On stage, Maddy and Bree, now the crystal armored duo Maximum Climax, stood in front of their cheering fans waving and smiling.

  “Like we said, ladies and fans, we’re here to fight for you!” Bree spoke with profound reverence.

  “Those Cutie Bimbos are history!” Maddy added.

  Maddy pressed a button on the floor with her Ruby boot, activating mannequins on the stage.

  The dummies were mock-ups of the Sailing Star Cutie Princesses. They featured Starlight Princess’s beautiful pink gown, the Lunar Knight’s knightly armor, Cosmic Cheetah’s spotted dress, and Nebula Ninja’s black ninja suit.

  “Wh-why does that look like me?” Harmony whimpered, tilting her head in confusion.

  “Dear Lord, are they… using us for target practice??! Joan leaned forward in anticipation.

  “Well shit, this should be interesting,” Natalie mumbled, her cheek resting on her fist.

  Up in the VIP booth, Courtney opened her eyes, slowly coming out of her daze. She had slept through half the concert, and her vision was finally coming into focus.

  "Oh shit... Did I OD? Is this the hospital?" Courtney giggled like an idiot.

  “Ready, Bree?” Maddy grinned. Her suit hummed loudly, turning a bright red.

  “Ready, Maddy!” Bree placed her back against Maddy while glowing bright blue.

  Once both armors were fully charged, they fired off bright, blinding lasers! Hot red and cool blue. It was practically a laser light show coming out of their wrists.

  BZZZZZZ!

  With deadly precision, they sliced off the heads, torsos, and legs of the Sailing Star mannequins. Their plastic pieces hit the ground in the blink of an eye.

  The audience loved it and began chanting, “CLIMAX! CLIMAX! CLIMAX!”

  “Ugh, I really hate those names!” Bree whined into her headset.

  “Just give the people what they want, little sis.” Maddy’s wrist beeped, revealing homing rockets. Bree followed suit, and both women launched rockets at the fallen mannequin pieces, blowing them into smithereens!

  “YEEEEAAAH!” the crowd screamed. The demonstration was clearly winning them over.

  “They killed me… they killed us!” Harmony’s eyes began dripping with tears. She sank back into her seat and began sobbing into her hands.

  Joan looked over and watched Harmony sob. Her protective rage overcame her heartbreak.

  “Nobody makes a mockery of the Starlight Princess!” Joan stood up and was immediately pulled down by Natalie.

  “Sit your ass down! Unless you plan on getting fucked by a laser, we should lay low and see what else these bitches got up their sleeves!” Natalie hissed.

  Courtney, meanwhile, was having a massive panic attack, hugging her legs and rolling side to side on her reclined seat.

  “Oh God, oh God, oh God! They wanna kill me? WHY ME?! I'm their biggest fan! This has to be a joke, right? Yeah, a joke! Like climate change, vaccines, and 401k’s. None of that shit is real!”

  Back on the stage, the crowd was still chanting; they were loving the super-powered Keplers.

  “So, Maddy, now that we've proved to the world that we mean business, isn't there something you wanna say?” Bree posed heroically, her armor whirring and making mechanical sounds.

  “Yes, I certainly do! We want to send a formal request to those overrated, trashy Princesses. We wish to challenge you all to a duel! Maximum Climax vs. the Slutty Princesses! The winner becomes this town’s protector, and the loser has to pack their bags and go away forever!”

  The cheering was driving Natalie crazy; she had to hold her ears tight.

  “Son of a bitch! Does everyone here hate us that much?!” she cried, her voice drowned by the screams.

  “And we'll livestream the whole thing for free! And if you girls don't show up, we'll find you!” Bree added.

  Harmony kept weeping, Joan clenched her fists tightly, and Natalie stared coldly at the Keplers. Her desire to chop their pretty heads off with her Ninjatō was tempting.

  “I'll take that challenge. When I'm through with you both, the world is going to forget you two bitches ever existed,” Natalie growled.

  Meanwhile, in the deepest, darkest part of space inside a beetle shaped spaceship. Emperor Sylak, who pirated the Keplers' concert, was actually livid at the idea of the Keplers killing off the Cutie Princesses.

  “WHAT?!” he shouted at the television. “They're going to fight MY ENEMIES?! MY PRECIOUS STARLIGHT PRINCESS?!” he screamed loudly, his voice echoing across the bridge of the ship.

  “Sire? Shall we dispatch a beetle to deal with the Keplers?” a wimpy Weevil asked, his antenna twitching with fright.

  “Not yet. First, I must observe this fight. If the Sailing Star Cutie Princesses kill the Kepler Sisters, I'LL KILL THEM! And if the Keplers kill the Cutie Princesses… I'll KILL THEM TOO! Either way, I WIN!” He laughed maniacally.

  Once the concert ended, Harmony, Joan, and Natalie left the auditorium through the large double doors.

  "Well, that was absolute dog shit," Natalie said, rolling her eyes.

  "I just can't believe it... my heroes... my idols... They hate me!" Harmony whimpered.

  "For fuck's sake, you latch on very quickly to anything like a goddamn parasite. You do remember that those talentless fucks became famous literally two weeks ago? How the hell do you idolize someone that quickly?!" Natalie barked at Harmony, who flinched.

  "You're right, Natalie... you're always right... I'm sorry..." Harmony hugged Natalie's arm, only for Natalie to pull her arm away in disgust.

  "Stop doing that shit! Get a grip!"

  "Enough! I have had just about enough of you! Joan shouted at Natalie.

  "What, you wanna go? I practically saved your dumbass from being sliced by lasers!"

  "Stop it, both of you! I want us to be friends! But Joan, you keep making that difficult for all of us!" Harmony cried.

  "What?! Milady... I—"

  "Oh, fuck this!" Natalie stormed off.

  "And where do you think you're going?" Joan demanded.

  "To take care of those Kepler fucks. The sooner we subtract their asses, the better."

  "You will do no such thing!" Joan grabbed Natalie's arm. Natalie defensively threw a punch, which Joan caught. She twisted Natalie's wrist, forcing her to one knee.

  "AHHH! BITCH! STOP!" Natalie howled, her wrist stinging in agony.

  "JOAN KNIGHTLY! I COMMAND YOU TO STOP THIS INSTANTLY!" Harmony commanded.

  "But... Lady Celest—"

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  "NOW!" Harmony screamed, worrying for Natalie's safety.

  Joan released Natalie, who held her stinging wrist. Harmony rushed over and got down on her knees, holding Natalie's hand.

  "Natalie, are you okay? Did she hurt you?"

  "I'M FINE!" Natalie pulled her hand away, heading towards the exit.

  "Natalie, please!" Harmony began to cry. "Don't do this... don't walk away from me..."

  Natalie kept her back to Harmony. She looked at her bruised wrist, the pain pulsing.

  "Home... just fuckin' get me home... in separate rides..." Natalie left the Outrageous Theater, the door slamming behind her.

  "Lady Celestia... I'm terribly sorry..."

  "When...? When will you ever control yourself!?" Harmony stared into Joan's eyes.

  Joan's eyes began to water.

  "I'm trying my best... you're digging a knife into my heart, Lady Celestia..."

  "And you're ruining my chances with Natalie! Don't you care about my happiness? Why does everything have to be about you!" Harmony sneered.

  Joan was completely speechless, her throat clenching as more tears fell.

  "Don't... don't do that..." Harmony's eyes began to water, and teardrops rolled down her cheeks.

  "What has become of us, Lady Celestia?" Joan asked, desperately looking for an answer.

  Harmony turned her back to Joan.

  "I don't know... but I think... I think we should just take a break, Joan. I'm sorry, but you're just so overbearing." Harmony's voice began to crack. "And I don't think I can take much more of this anymore..."

  Harmony ran out crying.

  "Lady Celestia! Wait!"

  Joan tried to stop Harmony, but it was too late. Joan stared into her palms and clenched them into fists.

  "Why can't I do anything right...?" Joan whispered softly.

  Courtney made her way to a VIP checkpoint. She scanned her badge and went through a long hallway. The clicks of her Valley Valentine heels echoed, making every step nerve-wracking.

  "Okay, I'll just meet the Kepler sisters, ask them about their armory thingies, and maybe talk them out of a fight! Okay, now how am I supposed to do that?!" Courtney mumbled, opening her purse and reaching for some Addies to calm herself down.

  Once the effects took in, she sighed and felt focused. At the end of the hallway, she stood in front of two menacing security guards.

  "I-I'm here to meet the Kepler Sisters," Courtney fumbled her words, trying to sound authoritative.

  "They'll be with you in a moment. Please take a seat." The guard pointed to a leather bench.

  Behind the doors, Maxwell Powers and the Kepler sisters were celebrating the successful concert.

  -clink-

  The glasses of champagne clicked. Maxwell grinned wildly.

  "That's another one for the books, girls. You two were absolutely fire out there!" He laughed, trying to mimic youth slang.

  "Yeah, thanks. Listen, can we talk about the name? It fucking sucks," Maddy scoffed, taking a swig of her champagne.

  "Yeah, like, Maximum Climax? What the fuck is that? It's so gross!" Bree whined, sipping her champagne slowly.

  Maxwell sipped his glass before answering, acknowledging their complaints.

  "Now, now, girls. Remember you two signed a contract."

  "I'm getting tired of hearing that. Why are we doing this? What's the long game? The fuck does superheroes and singing shitty pop songs have to do with anything?!" Maddy demanded.

  "We seriously have to go over this again?!" Maxwell raised his tone.

  "Movies, comic books, action figures, video games. Don't you see? You two are going to be the future. You two are going to be everything the fans want! And we can't have that if you two aren't gonna play ball!"

  "But fighting crime? Jesus, Maxy, we're not cops!" Maddy hissed.

  "And I sure as shit don't feel like getting shot, or breaking a nail punching people!" Bree added.

  "I'm really getting fed up with you two. After everything I've done for you girls, that's the way you repay me?!"

  Maddy stepped forward and played with Maxwell's tie. She made the best innocent kitten eyes possible.

  "Maxy... I'm so sorry. Don't you think we deserve better? Can't you get stunt performers to do all that shit for us? They risk their lives, and we keep on singing. What do you say?"

  Maxwell held Maddy's smooth, delicate hand and gently put it down.

  "Maddy, you delicate bee. If you don't wanna go out there, then you don't gotta go out there. You and your sister are our most valuable assets."

  Bree sighed in relief.

  "But what will the fans say if it's not you out there fighting crime or beating up those washout Pretty Princesses? Don't you wanna feel superior beating up teenagers?" Maxwell chuckled deviously.

  Maddy actually giggled, humoring the thought of actually winning the fight against the Sailing Star Cutie Princesses.

  "Well... what the hell. But if we win this shit and I kill them all, I want a larger trailer and stunt performers to replace me. I'm not doing this shit anymore."

  "Done and done!" Maxwell and Maddy shook hands.

  "Maddy, no!" Bree shouted in disbelief.

  "Oh yeah, one last thing. You've got a VIP brat out there waiting to meet you two. Entertain the little shit, and we'll talk more about our arrangement." Maxwell pulled out his phone and began barking into it, leaving the Kepler sisters alone.

  "Oh fuck, I forgot about the meet and greet shit," Maddy mumbled.

  "Maddy, you just agreed to fight superheroes! ACTUAL SUPERHEROES!" Bree panicked.

  "Sis, relax. Okay? I know what I'm doing." Maddy chugged down her glass of champagne, letting out a refreshed, "Ah!”

  Outside the theater, Natalie stood underneath the neon lights looking at the traffic ahead. To her, they looked like stars. She had never seen such a lively city at night before; the neon glow and moving headlights looked alien to her.

  “Natalie?” a soft whisper spoke.

  Natalie turned around and saw Harmony. Immediately, she felt revolted.

  “The fuck do you want?”

  “Okay, I deserve that… look, the evening has been one disaster after another, but I truly want to be your friend. I truly care about you.” Harmony reached out to hold Natalie's sprained wrist.

  Natalie pulled her hand away and took a few steps back.

  “You don't understand what it's like to be me… I'm not the touchy-feely type. I'm not comfortable at all with this friendship shit, so can we just go back to being coworkers or whatever the fuck we are?”

  Harmony felt hurt. No matter how hard she tried, Natalie kept pushing her away. It hurt seeing Natalie so hurt and in so much pain. Harmony really wanted to heal her with love, but even Harmony knows when enough is enough.

  “Alright, Natalie… if that's what you want… I… I called a Lyüber for you… it'll be here any minute now…” Harmony choked a bit.

  “Thanks for the snacks… I just need some space, okay? I'm sorry, but I'm broken… you deserve better…” Natalie sighed.

  “I understand… Hey? Maybe… when you're up for it, we could, like, start all over? You know, grab a cup of coffee or something?” Harmony tried one last time.

  “I dunno… sometimes I don't know how much of this I can handle.”

  Before Harmony could respond, the Lyüber pulled up in front of them. Natalie went in and closed the door, and without even saying a word, the car drove off, leaving Harmony alone in the dark.

  “I'm so sorry, Natalie…” Harmony whispered softly.

  Courtney paced back and forth, wondering how in the hell she was going to destroy those fancy crystal armors.

  “Maybe I can try to rip them open? Or pull the battery out? Oh God, I don't know what to do. My socials are begging for a selfie with the Keplers and now the Keplers are trying to kill me! I don't know what the fuck to do!”

  The heavy backstage door swung open, startling Courtney. A hulking figure in a black suit and mirrored shades signaled her. "Alright, you're clear to enter," the intimidating bodyguard growled.

  This should have been Courtney's best day ever. Backstage! With the Kepler Sisters! But now, it was a covert mission a desperate attempt to extract any intel she could on their crystal armor.

  She stepped inside, her hands trembling. She took shallow, rapid breaths, trying to regain her composure.

  It's not like they'd recognize me, right? I've been Cosmic Cheetah for weeks, and nobody's recognized my voice yet!

  The lounge was beautiful. There was a plush sofa, elevator music, a miniature fountain in the middle, and on the sofa were the Kepler sisters texting on their phones.

  "H-hi! I'm Courtney Sinclair and I'm your biggest fan!" Courtney squeaked, her voice betraying her nervous excitement.

  I'm your biggest fan? What the fuck was that?!

  Maddy glanced up from her phone. "Hi. So, did you enjoy the show?"

  Like hell I did! Courtney thought. "Y-yes... I did..." her voice was barely a whisper.

  "Hey, kid...? You good?" Bree asked, her voice laced with genuine concern.

  "Y-yeah, I'm fine," Courtney stammered, her eyes darting between the sisters as a knot grew in her stomach.

  "Umm, so, like, I saw your crystal thingies, and I thought they were, like, soooo cool," Courtney stammered, her teeth chattering slightly. "Mind if you showed them to me?"

  Maddy let out a sharp, dismissive laugh. "I don't think so. Thank you for your interest, but we can't be too careful with social media and all."

  "But I swear I won't take any pictures! I just wanna see it!" Courtney pleaded, her voice rising in desperation.

  "Why though?" Maddy asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

  “Uhh… cause I'm curious to know how they work? And how you're planning on fighting those Cutie magical girls?” Courtney’s heart raced.

  Maddy smirked, her ego making her sound like a cunning supervillain.

  “I'm planning to kill all of them. The Princess, the Knight, the Ninja…” Maddy stared into Courtney’s eyes. “And that little Cheetah, too.” She giggled maliciously.

  *Oh fuck, oh fuck, she's gonna eat me alive!* Courtney panicked.

  “Saaay, ummm… that Cheetah? She is actually a very close friend of mine… and uhh… if you promise not to hurt her... I can...” Courtney paused. She thought about doing the unthinkable. Giving up Harmony and the others just to save her own ass?

  “You can what?” Maddy prodded.

  Courtney saw firsthand what the Keplers were capable of. There was no way in hell she’d be able to fight them. If she was going to put money on this fight, she was betting on the Keplers to win.

  "I can get you those magical girls… all of them!" she blurted out, her eyes widening in horror.

  Bitch, why the fuck did you say that?!

  The Kepler Sisters exchanged a knowing glance. Maddy's lips curled into a vicious grin, while Bree shook her head with a worried glance.

  "Saaay, tell me about your little friends. What are they like?" Maddy placed a hand on Courtney's back, gently guiding her towards the plush sofa.

  "Well... umm, the Ninja one is a real slut, ha ha ha," Courtney began, her voice gaining confidence. "She's slept with everyone in the school, and I mean EVERYONE."

  "You don't say?!" Maddy giggled with amusement.

  Bree shifted uncomfortably. "How could you say that about your friends?"

  "SHUSH!" Maddy hissed, cutting her sister off. She whispered, “Don't you get it? If I can get this stupid brat to tell me everything about those magical freaks, we can make mincemeat out of them and we'll get bigger trailers!”

  Maddy immediately turned back to Courtney and gave a big, innocent grin.

  "Please, continue," she laughed nervously.

  And so Courtney told Maddy everything. Thankfully, they were mostly lies feeding into Courtney's inflated ego. She hadn't outright given names, but that didn't stop her from spilling the tea.

  "Oh, so Cosmic Cheetah is their leader? I always thought it was the pink one," Bree said, tilting her head in confusion.

  "What kind of fucking floozy would dress in pink to lead a team?!" Courtney scoffed.

  "Yeah, Bree, don't ask stupid-ass questions like that!" Maddy added.

  “Look, I don't need shit coming from you two!” Bree abruptly stood up and fled the room, the sound of her hurried footsteps echoing down the hallway.

  "Jeez, what's her problem?" Courtney asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

  "Ah, never mind her," Maddy said, waving a dismissive hand. "Keep telling me about your little friends." She smiled.

  As Courtney kept chatting with her newfound "friend," Maddy eventually gave in to Courtney’s wishes and showed off her Ruby armor.

  “Alright kiddo, watch this. RUBY ROULETTE ACTIVE!”

  The armor snapped onto Maddy as a blinding red light flashed in the room. Maddy did complex spins and twirls, landing on the ground with a massive THUD!

  "Whooa! They're much bigger than I thought!" Courtney exclaimed, her eyes wide with a mix of awe and terror.

  "The armor or my tits?" Maddy joked.

  Courtney laughed and examined the armor, walking circles around Maddy.

  "Come on, I'll show you how it works, but your hands better not be anywhere near your pockets. I swear to God, if I find any photos on Itsascam or Hik-Op, I'll take you to court!" Maddy hissed.

  "Hey, come on, I'm Courtney Sinclair! My word is my bond!" Courtney lied through her teeth.

  At the press of a button, the suit hissed. Steam shot out and released Maddy as she stepped out of the suit. She began a detailed, and vulgar, breakdown of the Ruby deathtrap.

  "So this shit shoots flamethrowers, and this shit shoots rockets, and that's where I move my arms around. See the handles? It's what enhances my punches, and all the buttons are around the fingers, letting me and my sister switch weapons on the fly!" she declared, gesturing wildly.

  Courtney's mind was snapping mental pictures, trying to memorize every detail of the monstrosity. How the fuck am I supposed to take this goddamn thing down? she wondered, her stomach churning.

  "And finally, this button allows me to lock on to any of your stupid magic friends with deadly accuracy! I'll be able to fire homing rockets and lasers! Your little friends won't see it coming. This fight will be over before lunchtime," Maddy grinned.

  Maddy pushed a button on the suit, and it quickly latched back onto her. She grabbed a champagne bottle and tossed it over her shoulder. A small smart rocket flew out of her wrist and blew the bottle into smithereens without her even looking at it.

  Holy fuck, I think I just shit myself, Courtney thought, her eyes wide with shock and horror.

  Maddy turned to Courtney, placing a hand on her shoulder. "So… you help me find your friends and I promise your little Cheetah friend will be spared. Maybe you two will be my VIPs for life? Now, how does that sound?"

  Courtney immediately thought of the fame the 24/7 access of being Maddy’s BFF for life.

  “Oh my God, that sounds tempting, but I don't know…”

  Maddy moved closer to Courtney, her armor whirring with every delicate movement.

  “I got a secret for you.” She whispered. “You help me reach super stardom status, and together we can overthrow my boss. You and I? We can be a brand and rule this piece of shit country and grab it by the balls!"

  “W-what about your sister?” Courtney asked.

  “Who's the brains of the operation? I am, that's who! We don't need her. You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours. Come on, what do you say… Partner…?” Maddy grinned widely, extending her hand.

  Courtney was at a crossroads. To betray her team? Or to join the dark side? It was an offer she couldn't refuse. She took Maddy’s hand and shook it.

  “Partners!”

  Is this the end of the Sailing Star Cutie Princesses? Will Maddy's plan work? Has Courtney fallen towards evil? Find out next time in another exciting episode of Sailing Star Cutie Princess!

  つづく

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