Twilight triggered the next series of cutscenes. During the second one, Brandon stopped just outside the city where Emily lived. Maria rushed out of the car, retching on the side of the road.

"Aw, that's gnarly!"

"It was kind of a throwback to Shadow Hearts and Final Fantasy 7. Yuri and Cloud both had severe motion sickness as I'm sure you remember. Nuances like that make characters feel more realistic and relatable."

"Can't argue there. Still gross, though."

"That's why I didn't actually show the puke. Seems more like unnecessary shock factor than atmosphere in my opinion. Not showing it is more intense if you think about it."

"Thank fuck for that."

"Human civilizations are more often than not portrayed as dystopian societies rife with corruption and despair. This really isn't much different, but the characters and story display a pocket of empathy in such a world."

"A tight-knit group with high morals and ethics that conflict with the world around them."

"Nailed it to a T. That's exactly what they are. There's no ambiguity as to who the good guys and bad guys are. The entire story can be taken at face value."

"It kind of goes back to what you were saying earlier. It's reminiscent of old comics with a more realistic and emotional feel."

"Nothing the protagonists do is malicious or done out of ill intent. The anti-hero trope's been done to death. The creative fields needed a breath of fresh air. I think Spike realized that when he told me he felt like we were living in a cultural wasteland."

"He ain't wrong. Everybody's eager to jump in on bullshit trends instead of doing their own thing. The market's saturated with uninspired, unoriginal crap that's been recycled a billion times over. It gets jarring after a while."

"Guess that's part of why we're here, then."

Rainbow smiled for the third time that evening.

"Guess so."

The scene continued with Brandon driving his sister to the nearest gas station. He refilled the car while she listened to music. He bought her a Gatorade to help ease her discomfort.

"Grape flavor."

"Mom loves grape-flavored stuff. Spike knew that when he wrote this scene."

Rainbow started singing.

"Fourth Wall! That's a fourth wall break, yeah!"

"Someone's been watching too much YouTube."

"Says the chick who understands the reference."

"Ya got me. Ya gotta admit though, purple is the most goth drink color."

"True that."

Rainbow opened the menu screen and equipped Maria's upgraded weapon. The first battle took place outside Emily's cottage. Twilight taught Rainbow how to dodge and read enemy movements, a feature almost unheard of in turn-based RPGs. Once Emily's family was rescued, the next phase of the game began.

Author's Note