3.20|Dance like it don't change a thing

 

3.20|Dance like it don't change a thing

 

The streets of Feyslayer capital were ablaze with the sounds of festivities. Lollypop Lanterns of every hue were hung overhead. Thousands of jesteresque fiends patrolled the streets setting up frilly food stands, candycoated carnival games and carousels, fireworks were frivolously fired on full blast below the dome. Everyone was out in full force, enjoying the event.

Meister Teacher Kamisada was dressed as a pixie with a sheer translucent poncho and wings, he wore his usual attire of a visor hat, tie and sunglasses, tight green jeans hugging his ass. He looked about the festivities with a smile on his face and a slight hint of melancholy.

His student companions were also dressed in their usual attire. Yurine was dressed as a jesteress wielding a magic wand and Kaita a jesteress in a bikini with an eyepatch.  "So Momutie finally became Mommarshmellow. I say, good riddens to that psycho." He flicked a cigarette. Sugar Student Meister's Kaita and Yurine leaned over his should adoringly. "You'll be peachy pledging to teachy-teach us for the new Queen then? Sounds merry!" Kaita said, flowering her pastel pink skirt and fuchsia jacket lit up by the streetlights.

"I don't know, new Queenie seems to be betroved to some manner of dog."

"Girls.." Kamisada said. "It'll be coo'. Whether our leader is a singing flower or

a doglover, life will go on. And your classes will go on as usual." He laughed.

His magiphone started to beep. "One second.." Kamisada got up and checked

his messages. "Church duties.. Wifey wife.. Dry cleaners.. let's see.."

A Jezinkah wearing a rubber tux, holding a silver tray bumped into him knocking both back. "Ughff. Sorry mam, ya showed up out of nowhere.." He helped her, picking off the spilt bonbon fudgecarmel cocktails off her voluptuous breasts.

The Jezinkah's eyes widened.

"Dad?!?" They said.

Kamisada stood confused.

"Howdoyo?" He asked and looked at her.

"Ya.. ahem." She coughed into her fist. "Dad... we're.."

He twisted his visorhat and then looked back. "Wait.. Mika?!"

"Shh.." She nodded and he looked towards the two.

"Hey girl.. How're you been?" He then waved.

"Oh god." The Jezinkah sighed and covered her face. "We've both been

keeping secrets from mom."

They helped each other off the streets and headed to a nearby cafe, slurping pudding tea.  Kamisada poured a little extra vodka into his. "Hemlock?"

"Hemlock." She nodded.

They laughed.

"And, you're a teacher at Glitter Kiss? Inspite of being a H-hexad of the

church?"

"I was with the GlitterBoys, yes."

They watched the fireworks for a little bit.

"Dad.."

"Yeah?" He looked at his daughter, still taking in the form of the rubbery

gimped lady matching the staff tonight.

"Do you think your mother hides anything?"

"Mom? Keep secrets from us.. She's such a stickler for rules, I cannot

 imagine."

Kaita and Yurine caught up to him. "Hey, teacher!"

"Heeyy, girls! Come meet my daughter. She's all grown up!" He joked.

 

 

 

Mercy stood in the royal dressing chambers, the cheer of the night a merry whistle in the background. Her hands were folded neatly behind her back, the anticipation grew. The shuffling noises behind the decorated pingfeng turned to squeals and grunts. Her heart raced, the adrenaline pushing her to giddiness.

One of the Glitter Kiss staff came forward. “Princess ger- I mean, Queen Mercy, it is time for you to make your speech.” “Give us just a moment! I'll be out in 20 minutes.” Mercy smiled, they nodded and left.

The sound of muffled footsteps grew until it hit a deafening peak. "C'mon out!

I wanna seeeeeeee!" Mercy's arms were bouncing up and down.

"No. S'looks fuckin stoopid." Sway said.

"Please! Show me!" Mercy called back.

"Nuhp!"

"Git me OON reason ah should shoOw dis shite Merc."

"Cuz! You look good in tights!" "And, because I care about you."

She leaned over the edge of the folding screen.

"After I promise, we can hit the gala buffet."

Slowly making her around the panels and into the light, Sway stepped

forward.  "Whoa." Mercy covered her mouth. "Look at you!"

"Ugghr, I 'ate yoo shhoo much."

She looked down. Her outfit consisted of a royal navy-blue jacket with numerous buttons, tight yellow trouser tights with a black stripes, a pearly white belt, bronzed sash, white boots and opera gloves. Atop her shoulders were shimmering poofy epaulets. "Ah 'ook 'ike prince charming's gross fat dikk."

Mercy blushed up a storm, her face red as a cherry.

"Ah'em changin' out."

"Relax." She pecked Sway's cheek. "You look cute as fuck! My lil Moonlit

Sugarplum Prince."

She giggled and hugged Sway, taking her hands and dragging her out the top

story porch so they could watch the fireworks.

This was her dreamy fantasy since she was a little girl. She started to play with Sway's hair, tying it into a ponytail in back. "You aren't too embarrassed to be seen in that, are you?"

"Oh, shh, shut it, ya lil royal nugget. Ah ain' takin' nu from the Queen,

wOOman." she smirked playfully.

"Y'lucky Ah'ee be lovin' you Merc." They leaned into each other's shoulders.

"Honoost, joost wanted ta tak ya out ta dinners."

"Awww, gee." They felt the atmosphere of the festival upon them, the energy

of the night and the music. They looked at each other and smiled.

"Gimme suggaarrr." Their lips perched close, meeting softly and melding. 

"Ah'm a 'appy Sugarplum Prince. Ah love ya babe." She kissed her back more

deeply.

They laughed, letting the music flow through them. She turned Sway and pulled her down the stairs, the festival noise coming closer. When they reached the palace's foyer ballroom, the two took hands and started to waltz. She smiled, letting the melancholy of the night wash through her. Two lives dancing side to side, step to step, hearts intertwined.

"I love you, Sway." She smiled and pecked her cheek. "You really are like a

prince to me." She blushed, the glow of the festival dancing on her eyes.

"I loov yoo, looool!" She smirked, licking Mercy's cheek. "Maybe, ah'll make yoo a coot sugarplum prin'shiss costume." Sway teased.

Glass from above crashed. Sirens sounded. Dozens of tiny child-sized

Zes-Lethiska crawled from the chandeliers causing a panic.

"The Astroid, it must be here!" Mercy yelled.

Sway looked up and hissed. An attacker from above leapt at the two and Sway shielded Mercy's body, biting its head off whole. "Ah'm tellin' ya ah ain' lettin' it touch chu!"

Sway grabbed Mercy and flew off through a window. The Zes-Lethiska crashed onto the banquet table and followed suit. "Looks like they're just after us!" Mercy looked behind her, the small swarm making pursuit. Leading behind them was a tall beefy attacker. "Sammi.." Sway growled and leapt out a window, taking Mercy to a telephone pole. The festival night greeted them, all the music in the world couldn’t be spoilt by the pestilent invaders in hot pursuit. Sway’s sister soon gave chase, arriving on a telephone pole opposite to the two. The girl took out her signature whip and pointed at it them, as if the challenge the two.

"Swaaaaaaaaaay~ Nice ta see yoo sissss. N'ya brought pretty ah'nack! Ahhfta dem!" Samurath-kway directed dozens of siblings to climb the lines and follow suit.  "Bwahahaha! Yoo 'ook ridOOkulous in dat outfphtt."

Mercy punched her hands together. Sway elbowed her gently and winked. "Ah gotta plan. Light'em up!" Trusting her, she grabbed Sway's hand again and followed. "C'mon, ah gotta protect yer butt." The two ran rapidly, Sway trying to speed ahead in her Sugarplum Prince costume.

When the entirety of the invaders were on the lines, Sway and Mercy spun doing a arabesque ballet dance. Samurath flailed her whip at the two with quick furious lashes, the duo leaping, ducking and dodging it’s reach with an eloquence of maneuvers and graceful movements. The two put their hands up and pistol winked, saying incantations. They leapt off and with the power of the Hex, fired a surge voltage in the form of electrical spheres at the wires. Feyslayer's lights flickered, the powerlines frying the swarm into a salty crisp grind until they fell off fried.

Samurath-kway looked down at their fallen sisters. "Sssssss.." She opened her mouth wide, charging a massive buildup of heat and plasma from a solar singularity. The heat was so powerful it melted the wires nearby and boiled the sidewalk, releasing a terrible a black and gray smog. "YYYSCRRRRRRIIIIIIII..!" She screeched.

The two prepared to fire back, when a black pellet of dense energy intercepted it, bursting the plasma on impact. "Twuuh?" Sammi looked down to see two figures approaching. A similar black energy was pulsing from her brother’s hands.

"A-ANNE! Torayl!" Mercy cheered.

"Heyya sis.." Anne waved.

Sammi gnashed her teeth looking back. "What et dis, a maggotpit reoon'in? Fug et! Ah'm tellin' mummm!" She turned around and flew upwards, heading as fast as possible out of the city and soon launching herself back out into the stars.

"Habb'nt seen yoo bro in ages." Sway gave Torayl a high-five. "Luv the skull

brotha. 'Ooks great on yuu."

"Likewise." Torayl pinched her poofy epaulets.

"It's kinda leik ahhh, fairytale kind uhv thing."

Anne smirked and nudged Sway. "He's a real soft peach, isn't he? C'mon girl, you gotta gimme a kiss or leave me hanging?" Sway licked Anne's cheeks affectionately.

Anne and Mercy looked at each other sullen. "Look I know last time we hung I was, shitty to you. I wanted to apologize. I wanted to say, I'm sorry, can we put the past behind us and just.. be chill?"

Mercy looked at Sway and her step-brother, before "Uh.. yeah. That's fair.

Give us a minute guys." The two began to walk the streets alone. 

Anne smirked. "Heard you're Queen of this place now."

"You know it.. overrated right?"

"Definitely." Anne snickered.

"Ya'know Sway ate your mom..."

"GOOD." Anne took her along the bridge.

They two laughed and began to hash out, they ran into a fountain and kissed. It wasn't a romantic one, just a quick chaste kiss and a 'let's get closer and catchup' peck and smile. "Nothin' like home sweet home." Anne said, "The dimension I was in really succccked."

"So, tell me your story." Mercy sat down, splashing water at herself, soaking

her gown.

Anne splashed with her. "I'll tell you the tale of the Newheart Mage Guild

tasking me with summoning the Faunus Goddess."

 

 

 

Theo and Protlyn examined the Zes-Lethiska they'd captured, it's smoking body collapsed by the berry punch bowl. Theo examined it's 100 antennas "Looks like it was some sort of sensor type. This wasn't a prepared attack, it was just reconnaissance. They were trying to gauge our defenses and send back blueprints." He stared at the dead alien, "Do we just leave it here for scavengers?"

Protlyn looked down at the mess of lanky burnt bones "It’s not our problem,

let's just let the cleanup crew do its thing."

Theo pulled its clawed hand off "We should send it to the Solar Society think-tank and find out more about it. There is a possibility it could help us." She looked at Protlyn. "Have you spoken to Amity about it?"

"Yeah Empress, have you spoken to her about it?" Amity Byte announced from behind. By her side, Monarch lumbered closely.

Amity Byte looked down at the remains of the Lethiksk.

Theo glared at Monarch. "I'm sorry. We won't trouble you." The latter said.

"Eyyy it's all fine.. You take a daughter, raise one, you lose one.. you get her kidnapped and whatnot. We're over it. We got over you two creating an AI that asswhooped our ancient city and blew it up with nuclear warheads, right? We had fun back in the day, riiiight?" Theo rubbed the back of his head.

Theo looked into the room awkward, "So Monarch, what do you know about

the Zes-Lethiska?"

"Well actually, I-"

"DO TELL US WHAT YOU LEARNED, YOU MECHANICAL TWAT. HUH, BIG GUY?" He grabbed the from Synth's neck and started strangling him, wracking his hands around cold metal plates. "You know I don't have that kind of breathing apparatus, you cannot choke me- Theo stop. That won't work." Theo kicked his back and bonked atop his head repeatedly, trying to thrash him without moving the metal bulk at all. Amity flipped thru her magiphone bored. "Some things never change." Protlyn chuckled.

The spotlights turned on, illuminating the glass stairway. Mercy and Sway walked down, soon two figures came behind them in tow. Protlyn's eyes went wide upon spotting them. "Well I'll be. Prodigal sons daughters and all that." The Empress raised her glass for a sip.

"Hi mom!" Anne waved.

Mercy cleared her throat. "HEY everyone!" She pointed to a Jezinkah, Kamisada on her lap. With a squeak, Mika hurried over to the stairs and bowed to the crowd. "Your Highness, Queen of Glitterkiss, your prophet and ruler Mercy Prosaic will address her subjects!"

Monarch put Theo down. "Ssh. Our daughters are speaking."

The entire room went silent, Mercy looking around the room.

She stood up straight and began with her words.

"Everyone- I don't know if you even remember me, I can't remember the last time I've been here, but I'm in charge of Glimmer Kiss now. I was ruling as the Void Queen in my mom's place, and I don't want to say being a princess given a coronation is a dream but," she looked at Sway who nodded. "It's got its perks."

She cleared her throat. "But I'm only ruler here because a crazy lady kidnapped me! They were only here because the Zes-Lethiska ate their worlds. The Khepri, we don't know anything about them. What kind of civilization were they? Did they have a culture? They're just, gone now. They were secretly ruling all of you in Feyslayer capital for the longest time! Turning your children to meatsnacks!"

Murmurs went out from around the room. "And now that we're gone, the Zes-Lethiska will be coming for us next. There's a big asteroid on the way carrying countless number of them, they'll come like ants chewing a gingerbread house to pieces. They were just here tonight, sniffing us out!"

Mercy created an illusion with the light of the hex of the Vexia Seed below the

shimmering chandelier, the giant pronged rock hurling through the cosmos.

"And after talking with my sister Anne and reflecting, I've come to a deep

 realization."

All around the room her subjects all took in a sharp breath. Mercy saw the way they stared at her. "We were in charge of the Solar Society... Me and Anne tried so hard to try to lead our followers, to get them to build a new lifestyle for themselves. Instead, they fought each other, yelling and fighting. I wasn't a good Prophet! I'm proud of the Hex like nothing else, but the Hexists that revere it have a long way to go!"

Mercy threw her arms out wildly.

"And let's face it! None of us were great leaders either! My Dad was a deadbeat who played overlord to a bunch of ruffians! Monarch, you lost me! Amity, same goes to you too, plus you tried to create a copy of your mom in an AI that scanned your  brain and it launched a nuclear holocaust! Protlyn, I really love you mom, you're a great empress of the Void Realm and have pulled the world's strings but, if there's any truth to the tale of Marchwood.."

Protlyn nodded.

"Marchwood..?" The people in the audience all whispered, the name of the settlement they'd attacked so long ago still an utterance in their history.

"But, I want to be a leader, a Prophet that could bring all these people to safety, not just our world but, every single one that's been hurt by the Zes-Lethiska. And to do that, I need strong a leader now. We need to go out and make alliances with other systems, we need to grow stronger, for both Glitter kiss and the Solar Society. Not just to protect ourselves with one city, one planet, but we need to build a new era for the universe. We need a strong leader! Someone bossy and smart and, able to get our asses in gear!" She raised her fist.

As all of the Glitter Kiss aristocrats cheered their approval, Mercy's eyes found

Protlyn nodding. The latter stood silent for a moment and folded her arms.

"I will never be a politician because I'll be too emotional. And that is why I

have chosen Protlyn as the empress of Glitter Kiss!"

Protlyn shook her head. "Nooooo. Sweetie I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not? You're the natural choice." Mercy pouted.

"Nuh uh." Protlyn pulled off her necklace, dividing into Raelyn and Protas. "We're just, two halves of an empty whole." Raelyn declared. "And Marchwood, yeah that was a clusterfuck. We cannot stop these things if they're coming to kill everyone." Protas said.

Mercy sighed.

"Sigh. I see."

She stood tall.

"I won't stand in the way of someone who's the best candidate, but finding one

is the most important thing that I can do. We need someone who can tower

over us."

Mika looked up. "What did you say?"

"Hm?" Mercy turned to her student.

"Your highness, I am asking for your trust in me. I remembered seeing something in my Oracle once..."