was either excitement or terror as a familiar smile broke out across his face. Seeing this new creature appear before them, Cloud simply turned to Script with a simple gesture towards them and stated nonchalantly, "Told'ja."

"Script? Cloud?! Dudes, this is awesome! I ran here and everything was like a blur!" He laughed excitedly as he stepped in, "And you guys look pretty cool too! You've got wings," he said pointing to Cloud, "You've got a horn," he then gestured to Script, "And I've got super speed! This is epi-- Ow!" He groaned as he held his head and groaned a bit, rubbing his temples with a sigh, "And a splitting headache that won't quit..." He lamented as he leaned against the couch, "Anywho, you guys seen Comet?"

Cloud and Script looked at one another then back before shaking their heads, "I immediately came here after I got done at home."
"And I just woke up a little over a few hours ago." Script admitted with a sheepish grin.

"Damn... With the world the way it is now, I bet he's either super confused like we are or hyper fixated on figuring this place out already... He might even be at the door right... Now!" Sonic said swiftly turning to point towards the door in which... There was no one. The doorway stayed barren, "Huh... Thought that would work..."

Cloud sighed as Script laughed heartily at their friend, hugging his abdomen, "Sonic, why would that have worked? He's not some eldritch being that you can just make appear." Cloud reasoned as he shook his head, "Anyway, we should get going. Sunset's more than likely already making a move for... Whatever the hell she's trying to accomplish and I don't wanna get swept up in--"

"Whoa whoa whoa, Sunset Shimmer? She did all'a this?" Sonic said a bit more confusedly. Cloud groaned in frustration, knowing well that he'd have to go through the entire rundown all over again. And so, with a swift turn, he fell back onto the couch and gestured to a seat to the side, "Let's get this over with..."

Sunset Shimmer and the Hu-Mane Six walked into Sunset's apartment, a small staircase leading up to the landing holding her bed and a dresser while the lower level held a sizable sofa, a coffee table covered in papers with writings of vengeance, anger, aggression. Even without glimpsing at the pages it was like the held malice in every pen stroke. As they walked in, Sunset sighed contently, a light chuckle escaping her lips as she lay across her couch. The group of them peered around at the room and one another before Rainbow Dash broke the silence, "Hey! You said you had some kinda plan, Shimmer. This better not be another one of your lies or else I'll--" she gasped, being cut short as an aquamarine and Crimson sparkled aura wrapped around her neck, making Rainbow gasp and claw at the magic worthlessly.

"Or else you'll what, Dash? You have no power here..." She said with a grin as she was holding her now red, clawed hand out, the aura surrounding it as she dragged Rainbow Dash over and forced her onto her knees to look the lied down Sunset Shimmer in the eyes, "You all will do as I say... Don't want anyone else getting hurt like poor little Scootaloo, do we?" She said as Rainbow's eyes widened with shock and dread. She went silent for a moment as she hung her head and let her arms slump down.

Applejack quickly moved to grab her before Rainbow Dash held a hand out behind to her, lifting her head up to force out, "Fine... I... I'll do what you say." She said with a humiliated and angered tone as the aura faded, dropping Rainbow to all fours as she took gasping breaths to refill her air supply. Applejack continued her rush and helped her onto her feet with Pinkie by her other side as Sunset chuckled.

"Good. Now that I'm sure you all see where you stand at the moment, we have business to take care of." She said sitting back up and standing before them, "First and foremost, I'm sure you all want to get revenge for that dumb Sparkle, right? Well, you know I wasn't the one that caused it. Not directly, anyway." She said as she swiped her hand across her table and it showed what could only be called some form of a hologram of their home, the modern and the magic shining through equally in the architecture of buildings, the mountainous cities, high rises flying in the clouds. To them it was both fantastical and somehow... Normal in a strange way, "Who you want is that idiot coward, Cloud. He lives over here," she said as she pointed to a more sophisticated neighborhood on the border of Canterlot Commons, "But, just like the rest of us, he seems to now have powers... Which makes him unpredictable and far more frustrating. So what we'll do is--"

"N-No."
The room went quiet as they all peered over to the shivering and confused form of Fluttershy who held her skirt, ruffling it and seeming to try and calm herself down. Sunset heard this and glared towards her, "What was that?"
"I-I said 'no'! Twilight... She wouldn't want us to hunt someone. To hurt someone for our own selfish reasons." She said as her shivering stopped and she grew a more determined look, a flash coming to her eyes, "Twilight knew that there were risks to leaving. To going to that world. Though she isn't here, I know she wouldn't want anyone being hurt because of her. I know I wouldn't. So I say 'no', Sunset Shimmer!" she shouted before being shoved away suddenly by a burst of magical flame, sending her reeling as she fell to the ground across the room.

The rest of them went to rush to her before they all seized up, grunting and growling to move as Sunset walked past them, "Seems like the scared little worm grew a spine..." She said as she picked her up by her collar and rose a hand, "If Twilight had the element of Magic... You all are obviously the others, so, I have to wonder..." She said slowly bringing the glowing hand towards the side of her head, "Where are the other artifacts..."

"And there you go, whole schpeal from beginning to end... Again." Cloud said with an annoyed grumble as Sonic stared at him wide eyed and mouth agape. Cloud tilted his head as he floated off the couch and snapped his fingers in front of him, "Uh... Sonic?"
Think we broke him?
"Hope not. I don't have the will or patience to go through the whole thing again. Next time, remind me to just write footnotes or somethi--" Cloud was cut short as Sonic's fist suddenly collided with his nose, sending him reeling and over the back of the couch he'd once been sitting on, "Ow! Fucking Parasprite piss what was that for!?" He shouted shooting back up from behind the couch.

"Sorry, that was a knee-jerk reaction. But you gotta admit, from what you just said? Way beyond deserved." He said in a still flabbergasted tone as he stood and rubbed his hand, "Like... I get you were trying to help, bro. Really I do. But why would you antagonize an angry chick with a sledge?! Especially when she's your--"

"Whoa there, Sonic," Gamer said from his place on the ground with a controller in hand as he paused his game, "No need to bring up the war wounds, my dude. The past should stay in the past sometimes." He said as he pulled Cloud back over the couch and sat him down, "Gotta admit though, still kinda stupid the second time around." He admitted with a shrug as Cloud slowly glared back at him. He blinked and slumped back to the ground as he played his game.

"Yes, again, I admit what I did was stupid. If I could take it back, I never would've gone to that stupid dance in the first place. Better yet, I wouldn't have gone to collect my tix until afterwards. But between the fact my Saturday night was on the line, I was impatient, and they looked like they needed some semblance of help while I had no clue what was going on? I thought it was a good idea at the time. So can you two kindly just get off my di--"

"There you three are." Said a deeper, darker toned voice as the three turned to see who it was, though Sonic held a bright excited smile on his face at first from the voice. When they'd looked over, they were startled to see a taller, dark skinned teen with scaled, clawed hands, black jeans, a familiar grey denim vest and long black hair with silver eyes standing in the doorway. Even without his bike beneath him, they could all tell immediately that this was Jet Noir, Sonic's brother.

"Whoa... Jet?" Sonic said surprised as he dashed over and looked at him, the two of similar height though Jet certainly had the more muscular tone between them. "You... Look epic! Your other is a dragon! That's so freaking cool! Hey hey hey, breathe fire or something!" He said buzzing around him excitedly like a bee around a flower before Jet grabbed him by his face and pushed him slowly to the side. He proceeded to walk over to Cloud and sat down in a solo seat to the side of he and Script as he sighed and shut his eyes. The three watched him carefully, as if trying to gauge what he was thinking before he broke the silence, "I don't know how, I don't know why, and I honestly don't care. But I know you had something to do with this," he said looking over to Cloud as he stared absently at him, "Am I right?"

Cloud sighed and looked to the ground before nodding, "I see... Figures. You and my idiot brother never seem to be able to do anything without causing trouble. For others or yourselves... But this time, you put, what, the entire world in danger with this stunt?" He said plainly as Cloud clenched his teeth, "Don't get mad." He said as Cloud's head shot up, "Don't get upset or something, it'll only make you think less. You, of all of your little group, usually keep your head clearest. So keep doing that and think of how you can fix this instead of dawdling around and feeling sorry for yourself."

The three of them stared at him as he looked directly into Cloud's eyes, a sort of tiredness to them as he stood up, "Now, I need to go find Maude and make sure she and her sisters are okay. You all, fix this." He said simply as he made his way towards the door.

Cloud took a breath and sighed as he smirked his usual bored, unfazed smirk and watched him go before saying, "Hey Jet." He called, stopping Jet from leaving as he turned his head to the side and Cloud stood, "We'll fix this... But I expect a good word put in for me to Limestone after this is all over. Capise?" He said with arms crossed as Jet stared at him over his shoulder for a minute before sighing and turning back to the exit.

"You have no chance either way, but sure. Watching you get rejected will definitely be cheap entertainment." He said as a pair of large, black wings shot out from his back and he leapt into the sky.

Sonic stared in shock and awe before quickly turning and looking at Cloud, "What kinda deal is that?! You'll save the world if you get a date with Limestone!?" He said in confusion as Cloud simply walked over and pat his shoulder.

"Oh poor, naive Sonic. You know how I operate," he said as his eyes flashed and he grinned wide, "Who else am I gonna take to the concert once we fix all this?" he said with a chuckle before turning back, "Now c'mon, we gotta go find Comet. That brainiac'll no doubt have some sort of idea." He said as he began walking calmly down the street, leaving Sonic and Script to stare at him before looking to one another and quickly racing after him.

Fluttershy stood at attention before the other girls, her teal orbs empty as Sunset snapped her fingers, "Fluttershy, state your mission." She said simply as the girl looked to her and turned fully to face her.
"Empress Sunset, it is my mission to carry out any and all orders you give me. My current mission is to find and take the Elements of Harmony by any means necessary and return them to you." She said as her eyes gave off a similar blackish turquoise aura as what surrounded Sunset's own.

Sunset smirked and nodded as she turned to the others, "And the rest of you?" She said as they all knelt before her and spoke in sync.

"We are to take Canterlot and take down anyone that gets in our way." They all stated mechanically as the demonic grin on her face only grew.
'Get ready, Celestia. You too, Cloud... Soon, neither of you will be able to stop me...' She thought as she snapped her fingers and the seven girls left Sunset's abode, 'Let the games begin.'